One hour start to finish is all you need to make the World’s Easiest Homemade Sandwich Bread. Don’t have a stand mixer? No problem! Just knead by hand in a couple minutes. With only 5 pantry ingredients, this recipe is so easy and thrifty, resulting in soft tender loaves of bread every time!
My friend Rebecca from Foodie with Family wrote another cookbook, this one called “Ready, Set, Dough!” all about easy bread making, and it’s amazing. If you’re someone who is bread-baking challenged or just simply afraid to use yeast, get your hands on this book and it will change your life.
This homemade sandwich bread recipe of hers is gold. I knew I would love it, because it’s really similar to my quick and easy pizza dough, in ingredients and simplicity. The process is just different, but with excellent results every time.
I’ve made this bread on so many occasions and figured now was the perfect time to share it with you, in case you’re having trouble locating bread at your local markets! Even if you can find pre-made bread, you should try it anyway – you won’t believe how easy it is!
What ingredients do I need for this Sandwich Bread
You only need a few basic pantry ingredients for this bread!
- All-purpose flour
- Instant or active dry yeast
- Granulated sugar
- Kosher salt
- Olive oil
- Water
Recipe Notes
- Use fresh yeast for the dough. You know the yeast is still good if it foams. If not, toss it and get a new batch.
- The dough needs to rise until it doubles in size. If it’s cold in the house, I like to place the bowl of dough on a heating pad to aid in the rising time.
- It is critical that you start the loaves in a cold oven! A cold oven and moist heat left from the hot water (on the lower rack) improves the oven spring and creates a nice crust.
- A little bit of dried herbs or garlic powder can be added to the dough, for a different flavor.
Can I Make This Gluten Free?
I am not a gluten free baker and this recipe has not been tested as such, but the general rule for converting regular bread to gluten free bread is such:
- Substitute all-purpose gluten-free flour in place of all-purpose regular flour at a ratio of 1:1. (Try Bob’s Red Mill all-purpose gluten-free flour or King Arthur Gluten Free Flour << those are affiliate links.)
- And also add 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum (<< affiliate link.)
If you try it, make sure to come back and let me know how it turns out!
How To Store Sandwich Bread
There is just nothing like freshly baked bread right from the oven! Unfortunately, bread really shouldn’t be left out for an extended period of time, because it gets stale. But you’ve got options for storing it.
- If you’ve got yourself a breadbox (your grandmother probably had one!), definitely use it. These old fashioned contraptions do actually work because they allow bread to breathe without letting in air that typically dries the bread out.
- Once cooled completely, double-wrap your bread loaves in clean plastic wrap, then store in a cool, dry place. But make certain there isn’t even a drop of moisture on the plastic, which can make the bread mushy or moldy.
- The freezer is your friend for long-term storage. If you won’t be finishing your loaves with a couple of days, cool the bread completely, slice it, then wrap in plastic (as instructed above.) Slicing the bread prior to freezing is the way to go, since the slices thaw faster at room temperature and also you can just take out what you need.
- Skip the refrigerator. It’s sort of the worst thing you can do to bread, because it completely dries it out.
- Bread can be kept frozen up to 2 months. It’s safe to eat after that, but the quality and flavor diminish significantly.
I can’t say enough about how easy and wonderful this bread is – and nobody says you have to use it just for sandwiches. Right out of the oven with a slab of butter is out of this world!
You can buy Rebecca’s awesome book here! (<< affiliate link) And you should. You will use it all the time, I swear!
Other Bread Recipes You Must Make!
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
World’s Easiest Homemade Sandwich Bread
Ingredients
- 6 cups all purpose flour , scooped and leveled
- 2 tablespoons instant or active dry yeast
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt (or 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt)
- 2 cups very warm water (about 120 degrees F)
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil , divided
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Then add in the water and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil; mix together with a sturdy wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms.
- Turn out onto a clean surface and knead until the dough comes together and becomes smooth, about 4 minutes.
- Form a smooth dough ball and return to the mixing bowl. Cover with a clean tea towel and let rise in a warm place for 15 minutes.
- Divide the dough in half and form into two loaf shapes; place loaves into two standard-size loaf pans.
- Drizzle each with a tablespoon of the remaining olive oil, then slash the tops of the loaves about 1/4-inch deep with a sharp knife.
- Place loaves on the middle rack of a cold oven with a pan of hot tap water on the rack below it.
- Close the oven, set the heat at 400 degrees F, and start a timer for 40 minutes.
- After 40 minutes, remove the pans from the oven, carefully transfer bread out of the pans and onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Slice and enjoy!
Notes
- Use fresh yeast for the dough. You know the yeast is still good if it foams. If not, toss it and get a new batch.
- The dough needs to rise until it doubles in size. If it’s cold in the house, I like to place the bowl of dough on a heating pad to aid in the rising time.
- It is critical that you start the loaves in a cold oven! A cold oven and moist heat left from the hot water (on the lower rack) improves the oven spring and creates a nice crust.
- For storage options, please refer to the full article.
I don’t have a loaf pan, can I substitute in another shape?
Hi Jess – I’ve only made this recipe as written, so I can vouch for results using a different pan.
is 15 minutes rise time a typo??
nope.
Thank you for this easy tasty bread. Even better than my husband’s bread made in his fancy bread maker. My grandchildren have opted for this loaf as their daily lunch box bread. Kind regards and stay safe from South Africa
Can I use bread flour instead of AP? If so, do I use the same amount? I’m obviously new to bread making.
Yes, you can absolutely use bread flour. Same amount.
Looking forward to trying this today! One question- do you need to spray/grease the loaf pans??
Hi Caroline! You don’t need to if your loaf pans are nonstick. If they aren’t, then I would lightly spray them.
MY QUESTION IS ABOUT THE YEAST AND THE WATER. HOW MUCH WATER DO I USE TO TEST MY YEAST OR IS IT PART OF THE 2 CUPS WATER I USE ?I
I’d start by looking for the expiration date on the packets or jar. If it’s past that date, it’s likely not good anymore. If the expiration date is nowhere in site, it’s a safe bet you’re good to go. If there is no expiration date at all, then you’d need to take a bit of it and sprinkle it on top of a bowl with warm water to make sure it foams (1 cup should be enough – not part of the 2 cups needed for this recipe.) Hope that helps!
Awesome Easy and delicious! Have made it 4 times already!
Can you substitute wheat flour on this recipe?
Hi Sandy – I have only tested this recipe as written, so I can’t vouch for the results, but you can certainly try it if you’re comfortable with bread baking. Let me know if it turns out!
I made this early in the morning for my family. They went crazy over it. It really is quick and good.
Can I use extra virgin olive oil in this recipe? It’s all I have on hand.
This recipe calls for extra-virgin olive oil, as included in the list of ingredients and instructions.
Our stores are still out of bread, but I was able to locate flour (already had yeast) and make this – definitely the easiest bread ever and tasted wonderful. I will be making this long after the stores restock their shelves. Thank you for this!
Do you have a recipe for bread that doesn’t require yeast. We are self isolated and cant get yeast from shop.
Hi Christina – if you have beer, you can make beer bread (which has yeast built into it.) I don’t even like beer and I LOVE this bread https://bellyfull.net/easy-beer-bread-recipe/
Can you make this in a bread machine?
Hi Marie – I haven’t tested this recipe in a bread machine, so I can’t vouch for the results. It’s such an easy recipe, though, you don’t need one at all.
What size are your bread pans?
Standard 9×5
How do i make a smaller portion… Just for 2 people.. Thanks
Hi Sylvia – without more recipe testing I can’t say for certain how to modify this recipe in such a small amount. But a previous reader said she was able to halve it down to a single loaf, so maybe try that and simply freeze the portion you don’t use. Is that an option?
Does it have to be olive oil
Do not have olive oil could you use canola oil instead?
Hi Trina! Yes, canola oil will work, it just won’t have the same flavor and not my preference. But if that’s all you have, by all means, use it.
Made this today. We devoured it at lunch time of course. It was indeed very easy to make with very little effort. I halved the recipe as I only have 1 bread pan, was a bit worried wouldnt come out right but I was soo wrong. This recipe is a huge keeper. It was picture perfect wish I could show you because of course I took a picture of it, it was definitely picture perfect. Thank you!!
I’m so happy to hear it, Wendy!! And good to know it can be halved successfully.
How about Monday flour for keto bread? I cannot find a good Keto high rise bread!
Hi Mari – sorry, I don’t have a recipe like that. I would surf Google, Pinterest, and Facebook bread groups if you haven’t already. Good luck!
Oh, how this takes me back to when I was making all my own bread for many years.
Once healthier breads were made available in our supermarkets, I stopped homemade bread making. But there is nothing like fresh bread from the oven. I’ll definitely put this in my to try folder.
I remember all the bread you used to make – the house smelled amazing!