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5 slices of homemade sandwich bread
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4.97 from 121

World’s Easiest Homemade Sandwich Bread

Just over an hour start to finish is all you need to make the World’s Easiest Homemade Sandwich Bread. Only 5 pantry items needed and no electric mixer, this recipe is so easy and thrifty, resulting in soft tender loaves of bread every time!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Rise Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Bread
Cuisine: American
Keyword: easy sandwich bread, homemade sandwich bread, sandwich bread
Servings: 32 slices (2 loaves)

Ingredients

  • 6 cups all-purpose flour , spooned and leveled
  • 2 tablespoons instant dry yeast
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon coarse salt
  • 2 cups very warm water (about 120 degrees F)
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil , divided
  • melted butter , for the crust, optional

Instructions

  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, instant dry yeast, sugar, and coarse salt. Then add in the warm water and 2 tablespoons of olive oil; mix together with a sturdy wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms.
    dry and wet ingredients for sandwich bread dough in bowl
  • Turn out onto a clean lightly floured surface and knead until the dough comes together and becomes smooth, about 4 minutes.
    shaggy sandwich bread dough on cutting board
  • 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 30 minutes (or longer, if you wish - see note.)
    sandwich bread dough rising in glass bowl
  • Divide the dough in half and form into two loaf shapes; place loaves into two standard-size 9x5 greased loaf pans.
    uncooked sandwich bread dough loaves in loaf pans
  • Drizzle each with a tablespoon of olive oil, then slash the tops of the loaves about 1/4-inch deep with a sharp knife.
    uncooked sandwich bread dough loaves with slits in top in loaf pans
  • Place loaves on the middle rack of a cold oven with a pan filled with 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. (Feel free to baste the crust with melted butter while still warm, if preferred.)
    two baked sandwich bread loaves in loaf pans
  • Slice and enjoy!
    loaf of sliced homemade sandwich bread

Notes

Use fresh yeast for the dough. If the yeast is not fresh, your dough will not rise properly. Check your expiration date!
Speed up the rise time. Just 30 minutes is always enough rise for me with this recipe, but if you'd like, you can allow the dough to rise for an hour (or even longer) to double in size. I often place the bowl of covered dough on a heating pad set to low to speed things up. This is especially helpful in the winter when the house is cold.
Start the loaves in a cold oven! A cold oven and moist heat produced from the hot pan of water (on the lower rack) improves the oven spring and creates a nice crust.
Prevent over-browning. If you notice the loaves over-browning toward the end, loosely tent with foil.

Nutrition

Calories: 104kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 219mg | Potassium: 27mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 1mg