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Homemade Sandwich Bread

Light, fluffy, delicious, and EASY homemade sandwich bread
Print Recipe
Prep Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 5 minutes
Servings: 2 Loaves
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tbsp Active dry yeast or instant yeast
  • 2 cups Whole milk, warm
  • 1/4 cup Honey
  • 2 tsp Salt
  • 2 tbsp Unsalted butter, melted
  • 4 1/4 cups All-purpose flour or bread flour
  • Cooking spray or an extra 1 tbsp of butter

Equipment

  • 2 Loaf pans
  • Spatula
  • Stand mixer with dough attachment Optional
  • Thermometer

Method
 

  1. Whisk yeast, warm milk, and honey together in bowl of stand mixer (or regular mixing bowl if you do not have stand mixer). If using active dry yeast, cover and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes until it forms a bubbly, foam-like top layer. If using instant yeast, move directly to step 2.
  2. Add salt and melted butter. Stir together.
  3. Add 2 cups of flour. Using the dough hook of your stand mixer, mix on low speed for 1-2 minutes. If you do not have a stand mixer, mix with spatula until roughly combined.
  4. Add the remaining 2 1/4 cups of flour. Mix on low-medium speed until well combined, about 5 minutes. If you do not have a stand mixer, mix as much as you can with a spatula, then knead with lightly floured hands until well combined.
  5. Cover the bowl and allow dough to rise in a relatively warm environment for 1 hour or until it doubles in size.
  6. Lightly grease your loaf pans with cooking spray or butter.
  7. After the dough has risen, punch it down to release the air. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface. Separate dough into 2 balls. Lightly flour your hands and work each ball into a roughly 8x11 inch rectangle. Roll each rectangle into an 8 inch log and transfer into prepared loaf pans.
  8. Cover both loaf pans and allow to rise for 1 hour in a relatively warm environment.
  9. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350 °F.
  10. Once dough in loaf pans has risen, uncover and bake for 35 minutes.
  11. Once dough has baked, remove from oven and let cool. You will know the bread is ready when the top is golden brown and the internal temperature is roughly 200 °F.
  12. Cover leftover bread and store at room temperature for 6 days or in the refrigerator for 10 days. The bread can also be stored in the freezer in a freezer-safe, resealable bag for 3-6 months.

Notes

  • You can use all-purpose flour or bread flour for this recipe. Bread flour can give the loaf a chewier texture, but all-purpose flour works just fine as well! 
  • I typically use whole milk for this recipe, as I find it adds the perfect amount of moistness and tenderness that you cannot necessarily get from other milks. That is not to say, however, that you can't try other milks. If you are looking for a non-dairy alternative, I hear soy milk works well. 
  • If you would like to make your dough ahead of time to bake later, you can do that as well. To do so, follow the instructions through step 4. After this step, transfer the dough to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Once you are ready to bake your bread, remove dough from refrigerator and let warm to room air. Count this as your dough's first rise. Continue with the instructions starting at step 6.