This simple, homemade sandwich bread is fluffy, soft and so easy to make! Best of all, it uses simple ingredients making it economical too!
Is there anything better than freshly baked bread? Very little compares to a fresh loaf, right out of the oven. The wonderful aroma fills the kitchen and makes you eager to slice into it.
I’m not gonna lie when I tell you that this loaf didn’t last long at all in our house. It was gone far too quick- embarrassingly quick- but it was too darn good not to devour it. It’s its own fault, really. We’re only human after all.
If you have not tried your hand at baking bread before, this recipe is a pretty easy one to get started with. No making your own sourdough starter or anything fancy like that. I am no expert in the bread baking department myself and have no fancy looking loaves with gorgeous cuts and designs to showcase. Maybe one day. But not today.
Plain old bread, though. With simple ingredients and very few steps? Yup. I can do that. And so can you!
Ingredients you’ll need to make Homemade Sandwich Bread
There are very few ingredients in this loaf, making it a great way to dive into bread baking. The recipe is easy, simple in its ingredients, and vegan too.
To make homemade sandwich bread, you will need:
- yeast (I use dry active yeast)
- warm water
- brown sugar (you can use regular sugar or even honey instead)
- salt
- flour
- butter (can use vegan butter)
That’s all you need to get started on your loaf!
Can you make substitutions to these ingredients?
Yes. And also no. Many of the ingredients in my list can be tweaked a bit and still yield great results, but not everything.
- Can you sub in a different yeast? I can’t say from experience but I don’t see why not. I don’t have any pointers though and ideas for how to do this as my go-to is always dry active yeast.
- Can you sub in something else for brown sugar? Yes. Regular sugar or even honey will work here. Feel free to use what you have on hand. Don’t leave sugar out altogether though. The yeast needs the sugar to do its magic and so it is has a pretty important role to play in developing a nice fluffy bread!
- Can you sub in a different flour? Yes and no.
- Bread Flour. You can use a different flour like bread flour for example but it will change the texture of the bread. I recommend sticking with all purpose.
- Whole wheat flour. I have not done a fully whole wheat loaf but have subbed in 1 cup of whole wheat flour in place of the all purpose and it worked out beautifully.
- Gluten-free flour. This is a no, I’m afraid. This bread really needs the gluten to form and so it won’t work without it.
- Can I sub in something for the butter? Yup. If you are vegan, use a butter substitute instead!
Kitchen Supplies you’ll need (other then ingredients) to make homemade sandwich bread
Really, all you need is a bowl and a loaf pan. But, a stand mixer sure does help too.
I use my stand mixer to help form the dough in the beginning but then switch to working by hand to knead it. I have a fear of burning out my stand mixer’s motor and so I’d rather take the therapeutic, stress-relieving route of kneading by hand.
Maybe its just me but I find it so comforting to knead and play with the dough. Maybe i’m weird.
If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can do the whole thing by hand too, so don’t worry.
I am not sure about using a bread maker for this bread as I have never used one before. If anyone tries this recipe with a breadmaker, please let me know how it went!
How to make the most delicious loaf!
The steps for making this bread are pretty easy. It takes about 3 hours from start to finish which includes the rise time needed to get this bread nice and floufy!
To start, in the bowl of my stand mixer (or another bowl if you aren’t using a stand mixer), I mix together the yeast, warm water and sugar. Then I let it sit for 5-10 minutes so the yeast can activate and start to bloom. You’ll know its activated when you see it start to bubble up a bit.
Then I place the bowl in my mixer and attach the dough hook. I add the flour and salt and let the machine work for a few minutes to bring the dough together. All of the flour is incorporated at this point.
Then I transfer the dough to a clean, dry surface (my kitchen counter) and knead it for 8-10 minutes. It is a bit of a work out to knead it but I’m pretty weak and can manage so I am sure you can too. If possible, tag someone in and let them help out with the task. I mean, if they’re going to eat the bread, they should pitch in too, right?
You’ll know its kneaded enough when it feels smooth and elastic. Once it is kneaded, I form it into a ball. Then I grease the bowl and place the dough into it. I cover it with plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel and let it rise for an hour or so until it doubles in size.
Once its doubled, I punch it down, transfer it to my kitchen counter again and form it into an oval shape. Then I drop it into a greased loaf pan and cover it again. I let it rise for an hour again.
Below is a picture of the loaf before and after its second rise. It poufs up quite a bit!
Then I pop it into a preheated oven and bake it for 25 minutes.
Once its cooked, I take it out of the loaf pan and place it cool on a cooling rack, brushing it with some melted butter on top and on its sides.
That’s it!
Hope you find these tips useful and are well on your way to enjoying a delicious fresh loaf of bread!
Bon appetit!
-Cathy
If you are looking for another easy bread recipe:
No Knead Bread
Yogurt Flatbread (no yeast required)
Homemade Sandwich Bread
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 teaspoons dry active yeast
- 1 3/4 cups water warm
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons butter melted (use vegan butter for a vegan bread)
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix warm water, yeast, and brown sugar. Let it rest for 5-10 minutes to activate the yeast and allow it to bloom.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attached, pour the yeast mixture, salt, and flour and mix on low speed for approximately 2 minutes, until dough comes together and all of the flour is incorporated.
- Transfer the dough to a clean, dry surface and knead by hand for 8-10 minutes. (You can do this in about 6 minutes in a stand mixer but I fear the motor will burn out in my mixer so I feel more comfortable doing this by hand.) The dough should feel smooth and elastic when you are done. Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover it with plastic wrap and/or a clean dish towel and let it rise for 1 hour or until it doubles in size. Leave the dough to rise undisturbed at room temperature.
- Punch down the dough and form it into an oval shaped loaf. Place the loaf in a greased loaf pan with the seam side down. Let it rise covered at room temperature for 1 hour until it doubles in size.
- Preheat oven to 375F and bake for 25-30 minutes. The loaf should be a nice golden brown. Remove loaf from pan and transfer it to a cooling rack. Brush it with melted butter on its tops and sides.
This was my first time making bread and I love it! The slices are so light and fluffy compared to store loaves, totally worth the time investment. My next day off I’m going to make 2 and that will be our bread for the week!
Thank you so much! I am so glad you loved the recipe!