Classic Sandwich Bread

There is just something about a classic sandwich bread. I love having toast in the morning so mastering a basic sandwich bread was key for me. I found this recipe from King Arthur Flour and have worked to make it mine.

The biggest issue I’ve had when making bread is that it breaks into pieces after I cut it. It still tasted delicious but it’s annoying for all the reasons you are thinking – buttering small pieces and not really getting a full piece for a sandwich.

That’s when I started Googling what could be going on. One of the blog posts I found said that the bread may need more protein and to look for other types of flour, including bread flour. So I decided to test out bread flour and I was quickly sold on it. Ever since I made the switch from All-Purpose Flour to Bread Flour I’ve seen a huge difference in the quality of my bread.

My breads now don’t break on themselves which is fantastic! This time around we just ate this loaf for breakfast or snacks – just cut a slice and add butter.

I think starting with a simple, classic recipe helped me try out other recipes. Plus, it’s an easy go-to as well.

One more thing about this recipe, if you saw me baking this on my Instagram stories, I mentioned that I let this rise in the refrigerator. I normally don’t do that unless it requires a very slow rise, which is why I didn’t put that information in the recipe below. But we last-minute decided to go out near the beginning of the first rise. I didn’t know how long we’d be gone for so I knew that putting it in the refrigerator would slow the rise down. I think this took about 3 or 4 hours to rise. I pulled it out when we got home and it was about doubled. It maybe could have done with a little bit longer but I compensated for that on the second rise, which I did on my kitchen counter. When you take it out of the fridge from a rise, let it get to room temperature because it’ll be easier to shape into a log. It’s an easy way to modify this recipe if you’re not sure what your day is going to bring you.

Happy baking!

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Classic White Sandwich Bread

The perfect bread for toast or sandwiches. 

Course Bread

Ingredients

• 3 cups bread flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons active yeast

Instructions

1. In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment combine all of the ingredients and stir until the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl. 

2. Put on the kneading attachment. Then knead it for 6 to 8 minutes, or until it begins to become smooth and supple. 

3. Take the dough out briefly and lightly grease the mixing bowl. Put the dough back in the bowl and cover. Let stand for 1-2 hour until doubled in size.

4. Take the dough out and put on a slightly oiled surface. Push the dough so it deflates a bit. Shape the dough into a log.

5. Grease a loaf pan and put the log in. Cover the pan and let rise for about an hour until the dough is near or above the top of the pan.

6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the bread for 30-35 minutes or until it's golden brown. 

7. Let the bread cool slightly then remove from pan and place on cooling rack. Let cool before slicing. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Recipe Notes:

Adapted from King Arthur Flour.

You can cover the pan with a towel or plastic wrap. 

To store the bread, place in a plastic ziploc bag. You can also wrap in aluminum foil to help last longer.