Nothing says home baked like fresh baked bread, and one of the easiest things you can learn to make from scratch is - sandwich bread. If you’re tired of buying expensive bread from the grocery store or you’re wanting to learn how to cook from scratch, you’re in the right place!
This recipe is extremely simple and requires minimal ingredients and practically no fuss at all.
Ingredients
-
1 3/4 Cups Warm Water around 100°. This will be the liquid content for your bread and the warm water will help your yeast.
-
1 Tablespoon Active Dry Yeast this is your leavener and will help your bread rise.
-
1/4 Cup Honey we will use honey as a sweetening agent. It will feed your yeast while also making your sandwich bread a bit sweet.
-
6 Cups Flour use unbleached all purpose flour.
-
2 1/4 Teaspoons Salt I like to use fine grain sea salt.
-
1/4 Cup Butter, Melted when baking, use unsalted butter unless otherwise stated.
-
1 Egg, Beaten contributes as a binding agent.
Other items
-
Two 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 Loaf Pans
-
Stand Mixer with a Dough Hook, or use a large bowl with a wooden spoon or dough whisk
-
Saran Wrap, Tea Towel, or Bowl Covers
Making this bread is extremely simple. Don’t let the step by step instructions overwhelm you. I promise once you make bread a few times the process will seem super straight forward!
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add warm water, yeast, and honey. Stir until honey is dissolved. Let stand for about 10 minutes, allowing the mixture to get foamy.
- Add the melted butter, egg, and salt. Using your dough hook, mix until smooth. Slowly add the flour, 1 cup at a time. Knead for 5-7 minutes. The dough should pull away from the side of the bowl and shouldn’t be overly sticky. If it’s sticky, add a tablespoon of flour at a time and mix until dough is just tacky.
- Transfer the dough to a greased bowl and cover with plastic or a damp kitchen towel. Let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes to an hour, until doubled.
- Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and divide in half. Press each piece of dough into a long rectangle, about 8-inches wide, and roll it up. Pinch the side seams together and place dough seam side down into two lightly greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 bread pans.
- Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap or damp kitchen towel and let rise until doubled and the dough has risen about 1/2-inch above the rim of the loaf pan. About 40 minutes, but may take longer depending on temperature of your kitchen.
- Preheat oven to 350°F/176°C. Bake 25-30 minutes until loaves are golden brown. Internal temp should read between 190°-200°F.
- Let bread sit in pans for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. Rub butter over top of loaves to soften crust.
- Store in airtight container in pantry, 3-4 days. You may also freeze, 1 month
Tips:
If your house is cold, consider placing near a vent, baseboard heater, or on the dryer in the laundry room.
If you use plastic wrap to cover your bread, be sure to grease it! Your dough will stick to it as it rises and when you pull it off you might pop all the precious bubbles your dough made while rising which will flatten your bread.
