Classic White Sandwich Bread
Make a soft homemade white sandwich bread loaf with milk, butter, yeast, and simple step-by-step shaping and baking instructions.
Ingredients
- 420 g bread flour
- 240 g whole milk, lukewarm
- 60 g lukewarm water
- 35 g granulated sugar
- 7 g instant yeast
- 9 g salt
- 45 g unsalted butter, softened
Instructions
- Combine flour, sugar, and yeast.
- Add milk and water. Mix until shaggy.
- Add salt. Knead 4 minutes.
- Add softened butter gradually. Continue kneading until smooth, elastic, and tacky but manageable. Approximately another 5-7 minutes.
- Rise until approximately doubled, 60-90 minutes.
- Gently deflate. Pat into rectangle approximately width of loaf pan.
- Roll tightly into cylinder. Pinch seam.
- Place seam-down in greased 9x5 pan.
- Proof until crown rises approximately 1 inch above pan rim.
- Bake at 350F approximately 35-40 minutes. Target interior: 190-195F.
- Immediately turn out onto rack.
- Brush top lightly with butter for softer crust if desired.
- Cool completely before slicing.
Nutrition
Chef's Notes
CHEF'S NOTES: - This enriched dough uses milk, butter, and sugar for a soft, tender loaf. - Add butter gradually after initial kneading - adding it all at once makes incorporation harder. - Proof until the crown rises ~1 inch above the pan rim for the perfect sandwich shape. - Turn out immediately from the pan to prevent a soggy bottom. TROUBLESHOOTING: - Why did my loaf collapse? Over-proofed. Don't let it rise too far above the pan rim. - How do I keep homemade sandwich bread soft? Brush with butter after baking, store in a bag once cool. - Can I use all-purpose flour? Yes, but the loaf will be slightly less structured. Bread flour gives better volume. STORAGE: Room temperature 3-4 days in a bread bag. Freezes well sliced. SCALING: 2x = make two 9x5 loaves. Rise and bake times do not scale. ALLERGENS: Contains wheat, milk. NUTRITION NOTE: Calculated per slice (1/12 of loaf) using standard USDA nutrition values.