CLASSIC WHITE BREAD

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Hands down the most popular recipe on my page is my Classic White Sandwich Bread! I get messages every day saying that this is the easiest bread to make and the best bread EVER! Make three large loaves, nine mini loaves, or 24 dinner rolls with this recipe.

Ingredients for Classic White Sandwich Bread

Water

Warm water. The temperature matters! If it is too cold it will take too long for the bread to rise and if it is too hot it could aggravate or even kill the yeast. The warmth of the water will help the dough rise faster.

Honey or Sugar 

I made this white sandwich bread recipe for years using sugar and within the last year or so I switched to mostly using honey. I like to use honey because of the flavor and because of its lower glycemic index, although, granulated white cane sugar turns out great! I have also subbed straight across for coconut sugar many times. It turns out really nice and has a slightly lower glycemic index, but just know this will make the final product a much darker color (it will resemble whole-wheat bread).

If you want less sweet bread, feel free to reduce the amount of honey/sugar called for. You can reduce it to 1/2 cup, or 1/4 cup, or even eliminate it entirely. It turns out just fine with just a less sweet taste. If you eliminate or reduce the amount of sugar, all the other ingredients will remain the same.

Active Dry Yeast 

For this recipe, I like to use active dry yeast. This type of yeast has to be proofed before adding it to the dough. I use Red Star Active Dry Yeast that I’ve always purchased from Costco. 

Another option is Instant yeast. This is another type of yeast that doesn’t need to be dissolved in water before being added to the dough (but doesn’t hurt if it is dissolved). I’ve learned that if instant yeast is all you have, you can use that instead of active dry yeast and it turns out just fine.

Salt

Many of the ingredients in this white sandwich bread recipe are forgiving. If you forget to add the sugar, oil, or egg, it still turns out pretty much okay. But if you forget the salt, it’s NO GOOD! Sadly, you may as well throw it away or feed it to chickens if you forget the salt. It won’t taste good at all.

The only salt I use is Redmond Real Salt. I love it because it is pure, unprocessed, full of naturally-occurring trace minerals, has no fillers, no anti-caking agents, no additives or unhealthy pollutants added to it. 

Most commerical table salt is lacking in nutrients and is full of processed junk. Redmond Real Salt has been mined from an ancient sea bed in central Utah, making it true, mineral rich sea salt! 

You can get 15% off with my affiliate discount code, AMBERSKITCHEN.

To make it more cost effective, I buy in bulk and order a 25 lb bag of salt every few years. I store it in a bucket or in mason jars and it lasts me a few years.

Egg

The egg makes the texture of the sandwich bread soft and prevents it from getting crumbly. If you don’t want to use an egg, you can:1) skip the egg altogether, 2) use 1/4 cup of aquafaba, or 3) use a flax egg replacement.

If you half this recipe, you can add an entire egg, half of a beaten egg, or you could entirely skip the egg and it would still turn out great either way.

Coconut Oil

I almost always use melted coconut oil in my bread recipes because coconut oil is magic for bread. It makes the bread notably softer than bread made with other oils. It does not make the bread taste at all like coconut.

However, if you cannot do coconut oil, my next recommendation would be to substitute it straight across for avocado oil. My third choice would be melted butter and my fourth choice would be vegetable/canola oil. Feel free to use whatever you like best.

Flour

This recipe can be made from many flour options, such as bread flour, all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, or Kamut flour.

BREAD FLOUR: This option contains more gluten in it than All-purpose flour, so the finished product results in a tall buoyant rise, and bread that is soft with a beautiful stretch. I most often make this recipe with bread flour that I get from a local mill, Lehi Mills. (Use code “AMBERSKITCHEN” FOR 10% off). I prefer their products because they source their wheat from farmers who do not use glyphosate on their wheat crop.

ALL PURPOSE FLOUR: This can be used as a straight across substitute for bread flour.

WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR: This can be used in place of bread flour, however, generally you will need slightly less flour because of the weight and absorbency of whole wheat flour. So instead of using 8.5 cups of flour, you may only need 7.75 cups. Be sure to check by texture when you are adding flour to see if you have the correct amount of flour. 

KAMUT: Kamut is an ancient type of wheat that hasn’t been genetically altered as much as many of the common types of wheat we use today. It is very tasty and has a slight nutty flavor. For the most part, it can be substituted for all-purpose flour, but not straight across. It is more absorbent than all-purpose flour, so if you use Kamut, reduce the total amount of flour by about 10%-15%. In my experience, I notice that Kamut doesn’t always rise quite as high and it can tend to be a tad more crumbly. The top of the loaves also have a slightly dimpled appearance when I use Kamut.

How to Make Classic White Sandwich Bread 

To make the dough, combine the water, sugar, and yeast and let proof for 10 minutes. It should be bubbly and smell like bread and look something like this:

Add the oil, egg, and salt straight into your bowl with the yeast mixture. Add the flour, a cup at a time, mixing in between until you have enough flour.

My favorite way to see if I have enough flour is to use the “touch test.” Here’s how to do it:

Touch the dough. If it sticks to your fingers, you need more flour. If it’s soft and tacky, but doesn’t stick to your fingers, you’ve got the perfect amount! If the dough feels dry, you can add a little extra oil to soften it back up.

Knead for about 10-15 minutes.

First Rise 

Let the dough rise for about an hour, or until doubled in size. 

Shape the Dough 

Dump the dough onto a floured surface and divide into three loaves, 9 mini loaves, or 24-32 rolls.

Second Rise

Cover the dough and let rise again until doubled in size.

Bake

Bake at 375°F for 25-30 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the bread reaches 180°F.

Take the bread out of the oven and let cool. Remove the bread from the bread pans so that the bread doesn’t get soggy. You can brush the tops with melted butter if you like! 

FAQS

Q: Can this recipe be used to make rolls or mini loaves?

A: This recipe will make 3 sandwich size loaves, 9 mini loaves, or 24-32 rolls. Loaves bake at 375° F for 25-30 min, mini loaves bake at 375°F for 22-24 min, and rolls bake at 350°F for 17-20 min.

Q: I made this recipe but the center was doughy. What should I do differently next time?

A: All ovens bake differently. I recommend using a thermometer to make sure the internal temp is at least 180 degrees Fahrenheit. This may take anywhere between 25 to 35 minutes for the three loaves. Be mindful that it you keep opening and closing your oven door, heat will escape and the oven won’t be as hot.

Q: What size loaf pans do you recommend?

A: For bread loaves use 3, 1.5-quart loaf pans or pans that measure 4×8 or 5×9. 

Q: Can this recipe be halved?

A: You can absolutely half this recipe! You can either skip the egg, or use half an egg, or use an entire egg. 

Q: Can I freeze some of the dough? How would I thaw and bake?

A: You can absolutely freeze some of the unbaked dough in loaf shape or in roll shape. Prepare the dough up to the shaping step. Then flash freeze on a flat surface for one hour. Then transfer to a ziplock bag and put back into the freezer. When you want to bake it, remove it from the freezer and set it in/on a greased baking dish. Cover with plastic. Let thaw, then let rise. When it has risen follow the baking instructions as written.

Q: Is it absolutely necessary to spray the baking pans with non-stick spray?

A: I recommend spraying with non stick spray, or lining your baking pans with parchment paper! Although, if using avocado oil spray, beware: I have had terrible luck with that actually preventing the loaves from sticking to the sides of the pan.

Q: The tops of my loaves got a little too browned. How can I prevent that?

A: You can get a sheet of aluminum foil and set it right on top of the loaves for the second half of baking. If you do this, add two minutes to the baking time. Do not leave it there the whole time or the bread won’t cook thoroughly.

Q: How do you store the bread?

A: Once the bread has completely cooled, I store them in these twist tie bags.

This bread doesn’t have any preservatives in it so it is only good at room temperature for 4-5 days.

Anything that won’t get eaten within 4-5 days I freeze.

Q: How do you slice your bread?

A: I LOVE this super sharp bread knife. Makes it so easy to slice!

What Others Are Saying

Classic White Bread

One of the easiest breads you'll ever make and the best you'll ever eat. This Classic White Bread is simply satisfying and will keep you coming back again and again. Enjoy!

5 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Breads

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Rising time: 1 hour hour

Ingredients

• 3 cups warm water baby bottle temperature
• 1 1/2 T active dry yeast
• 3/4 cup sugar or honey
• 1 T salt
• 1 egg beaten
• 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
• 8 1/2 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour, give or take 1/2 cup

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Instructions

• For bread loaves use 3, 1/5-quart loaf pans or pans that measure 4×8 or 5×9.
• Combine water, yeast, and sugar. Mix gently. Cover and let the yeast proof for ten minutes. If yeast does not foam up then do not move forward, start again with new yeast.
• Add salt, egg, and oil. Mix to combine.
• Add flour, cup by cup mixing in between each addition. You have enough flour when 1- the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl, 2- the dough becomes tacky but not overly sticky in texture. Use the touch test (below) to determine if the dough has the right amount of flour. If it doesn’t have enough, add a little flour and knead. If it has too much flour, add a teaspoon of oil and knead. Do not add too much flour!
• Touch test: after kneading the dough, touch it with 3 fingers. If a lot of dough sticks to your fingers, it needs more flour. If hardly any sticks to your fingers it’s just right. If it is dry and crumbly with pockets of visible flour, it has too much flour. Kneading the dough for a few extra minutes can help hydrate any excess flour.
• Knead the dough for 10-15 minutes. Cover with a clean kitchen towel or with a bowl lid or with plastic wrap. Let rise until it has doubled in size (about one hour).
• Punch down dough and dump onto a clean, floured surface. Divide into portions of either 3 loaves, 9 mini loaves, or 24-32 rolls. Form into the desired shape, and set on a greased cookie or greased loaf pan and cover with plastic wrap, a lid, or a clean dish towel. Allow to rise again until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 375° F for bread or 350° F for rolls.
• Bake. – 3 large loaves bake at 375° F for 25-30 minutes or until the thermometer reads 180° F at the center of the loaf. – 9 mini loaves bake at 375° F for 22-25 minutes or until the thermometer reads 180° F at the center of the loaf.- 32 rolls (16 per cookie sheet) bake at 350° F for 17-20 minutes.- 24 rolls (12 per cookie sheet) bake at 350° F for 17-20 min
• Remove from oven and let cool. Remove bread from bread pans and onto a cooling rack immediately so they don’t condensate and get soggy. Spread tops with melted butter if you want.
• Let bread/ rolls cool completely, then they can be stored in twist tie bread storage bags.* They will last well at room temperature for 4-5 days, but remember that they do not have any preservatives in them so they may start to mold around day 7. I recommend freezing whatever won't be used within 4-5 days.