This Classic White Bread Recipe is super simple to make. These loaves of homemade bread bake up soft and fluffy and is the perfect soft white sandwich bread.
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Classic White Sandwich Bread
Making homemade bread is easier than you think. With only a few simple ingredients you’ll have delicious white sandwich bread in only a few hours! This basic bread recipe is great for sandwich bread, toast, French Toast, and will last for days. After the bread cools, place in a twist tie baggie and seal up to keep it fresh. White Bread recipe made with basic ingredients and detailed instructions showing how to make bread.
For other yeast bread recipes, be sure and check out my Oatmeal Bread, Basic Sourdough Bread, and Homemade Dinner Rolls. When I was a young girl, my mom had a small baking business and sold homemade bread to our neighbors and my dad’s co-workers! Such great memories of her baking bread!
How to make Homemade White Bread:
Step 1: Scald the milk, stir in the sugar, salt, and butter to dissolve. Cool the milk mixture to lukewarm.
Step 2: Pour the warm water into a warm mixing bowl of stand mixer or large bowl. Sprinkle in the yeast and stir to dissolve. Let sit 5 minutes.
Step 3: Add the lukewarm milk mixture and eggs. Stir in the flour. This dough will be sticky! Beat until well blended. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl occasionally. Incorporate everything well.
Step 4: Turn the sticky dough out onto a well-floured work surface. Use a rubber bench scraper to turn the dough into itself. Kneading for about 3 to 4 minutes. Or until the dough is smooth. This will be a SOFT dough.
Step 5: Spray the mixing bowl well with cooking spray or coat with vegetable oil using a clean dry paper towel. Place the dough smooth side up into the warm bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Spray the top of the bread with cooking spray (so the plastic wrap doesn’t stick to the bread). Cover the plastic wrap with a clean dry kitchen cloth and let rise until doubled in a warm place. (About 1 hour)
Step 6: Divide the dough into half. Shape into loaves; Form each into a loaf by rolling it into an oblong shape then tucking and pinching the ends under the loaf. Place the shaped loaves into greased loaf pans. Cover with either plastic wrap or a clean dry kitchen cloth. Let rise in a warm place until doubled. (30 minutes to 1 hour)
If you wanted, you could at this point turn this homemade bread into cinnamon raisin bread. You would brush it with 4 tablespoons melted butter, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture, add raisins, and roll up nice and tight.
Step 7: Before placing into the oven, gently brush each loaf with an egg wash.
Step 8: Bake in a preheated 375 degree F oven for about 40 minutes, until the outside is golden brown and internal temperature is 195-200 degrees.
I love baking homemade bread in these cast iron loaf pans from Lodge. They are super easy to clean and I love the way the bottom of the bread comes out! When the white sandwich bread comes out of the oven rub a little piece of butter across the hot bread. (My mom used to do that for all of her homemade bread recipes!)
While I made this white bread recipe in my Kitchenaid stand mixer. You could certainly combine your ingredients with your hands or a wooden spoon in a large glass mixing bowl.
What temperature to bake bread?
Homemade Bread internal temperature for should be 195-200 degrees F when removed from the grill. Use your ThermoWorks Thermapen to check the temperature of anything you grill. King Arthur Flour has some great recipes and tips on baking homemade bread.
This traditional bread recipe is delicious toasted and slathered with homemade Mixed Berry Jam or Raspberry Rhubarb Jam. I mean, how good does that sound?!
For more great recipes be sure to try my Homemade Apple Pie, Cast Iron Pizza, Fried Apple Hand Pies, and Chicken Pot Pie Recipe.
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White Bread Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
White Sandwich Bread
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup lukewarm water
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 package (.25-ounce) active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 4 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour or bread flour
Instructions
White Sandwich Bread
- Scald the milk, stir in the sugar, salt, and butter to dissolve. Cool the milk mixture to lukewarm.
- Pour the warm water into a warm mixing bowl of stand mixer or large bowl. Sprinkle in the yeast and stir to dissolve. Let sit 5 minutes.
- Add the lukewarm milk mixture and eggs. Stir in the flour. This dough will be sticky! Beat until well blended. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl occasionally. Incorporate everything well.
- Turn the sticky dough out onto a well-floured work surface. Use a rubber bench scraper to turn the dough into itself. Kneading for about 3 to 4 minutes. Or until the dough is smooth. This will be a SOFT dough.
- Spray the mixing bowl well with cooking spray or coat with vegetable oil using a clean dry paper towel. Place the dough smooth side up into the warm bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Spray the top of the bread with cooking spray (so the plastic wrap doesn't stick to the bread). Cover the plastic wrap with a clean dry kitchen cloth and let rise until doubled in a warm place. (About 1 hour)
- On a lightly floured work surface, divide the dough into half. Shape into loaves; Form each into a loaf by rolling it into an oblong shape then tucking and pinching the ends under the loaf. Place the shaped loaves into greased loaf pans. Cover with either plastic wrap or a clean dry kitchen cloth. Let rise in a warm place until doubled. (30 minutes to 1 hour)
- Before placing into the oven, brush each loaf with an egg wash.
- Bake in a preheated 375 degree F oven for about 40 minutes, until the outside is golden brown and internal temperature is 195-200 degrees.
- Let the bread cool about 10 minutes before removing from the bread pans. Remove from baking pans and let cool completely on a baking rack.
Recipe Notes
For homemade bread:
I usually like an equal mix of all-purpose and bread flour for my bread recipes. If you are using cast iron bread pans, be sure to grease the bottom and sides well. You can also use traditional metal loaf pans.Nutrition
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Thanks for all the tips, especially the exact temperature to bake the bread too. It can be so hard to tell when it’s done! I love this recipe!
Thanks so much Amy! The internal temperature of bread helps anyone who is new to baking bread!
This bread recipe looks soooo good and that soft texture we all want for sandwiches! Great recipe Jessica, thank you!
OMG! This was the best white bread recipe I have tried so far! Thank you for sharing! It is lovely for french toast!