Baking Great Bread at HomeSoft, Fluffy, and Better Than Store-Bought
BeginnerClassic White SandwichBread
by Henry Hunter Jr.
The homemade sandwich loaf your family deserves. Tall, soft, and perfect for everything from PB&J to grilled cheese.
Rise Time
3-4 hours
Bake Time
30-35 minutes
Yield
2 loaves (about 12 slices each)
Perfection is not required
"Great bread isn't about perfect technique—it's about understanding the dough."— Henry Hunter Jr.
Authentic Bread Flavor
This is the white bread you grew up eating, except better. Soft, fluffy, and impossibly tender, this recipe makes two beautiful loaves that slice perfectly for sandwiches, toast like a dream, and fill your kitchen with that unmistakable fresh bread smell. I've included the tangzhong method as an option because it keeps the bread soft for up to a week without preservatives. But even the classic version makes bread so good you'll wonder why you ever bought it from the store. Make it once and you'll never go back.
Equipment Needed
Ingredients
Pro Tip
Warm liquids should feel like a warm bath, not hot. Too hot kills yeast. Too cold slows it down. Aim for 105-110°F.
Activate the Yeast
Proofing the yeast ensures it's alive and active before you invest time in making the dough.
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Combine warm water, milk, and sugar
In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the warm water (120g), warm milk (360g for classic, 240g if using tangzhong), and sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar.
Add yeast
Sprinkle the yeast over the surface of the liquid. Give it a gentle stir.
Wait for activation
Let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes until it becomes foamy and smells yeasty. This confirms your yeast is alive and ready to work.
Pro Tip
If using instant yeast, you can skip the proofing step and add the yeast directly with the flour. But I like to proof even instant yeast just to confirm it's active.
Mix the Dough
Bringing the dough together is simple. Add ingredients in order and mix until you have a .
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Add tangzhong (if using)
If you made tangzhong, add the cooled paste to the yeast mixture and stir to combine.
Add flour and salt
Add the bread flour (700g for classic, 660g if using tangzhong since some went into the paste) and salt to the bowl.
Mix until shaggy
Using a dough hook on low speed, or a wooden spoon if mixing by hand, combine everything until a shaggy dough forms and no dry flour remains. This takes about 2 minutes.
Add butter
Add the softened butter pieces and continue mixing until the butter is incorporated.
Pro Tip
The dough will look rough at this stage. Don't worry, will smooth it out.
Knead the Dough
develops the network that gives bread its structure and soft, chewy texture.
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Knead by machine
Increase mixer speed to medium-low (speed 2-3 on a KitchenAid). Knead for 8-10 minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky but not sticky. The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl but may still stick slightly to the bottom.
Knead by hand (alternative)
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead by pushing the dough away with the heel of your hand, folding it back over itself, and rotating 90 degrees. Repeat for 10-12 minutes until smooth and elastic.
Windowpane test (optional)
Pull off a small piece of dough and gently stretch it between your fingers. If you can stretch it thin enough to see light through without it tearing, development is complete.
Form a ball
Shape the dough into a smooth ball by tucking the edges underneath.
Pro Tip
The dough should feel like a baby's bottom. Smooth, soft, and slightly tacky. If it's too sticky, add flour a tablespoon at a time. If it's too dry and tough, add water a teaspoon at a time.
First Rise (Bulk Fermentation)
The first rise allows the yeast to produce gas that makes the bread light and airy. The dough should roughly double in size.
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Oil the bowl
Lightly grease a large bowl with butter or oil.
Add dough
Place the dough ball in the bowl, turning once to coat with oil.
Cover
Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap.
Rise
Let rise in a warm spot (75-80°F is ideal) until doubled in size, about 1 to 1.5 hours.
Pro Tip
The ideal spot for rising is somewhere warm and draft-free. Your oven with just the light on works great (don't turn on the oven!). Or place the covered bowl on top of the fridge where it's slightly warmer.
Shape the Loaves
Proper shaping creates surface tension which helps the bread rise tall and even in the pan.
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Prepare the pans
Grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans with butter or non-stick spray.
Punch down
Gently punch down the risen dough to release the large gas bubbles.
Divide
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Using a bench scraper or knife, divide into two equal pieces (about 650g each if you have a scale).
Pre-shape
Pat each piece into a rough rectangle, about 8x6 inches.
Roll into log
Starting from a short end, roll the dough tightly into a log, pinching the seam to seal as you go.
Final shape
Place each log seam-side down into a prepared loaf pan. Press gently to fill the corners of the pan.
Pro Tip
For extra-uniform slices, you can use the "letter fold" method: roll the dough into a larger rectangle (about 8x12 inches), fold the short ends toward the center like a business letter, then roll up tightly starting from a short end.
Second Rise (Proofing)
The second rise lets the shaped loaves puff up to their final size before baking.
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Cover
Cover the loaf pans loosely with a damp towel or greased plastic wrap.
Rise
Let rise in a warm spot until the dough has risen about 1 inch above the rim of the pan, about 45-60 minutes. The dough should look puffy and spring back slowly when gently poked.
Preheat oven
About 15 minutes before the loaves are ready, preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
Pro Tip
Don't over-proof! If the dough rises too high, it may collapse in the oven. The "poke test" works well: press a floured finger about ½ inch into the dough. If the indent springs back slowly but not all the way, it's ready.
Cool and Slice
Cooling completely before slicing is crucial. Cutting too early results in gummy bread.
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Remove from pans
Immediately after removing from the oven, turn the loaves out of the pans onto a wire cooling rack. If desired, brush the tops with melted butter for a softer crust.
Cool completely
Let the loaves cool completely on the rack, at least 45 minutes to 1 hour. I know it's hard to wait!
Slice
Use a serrated bread knife for clean slices. Aim for slices about ½ inch thick for sandwiches.
Pro Tip
Bread continues to "set" as it cools. The interior structure firms up and excess moisture escapes. Cutting too early traps steam and makes the crumb gummy. Patience pays off!
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