A recipe for a hearty white sandwich loaf that’s easy to make and rises high and fluffy. This farmhouse white bread is perfect for every day.
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If you have never made a yeast bread before, please check out my beginners guide to yeast bread baking, which will go over the basic steps and different methods you can try.
Everyone needs a good white bread recipe, and if you don’t have one yet, now you do! This is a versatile, easy to make sandwich bread that can be used for BLTs, morning toast, and everything else you need. It uses all pantry ingredients, rises super high, and has a great soft texture that’s still sturdy enough for all your favorite sandwich toppings.
If you’ve never made bread before, you’ll find a video and step-by-step photos to help you out!
🥣 Ingredients for this farmhouse loaf
- 3 cups white bread flour
- 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon lukewarm water
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons butter (unsalted or salted is fine, won’t make much of a difference)
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast (I recommend SAF brand, which you can purchase in bulk here)
Step by step
Kneading and rising the dough
(If you have a bread machine, this dough works very well in there! Just go ahead and add your ingredients, select the dough cycle, and come back once the dough has risen, then proceed to shape, rise again, and bake as described in the next section.)
To knead the dough in your stand mixer, put all the ingredients in the bowl, attach the dough hook, and start stirring on low. After a few minutes of mixing, evaluate the consistency of the dough. It should come together in a ball with no crumbly bits, and should not be sticking to the sides of the bowl. If it’s too dry, add more water a teaspoon at a time. If it’s too wet and sticky, add more flour a teaspoon at a time.
(Related: How to knead dough in a stand mixer)
Once the consistency of the dough looks correct, it’s time to knead. Using the dough hook with your machine set on low, let it knead for five minutes. Then let the machine and the dough rest. Knead for another five minutes.
Continue this process until the gluten develops enough that the dough forms “windows”. This means that when you stretch out a golf-ball sized piece of dough, translucent patches are visible.
Once the dough has been kneaded enough, gently shape it into a ball and place it into a clean., lightly-oiled bowl. Cover it with a damp tea towel and place in a warm place to rise until doubled in bulk.
Shaping the loaf and the final rise
When the dough has doubled, it’s time to shape. To shape a sandwich loaf, first stretch it out gently into a rectangle. Use your loaf pan as a guide and form a vertical rectangle. The short side of your rectangle should be the same length as the long side of the loaf pan.
To roll this up into a log-like shape, remember the phrase “shoulders in, head down”. Tuck in the corners and top of the rectangle, then roll into a log. Pinch all the seams closed. Place the log into a loaf pan sprayed with non-stick spray. Cover it with generously greased plastic wrap. Now it rises again in a warm place for about 45 minutes.
Towards the end of the rising time, preheat your oven to 350 degrees with the rack in the center.
The loaf is finished with its second rise when it has risen an inch to an inch and a half over the edge of the loaf pan. Generously rub with with flour.
Bake the sandwich bread at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes.
Cool and slice the loaf
Once the bread is fully baked, place on a cooling rack to fully cool before slicing, at least 3 hours. Sometimes overnight is best for nice, neat slices.
The bread will stay fresh at room temperature for a day or two. To store longer, slice the loaf and freeze it, just pulling out slices as you need them.
🍞 More sandwich bread recipes
- Oatmeal sandwich bread adds whole wheat flour and oatmeal for a hearty loaf that’s just as versatile.
- Milk and honey bread is a tad softer and sweeter with a butter-brushed top.
- If you have a sourdough starter going, this sourdough sandwich bread is a hybrid loaf with a slight tang.
Here’s the recipe
🌟 If you love this recipe, please give it five stars! 🌟
Farmhouse White Sandwich Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups bread flour
- 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon lukewarm water
- 2 tablespoons butter softened
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast (SAF brand is recommended)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to the bowl of an electric stand mixer or to a large mixing bowl. Combine until a dough is formed that holds together and does not stick to the sides of bottom of the bowl. If it seems too dry and crumbly, add more water a teaspoon at a time. If it's too sticky, add more flour.
- Knead the dough by machine or hand for ten to fifteen minutes, until it is smooth, soft, and reaches the windowpane stage (meaning that when the dough is stretched, a translucent area appears). If using a stand mixer, allow the machine to rest every five minutes.
- Shape the dough gently into a ball and place into a clean, lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a clean, damp tea towel and place into a warm place to rise. Let the dough rise 60 minutes, until it is puffy and has doubled in size.
- Gently stretch the dough into a rectangle, with the short side of the rectangle as long as the long side of the loaf pan you will be using for baking. Tuck in the corners and top of the dough, and roll into a long. Pinch the seams closed and place the loaf, seam side down, into a lightly oiled loaf pan.
- Cover with heavily greased plastic wrap and place in a warm place to rise again, until the dough rises to be one inch above the top of the loaf pan. When it is ready, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously flour the top of the loaf with flour.
- Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes, until the dough is 200-210 degrees internally and sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from loaf pan and allow to cool fully on wire rack. Bread stays fresh 2 days at room temperature, or 2 months frozen.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Willow says
Great recipe! I made a test loaf and decided this was my go to white bread recipe from now on. I kneaded it by hand and it rose and browned and cut perfectly! Even at altitude. (5500′) No major adjustments, I just made sure the dough was the right consistency and left it to rise less time.
Katie Shaw says
willow i’m so glad your loaf was a success. it’s 100% our favorite white too!
Tracy Goode says
How crusty is this recipe? For years, I used one similar that made a beautiful loaf with a crisp crust that was out of this world–it reminded my kids of Pepperidge Farm’s bread, but nicer. Unfortunately, the recipe has disappeared, to my complete disgust.
I am about to start making bread again on a daily basis, and am looking for a good replacement.
Katie Shaw says
Tracy it is crusty enough that when i cut into it the crust sort of flakes (if that makes sense).
Jerry says
I really like this bread, made it three times. But the last time it collapsed. It rose an inch above thrown, I put it in the oven, and it came out level with the top of the pan. Any idea what I did wrong?
Katie Shaw says
hi jerry! usually this is because it has over-risen (either during the first or second rise) and the yeast sort of…runs out of steam… in the oven. it happens to me occasionally if my room is warmer than usual. happens to everyone now and then. 🙂