Homemade Italian Sandwich Bread
Everyone needs a simple, basic, everyday loaf and this Italian sandwich bread is one of the easiest, fluffiest, most foolproof recipes ever. The sesame seed crust looks fancy but takes zero skill, and the bread itself is so forgiving that even beginners can nail it on the first try.
The sesame seed crust looks fancy but takes zero skill, and the bread itself is foolproof. Make thick sandwiches or toast it with butter.
Table of Contents
Ingredients and Tools You’ll Need
I’ve said many times on here that you don’t need to activate your yeast first. Now that we all know that, I suggest using your stand mixer to knead. But if you don’t have one, you can knead by hand.
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This makes 1 loaf, but it’s so easy to double or triple the recipe and freeze the other loaves for later. You can make adjustments in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Bread Dough
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting)
- 2 teaspoons instant or active dry yeast
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (plus extra for greasing) (can also substitute melted butter)
Topping Loaf
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
How to Make
Step One: Mix Everything Together
Dump the flour, yeast, sugar, water, salt, and olive oil into a big bowl and mix together. If it looks too dry, add a splash more water. Too sticky? Sprinkle in some flour. Easy.
Step Two: Knead
Get your hands dirty and knead for 8-10 minutes until it’s smooth and stretchy. Or use your stand mixer with the dough hook for 5-10 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when you can stretch it thin without it ripping.
Step Three: First Rise
Put the dough in a greased bowl, cover with a damp towel, and let it double in size. This will take about an hour.
Step Four: Shape Your Loaf
Stretch the dough into a rectangle – about 9 by 18 inches, nothing fancy. Fold the corners in, roll it up, pinch the seams shut, and put it in your greased loaf pan.
Step Five: Second Rise
Let it puff up again for an hour. It should peek over the top of your pan.
Step Six: Bake it
Heat your oven to 350°F. Beat an egg with a tablespoon of water, brush it on top, sprinkle those sesame seeds, and bake for 40 minutes until it’s golden and sounds hollow when you tap it.
Step Seven: Cool Down
Turn it out of the pan and let it cool before you slice it.
Storage Instructions
Store in an airtight container or a plastic bag at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to a week.
This bread freezes well. To freeze, wrap the loaf tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil or place it in a freezer-safe bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Serving ideas
A slice of this really goes with anything.
- Toast it with homemade butter, cherry jam, or avocado.
- Make deli sub sandwiches with thick deli turkey and cheese, or Italian subs with salami and pepperoni.
- Make the kids a peanut butter and jam sandwich or grilled cheese.
- Serve alongside a bowl of tomato soup.
More Bread Recipes
- These chewy Italian sesame rolls are perfect for sandwiches, and the recipe is very similar to this bread.
- If you want a wheat bread, honey wheat sandwich bread is the way to go.
- Soft Italian bread is like those big, fat loaves from the bakery.
- And if you have a sourdough starter, you can try making crusty Italian sourdough rolls.
Printable Recipe
Italian Sandwich Bread Recipe
Ingredients
Bread Dough
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting)
- 2 teaspoons instant or active dry yeast
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (plus extra for greasing)
Topping Loaf
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
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Instructions
- Combine all ingredients. Combine the flour, yeast, sugar, water, salt, and olive oil in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. If the dough looks very dry, add a little water. Add a bit of flour if it's sticky and not coming off the bowl.
- Knead the dough. Knead the dough on a floured surface for 8-10 minutes until it's smooth and stretchy. You can also use a stand mixer with the dough hook on low speed for 5-10 minutes. The dough is ready when it's very smooth and stretchy, and you can stretch it thin without it tearing.
- First rise. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- Shape into a loaf. Put the dough on the counter and stretch it into a rectangle about 9 by 18 inches. Fold the corners in and roll it up into a log. Pinch all the seams closed and put it in a greased loaf pan.
- Second rise. Place into a loaf pan and let it rise again for 1 hour. It should rise at least 1 inch above the top of the loaf pan.
- Preheat oven. Preheat your oven to 350°F with the rack in the center while the bread is rising. Then, brush the loaf with a beaten egg mixed with a tablespoon of water and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Bake the bread. Once the dough has risen, bake it for about 40 minutes or until the crust turns golden brown and the bread sounds hollow when you tap it.
- Cool before slicing. Remove the bread from the oven, turn it out of the loaf pan, and let it cool on a wire rack before slicing.
Nutrition
Did You Make This?
I would love it if you would leave a review!Love,
Hi Katie
Can you substitute honey for the sugar
Thank You
Love this recipe! I make it every week! Haven’t bought bread from the store for awhile. Have you ever done it as rolls before?
I have not done it as rolls actually but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work! I’ll try that this week! 🙂
Don’t you have to let the yeast, sugar, and water bubble up/activate before combining everything??
nope! mix it right in. read this 🙂 https://heartscontentfarmhouse.com/activating-yeast/
I make this at LEAST once a week often twice. It’s our favorite and my go-to bread recipe for my family! With the price of eggs I’ve stopp using the egg wash and sesame seeds and just brush it with butter before and after the oven. So so good. 🤌🏻 thank you!
yay Gretchen! wonderful! and good call on the egg wash 🙂
What size loaf pan should be used in this recipe?
8.5 x 2.5 x 4.5
Hi there! I am having a hard time understanding the rolling up and fold in the corners before the second rise of the bread. You don’t happen to have a video of how to do that, do you? I am a bread rookie. Thank you so much for your time!
hey Marla! I do! It’s here 🙂 https://www.tiktok.com/@heartscontentfarmhouse/video/7208623181559516458
Perfection! I cant stop eating this, thank you!
hi kristen! hooray! thanks for letting me know you liked the recipe 🙂
Love this recipe sooo much! Easy and works like a charm every time at our high altitude! Thank you! I’ve started adding everything bagel seeds in place of the sesame seeds and my husband loves it with cream cheese.
Hey Jp, that’s such a great idea! Everything bagel seeds must add an amazing flavor and crunch. I’m so happy to hear the recipe works well for you, even at high altitude, that’s always good to know! And cream cheese on this bread? That sounds absolutely delicious. Thanks so much for sharing, and happy baking!
I find that a hour was too long for the second rise. It was beautiful after 40 min but thought because it said to do it for a hour. But it deflated after that
hello, yes always watch the dough more than the clock 🙂
With the yeast do you have to let it activate before you put all the ingredients in?
nope, throw it in there! 🙂
Love this recipe! It is my go to sandwich bread!
Do you have a cinnamon swirl recipe?
Hey Denise, thank you so much! I’m so happy to hear this is your go-to sandwich bread. Yes! I do have a cinnamon swirl bread recipe. You can find it here https://heartscontentfarmhouse.com/?s=cinnamon+swirl . Happy Baking!
Did everything to the letter. Second rise was gloriously beautiful. Then I gently brushed it with the egg wash and poof it deflated. It did not rise anymore during baking.
Will try again without wash.
Bread was tasty, a little sweet though.
sandy, an easy fix, it just over-rose a tad. 🙂
Can I use bread flour instead of all-purpose flour? Looks delicious!
Hey Liz, yes, you can absolutely use bread flour instead of all-purpose flour.
I will be making this again. It turned out perfect! I love how soft this loaf is. Perfect for sandwiches. I also liked how easy this was. I made this in my new Pullman pan. It had a nice rise and a nice crumb. THis will be on my regular rotation.
Hey Carole, I’m so glad it turned out perfect for you! It’s wonderful to hear it’s going into your regular rotation—thank you for sharing your experience!
Wonderful and straight forward recipe! So fun and the sesame seeds was a big hit. Thank you!
Aw, thank you so much! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, and I love hearing that the sesame seeds were a hit—they really do add such a nice touch, don’t they? Happy baking!:)
Just to clarify- you do not combine the yeast, water, and sugar and allow to activate for 10mins first before adding the rest of the ingredients?
correct! no need!
What size bread pan are you using?
Hey Nicole,
For the Italian Sandwich Bread recipe, it’s best to use an 8½” x 4½” loaf pan. This size is ideal for recipes using around 3 cups of flour, ensuring a nicely domed loaf. Using a larger pan, like a 9″ x 5″, might result in a shorter loaf.
You list 8 plus cups of flour in the recipe but in another place I see 3 cups. Which one is it? Also, can you use gluten-free flour?
Evelyn you’ve probably hit the 3x button on the recipe, it does not say 8 cups anywhere. gluten free flour will give you dramatically different results but it’s worth a try. I typically would recommend looking for a gluten free bread recipe first to get familiar with the process, then adapt this recipe to that technique.
Have you ever made this with whole wheat flour, or a mix of whole wheat and bread flour?