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This homemade sandwich bread made with just 5 ingredients is exceptionally tender and pillowy! The process is so simple and easy to follow, you will never want to buy sandwich bread at the store again!
⭐️ Why You Should Try This Recipe
- Minimal ingredients and simple process. You will only need 5 very basic ingredients that can be found everywhere. No weird or fancy ingredients and no preservatives are needed, making it much healthier than commercial sandwich bread.
- Perfectly seasoned. This sandwich bread is not overly sweet like the store-bought ones. It has the perfect balance of sweetness and saltiness.
- Incredibly soft and tender. Thanks to the use of a Japanese technique called Tangzhong, this bread stays soft for up to 5 days! Plus, it has a light and fluffy texture!
🍞 What is Sandwich Bread
Sandwich bread, also called Pullman loaf or “Pain de Mie,” is a type of white bread baked in a rectangular lidded pan. It is commonly used to make grilled cheese, butter, or jam sandwiches.
🌾 Ingredient Notes
Since this recipe requires basic ingredients, there are high chances you already have everything in your pantry! Here is what you will need:
- Flour – Use bread flour or high-protein flour for the best texture.
- Yeast – You can use instant yeast or dry active yeast. If using the latter, dissolve it in a tablespoon of warm water and let it sit for 10 minutes before using.
- Sugar – Preferably granulated white sugar, which will not alter the flavor of the bread. Sugar enhances the overall taste without making the bread too sweet. It also acts as a natural preservative.
- Oil – Use a neutral cooking oil like canola, grapeseed, or sunflower oil. The addition of oil gives the bread a moist and soft crumb.
- Salt – For flavor.
🥣 How To Make Sandwich Bread
Here is the process to make this sandwich bread:
- Knead the dough. Add all of the ingredients to a stand mixer fitted with the dough attachment. Knead for about 5 minutes or until the dough is smooth. If you have been making bread before, you might find the dough a bit too soft/wet. This is normal. Refrain from adding more flour.
- Let it rise. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and cover it with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Let it rise for about 1 hour in a warm environment.
- Transfer to the loaf pan. Once the dough has doubled in volume, punch it down to release the air and transfer it to your loaf pan.
- Let it rise again. Close the loaf pan with the lid and let the dough rise for another 45-60 minutes. The dough will fill the pan completely, so do not try to open the lid.
- Bake. Finally, bake the loaf for 30 minutes!
Which Sandwich Pan To Use
While you can use a regular loaf pan, I highly recommend baking this sandwich bread in a 1-lb capacity Pullman loaf pan that comes with a lid.
Baking the loaf in a closed pan has 3 main advantages:
- It keeps the bread moister. Since the loaf is baked in a closed environment, the steam cannot escape, keeping the bread moister.
- It creates a slightly denser crumb. The lid prevents the bread from rising too much, giving the crumb a denser and chewier texture.
- It gives it a perfect shape. By baking the bread in a Pullman loaf pan, you will get a perfect-looking loaf that has nothing to envy to the commercial ones. Plus, it will have a beautiful light brown crust on all sides!
📔 Tips
- Use high-protein flour. While all-purpose flour works great, I prefer bread flour or high-protein flour. It gives the crumb a chewier texture.
- Do not omit the Tangzhong step. This extra step not only helps tenderize the bread but also helps the bread stay fresher longer.
- Use grams. For more accurate results, ingredients are given in grams.
- Check the expiry date of your yeast. Yeast may be a dry product. It can expire and won’t have any rising power, so always make sure to check the expiry date.
- Let the loaf inside the pan for 15 minutes after baking. This will allow it to steam and keep its moisture.
- Store in a plastic bag. Keep the plastic bag that comes from store-bought sandwich bread to store your homemade bread. It will stay soft for up to 5 days. Check out below for the freezing option.
- Choose a serrated knife over a plain one. While I used a plain edge knife for photo purposes, cutting this sandwich bread using a serrated knife into 1-inch slices is better.
❄️ Freezing
You can freeze this sandwich bread for up to 3 months. It can be frozen as a full loaf or in slices. Freezing in slices allows it to thaw more quickly, plus you can use exactly what you need.
🥪 Where To Use It
This homemade sandwich bread can be used to prepare:
- Lunch or dinner: Cucumber sandwich, BLT, grilled cheese sandwiches, or as a topping for French Onion Soup. You can also use it to make garlic croutons!
- Breakfast: Peanut butter and jelly sandwich, French toast, or Baked Pumpkin French Toast.
It’s also great as a dip for soups, curries, and so much more!
💬 FAQ
I recommend using bread flour as it gives the bread a chewier texture.
No, this recipe hasn’t been designed to be gluten-free.
You can but be aware that sugar acts as a natural preservative. Hence, the bread won’t stay soft for long.
This homemade sandwich bread will keep for up to 5 days at room temperature.
If you have never made sandwich bread before, I highly recommend you give it a try! It’s not as complicated as it looks, and it tastes so much better than store-bought! It smells fantastic and has a soft and delicate crumb!
🥖 More Homemade Bread Recipes
- How to Make Vietnamese Baguette (Banh Mi)
- Garlic Butter Dinner Rolls
- Potato & Green Bean Stuffed Naan
Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe!
Homemade Sandwich Bread (Super Tender!)
Equipment
Ingredients
Tangzhong
- 20 g bread flour
- 100 g water
Bread
- 450 g bread flour
- 8 g instant yeast
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 210 ml water at room temperature
- 52 ml oil
- 6 g salt
Instructions
Tangzhong
- Add the flour and the water to a saucepan. Heat over low-medium heat, constantly whisking, until it reaches a temperature of 150°F (65°C). Note: If you don't have a thermometer, remove from the heat as soon as the flour mixture has thickened.
- Transfer to a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it sit at room temperature for 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
Bread
- Knead: Add the bread flour, instant yeast, and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add the prepared Tangzhong, water, oil, and salt.
- Knead on medium speed for about 5 minutes or until the dough is smooth. Be aware that the dough will be very soft; this is normal. Do not add more flour.
- First rise: Lightly grease a glass bowl with oil. Transfer the dough to the bowl and cover it with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Let the dough rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until it has doubled in volume.
- Lightly grease a 1 Pound Pullman Loaf Pan with oil (or line it with parchment paper).
- Once the dough has risen, punch it down to release the air inside. On a well-floured surface, shape the ball into a log the size of your loaf pan. Transfer the dough to the prepared loaf pan and close with the lid.
- Second rise: Let the dough rise a second time for 45-60 minutes in a warm environment (you can place it in the oven with the light on). Do not try to open the lid.
- Bake: Near the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C). Bake the loaf for 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool for 15 minutes before opening the lid.
- Transfer the sandwich bread to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store the sandwich bread wrapped for up to 5 days at room temperature or 7 days in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Use high-protein flour. While all-purpose flour works great, I prefer bread flour or high-protein flour. It gives the crumb a chewier texture.
- Do not omit the Tangzhong step. This extra step not only helps tenderize the bread but also helps the bread stay fresher longer.
- Use grams. For more accurate results, ingredients are given in grams.
- Check the expiry date of your yeast. Yeast may be a dry product, it can expire and won’t have any rising power, so always make sure to check the expiry date.
- Let the loaf inside the pan for 15 minutes after baking. This will allow it to steam and keep its moisture.
- Store in a plastic bag. Keep the plastic bag that comes from store-bought sandwich bread to store your homemade bread. It will stay soft for up to 5 days. Check out below for the freezing option.
- Choose a serrated knife over a plain one. While I used a plain edge knife for photo purposes, cutting this sandwich bread using a serrated knife into 1-inch slices is better.
Nutrition
About the Author
Thomas Pagot is the founder, photographer, and recipe developer behind Full of Plants. He created the blog in 2016 as a personal cookbook for vegan recipes. Through years of recipe development, Thomas has successfully grown Full of Plants into a trusted resource for plant-based recipes.
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