Classic White Sandwich Bread Recipe
This sandwich bread recipe comes from a Mennonite bakery and makes the perfect homemade sandwich bread with a soft, buttery crust and a surreal, fluffy inside! Leftovers are great for croutons, bread crumbs, or Turkey Stuffing!
Equipment
- 1 large silicone pastry mat, (I love this for shaping dough)
Ingredients
Sponge:
- 3 cups warm water, (anywhere from 85-98°F)
- 2 Tbsp dry active yeast
- 1/3 cup instant mashed potatoes
- 3 cups bread flour
Remaining Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup sunflower oil
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 1/4 cup organic cane sugar
- 1 egg
- 4 3/4 bread flour
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, make the sponge by whisking together 3 cups of warm water, 2 Tbsp yeast, 1/3 cup of instant mashed potato flakes, and 3 cups of bread flour. Let that sit for 20 minutes, covered.
- After 20 minutes the sponge should have risen and look foamy. Whisk in 1/3 cup oil, 1 Tbsp salt, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 egg until well combined. Then add 4 3/4 cups of bread flour and knead for 9 minutes over low speed.
- Dough will be tacky, gather it into a ball and lightly oil the bowl and top of the dough. Cover and rise for 35 minutes.
- Transfer the dough onto a pastry silicone mat and divide into 3 equal pieces. Flatten each piece into a rectangle, then roll it up jelly-roll style.
- Place dough into lightly greased bread pans (or use parchment paper) and prick the dough all the way down with a fork to remove air bubbles.
- Allow bread to rise for 20-25 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350°F about 5 minutes before baking. Bake loaves for 25-30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 190°F.
- Butter the tops as soon as the loaves are removed from the oven. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove onto a wire cooling rack. Cool completely before slicing or storing.
Notes
- Serving size: one loaf yields about 13 slices of bread. Making it a total of 39 slices from 3 loaves.
- Storing: Cool loaves completely before transferring into plastic bread bags. If freezing, slice the bread into 3/4-inch slices (about 13 slices per loaf) and freeze up to 3 months.
- It is best to freeze bread the day of baking to retain optimal flavor and texture.
- Yeast breads can tend to become stale if stored longer than 2 days at room temperature. Use stale bread for French toast, casseroles, croutons, bread crumbs, or Turkey stuffing. Don't let bread go to waste.
- To keep bread softer, some Mennonites place partly cooled loaves into the plastic bread bag, opened. This creates a little steam and makes for a more moist and softer crumb.
- For more bread recipes like this, make my popular Subway Bread Recipe, which also calls for instant mashed potato flakes.
- I used smaller 8x4 loaf pans for the blog post; it will make taller loaves. I recommend using standard 9x5 bread pans.
- Using a light colored bread pan makes for a paler, more tender crust. I've noticed that when I use my darker gauge steel pans, the crust comes out darker. It is true that darker pans absorb more heat, causing food to cook more quickly and brown more intensely. Use parchment over darker pans so breads don't brown as quick.
Nutrition Facts
Classic White Sandwich Bread Recipe
Serving Size
1 slice
Amount per Serving
Calories
61
% Daily Value*
Fat
2
g
3
%
Saturated Fat
0.2
g
1
%
Trans Fat
0.001
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
0.2
g
Monounsaturated Fat
2
g
Cholesterol
4
mg
1
%
Sodium
182
mg
8
%
Potassium
19
mg
1
%
Carbohydrates
9
g
3
%
Fiber
0.3
g
1
%
Sugar
1
g
1
%
Protein
1
g
2
%
Vitamin A
6
IU
0
%
Vitamin C
0.4
mg
0
%
Calcium
3
mg
0
%
Iron
0.1
mg
1
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
