Name: Classic Sandwich Bread
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 165 min
Yield: 1 loaf in an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch pan
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 360 g all-purpose flour — Weigh for the most repeatable hydration.; 113 g milk — Any standard dairy milk works.; 113 to 152 g water, hot enough that the milk-water blend is lukewarm — Start at the low end and add only enough for a soft smooth dough.; 57 g unsalted butter, melted — Vegetable oil can be substituted.; 25 g granulated sugar; 8 g fine salt; 2 tsp instant yeast

Before you start

What this method is trying to achieve

Sandwich bread is easier to troubleshoot when you judge the dough and proof rather than the clock alone. Start with enough liquid to make a soft, smooth dough, knead until elastic, then let the shaped loaf rise until it crowns above the pan and a fingertip mark springs back slowly. Bake until the center reaches about 190°F, then cool before slicing so the crumb can finish setting.

Success looks like

Know the target before you cook

The loaf should rise above the pan with a light golden crust and an even, fine, tender crumb that slices cleanly without a compressed gummy band or a dry crumbly interior.

Ingredients

What you need

Dough

360 g all-purpose flour — Weigh for the most repeatable hydration.
113 g milk — Any standard dairy milk works.
113 to 152 g water, hot enough that the milk-water blend is lukewarm — Start at the low end and add only enough for a soft smooth dough.
57 g unsalted butter, melted — Vegetable oil can be substituted.
25 g granulated sugar
8 g fine salt
2 tsp instant yeast

Method

Cook by the cues, not just the clock

Mix and knead

Combine the flour, milk, the lower amount of water, butter, sugar, salt and yeast. Mix and knead until the dough becomes smooth and elastic, adding only enough of the remaining water to make it soft rather than stiff.
Critical cueA properly hydrated dough should feel soft and smooth; a hard dry dough before the first rise is already a warning sign for a dense or crumbly loaf.

First rise

Cover the dough and let it rise until clearly puffy, about 1 to 2 hours depending on room temperature.
Critical cueUse expansion, not the clock alone. It does not have to double exactly, but it should look aerated and substantially puffier.

Shape

Gently deflate the dough, shape it into an 8-inch log and place it seam-side down in a lightly greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan.
Critical cueShape firmly enough for surface tension but do not squeeze out every gas pocket.

Final proof

Cover loosely and proof until the loaf is domed about 1 inch above the rim, roughly 60 minutes. Near the end, heat the oven to 175°C / 350°F.
Critical cueA light fingertip press should leave a mark that rebounds slowly rather than snapping back immediately.

Bake and cool

Bake until light golden and the center reaches about 88°C / 190°F, generally 30 to 35 minutes. Turn the loaf out onto a rack and cool completely before slicing.
Critical cueDo not keep baking a finished pan loaf far beyond 190°F just to make the crust darker; excess baking dries the crumb.

Critical checkpoints

Stop here and check

texture

After kneading: soft dough or stiff dough?

The dough is smooth, elastic and soft enough to yield under a finger without slumping into batter.

If it feels hard and dry, work in the reserved water gradually before the first rise rather than accepting a low-hydration dough.

other

Before baking: did the shaped loaf actually proof?

The crown sits about an inch above the pan rim and a light press rebounds slowly.

If it still springs back rapidly and sits low in the pan, give it more proofing time.

temperature

At removal: is the center around 190°F?

The center reaches roughly 190°F and the crust is light golden.

If significantly below 190°F, continue baking. If already at temperature, remove and cool rather than drying the crumb further.

If yours looks different

Route the failure before changing the recipe

The loaf stays low, heavy or tight-crumbed instead of soft and airy.Sandwich bread came out dense? Diagnose yeast, hydration, kneading and proofing causes.

Why Is My Bread Dense?

The loaf slices into a dry, fragile crumb that breaks apart instead of bending softly.Bread turned crumbly? Diagnose hydration, flour and baking causes.

Why Is My Bread Crumbly?

After cooking

Storage, reheating & substitutions

Storage

Cool completely, then store well wrapped at room temperature for several days. Freeze sliced bread for longer storage.

Reheating

Toast slices as needed. For a whole loaf, warm briefly in a low oven rather than reheating until dry.

Substitutions

Vegetable oil can replace the butter. Flour absorption changes with humidity, so use the lower water amount first and add more only until the dough is soft and smooth.

Evidence

Sources & methodology

Technical claims and method decisions are tied to sources. Recipe-specific advice is not presented as a universal food-science law.

Classic Sandwich BreadKing Arthur Baking
King Arthur's current Classic Sandwich Bread recipe uses 360 g all-purpose flour, milk, adjustable water, butter, sugar, salt and instant yeast; it kneads to a smooth dough, proofs until about an inch above the pan rim with slow spring-back, and bakes at 350°F until the center reaches 190°F.
publisherPassage verified
Using a thermometer with yeast breadKing Arthur Baking
King Arthur's testing found that pan sandwich loaves baked to about 190°F remain fully baked while softer and moister than otherwise similar loaves baked substantially hotter.
publisherPassage verified