Name: Easy Sandwich Bread
Prep time: 180 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 210 min
Ingredients: 1 cup hot water (hot from the tap is fine); 2 tbsn sugar; 2-3/4 tsp yeast (1 pk + 1/2 tsp); 3 cups all-purpose flour; 1/4 cup vegetable oil (plus some for greasing bowl & loaf pan); 1-1/2 tsp salt

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Yeast Does Not Have to be Scary…

This easy sandwich bread recipe is good for beginners! I only started making my own bread a couple of months ago. Using yeast was new and intimidating to me. I searched out a recipe with very simple ingredients. Once mastering a very basic recipe, I knew I could branch out and try different things. I picked up a few of those little packets of yeast from my local grocery store. Of course they sat in my kitchen cabinet for a few weeks until I had the nerve to use them!

This recipe does take about 3-4 hours from start to finish. You will want to make sure you will be around to complete each step in a timely manner. Don’t mix up the dough and forget about it until the following day.

Activate the Yeast

First step is get a small bowl. Combine 1 cup hot water with 2 Tablespoons of sugar and 2 3/4 teaspoons of yeast. This is about 1/2 teaspoon more than is inside one of those little packets. You certainly can try to make your bread with using only one packet.

If you do a fair amount of baking with yeast I recommend buying in bulk. It is much cheaper than buying those little packets. I use Fleischmann’s Instant Yeast – 2/16 oz. Bags (Amazon Affiliate Link).

Now let that mixture sit for about 10 minutes. This lets it “bloom” and the yeast can come alive! Muah Ha Ha Ha! It’s ALIVE!!!! Wait… what were we doing? Oh yeah…. bread.

Kneading with a Kitchen Aid Mixer

If you have a Kitchen Aid mixer you will find a new love for it here. With a dough hook, your mixer can do all the kneading required for this recipe. If you don’t have a Kitchen Aid mixer… look into getting one! They make cooking much easier! If you do have to knead by hand, I suggest you take a few minutes and find a YouTube video to explain how to knead by hand. I’ve never done it.

After your yeast mixture has had time to activate… you can pour it into your mixing bowl. Add 1/4 cup vegetable oil and 1-1/2 teaspoons salt. Do not skip or forget the salt! The first time I made bread I forgot the salt. The bread came out looking beautiful… but the taste was totally Eeewwwww! It’s amazing the difference 1-1/2 teaspoons of salt makes. It’s not all about the taste. Salt has some chemical property that interacts with the yeast and makes it act right. Trust me!

Start your mixer on a low speed and begin slowly adding your flour. You will need about 3 cups of all-purpose flour. Once all of your flour is in the mixing bowl, you can increase the speed of your mixer a bit. Usually 3 cups of flour does the job, but if you notice your dough is still looking pretty sticky, you can add a little bit more. If using a kitchen aide mixer, mix your dough for about 4-6 minutes until it looks like a ball.

The Rising of the Dough

The 1st Rise… Place your dough ball in a large greased bowl. You want the bowl to be at least 2-3 times the size of your dough because it will expand! Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let it sit on the counter in a draft-free area. Now go do whatever you’d like for the next 60-90 minutes.

Easy Sandwich Bread Beginners Dough First Rise

How’s it looking? The dough should have doubled in size by now. Gently punch the center of the dough down with your fist to release the air. Take the dough out of the bowl and mold it with your hands. You may want to use a bit of flour on your hands and on the table you are working at. This will help prevent the dough from sticking to you and your work surface.

The 2nd Rise… Now shape your dough into a loaf. Fold the ends under and pinch all of the seams together. Place your dough into a greased loaf pan. Cover your loaf pan with a kitchen towel and let it sit for about 60 minutes in a draft free area.

Easy Sandwich Bread Beginners Dough Second Rise

Your dough should have doubled again and be no more than 1 inch above the top of your loaf pan. Now you can preheat your oven to 350 degrees and bake your bread for about 30 minutes! Remove the baked bread from the loaf pan soon after removing it from the oven. It will be HOT use potholders!

Baked Sliced Easy Sandwich Bread Beginners

You can slice and eat your bread now while it is warm. However, it will slice easier the next day if using it for all-purpose sandwich bread. I hope you enjoyed this easy sandwich bread for beginners!