Favorite Simple Honey White Sandwich Bread
This simple honey white sandwich bread is one recipe that I make every week for my family. It is made with a few staple pantry ingredients so it is easy to whip up with little preparation. Soft and fluffy with just a hint of sweetness thanks to the honey, this foolproof recipe is a definite winner!
Making a classic white sandwich bread right at home is easy peasy! No bread machine needed.
Ingredients in Honey White Sandwich Bread
Probably my favorite thing about this bread recipe (other than the taste!) are the simple ingredients. It is made with only 7 ingredients, and free from any preservatives or additives you typically see in store-bought bread. I know that buying bread is much more convenient, but I would encourage you to try baking a homemade loaf of bread at least once. I don’t think you will regret it! And once you learn the skill, it gets easier and easier each time you do it.
- All purpose flour– For this recipe, I’ve found the ideal amount of flour is 420 grams, which is right at 3 cups.
- Active dry yeast
- Honey
- Warm water (warmed to around 110 degrees Fahrenheit)
- Warm milk (warmed to around 110 degrees Fahrenheit)
- Salt
- Butter
Method
This recipe is similar to many other yeast breads in that it is fairly and simple and straightforward, it just takes time. The method goes basically like this…
- Make dough
- Knead dough
- Cover and let it rise
- Punch it down, shape, and rise again
- Bake
- Enjoy!
Not bad, right?
Instructions
- Activate the yeast: In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, add the warm water, warm milk, yeast, and honey. Whisk together and let it sit for 5 minutes or until the yeast gets foamy (if using instant yeast, skip this step and go ahead and begin adding all the ingredients to the bowl).
- Once the yeast has activated, begin adding in the rest of the ingredients.
- With the mixer on low speed, add in 2 tbsp softened butter followed by the dry ingredients, starting with salt and 1 cup of flour. Gradually add in the remaining flour until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl and forms a ball. The dough should still be slightly sticky to the touch. Add in up to an extra 1/4 cup of flour to the dough if needed. Be careful adding too much flour, you don’t want your dough to be dry! Knead mixture on medium speed for 5-7 minutes.
- Place dough into a lightly oiled bowl (I use avocado oil or olive oil) and cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap to begin the first rise. Let the dough rise in a warm place until it is doubled in size, about 1-2 hours.
- Once the dough has completed the first rise, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and punch it down to release any air.
Shape, Rise (Again!) and Bake
- Begin shaping the bread into a loaf. To do this, roll it out into a rough rectangle shape. Starting on the shorter end, roll the dough tightly until you have a roll to fit into your prepared loaf pan.
- Set the dough aside to rise a second time, about an hour. It should continue to grow in size. I usually look for it to be about 1 inch above the edge of the pan.
- Towards the end of the second rise, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Bake the bread in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until lightly golden brown on the top.
- Remove from the oven and brush 1 tbsp of melted butter over the top of the bread while it is still warm.
- Allow bread to cool before removing from the pan and slicing (or don’t…warm bread is delicious!)
Recommended Tools
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, meaning I make a small commission off of them with no extra cost to you. Read my full disclosure policy here.
There are a few tools I would highly recommend you invest in before starting to bake bread to get the absolute best results. Other than the loaf pan, they aren’t absolutely necessary, but help make the process much easier and more successful!
- Thermometer– This is handy for measuring liquid temperatures that are ideal for proofing yeast.
- Food scale– Inexpensive and worthwhile! The precise measurement it provides makes a huge difference in obtaining the right texture for bread.
- Brushes- making brushing the top with butter super easy!
- Loaf Pan– a must have for homemade sandwich bread!
Tips for Success
- I highly highly recommend using a food scale to measure out the flour. It may seem fussy and was honestly something I didn’t use for a long time. I made the jump and bought a cheap food scale and it has made all the difference for my bread recipes. You can grab the one I use here.
- I use a thermometer to measure the temperature of the liquids. Ideally, you want the temperature around 110 degrees. This means the liquid is warm enough to activate the yeast, but not so hot that it will kill it. If the liquid is too hot, let it sit on the counter for a couple minutes to cool down before measuring again.
- You can use bread flour as a 1:1 swap for all purpose flour in this recipe.
- The rise time of your bread can vary depend on the temperature of your kitchen. Sometimes if I am in a pinch (or just feeling a little impatient that day) I will set my dough in the laundry room with the dryer going. The dryer creates a nice warm, humid environment that the dough loves!
- This bread is great for making grilled cheese, French toast, homemade croutons, and more! It makes a great sandwich topped with homemade avocado oil mayo, or toasted up with delicious herb butter.
- This bread will store well in an airtight container for up to a week.
More Yummy Bread Recipes
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Honey White Sandwich Bread
This is my favorite simple sandwich bread that I make every week for my family. It is made with a few staple pantry ingredients so it is easy to whip up with little preparation. Soft and fluffy and sweetened just slightly with honey, it is a definite winner!
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 tsp or 1 packet of dry active yeast
- 1/2 cup milk, warmed to 110 degrees
- 1/2 cup water, warmed to 110 degrees
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 420 grams (about 3 cups) all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tablespoons of very soft butter + 1 tablespoon melted to brush on the top
Instructions
- Activate the yeast: In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, add the warm water, warm milk, yeast, and honey. Whisk together and let it sit for 5 minutes or until the yeast gets foamy (if using instant yeast, skip this step and go ahead and begin adding all the ingredients to the bowl).
- Once the yeast has activated, begin adding in the rest of the ingredients.
- With the mixer on low speed, add in 2 tbsp softened butter followed by the dry ingredients, starting with salt and 1 cup of flour. Gradually add in the remaining flour until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl and forms a ball. The dough should still be slightly sticky to the touch. Add in up to an extra 1/4 cup of flour to the dough if needed. Be careful adding too much flour, you don't want your dough to be dry! Knead mixture on medium speed for 5-7 minutes.
- Knead the dough for 6-8 minutes. You can either do this by hand or using the dough hook attachment of your stand mixer.
- After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise!
- Lightly grease a small bowl with oil (I use avocado oil) and add your dough, rolling it around in the oil so that it is coated. Let sit to rise for 1-2 hours. I usually cover mine with a tea towel and leave it sitting out on the counter to rise.
- After the first rise, punch down the dough to release any air. Then shape into a loaf and place in a greased loaf pan. Cover shaped loaf with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel. Allow it to rise until it's about 1 inch above the pan, around one hour.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake bread for 30-35 minutes or until the top is golden brown. If you notice the top is getting too brown too quickly, you can loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil until the bread is done baking.
- Remove from oven and brush the top with the remaining one tablespoon of melted butter. Allow to cool a few minutes before removing from the pan and slicing. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you are wanting to double the recipe to make two loaves, I recommend making two separate doughs.
- I highly recommend using a food scale to measure out the flour. You can grab the one I use here.
- I use a thermometer to measure the temperature of the liquids. Ideally, you want the temperature around 110 degrees.
- The rise time of your bread can vary depend on the temperature of your kitchen. Sometimes if I am in a pinch (or just feeling a little impatient that day) I will set my dough in the laundry room with the dryer going. The dryer creates a nice warm, humid environment that the dough loves!
- This bread is great for making grilled cheese, French toast, homemade croutons, and more! It makes a great sandwich topped with homemade avocado oil mayo.
If you try this recipe for soft sandwich bread at home and love it, come back and leave a comment and a rating. I would love to know how it turned out for you!
Oh my gosh this recipe looks incredible! I can’t wait to try it!
Yay! Thank you, I hope you like it.
This bread looks delicious. I absolutely love bread and enjoy trying different bread recipes to try to find the best ones. I will absolutely be trying this one, I can’t wait!
Yay!! So glad to hear it. Let me know how it turns out for you!