Tender, moist homemade sandwich bread is hard to resist. This is the perfect everyday bread loaf for a growing family, especially if you find yourself in a busy season of life! The best part? It only takes 6 easy ingredients! If you have been looking for the big batch homemade bread recipe, keep reading! Be sure to save this sandwich bread recipe for later!
In this post you will find step-by-step instructions for making this bread, a video tutorial, trouble shooting tips and helpful advice from my kitchen to yours!
This recipe is popular for busy families (like mine!) who want the simplicity of homemade soft sandwich bread, but don't have time to be baking bread daily. I have never found such a big sandwich bread recipe! It makes a generous 13 inch loaf with over twenty slices! I'm no mathematician, but at my house that means everyone gets at least two delicious sandwiches from this one big batch bread recipe!
If you like sandwiches that go a bit beyond a simple peanut butter and jelly, try adding a spoonful of this Caprese with Strawberry & Avocado on top of a slice of toasted bread. It might sound unusual, but it is shockingly delicious! Another favorite at our house is plain butter with a smear of raw honey.
Can this bread recipe be converted to sourdough?
Short answer is yes, long answer is I haven't had time to perfect that particular recipe yet. If you love sourdough bread, try my Perfect Sourdough Loaf. It is hands down the simplest and best tasting artisan bread recipe! In that post you will also find step-by-step instructions for making a sourdough starter from scratch, too!
ingredients for big loaf sandwich bread
This recipe comes together with just 6 simple ingredients you probably have already in your pantry! See the variations section below for possible substitutions and how to convert this recipe to fresh milled wheat bread or whole wheat bread.
- DRY YEAST | I purchase yeast in bulk and store it in a mason jar in the freezer. If you begin baking bread often, the little yeast packets from the store are not going to be cost effective, FYI. Look for yeast in a jar or better yet, a vacuum sealed brick.
- WATER | 110 degrees. The trick with yeast is to add water that is warmed to 105-110 degrees. This is the perfect temperature for the yeast to be activated and begin feeding on the honey. Anything warmer could kill the yeast.
- HONEY | See the substitution section if you don't have honey on hand.
- ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR | When baking bread, always start by adding a half cup less to the dough than the recipe calls for. Continue adding flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough clings to the dough hook and is free from the sides of the pan. It may require up to ½ cup more flour than the recipe calls for. My favorite all-purpose flours to use in this recipe are kamut from The Food Nanny and einkorn from Jovial.
- BUTTER | Whole fat, unsalted butter is a must! If you are vegan or dairy-free and use a butter substitute for this recipe, please leave a comment and share your experience to help others. Thank you!
- COARSE SALT | sea salt, sea salt, kosher salt, Celtic salt or Himalayan salt.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions for a large sandwich bread loaf
This large loaf of sandwich bread is fairly easy to make! I've included pictures and helpful tips to teach you the process.
- Prepare a sponge. In a large mixing bowl, combine warm water, yeast, ⅓ cup of honey and 4 cups of flour. Stir until combined, cover and let rise for 30 minutes in a warm location.
2. The dough should have doubled in size by now. Add 2 ½ cups more flour, the remaining honey, melted butter and salt. Mix well. Knead for five full minutes, by hand or in a stand mixer with dough hook attachment. If the dough feels excessively sticky, add another ½ cup of flour.
3. Place the dough ball in a greased bowl and let rise for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray the 13" Pullman pan generously with cooking spray.
4. Punch the dough down to remove air bubbles. Form the dough into a large rectangle that is the width of the pan. Roll the dough like a cinnamon roll and place it in the pan, seam down. Let rise until double.
5. The dough is ready when you can poke a corner of the loaf and an indention remains, like this picture. See the dent that didn't just spring right back up? That's what you are looking for! Turn then oven temperature down to 350 degrees.
6. Put the bread in the oven and bake for 50 minutes. The loaf is done when the bottom is lightly brown. If the loaf gets too brown on top, cover with foil. The internal temperature should be 190 degrees when the loaf is cooked through. Invert on cooling rack.
video of making this big loaf sandwich bread from start to finish
Substitutions for this sandwich bread recipe
There are only six simple ingredients needed for this bread recipe, but quite a few ways to switch it up! Let me share a few of the most common substitutions questions people have asked me.
- honey - instead of honey, you can use molasses or maple syrup. Just remember that yeast requires sugar for activation and feeding, so resist the urge to omit it completely!
- salt - if you do not have a coarse salt, reduce the amount of fine salt to ¾ tablespoon
- flour - this recipe can be made with store-bought organic all-purpose flour of any kind, including all-purpose Kamut, all-purpose Red Fife or all-purpose Einkorn.
- fresh milled flour - I have not perfected a 100% fresh milled wheat version of this loaf (yet!). The best taste and texture for incorporating freshly milled grains would be substituting 2 cups of the all-purpose flour for finely ground fresh milled wheat. If you try a higher ratio, please leave a comment and tell me your experience!
Variations for this soft sandwich bread recipe
When you have a good, basic bread recipe, the sky is the limit! Here are a few of my favorite ways to give this recipe a unique twist.
- cinnamon - add cinnamon and brown sugar to the center of the rectangle during the step where the dough is rolled into a loaf. As the loaf is shaped, the finished family-sized bread loaf will be lightly swirled with cinnamon and sugar!
- herbs - add fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme to the dough during step 2. This is a sweet dough, but it isn't overly sweet. The herbs will be delicious and have a balanced flavor.
- rye - One variation that I haven't tried yet, but plan to soon, is substituting 1 cup of freshly milled rye for 1 of the cups of wheat flour. Hello, rueben sandwiches! I can taste corned beef and kraut already!
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helpful equipment for baking sandwich bread
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. The bread pan this dough is baked in is called a 13-Inch USA Pan Bakeware Pullman Loaf Pan. This is a unique pan because it is traditionally designed to be baked with the lid on. Baking with the lid creates a loaf that is a perfect rectangle with sharp edges, much like the French toast bread loaf at the grocery store. I do not keep the lid on during baking or proofing for this loaf, but the size and shape of the pan (minus the lid) makes this a big loaf of bread that is the perfect sandwich bread!
One of the best parts of this recipe is that it doesn't require a kitchen scale or any of the traditional sourdough tools. A stand mixer with dough hook attachment, measuring cups and spoons, cooking spray and an oven is all you need!
Storage
Sandwich bread is best stored at room temperature in a bread box, linen bag, or even a twist tie plastic bag for up to a week. Due to the generous size of this loaf, to keep it as fresh as possible for my family I slice half of the loaf and store it in a bag on the counter. The other half is sliced (or left whole) and immediately popped into the freezer after it has fully cooled. Even though we are going to be eating it within a few days, this extra step insures we are always eating bread that tastes and feels as fresh as possible.
Sandwich bread can be stored in the freezer, sliced or whole, for up to three months.
Top tip
When I was just starting out baking, the hardest part of making good bread dough (for me) was getting the amount of flour correct. There are many factors that can effect the amount of flour the recipe actually needs, despite what the instructions say.
I have found that when making bread recipes, it is best to start out with the minimum amount of flour the recipe calls for. After it has mixed for a minute or two, I look at the dough and ask myself two questions. Is the dough clinging to the dough hook? Is the dough still looking like a batter, or is it forming a dough ball? If the answer to these questions is no, I begin adding one tablespoon of flour every thirty seconds. Sometimes I have to add as much as an extra half cup of flour!
FAQ
When baking bread, always adjust the rack to the lowest position before preheating the oven. Use the oven light to check on the bread fifteen minutes before it is supposed to be done. Continue to check it every five minutes. If the top is getting to brown, cover it loosely with tinfoil.
Short answer, yes. Anything can be made with 100% fresh milled wheat! That being said, breads are typically not made completely with whole wheat flours. I would use kamut or hard white wheat. If you are going to try this, I recommend investing in a flour sifter and remove at least 50% of the bran, if not more. The texture will be very dense if it is completely whole wheat.
Your best bread knife is sharp and serrated. Without pushing down on the loaf, see-saw back and forth to let the serrated blade do the work for you. I like to use a wooden bow-shaped knife.
Bread likes a warm kitchen, so if you are working in a cooler room, the dough may need a little extra rise time to double. I have found this to be especially true when I am baking during the winter months.
If you make this recipe, please leave a comment below! This provides helpful feedback to both me and other readers. For more delicious recipes from scratch and homesteading tips, follow me on instagram @NinnescahHomestead
Sandwich Bread: A big loaf of yeast bread
Equipment
- 13 inch USA PAN Pullman Loaf Pan
- stand mixer with dough hook attachment
- measuring cups & spoons
- oven
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
- 3 cups water 110°
- ⅔ cup honey divided
- 6½-7½ cups all-purpose flour
- 3½ tablespoons butter melted
- 1 tablespoon coarse salt
Instructions
- Prepare a sponge. In a large mixing bowl, combine warm water, yeast, ⅓ cup of honey and 4 cups of flour. Stir until combined, cover and let rise for 30 minutes in a warm location.
- The dough should have doubled in size by now. Add 2 ½ cups more flour, the remaining honey, melted butter and salt. Mix well. Knead for five full minutes, by hand or in a stand mixer with dough hook attachment. If the dough feels excessively sticky, add another ½ cup of flour.
- Place the dough ball in a greased bowl and let rise for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400°. Spray the Pullman pan generously with cooking spray.
- Punch the dough down to remove air bubbles. Form the dough into a large rectangle that is the width of the pan. Roll the dough like a cinnamon roll and place it in the pan, seam down. Let rise until double.
- The dough is ready when you can poke a corner of the loaf and an indention remains, like this picture. I've included a photo in this post if you aren't sure what I mean. Check it out! Turn then oven temperature down to 350°.
- Put the bread in the oven and bake for 50 minutes. The loaf is done when the bottom is lightly brown. If the loaf gets too brown on top, cover with foil. The internal temperature should be 190° when the loaf is cooked through.
- Immediately invert the loaf onto a cooling rack when it comes out of the hot oven. Resist the urge to slice a piece of bread until it has completely cooled.
- The bread can be stored in an airtight container on the counter for up to a week, no refrigeration necessary. This big loaf sandwich bread can also be frozen after it has fully cooled. It will be good for up to three months!
Notes
baking tip
I have found that when making bread recipes, it is best to start out with the minimum amount of flour the recipe calls for. After it has mixed for a minute or two, I look at the dough and ask myself two questions. Is the dough clinging to the dough hook? Is the dough still looking like a batter, or is it forming a dough ball? If the answer to these questions is no, I begin adding one tablespoon of flour every thirty seconds. Sometimes I have to add as much as an extra half cup of flour! How do I keep bread from browning too much? When baking bread, always adjust the rack to the lowest position before preheating the oven. Use the oven light to check on the bread fifteen minutes before it is supposed to be done. Continue to check it every five minutes. If the top is getting to brown, cover it loosely with tinfoil.Nutrition
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