Easy Bread Machine Sandwich Bread. This recipe makes a light, tender loaf of bread.
During the month of March, everyone made sourdough. Except me.
Never one to follow the crowd, I pulled out of my bread machine and made loaf after loaf of white sandwich bread.
It’s not that I don’t love sourdough or that I don’t know how to make it. I just…wasn’t in the mood to deal with it.
Sourdough is a delight but it requires an amount of labor that I didn’t have in me during the early days of the quarantine. It needs feeding and care and, well, I wanted something easy. Something reliable. My needs were simple: I wanted a loaf of bread that tasted great toasted and spread thick with butter and jam. (The fact that I couldn’t find any whole wheat flour also influenced my choice, to be honest.)
A friend had been made a loaf of King Arthur’s Easy Sandwich Bread. Her original loaves had turned out too dense and a bit dry.
So she texted me. I looked at the recipe and suggested she replace the water with milk. It’s a simple swap but milk adds a bit of fat, which makes for a tender loaf of bread and the proteins and sugar help the loaf brown.
She tried it and texted me that she loved the bread. So I decided to give it a whirl.
I hadn’t used my bread machine for years. In fact, I considered it cheating. I used it when testing and developing gluten-free recipes but for wheat-based baking? I’d never used the machine.
No time like the present, right?
The loaf turned out as promised: high with a tender, soft crumb.
At this point, I’ve lost count of how many loaves I’ve made. Each one has come out perfectly. Which, at this time in life, is a gift.
Ingredients for Bread Machine Sandwich Bread
- Flour. Your best bet is to use bread flour. I like King Arthur’s bread flour but I’ve also made this loaf with Gold Medal. Both flours performed really well. Happily, this loaf can also be made with all-purpose flour. The difference is the bread doesn’t rise quite as high and the crumb is slightly softer, which is actually fine for sandwich bread.
- Yeast. Use instant or active dry. Both work. I prefer instant yeast because it’s more reliable than active dry yeast.
- Salt. Salt does two important things in bread baking: it adds flavor and controls yeast growth. Use table salt, not Kosher salt.
- Sugar. There’s a little sugar in this bread. It adds a bit of sweetness, of course, but also helps the loaf to brown and enhances the shelf life of the bread.
- Milk and Half and Half. While this isn’t Japanese milk bread, it does remind me of it a little. It’s soft and creamy. The combination of milk and half and half are responsible for this texture and flavor.
- Butter. As you can see, this is a dairy-forward sandwich bread. The butter adds fat, which not only brings flavor to the loaf, it also makes for a soft, tender loaf of bread.
How to Make Sandwich Bread in a Bread Machine.
My bread machine is fairly fancy, if there’s such a thing for bread machines. It’s a Zojirushi and the thing works like a champ. I put the milk, half and half, and butter in. Then the dry ingredients, and I sprinkle the yeast on top.
I don’t even need to heat the milk and half and half because the machine goes through a preheat cycle.
If your machine doesn’t heat the ingredients, warm the liquids slightly before using.
What You’ll Love About This Bread
- It’s easy. You dump the ingredients into a bread machine, push a button, and three hours later, you’ve got bread. Even when there was little I could do, I was able to make this bread.
- It’s soft and tender. The loaf contains milk, half and half and butter, which gives us a soft, tender loaf of bread.
- It makes a perfect loaf. Seriously. The loaf comes out high and tender. It reminds me of the bread emoji. It’s a cartoon bread!
- It makes wonderful toast. If you love a good piece of toast, this is the bread for you.
FAQs: Bread Machine Sandwich Bread
Can I use all milk?
Yes. If you don’t have half and half in the house, replace the amount called for with an equal amount of milk.
Can I use water?
You can but the loaf won’t be as soft or tasty.
Can I use oil instead of butter?
Yes. Bread made with oil lacks the buttery flavor that I find delightful but oil works.
I don’t have yeast. Can I use a combination of baking powder and lemon juice?
No. Sorry. This bread requires yeast.
Tips for Storage
Store in a plastic container or bread bag on your counter for up to four days.
Once it’s cool, cut the loaf with a serrated knife into slices and freeze.
Other Recipes for Comfort Baking
Three Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies.
Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies
Bread Machine Sandwich Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup (225 grams) milk, see note
- ⅓ cup (75 grams ) half and half, see note
- 3 tablespoons (45 grams) softened butter, salted or unsalted
- 3 ¾ cups (450 grams) bread flour, see note
- 3 tablespoons (35g) sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons instant yeast or active dry
Instructions
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Place the ingredients into the pan of a 1 ½ to 2 pound bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer.
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Select the program for basic white bread. Press Start.
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When the baking completes, remove the pan from the machine. Allow the bread to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes. Remove the bread from the pan, sometimes this requires a shake to get the bread out of the pan. Set the loaf on a wire rack to cool.
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Store, in a bread box, bread bag or well wrapped on the counter for 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Recipe Notes
Milk and Half and Half
Use lukewarm milk and half and half if your bread machine does not have a preheat cycle.
Karen Miller says
My favorite bread recipe. I make bread 4-5 times a month and this is my “go to” for sandwich bread.
Claudia A Buri says
Tis dough turns out extremely thick and does not rise.
I’ve tried it twice now.
Elizabeth says
A couple of questions for you so we can get to the bottom of this.
What type of bread machine do you have?
How did you measure the liquid ingredients?
How fresh was your yeast?
Thanks!
Carol says
Sheer Perfection! I do not consume dairy products. I used almond milk in lieu of the milk and half and half. I also used coconut oil (2 tbsp) and extra virgin olive oil (1 tbsp) in lieu of butter and my loaf came out beautifully! (I have likes for each of the oils for different reasons and decided to use both.) This is the best-tasting, buttery loaf of bread I have made in years! Literally. I started a 2-lb. loaf in my machine early in the morning and returned home in the afternoon, with deliciousness hitting me at the door. 🙂 Thank you so very much for this recipe. Although I made a few adjustments for my dietary preferences, the brilliance of your recipe is the reason I could make the significant changes I desired while not affecting the integrity of the intended result. Did I mention that what started out as “tasting” led to my eating 1/5 of the loaf? I can hardly wait to make this loaf again. Thank you for my new go-to bread recipe!
Tina Webb says
My best loaf of bread from my bread machine yet! Thanks for the recipe. Followed it exactly.
Danielle says
Tried your modifications and love it! Definitely a keeper. Thank you!
Jackie says
I TOTALLY agree!!! I came across this recipe this afternoon and decided to give it a try. Boy am I glad that I did. Everyone loved it!! It’s so full of flavor. My other recipe was voted out and this one voted in. I even accidentally put an extra half teaspoon of salt and you couldn’t even tell. ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!!
Jeannie Frawley says
Just sliced off my first piece of bread it is great, soft easy to cut. Great flavor! I just love the end piece’s of bread! I definitely will be making this again with goat milk!!! I had to add about 1/4 c – 1/2 c more flour dough was not stiffish like enough.
anna wilson says
I have a question can you use fleishmans bread machine yeast. I have used my machine 3 times (not your receipe ) and it didn’t rise properly so I was thinking maybe it was the yeast and it hasn’t even reached the expiration date next year. Help
Elizabeth says
You should be able to use bread machine yeast. Here’s what I’d do: I’d test the yeast. Stir together 2 1/4 teaspoons of yeast (one envelope) and 1/4 cup of warm water. Add 1 teaspoon granulated sugar. Let sit for 10 minutes. If the mixture bubbles, the container of yeast is still good. (You can discard the tested yeast or use it immediately.)
Gloria says
Absolutely delicious bread. I made this bread last night, fell asleep, woke up around 1:15 am. It smelled so good that I had to taste. So, I went to bed after eating 2 pieces of bread.
Elizabeth says
Waking up to warm bread sounds *amazing*.
Tom says
Directions not clear to me, is this for 1.5 or 2 lb loaf, I am new so excuse me.
Elizabeth says
Hi Tom,
This recipe works in either a 1.5 or 2 pound machine. Hope that helps!
Chuck says
I just bought a 1.5lb machine and the flour amount in this recipe is about 2x what the machine’s “standard recipe” calls for. This recipe sounds awesome, but I’m paranoid I’m going to wreck my first loaf. I’m curious how Tom’s turned out.
Elizabeth says
Chuck,
If you have a moment, let me know the brand of your bread machine and I’ll check it out for you.
Chuck says
I went ahead and made the standard recipe the maker came with just to get some experience under my belt. It wasn’t bad, but bread was awfully dense.
I decided to go for it and make your recipe. Bad news first: sure enough, the loaf expanded beyond the maker’s capacity and partially opened the lid, so it didn’t fit my 1.5lb maker (it’s a new-ish maker, HadinEon or something like that). During the final 10 minutes of the rising cycle, it collapsed down to where the lid would close, so it was able to finish baking.
The GOOD news: after cutting away the collapsed part, the rest of the loaf came out quite well, and was very tasty. It’s given me motivation to not worry about failing and experiment with the ingredients. I think if I cut it down to maybe 3 cups of flour and a bit less yeast, it should fit. I’ll report back what I find. Thanks for the recipe!
Tom says
Hi Elizabeth, thanks tried out French bread last night, pretty good. Tonight this one, the pizza crust. I still need supplies, making a list now, bread flour first.
Maria Siller says
This recipe is wonderful this is my second time to make but I Use the King Arthur flour this time is more beautiful an testy love this recipe
Lee-Anne Sanderson says
I just made this bread litterally just took it out ! Looks amazing and I did the exact recipe ! I did a 2 lb loaf , I do find it heavy a little or is it suppose to weigh 2 lbs lol
Can’t try it , it’s to hot ! Just wa yes to know if the loaf was kinda heavy
Mary Jo Ronning says
I discovered this recipe last month and now I have to make it every week for my family. It is so good and easy to make. What more can you want from a recipe.
Mama G. says
I only had cream at the top raw milk, so I used that. I added shredded parmesan cheese (at the end of my machine kneading the dough to make a cheesier crust. Its as also set to a medium crust not light), garlic granules, and a little extra salt and about 2tbsp butter. I also replaced 1 cup of king Arthur bread flour with 1c of roux de Bordeaux flour. I also let the yeast sit in third cup of warm water and honey for about 10 minutes.
This came out probably the best bread I have ever eaten in my entire life! I actually cut it thick to make boar and bourbon berry burgers with sharp cheddar. 10/10!!!!
Mama G. says
I forgot to mention I put it on the French bread setting instead of sandwich bread setting. Medium crust.
Beverly Baggett says
How much honey do you put??
Joe Rogers says
You’ve changed it into a completely different recipe
Laurie says
Great recipe. I even tried replacing the white bread flour with the wheat bread flour and it came out great
Shelley says
Fantastic! My notes: fill bread pan with hot water to preheat the metal. I use one packet of active dry yeast proofed in 1/4 cup warm water with 1 tsp sugar. No bread flour, so I added 2 1/4 tsp xanthan gum (3/4 tsp per cup ap flour.) Warmed milk in total, warmed butter, added in order. That poor loaf was attacked and consumed in less than 24 hours!
Patricia Cooley says
The best bread I’ve ever made in my bread maker. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Elizabeth says
You’re welcome! Glad you liked it!
S D says
We live in Utah. Any recommended adjustments for high altitude? Looks like a great recipe but haven’t tried it yet.
Elizabeth says
Good question! I read the following tips from Zojurushi (they make bread machines). I haven’t tried them myself, of course. So I hope they work for you!
Decrease the yeast by 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon
Decrease the liquid by 1 to 2 tablespoons
Decrease the sugar, honey or other sweeteners by 1/2 teaspoon
Carissa says
Has anyone tried making this bread with coconut or almond flour? I was wondering how this would come out.
Elizabeth says
I don’t think coconut or almond flour will work in this recipe.
Christina says
Love this bread so much but would like to know the ingredient amounts to make a one pound loaf !
Elizabeth says
Someone else just asked that! Let me work on that and get back to you!
Tasa says
Divide the individual ingredients by 2.
GN says
Has anyone successfully adjusted this for a 1-lb loaf? I’m endlessly searching for a good recipe (tried many!) for my Mini Zo.
Elizabeth says
This is a good question. Let me work on this and get back to you!
Christina says
Hey I I have reduced this recipe for a one pound loaf perfectly.. I used 2/3 cup milk. 1/4 cup half and half . 2 tbs butter. 2/1-2 cups bread flour. 2 tbs sugar. 1 tsp salt. 11/2 tsp bread machine yeast.. I did light crust.. came out exactly the same as the larger loaf …. so happy with it!
Sue Barker says
I was given my bread machine for Mothers Day this year (2021) and have had some successes and some failures so far. I want to try this recipe, but do not know what the item half and half is. Please could someone let me know what this refers to please. I am from the UK and have never heard of half and half. Also does milk refer to whole milk, semi skimmed milk or skimmed milk.
Thank you very much
Elizabeth says
Hi Sue!
Half and half is an American ingredient that’s half whole (full fat) milk and half cream.
As for the milk, I’ve tested it will all types and the bread works great. The richer the milk, especially whole, the more tender the bread and the slower it goes stale. You can use whatever milk you have.
I hope this helps!
Sue Barker says
Thank you Elizabeth. As I could not obtain half and half, I decided to use all Jersey whole milk, which here in the UK is from the Jersey cow and is extra creamy. I combined your measurements for milk and half and half together and used the Jersey milk. I needed to use the ‘crust’ choice on my machine on ‘light’ as medium and dark came out too crunchy and solid. I have also used half white strong flour and half Country grain, which is a type of granary, this also turns out well.
Thank you so much for your lovely recipe.
Christina says
This is absolutely the most wonderful bread.. Thank u Elizabeth, and I have managed to make a 1 pound loaf successfully.
Connie says
Do you warm up the milk and half and half?
Elizabeth says
Hi Connie,
If your bread machine does not include a preheat setting, warm the milk and half and half. If it does, you can skip this.
This information is included in the recipe notes section. So when you make the bread, it will be right there for you!
Let me know if you have any other questions!
Anne says
Can you make it in to a dough and then make rolls out of it?
Elizabeth says
Yes! Be sure to allow the rolls to rise after shaping.
I’m not sure about the bake time, I’d start checking them after 15 minutes.
Sudha says
Thank you so much for such a keeper recipe..i followed the recipe exactly and the result was yummy soft heavenly bread..Thank you again ?
Elizabeth says
Glad you enjoyed it!
Judy A Heikkila says
I used to have a bread machine 20 years ago… And made tons of recipes. I finally got one again and the recipes offered in the book were not good. I tried this recipe today and it is perfect!… It is packed with flavor…tastes like dream. Thank you
Adrianna says
Delicious bread recipe. I followed the ingredients and recipe exactly as described. Warmed up the milk and used butter instead of oil. With a household of teenagers, the loaf went as soon as it came out of the maker. I made a 1.5lb loaf.
Thanks for the recipe.
Douglas Smith says
I used Gold Medal bread flour and 1/3 cup evaporated milk in place of half and half, (had both on hand). Still, the best loaf of bread I’ve ever made. Will use King Arthurs flour in the future, but, expect the same or better taste and texture.
Natalie Nielsen says
This recipe is so amazingly easy and taste!!
Tim in Seattle says
My goodness, this is the best bread I’ve gotten out of my machine in 10 years of very sporadic use. I don’t use the machine much because I’m usually disappointed with the results, that changes today. I used lactose free milk and didn’t have any cream, and used ghee for butter (again, lactose issues)
The bread is soft, with a fine texture, and really delicious. Next time I will make it as written, though my wife won’t be able to eat it….. more for me 😉
Donna Noye says
I have a
Betty says
What is half and half?
Elizabeth says
Excellent question! It’s an equal mixture of whole (full fat) milk and cream. In the States, it’s sold premixed (Half milk, half cream) but you can easily make it yourself.
Donna says
Has anyone made this in their Zojirushi on the ‘quick’ cycle? Did it work? Thanks!!
Donna says
I usually add two or 3 tablespoons of potato flakes to my bread recipes (,keeps it moist and fluffy! Has anyone ever added potato flakes to this recipe? How did it turn out?
Davi Fonner says
Help! I made this bread exactly as the recipe stated but the bread did NOT rise, it came out flattened with white stuff all over it and the center of the bread looked like it had barely baked. There was something whitish in the middle (yeast? flour? butter?). This is the first time I have tried this recipe for my bread machine (have had success with all my other breads) and the only thing I changed from the other breads I have made recently is the yeast. I used Fleischmann’s active dry yeast newly bought and not expired where as the other breads I have made with Red Star active dry yeast. The only other thing I can think of is that the butter was softened according to the recipe but not melted. My other recipes call for melted butter. But this would not have caused it to not rise properly. I am willing to try it one more time but need advice. I will change the yeast but should I melt the butter? Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Elizabeth says
Hi Davi,
It sounds like the bread didn’t mix or the machine didn’t go through the entire baking cycle. Even if your yeast was dead, the loaf should bake all the way through. It would have been very, very heavy. Since the loaf wasn’t fully mixed and was raw in the center, this sounds like a mechanical issue.
Did you use all the liquid called for in the recipe? The only other thing I can think of is that some of the liquid was omitted, causing the loaf to be dry and not mix.
Shaun says
This was the 2nd loaf of bread I made, my first attempt with a different recipe did not turn out too well. This recipe turned out perfect and the family loved it !!! I made it on the 2.0LB mode and would like to know if I want to make a 3.0LB loaf must I double the ingredients ?
Thanks for sharing
Christina says
Love it! I’ve tried other recipes that claimed they were moist but were fairly dry and dense when I tried it. It’s super fluffy and it tastes amazing too. Make sure you have a big enough bread machine (this is fit my 2lb machine perfectly).
Thanks Elizabeth!
Paul Loggins says
New to making bread and have had a few marginal success…then came your recipe…Simply amazing recipe. It’s like hitting a jackpot in Vegas!
Question: if there a way I could throw in some of my sourdough starter? If so, any idea how much?
Elizabeth says
This is a great question. I’m actually testing a bread maker sourdough recipe now. I’ll let you know what I find!
AJ says
I have made this bread at least 4 times prefect every time. Oh to the cinnamon rolls.
Neha says
Thank you for the recipe. My family loved it and the texture was perfect. I didn’t have half and half and used milk completely but it turned out lovely with it as well. Also, I used whole wheat bread flour.
I had a question, can I decrease the amount of sugar? I want to make it healthier for our daily consumption. Just wanted to know what affect will decreasing the sugar have on the texture of the bread.
Thanks,
Neha
Elizabeth says
You can certainly decrease the sugar. The bread won’t brown as nicely and you’ll notice that it dries out a little faster but other than that, it tastes great.
Rebecca Holt says
I noticed you recommend table salt rather than kosher, is sea salt ok to use?
Elizabeth says
Yes. Sea salt is fine. I don’t recommend Kosher salt because sometimes it doesn’t mix evenly into the dough.
Daniel says
I also have a Zojirushi bread machine, but I don’t like the recipes that came with it. I’m going to try your recipe and see how it works out.
Erick says
Wow. I like to use my bread maker. I made the bread with all 2 o/o milk. It turned out soft and great. Thanks
BôB says
This bread is fool proof and I am the fool who proved it. ? First, I mistakenly added 1 1/2 tbsps of yeast instead of tsps and because I was out of flour to start over, dug the yeast out and corrected the mistake.
Then I started the machine. 1 hour later, I checked on the bread and nothing had happened. It was not even mixed. I had forgotten to put the paddle in the pan!!! (Need I say this was not my best day)
So I had to put the blade in through the ingredients by hand.
In spite of all this, the bread came out perfect.
Amazing!!
Elizabeth says
Your comment made my DAY!
Kizze H says
After trying a few recipes for my bread machine and failing. I ran across your recipe, this bread is exactly how you described and it bomb.com. thank you so much this recipe is a keeper.
Jane Taylor says
So I tried this recipe today. I followed it exactly. Half way through the cycle the whole bread machine crashed to the flour (it had moved across the counter during the kneading cycle). The dough partially came out onto the flour. So I cut off the part that touched the floor. I placed the dough back in the machine, and it started where it left off.
The result: the nicest, softest crumb, crispy crusted loaf. And my fam loves it. I’ll be making this recipe again. Hopefully with a lot less drama. Thanks for the yummy recipe and clear instructions.
Elizabeth says
This comment did not end the way I expected! OMG. I’m glad you liked the bread. What an adventure you had!
Jane Taylor says
So funny. But since that first loaf fiasco, I’ve been making this recipe almost every day. Delish! Thanks again.
Lee says
This bread is amazing !!!!
All previous recipes I used came out awful but this one I’ll use from now on.
Thank you !!!
Jamie says
This turned into a hard lump – tasted fine- edible,- but was not good for sandwiches
Elizabeth says
I’m guessing your yeast might not have been active.
Vicki Schoenwald says
Right at this very moment I’m commenting I am just about ready to go outside and shout. I just made your Cinnamon Raisin machine bread and it was absolutely amazing. I used Sunrise bread flour and 3/4 cup of White Lily AP flour. It was just amazing. I think Ive finally mastered the bread machine with your recipes. I’m going to try the white sandwich bread next. Thank you, Thank you.
Elizabeth says
Yay! Glad you liked it!
Deanne says
Excellent recipe. I used Whitley bread flour. It was perfect. The only issue we had, was smelling it while it was cooking and had to wait for it!