Classic Soft White Sandwich Bread

September 1, 2026

This is a soft, fine-crumbed white sandwich loaf baked in a tin — smooth golden crust, even white interior, and light steam rising, exactly like the bread in your photo.

Ingredients (1 large loaf)

500 g strong white bread flour (or all-purpose flour)
10 g fine salt (about 1¾ tsp)
7 g instant yeast (2¼ tsp)
1 Tbsp sugar or honey
30 g unsalted butter, softened (or 2 Tbsp oil)
300–320 ml lukewarm water or milk (start with 300 ml)
Optional: 2 Tbsp milk powder for extra softness

Method

Mix the dough
In a large bowl (or stand mixer), combine the flour, salt, yeast and sugar. Add the softened butter and most of the lukewarm liquid. Mix until a soft dough forms.
Knead by hand for 8–10 minutes (or 6–8 minutes with a dough hook) until the dough is smooth, elastic and slightly tacky but not sticky.
First rise
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and leave in a warm place for 60–90 minutes until doubled in size.
Shape
Gently deflate the dough. Shape it into a tight log about the length of your loaf tin. Place it seam-side down in a greased 23 × 13 cm (9 × 5 inch) loaf pan.
Second rise
Cover the pan and let the dough rise for 45–75 minutes until it crowns about 2–3 cm (1 inch) above the rim of the pan.
Towards the end of rising, preheat the oven to 180 °C / 350 °F.
Bake
Bake for 30–40 minutes until the top is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the centre reads 93–96 °C (195–205 °F).
If the top browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil for the last 10–15 minutes.
Cool
Remove the loaf from the pan immediately and cool completely on a wire rack (at least 1–2 hours) before slicing. The steam you see is normal right out of the oven.