One Hour Sandwich Bread
This easy One Hour Sandwich Bread is soft, chewy, and perfect for sandwiches—or just warm with a swipe of butter. Whether you shape it into a classic loaf or bake it artisan-style in a Dutch oven, it’s a foolproof recipe that delivers fresh, homemade bread in just about an hour. No long rises, no fancy techniques, just simple, satisfying bread that fits into your real life.
Servings: 14 slices
Calories: 163kcal
Equipment
- Food processor or can also use ⤵️
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups bread flour
- 4 teaspoons sugar
- 4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 ¾ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ cup water warmed to about 110°F
- ¾ cup milk warmed to about 110°F
- 3 tablespoons neutral oil
Instructions
Prepare your proofing oven
- Turn oven light on and turn oven on to 300° for 2 to 3 minutes and then turn off.
Mix dough: Food Processor Instructions
- Add flour, sugar, yeast, and kosher salt to the bowl of your food processor and pulse 3-4 times to mix.
- Combine the water and milk and microwave for about 30 seconds, or until it's about 100 to 110°F. add in the oil and pour the wet ingredients through the food processor food tube to the dry ingredients, already in the bowl.
- Pulse three times to get it started and then turn the food processor on high speed, and process until a dough ball forms, around 20 seconds.
- Turn the food processor off and remove the dough ball. Very lightly dust the ball with flour and turn it over so that what was on the bottom becomes what is on top.
- Pulse for another 20-30 seconds.
- Hand-knead for about 30 seconds to make sure all ingredients are fully incorporated and then form into a smooth ball.
By hand or stand mixer instructions
- Combine flour, sugar, instant yeast, and kosher salt in a bowl. add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with a dough whisk or some kind of stiff handled utensil until you have a shaggy dough.
- By hand: Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead (push and fold the dough) until the dough is smooth and no longer sticks to your fingers when pressed, about 5 minutes. Shape into a ball with a smooth surface.
- In stand mixer: make your dough in the bowl of your stand mixer and then use the dough hook to need the dough for about five minutes. Remove the ball of dough from the stand mixer at need on a counter for about one minute just to smooth the surface. Shape into a ball.
- Spray your bowl with nonstick spray or a light coating of oil and transfer the ball of dough into the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and put into your proofing oven for 15 minutes.
Shape loaf (see blog post for photos)
- Turn your dough out onto the counter, smooth side down. Press the dough out to a rectangle with the short side about the same width as your loaf pan.
- Bring the bottom part of the dough up towards the center and press with the heel of your hand to seal it. It will look like you formed two little pointy "wings" on the bottom sides. Pull those wings up towards the seam that you created and use the heel of your hand to seal that down as well.
- Repeat with the top of the dough, bringing it down to the center, pressing with the heel of your hand, bringing the wings in, and pressing them down. Roll to make a loaf shape and pinch the seam shut.
- Place into your loaf pan seam side down. Cover loosely with plastic wrap again and place on top of your stove while you preheat your oven to 375°.
- Let the dough rise for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until it's just peeking over the top of the edge of the pan.
- Brush with an egg wash if you like, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until it is golden and sounds hollow when tapped. If you have a thermometer it should register between 190 to 205°.
- Allow to rest in the pan for five minutes. Gently tip out of the pan and let cool on a wire rack. Wait to slice until fully cooled. I know. It’s hard.
Video
Notes
If using active dry yeast: Combine water and whole milk and heat in the microwave until just warm, or about 110°. Add the oil. If using active dry yeast, add the yeast now and allow to sit for 5 to 10 minutes or until foamy.
To bake as a round loaf: To make an artisan-style loaf, shape the dough into a tight ball after the first rise by tucking and pulling it toward you to build surface tension. Place it on parchment, cover with a bowl, and let it rise on the stovetop while you preheat your Dutch oven to 450°F. Use the parchment to lower the dough into the pot (scoring is optional), cover, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and bake another 10–15 minutes, until golden, hollow-sounding, and 190–205°F inside.
To bake in an 8 inch by 4 inch loaf pan, use the same technique, but use the following measurements:
- 3 cups bread flour (360 grams)
- 1 tablespoon sugar (12 grams)
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast (9 grams)
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt (4 grams)
- ½ cup water (120 grams)
- ½ cup whole milk (122 grams)
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil (30 grams)
Nutrition
Calories: 163kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 298mg | Potassium: 84mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 22IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 0.4mg
