5-Ingredient White Sandwich Bread

Up until the stay-at-home orders were issued I had never baked a loaf of bread in my life. I adore fresh bread (who doesn’t), I just never really had the urge to try and make it myself. When everything first began shutting down here in the city, and toilet paper was near impossible to find, our local groceries stores were also low or completely out of bread– another hoarding necessity I suppose. A good friend of mine sent me a super simple, classic white sandwich bread recipe that I couldn’t wait to try! It was incredibly quick and only required 5 ingredients (unlike most of the sandwich bread recipes I was finding online).

This recipe was DELICIOUS. Not only did my house smell amazing (why is this not a candle scent??) but I had successfully baked my first loaf of bread! For my first attempt, I followed the recipe exactly as Chicken Scratch Diaries had written it– the taste was amazing but there were so many air pockets and it wasn’t quite sturdy enough to use for sandwiches. I began tweaking the recipe and rising times and voila! Five loaves and 10 pounds later (just kidding…sort of) I think I have finally perfected it! By using canola oil & bread flour, decreasing the second rising time and increasing the baking time by just a few minutes this white bread is absolutely perfect! It’s so simple that a beginner (like me) can do it. One of the best parts is it requires ingredients most people already have stored in their pantry!

Even if bread is fully stocked at your local grocery store, I highly recommend giving this homemade bread a try! If you do, let me know what you think in the comments below. Share your pictures to your social media, don’t forget to tag me and mention #Clydescorner 🙂

I hope you enjoy xoxo

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What you’ll need to make the bread:

• 2 and 3/4 tsp active dry yeast
• 1 cup hot water (not scalding, but hot)
• 2 Tbsp white granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup canola oil (or vegetable oil)
• 3 cups bread flour (or all-purpose flour)
• 1 and 1/2 tsp salt

Serving Size: This recipe makes 1 loaf of bread

Recipe:

1. Combine hot water (not scalding, but hot), yeast, & sugar; stir well. Allow the mixture to “bloom” for about 8-10 minutes– the mixture will begin to bubble or foam up. See imagine above for reference! Note: If you’re using old yeast and it doesn’t bloom during this step, this probably means that your yeast has died and your bread won’t rise!

2. Pour yeast mixture into a stand mixer, add in canola (or vegetable) oil & salt. Using the dough hook attachment (on low speed), add in flour one cup at a time. Note: If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can use a hand mixture and then kneed the dough by hand!

3. Mix on low until the dough comes together and is no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl. Once this point is reached, continue mixing for another 4-5 minutes, it should look similar to the image above!

4. Transfer dough ball into a large bowl and cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap (loosely placed) and set aside in a non-drafty area. Allow the dough to rise for 1 to 1 and 1/2 hours (only until the dough has doubled in size).

5. Once doubled in size, punch down the dough (this is SO satisfying), shape it into a loaf and transfer to a lightly greased loaf pan. Tip: I punch my dough down multiple times to get out as many air pockets as possible. Additionally, when shaping the dough into a loaf, tuck the sides under so that the top is smooth– don’t be afraid to handle the dough, it’s not fragile.

6. Lightly cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise a second time for about 40 minutes (again until it has doubled in size). Tip: Rising times will vary but only allow the bread to rise to just above the top of the loaf pan– see images below. The loaf will continue to rise in the oven.

7. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25-28 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

9. Allow the bread to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire cooling wrack to finishing cooling. Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing!

I hope you enjoy this recipe (and the amazing aroma that comes with it) as much as we did!

If you made this, let me know what you think in the comments below. Share a picture to your social media account and mention #Clydescorner, don’t forget to tag me ❤

Storing Instructions: This bread can be stored in a Ziplock bag on the counter or in the fridge. For longer storage, it can also be placed in a freezer-safe ziplock and put into the freezer!

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This recipe was modified and adapted from Chicken Scratch Diaries.