Homemade Sandwich Bread

This homemade sandwich bread is just as good as (if not better than) the loaf you’ve been buying at the store. The recipe yields wonderfully tender, fluffy vegan bread every time. The vegan butter and plant milk give it a richness I am obsessed with, and I love the hands-on-ness of the process. From activating the yeast to kneading the dough to watching it rise and bake into perfect loaves, it’s so satisfying.

It’s ideal for sandwiches and/or your favourite Avocado Toast. I’ll sometimes whip up some homemade peanut butter and slather it on there. Yum!

Why It’s Worth Making Sandwich Bread From Scratch

If you’re wondering whether or not you should make the shift from store-bought to homemade sandwich bread? Here’s why you 100% should try:

• It can be tough to get vegan bread right. Without butter and/or milk solids, it often turns out less tender and less flavourful. This recipe uses vegan butter and some soy milk to tackle this issue. The result? A perfectly tender crumb and a subtle richness that’ll keep you coming back for more.
• With its common pantry ingredients and simple instructions, this recipe makes bread-making so approachable.
• By making the bread at home, you have full control over the quality of your ingredients. No funky additives or shelf stabilizers here.

Notes on Ingredients

This homemade bread recipe uses simple ingredients, many of which you likely have in your pantry. Here’s what you’ll need (see the recipe card below for exact measurements):

• Warm water – You want it at 100-110°F. If it’s too cold, it won’t activate the yeast. If it’s too hot, it’ll kill the yeast. So you really want to find that sweet spot.
• Granulated sugar – You could use honey instead. Don’t try to use less sugar. You need it here to feed the yeast.
• Active dry yeast – Make sure it’s fresh. Check out my post on How to Test Yeast to see how it’s done.
• Unsweetened plant-based milk – Soy milk, cashew milk, rice milk. They all work well. The addition of plant milk (especially soy milk) makes this bread a bit richer than it would be with just water.
• Vegan butter – You’ll use some softened butter in the dough to help make it richer. Then you’ll want a little melted butter for brushing over the finished loaves. Want to make your own? Check out my Homemade Vegan Butter Recipe.
• Bread flour – If you can’t find bread flour, you can make your own. For every cup of all-purpose flour (125g), replace 1½ teaspoons (4g) with vital wheat gluten.
• Fine sea salt – Table salt will also work.
• Oil – To grease the bowls and pans. I like olive oil here, but feel free to use your favourite.

Is Yeast Vegan?

Yes! This common pantry ingredient is, thankfully, vegan. It’s a type of fungus, so it’s as vegan as any plant or mushroom. Learn about all things yeast in my post, Yeast: Is it Vegan, and Other Questions.

How to Make Sandwich Bread

Here comes a quick look at how to make this fluffy sandwich bread. For more detailed instructions, see the recipe card below:

• Activate the yeast. Stir the sugar into the warm water until it’s mostly dissolved. Sprinkle in the yeast and let it sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy and puffed.
• Add the milk and butter. Stir in the plant-based milk and softened vegan butter.

• Add the flour and salt. Mix in half of the flour. Add the salt and gradually stir in the remaining flour. When the dough becomes too hard to stir, transfer it to a lightly floured surface.
• Knead. Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes, until smooth, elastic, and soft.

• Second rise. Place each loaf seam-side down in a lightly greased 8×4-inch loaf pan. Cover loosely and let the dough rise for 30-45 minutes.
• Preheat. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).

• Bake. Bake for 30-35 minutes.
• Finish. Remove the loaves from the oven and brush the tops with melted vegan butter if you’d like.
• Cool. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely before slicing.

Food Processor Alternative

If you’d like to make the dough in a food processor, you can. Activate the yeast, mix in the milk and butter, and transfer the mixture to a food processor fitted with a dough hook. Pulse a few times until a rough dough forms, then knead on medium speed for 5 minutes. The dough should be smooth, soft, and just starting to pull away from the sides. The rest is business as usual.

Tips for the Perfect Loaf

Bread-making can be a little intimidating, but with the right recipe and some simple tips and tricks, anyone can do it:

• Make sure the yeast is alive. If the mixture does not foam, your yeast might not be good anymore. Start again with fresh yeast (see my post on How to Test Yeast).
• Get the water right. The water should be 100-110°F. If it’s too warm, it will kill the yeast. If it’s too cool, it won’t activate the yeast properly.
• Don’t overwork the dough. Overworking the dough will cause the glutens in the flour to overdevelop. This will yield a tough, over-dense loaf. Knead just until the dough is smooth and elastic. No more.
• Adjust for moisture. Feel free to add a little extra flour or water to the dough to get the texture right. If it’s too dry, add water 1 tablespoon (15ml) at a time. Too sticky? Add flour 1 tablespoon (8g) at a time.
• Easy on the flour. You’ll need to lightly flour your hands and your work surface, but be careful not to add too much flour. This can make the bread dense.
• Use the proper tools. Consider a bench scraper to help you handle and shape the dough.
• Don’t over (or under) bake. Bake the loaves just until they are golden brown on top and sound hollow when tapped on top. The sides should look set and lightly browned.
• Prevent burning. If the tops of the loaves start to brown too quickly, you can loosely tent them with foil toward the end of the baking process.
• Butter hack. If you want a softer crust (great for sandwich bread), brush the warm loaves with melted vegan butter.
• Cool completely. Let the loaves cool completely before slicing. Otherwise, the crumb won’t set properly.

Flavour Variations

Want to mix things up a bit? Feel free to add your own spin to this recipe. Here are a few fun ways to doll it up:

• Honey-oat bread. Sometimes I’ll replace the sugar with honey and add ½ cup rolled oats (40g) to the dough. It’s a lovely spin on the original.
• Cinnamon swirl. Prefer something a little sweeter? Mix together some cinnamon and sugar. After you roll the dough into rectangles, sprinkle each with the cinnamon sugar, then roll into loaves.
• Rosemary olive oil. Add some chopped fresh rosemary to the dough and swap the butter oil for a quality olive oil.

How to Store Homemade Bread

• Countertop. Once the bread has cooled completely, wrap it in a double layer of plastic wrap or seal it in an airtight container. It’ll keep at room temperature for up to 5 days.
• Freezer. Wrap each fully cooled loaf in a double layer of plastic wrap. Store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy, allow the bread to thaw at room temperature.

Do not store this bread in the fridge. It will dry out.