No-Knead Sandwich Bread
Published Apr 10, 2020•Updated Mar 05, 2024
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No-Knead Sandwich Bread is a soft white homemade sandwich bread with a golden crust. All you need is 90 minutes of rise time and 40 minutes to bake. No special techniques or equipment needed, just a loaf pan for baking.
We’re reaching the end of bread week here on the site, and my freezer is absolutely packed with homemade bread. If you’re just jumping in, don’t miss all of the variations we made earlier this week that all come from the same, very simple no-knead bread dough – Everyday Bread, French Bread Loaves, Sheet Pan Pizza, Focaccia, and today….white sandwich bread! Like all of the homemade bread made with this recipe, no-knead sandwich bread is simple and rustic. It’s not fussy and not fancy. Just a great go-to bread that’s perfect for slicing and serving with sandwiches (like these Falafel Sandwiches) or toasting and topping with butter.
While we use keep store-bought whole wheat bread in the pantry or freezer, there’s nothing like a slice of classic white sandwich bread, and it’s so satisfying to bake it yourself. Not only do you get a great slice of bread, but there are few things quite as cozy as a house that smells like yeast and warm bread.
Here’s everything you need to know about making this simple, homemade, no-knead sandwich bread.
Ingredients for No-Knead Sandwich Bread
- All-Purpose Flour – No special flour needed here – just regular all-purpose. Any brand is fine.
- Kosher Salt – This recipe was tested with Kosher salt (Morton’s or Diamond Brand), so use that for the right balance of saltiness. (If using table salt, reduce the amount you use by about half.)
- Sugar – Use regular granulated / white sugar. Don’t skip this – the dough needs sugar in order to rise.
- Fast-Acting or “Instant” Yeast – No-Knead Sandwich Bread uses a dough that rises quickly (making it a go-to for new bread bakers or those of us who want this ready fast) and requires Fast-Acting (not “Active Dry”) yeast. See the original post for No-Knead Everyday Bread for more details on this yeast.
- Warm Water – The water should feel warm, but not too hot to touch. Check the package on the yeast for the recommended temperature range. I usually heat tap water in the microwave for about 90 seconds until it reaches about 120°F / 49°C.
- Olive oil or nonstick cooking spray – You’ll need to rub or spray the inside of the loaf pan to prevent the bread from sticking.
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How to Make No-Knead Sandwich Bread
- Combine Dry Ingredients – In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt, sugar, and yeast.
- Add Warm Water – Pour water over dry ingredients (check the packaging on your yeast and use water at the temperature it recommends) and stir until no dry spots remain. The dough will be very sticky, but just scrape down the sides as you stir.
- First Rise (60 minutes) – Cover the dough with a clean dish towel and leave it on the kitchen counter to rise until doubled in size, 60 minutes. (If your kitchen is on the colder side, let the dough rise for 75 minutes.) Don’t worry too much about getting the timing just right here – anywhere between 60 and 75 minutes will give you a great loaf of bread.
- Transfer Dough – When dough has nearly finished the initial rise, rub olive oil over the inside of a loaf pan (or spray it with nonstick cooking spray). Gently pour the dough into the prepared loaf pan, using a spatula to help ease the dough out.
- Heat Oven – Once dough has finished the first rise, preheat oven to 375°F / 190°C.
- Second Rise (20 minutes) – While the oven heats up let the dough rise again, 20 minutes more.
- Bake bread (40 minutes) – Bake bread until the top is golden brown and crisp, 40 to 45 minutes. If you have an instant read thermometer, that is the best way to check and see if the bread is done cooking. The bread should be 190°F / 88°C in the center.
- Cool Bread – Allow bread to cool for 5 minutes in the loaf pan. Then, turn it out onto a rack to cool completely. (Note: Don’t let the bread cool completely in the loaf pan or it may have a tendency to stick.)
How to Freeze Homemade Sandwich Bread
The easiest way to freeze homemade sandwich bread is to let it cool completely and slice it before freezing. Then you can take a few slices out of the freezer at a time and bake them as you need them.
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No-Knead Sandwich Bread
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Loaf Pan
Ingredients
- 4 cups All-Purpose Flour 500 grams
- 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt (I use Morton’s or Diamond Brand)
- 1 Tablespoon Sugar
- 2 1/4 teaspoon Fast Acting or “Instant” Yeast (see note)
- 2 cups Warm Water 473 milliliters (see note)
- Olive oil or nonstick cooking spray
Instructions
- Make Dough: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt, sugar, and yeast. Pour water over dry ingredients and stir until no dry spots remain. The dough will be very sticky, but just scrape down the sides as you stir.
- First Rise (60 minutes): Cover the dough with a clean dish towel and leave it on the kitchen counter to rise until doubled in size, 60 minutes. (If your kitchen is on the colder side, let the dough rise for 75 minutes.)
- When dough has nearly finished the initial rise, rub olive oil over the inside of a loaf pan (or spray it with nonstick cooking spray).
- Gently pour the dough into the prepared loaf pan, using a spatula to help ease the dough out.
- Heat Oven: Preheat oven to 375°F / 190°C.
- Second Rise (20 minutes): Place loaf pan with dough near the oven and let it continue to rise, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
- Bake bread (40 minutes): Bake bread until the top is golden brown and crisp, 40 to 45 minutes. (Use an instant read thermometer if you have one. The bread is done when it reaches 190°F / 88°C in the center.)
- Allow bread to cool for 5 minutes in the loaf pan. Then, turn it out onto a rack to cool completely. (Note: Make sure to allow the bread cool completely before slicing – if it's still warm it may compress and can give it a gummy texture in the center.)
- Slice and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I make lots of bread, no knead dutch oven, white sandwich, etc. BUT, this is the best I have tasted!
Not only does it taste delicious, but I can make it in half a day. It is so easy and quick. And no messy counters trying to knead. By the way, I used all bread flour.
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe, this is definitely my go-to bread recipe.
I’m going to check out your other recipes now.
Thanks again!
Yay!! I’m so glad you enjoyed it as much as we do! And definitely check out the variations on this recipe – it makes a great focaccia too!
Can I use wheat flour in the recipe?
I’ve never tried it, but others have and reported that it worked out fairly well. I’d suggest trying a 50/50 mix of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour the first time just to see how the texture works out.
Hello Jess! I’m a bit late in finding your recipe but I’m about and very eager to try it. I live in South India and I only have a gas stove and a huge steamer, NO oven though. Would it be possible to steam the bread…? Would you advise to cut out some water from the recipe? Thank you so much for your sharing and time 😉
Lou
Hi Lou – I can totally relate to this challenge – it was so rare to have an oven when we lived in Bangkok. Unfortunately, I have no idea if this bread will work steamed. I do think it would work, but I’m not sure how the texture will turn out and you certainly won’t be able to achieve a crust. If you do try it, I’d love to know how it turns out.
Hi, can you use active dry yeast and dissolve it in the water if you don’t have the rapid rise on hand ?
Yes! That should work though the dough will likely take longer to rise.
Do you preheat the Dutch oven during the final rest?
Hi Linda – I’ve actually never used a Dutch oven for this sandwich bread. I always bake it in a loaf pan.
Are the nutrition values per loaf or per slice?
Per slice, and are just estimates using an automatic calculator built into our recipe card. I highly recommend running the ingredients through your own calorie tracker if you have one that you like.
Hi. Hiw is this different from your other no knead recipes? Is it just the temp and cooking time? Ingredients are mostly same?
Exactly! The ingredients are the same. Since the shape of the loaf is a little different, in testing it as a sandwich loaf, I had to adjust the temp and cooking time slightly.
I’ve made this a few times now—it’s always great! Roughly how long should it take for the loaf to fully cool?
I really try to give it a full hour once I’ve turned it out onto the cooling rack (which seems to be enough to avoid any compressed / doughy centers), but we can’t always wait that long!
Can you use a metal loaf pan rather than a ceramic pan as illustrated? Do you need to put a container of water in the oven to create steam when baking this bread?
Kathleen – absolutely! I frequently use my metal loaf pan for this recipe (the ceramic one just looks better in photos). No need to put a container of water in the oven to create steam. I’ve actually never tried that with this recipe since it’s so simple and great as-is. (However, as with many bread recipes, that might help you to get a more crisp crust, and shouldn’t hurt!)
Tried it this morning. It was great. Total cost $1.46 given that we buy flour in big quantities. I subbed out half of the all purpose flour with bread flour and it turned out great. I got 13 slices from it. Now I just need to find a gadget to help me slice it cleaner.
Why does this recipe cost $4?
Thanks so much for your note! Recipe costs on this site are very rough estimates, and we almost always round up to account for any differences in the cost of ingredients around the nation / world. As you rightly identified, if you purchase flour and yeast in larger quantities and keep them on-hand, it should cost much, much less to make homemade bread over a store-bought loaf.