No Knead Sandwich Bread – Super Soft!
Learn How to Make Super Soft No Knead Sandwich Bread with this easy recipe. This is the perfect bread to make for to help you transition from a processed foods kitchen to a Traditional Foods Kitchen.
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The Traditional Foods Kitchen
If you are in the process of transitioning from a processed foods kitchen to a traditional foods kitchen, bread can present a challenge. You may still be buying sandwich bread at the store, but now, you want to learn how to make your own bread. There’s just one problem. The process of making sourdough frightens you. And you’re certainly not ready to start soaking and sprouting grains to make your own sprouted flour! So what do you do?
No Knead Bread Made with Yeast
As I have shared with you in the past, I am not a fanatic when it comes to making traditional foods. Yes, sourdough is great, and so is bread made with sprouted flour. They’re both easy to digest and allow our bodies to absorb nutrients more easily. However, those two types of bread can also seem daunting to make to those new to traditional foods.
So when it comes to making bread as a beginner, I have no problem helping you learn this skill—as you’re starting out—by making a no knead sandwich bread that uses yeast.
With this recipe, there’s no need (sorry for the pun) to worry about the finger-poke test or the window-pane test. And even better, you don’t have to worry about a sourdough starter. All you have to do is mix six simple ingredients (that are available at pretty much every grocery store) together to create your dough, let the mixture rise for about an hour and a half, then transfer your dough to a loaf pan for another short rise…and then bake it. There is very little work on your part. And then…Voila!…Fresh homemade bread in few hours! And your home-baked sandwich bread is going to be better than anything you can buy at the grocery store.
More Bread Recipes
Now that you’ve created your no knead sandwich bread, try out my faster no knead bread that creates a bakery worthy “boule” with very little work on your part! It’s perfect for the beginner! You may also be ready to venture into the world of sourdough and sprouted grain breads. If so, be sure to check out my Foolproof Sourdough Starter made with rye flour and my Complete Guide to Sourdough Starter that will walk you through a step-by-step process for making a starter with all-purpose flour.
Once you’re ready to bake some sourdough bread, I’ve got you covered with three great recipes, including a No Knead Sourdough Bread, a Traditional Sourdough Boule, and a No Knead Spelt Boule.
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No Knead Sandwich Bread
Equipment
- 2 Loaf Pans (approximately 8 1/2" X 4 1/2")
Ingredients
- 6 cups All-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon Fine ground sea salt
- 1 tablespoon White sugar Can substitute alternative sugars such as Sucanat.
- 1/4 stick Butter, melted 1/4 stick butter = 2 tablespoons. Oil such as coconut oil, avocado oil, or olive oil can be substituted. Avoid using highly processed vegetable, oils such as canola oil or corn oil.
- 3 cups Water, warm Temperature should be 110°F if using active yeast, up to 130°F if using instant yeast. Warm to touch is sufficient.
- 2 1/4 teaspoons Dry yeast, active or instant 2 1/4 teaspoons of yeast is equivalent to one 1/4 ounce packet of yeast.
Instructions
- Whisk together in a large bowl flour, salt, sugar, and yeast.
- Add water and melted butter (or oil if using) to bowl with flour mixture.
- Mix all ingredients until they come together to form a wet, "shaggy" (sticky) dough.
- Cover dough with a plastic wrap or a towel dusted with flour (so the dough will not stick to the towel), place the bowl of dough in a warm place, and allow the dough to rise for 1 1/2 hours if using instant yeast or 1 3/4 hours if using active yeast. Baker's Tip: A "warm" place in your kitchen can be in an oven that is off but has an electric light or pilot light on. An alternate warm place can be on top of a refrigerator. (Watch the video for additional tips on how to keep your dough warm as it rises.)
- After the rise time, deflate the dough by pressing down on the dough with your hands. Afterward, divide the dough into two equal portions. Handling the dough is best done with well-greased hands.
- Take two well-buttered loaf pans and transfer equal portions of dough into each loaf pan. Even out the dough into the corners of the pans using well-greased hands. (The dough will be very sticky.) This is a very important step. Make sure that the loaf pans are VERY well-buttered (or oiled if using butter alternative). This will ensure that the exterior sides and bottom of the bread will be soft.
- Pre-heat the oven to 375°F with oven rack in the middle position.
- Leave the dough in the loaf pans, uncovered, and allow to rise in a warm place for approximately 40 minutes (as the oven is pre-heating) until the dough is even with the rim of the loaf pan. In a warm kitchen, this rise can take less than 40 minutes.
- Place loaf pans on a rack in the oven, and allow to the dough to bake for approximately 40 minutes until the top crust is golden brown. When you tap the top of the loaf, it should sound hollow.
- Using pot holders, remove the loaf pans from the oven and place the pans on a cooling rack. Immediately brush each top crust with butter. Then, remove the bread from the loaf pans and transfer the bread onto the cooling rack.
- Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing.
- Bread can be stored at room temperature in a bread box or cloth bag. It will stay fresh for 2-3 days. Bread can also be stored in the refrigerator, well-wrapped (such as in a plastic storage bag), in the refrigerator. It will stay fresh for up to 1 week.
Video
Notes
Shop for items used in this blog post or video
Favorite Bread Making Supplies
- Baking Apron (This is the one that I’m wearing in the video.)
- 10-Piece Glass Bowl Set
- Danish Dough Whisk
- BreadSmart Plastic Handle Danish Dough Whisk and Kit (See the BreadSmart discount promo code below.)
- Wooden Scraping Spoon
- Plastic Bench Scrape
- Metal Bench Scrape
- ️Metal Loaf Pans
- ️Glass Loaf Pans
- Cast-Iron Dutch Oven
- Mockmill Grain Grinder and Whole Grains (promo code below)
Use promo code MARYSNST for a one-time 15% off Masontops and Breadsmart products on Amazon.com.
Use my Mockmill affiliate link for a special one-time 5% discount on Mockmill Stone Grain Mill products, including Ancient Grains, like Einkorn, Emmer, and Spelt. (The Mockmill discount will appear when you checkout.)
Favorite Yeasts for Bread Making
- SAF Instant Yeast
- SAF Premium Instant Yeast
- SAF Gold Instant Yeast
- Red Star Active Dry Yeast
- Fleischmann’s Active Dry Yeast
- Bob’s Red Mill GLUTEN FREE Active Dry Yeast
Recommended Reading
Amazon Shop and Shopping Guide
- Visit Mary’s Nest Amazon Shop
- Visit my Shopping Guide page
Learn where I buy my beef bones, electric grain mills, sprouted grains, and more…and get special discounts for Mary’s Nest visitors, including from US Wellness Meats, Mockmill, Masontops, and Cultures for Health.
**Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor, a medical professional, a dietician, or a nutritionist. All content found on the MarysNest.com website, including text, images, videos, eBooks or eGuides, social media, or other formats, were created solely for informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or proper nutritional advice. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have watched in a video or read on this website. Use caution when following the recipe in this video. The creator and publisher of this video and website will not be held responsible for any adverse effects that may arise from the use of this recipe and method or any other recipe and method on this website or corresponding video channel.
What an incredibly masterful production! Instructions are clear, precise when necessary, pleasant and spoken slowly enough to absorb everything. I’m going to say it is the best food video I have ever seen. Now, I can’t wait to master the art of homemade bread!!! Thank you!
I love all the things you explain to us. Also the video.s are so helpful. May God bless you and your family.
Hi Reta, Thank you so much!! God bless you and your family too!! Do you enjoy making other traditional foods? If so, I have a playlist of some of my videos titled “Mastering the Basics of Traditional Nutrient Dense Foods Cooking”. It’s a series of 15 detailed videos that covers How to Make Bone Broth, Cultured Dairy, Ferments, Sourdough Starter (my foolproof stater), Sourdough Bread, Soaked and Sprouted Nuts and Beans, and How to Soak and Sprout Grains to Make your own Sprouted Flour at Home. You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkRuW3pBo2U3b4eu0QraZReKlGzA11h3y And please share the playlist with any other folks you think might be interested in learning about these types of things. I’m passionate about the book Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon (of the Weston A Price Foundation) and want to help as many people as I can learn how to make Traditional “Nutrient Dense” Foods.
Please let me know if you have any questions. I’m so happy to help! And I’m SO glad you’re here!! Love and God Bless, Mary❤️😘❤️
PS – Do you know about our FB group? It’s called Mary’s Nest Modern Pioneers. Come join us! We have a lot of fun chatting about Traditional Foods: https://www.facebook.com/groups/171869080205145/?source_id=210509998974645
i saw this video on you tube and had to try it, a great big thank you to mary for a soft no knead bread recipe! i have arthritis and making bread was just not worth the pain it caused to knead the dough. i tried other no knead recipes but they were all ‘rustic’ type breads, not soft.
needless to say this recipe brought me to this website to see other traditional recipes ~ the kind of cooking i grew up with. 🙂
Hi Elana, So sorry about your arthritis but so happy this bread worked out for you!! So glad you enjoy making traditional foods! I have a playlist of some of my videos titled “Mastering the Basics of Traditional Nutrient Dense Foods Cooking”. It’s a series of 15 detailed videos that covers How to Make Bone Broth, Cultured Dairy, Ferments, Sourdough Starter (my foolproof stater), Sourdough Bread, Soaked and Sprouted Nuts and Beans, and How to Soak and Sprout Grains to Make your own Sprouted Flour at Home. You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkRuW3pBo2U3b4eu0QraZReKlGzA11h3y And please share the playlist with any other folks you think might be interested in learning about these types of things. I’m passionate about the book Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon (of the Weston A Price Foundation) and want to help as many people as I can learn how to make Traditional “Nutrient Dense” Foods.
Please let me know if you have any questions. I’m so happy to help! And I’m SO glad you’re here!! Love and God Bless, Mary❤️😘❤️
PS – Do you know about our FB group? It’s called Mary’s Nest Modern Pioneers. Come join us! We have a lot of fun chatting about Traditional Foods: https://www.facebook.com/groups/171869080205145/?source_id=210509998974645
Hi ,
I just made this today and it did not rise as much as the picture but smells amazing. Going to have a slice or two in a little while. This was very easy and I can’t believe I actually made bread…
Mine didn’t rise as much as Mary’s either. Inks it be the difference in the temp in the house. It raised on my stove while the oven was heating. It is good though. It’s soft. Mine fell a little. I let it raise up to the rim.
Hi Claudette, Yes – rising can vary based on one’s kitchen environment but so glad the bread was good! Love, Mary
What olive oil do I use for your soft white bread. I have Carlini pure veg oil. Will that work
Yes, you can use whatever oil you have on hand. Love, Mary
Just pulled No Knead Sandwich Bread out of the oven. I’m letting it cool upside down. It is a beautiful golden brown. Can hardly wait for it to cool so we can taste it. Lots of time to bake in these troubled times. I’m glad I finally found flour a yeast to feed my habit. I’ll let you know how we love it in a bit.
Hi Mary! This recipe is my absolute favorite!! 1 problem, I only have 1 loaf pan! Would it be possible to make this double batch, make 1 loaf, put the dough in the fridge or leave it out in the bowl until the first loaf is done and then make the second? We go through this bread often enough that 2 loaves would be preferred. (Another pan is being delivered but not for 2 weeks or so) any suggestions would be great!
Hi Heather, so happy you like this bread. I have never tried refrigerating this dough. That would be an interesting experiment. I have also never left it to rise longer than what’s in the recipe but that would also be an interesting experiment. I would try it. Keep me posted. Love, Mary❤️🤗❤️
My family loves this bread. I make it every 5 days since March. Today I experimented with oat flour and almond flour and all purpose. Just took it out of the oven. It doesn’t look the same. Kind of flopped. I used 3 cups oat and almond with 3 cups all purpose. Where did I go wrong?
Hi Dolores, Sorry to hear that your experimentation didn’t work out for you. Oat flour basically contains no gluten so that is why your bread was a flop. You might be able to try a little oat flour – no more than a cup – and it might work. But in general…Stick with the original recipe and things will go back to normal. Love, Mary
Life your videos. You make everything so clear , which I appreciate as I am a newbie to baking . Thank you so much from Kitchener, Ontario . Canada 🇨🇦
Any chance you have this in print form? I like recipes that I can look at too 🙂
Yes, here is the link: https://marysnest.com/no-knead-sandwich-bread/ Love, Mary❤️🤗❤️
Can you make this bread with a sourdough starter?
Hi Lisa, I have not tried that with this specific recipe but it seems like it would work. Experiment and keep me posted. Love, Mary
Mary ive only been trying to make bread for 5 weeks ive tried using machine with kneading hook ive tried kneading by hand ive watcht 7 different ways to make bread ive tried em 7 failers today watched you with no knead sandwich bread my first attempt was brilliant it turned out superb the taste was lovely my son well he couldn’t stop eating it was the most easiest loaf to make thank you
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe! I love to bake and make breads but I really wanted something quick and easy to make without the preservatives. This bread completely fit that criteria! I made this tonight and it was absolutely perfect! My 7yr old son ate half of the first loaf and has his menu ready for tomorrow with a turkey sandwich for lunch. Lol. It’s a definite hit and one I will be making regularly. Thank you, Mary for taking the time to post and share your recipes. We are very grateful for your efforts and I’m a first time visitor, but I’m bookmarking your site. God bless you and keep safe and well!
Hi Mary:
I made your sandwich quick bread and the no knead sandwich bread. For the first time I finally mastered getting the dough to rise. I have to admit though the back of the yeast jar helped me to finally succeed with that. But both of your breads are absolutely delicious. I froze the two loaves of no knead sandwich I made but, I am wondering if that is okay and if the bread dough can be frozen and baked later when needed
With this success I feel confident to try to make dinner rolls and some other yeast breads, buns, and rolls. Thank you for your great tutorial.. We baked step by step together on those breads.
So happy to hear you are having success! Yes, wrapped well, you can freeze the bread and then rewarm it or defrost it when you are ready to enjoy it. I would probably leave it in the freezer no longer than 2 to 3 months. You don’t want it to develop freezer burn. I have not tried freezing this particular Del, but it may be worth experimenting with. If you decide to freeze some of the dough and then bake with it keep me posted. Love, Mary❤️🤗❤️
I made this and it turned out great! My husband and I love the taste of this bread! I made 2 and froze one loaf. When thawed it sliced so nicely! However, it wasn’t so good for sandwiches after thawing as some of the slices kinda fell apart. But no big deal, I made French toast! And it still works fine in the toaster. 😉
Do you have the nutritional information for this no knead sandwich bread?
Hi MamaDi, So happy you are enjoying this bread! Unfortunately, I don’t have the nutritional info. I have that option in my recipe plug-in but I have to learn how to use it! LOL!! I’ll keep you posted. Love, Mary
Hi Mary, I have made this bread three times now and it is amazing. Thank you for all Of your recipes. You are amazing and I am enjoying cooking with you. 💜💐
Great video and makes me less fearful of the whole kneading process. Question: for other non-yeast breads that I’ve been trying I read that if using glass bread pans to decrease the temperature by 25 degrees and the amount of time by 10-15 minutes. Is that true for this bread as well?
Hi Susan, That’s a great question. I have not baked this in a glass pan but that general rule may apply. Love, Mary
Never made my ownbread as kneading is a problem. Made this recipe and totally delighted with the result. Thank you so much. I really enjoyed making this bread and it tastes fantastic.
On my third round with this recipe. Huge hit with everyone. I appreciate the forethought of measuring the dry ingredients before the wet. Only one measuring cup and one bowl. Thanks, Wayne
Hi Mary!
Have you tried to make these as dinner rolls in a muffin tin? Too wet to just plop without any support, I am assuming. I am thinking about serving these for Thanksgiving this year. Maybe a quarter cup measure each? Cook fo 15-20 minutes? Or do you think all the yeast bubbles would not do well with the transfer?
Thank you for you thoughts!
Hi Mary! I just wanted to stop by and say that I have been watching all your videos for the past two weeks and have been thrilled with everything I’ve attempted. You have such an easy comforting way of speaking and explaining things that makes it easy to follow. I’ve made preserved lemons & limes, some extracts and now….BREAD! I have failed at bread so many times in the past that I was at the point of just giving up and saying ‘I’m not a bread baker.’ After watching your video for this and the round loaf, I’m now a bread maker (well, the no knead kind anways)! 😀 I’ve made the no knead round twice and now this one. Everyone loves the bread and I couldn’t be happier. Thank you so much for taking your time to video these as well as writing the recipes down.
Stay Safe and Healthy,
Jenn
Oh Jennifer! I am so happy to read this!! it’s wonderful that you are on this traditional foods journey with me! Love, Mary
Hi Mary,
I had a query. Can i cover the bowl with a plate rather than plastic or a towel or would that hurt the process of rising? Please do let me know.
Great question! I think that should work fine. Keep me posted on how it turns out! Love, Mary
Hi Mary,
I live in a tiny house. I only have convection microwave oven. What changes to temp and bake time do I need to make to bake bread?
Thanks
Amy
Hi Amy,
Thanks for your comment. That’s a great question. I haven’t tried baking bread in a microwave oven. Maybe other readers of your comment can chime in and add their thoughts/experiences to your comment.
Thanks for being a subscriber and for being a sweet friend!
Love and God bless,
Mary
Hi Mary. I’m wondering if she has a microwave oven that can be used as a microwave OR a convection oven? My regular oven is broken, so I use a tabletop convection oven for all my baking. When I bake bread, (including your delicious recipes) I simply reduce the oven temperature 25°, and check the bread about 10 minutes early. I use an instant read thermometer, and bring out the bread when it registers 200°F in the center. But the tapping test works, too. Always comes out perfect!
Hello Mary,
I love this recipe! I am wondering if this would work with whole wheat flour? Maybe half whole wheat and half all purpose flour? Thanks for all your help! I accidentally found you on YouTube and I am so excited to try more of your recipes soon.
Hi Michelle,
Thanks for your kind comment. I have a recipe for sandwich bread made with whole wheat at https://marysnest.com/no-knead-whole-wheat-sandwich-bread/
I hope that helps!
Thanks for being a sweet friend!
Love and God bless,
Mary
Made it, turned out great. Thanks!
Hi Cristie, Wonderful! Love, Mary
Wonderful recipe…I just tweaked the salt…used 1 tsp instead and followed your very detailed instructions… came out beautifully…😊
I would like to try making a sweet bread with some fruit, spices and of course more sugar using this recipe as my base… what do you think Mary?
Also want to thank you for your kindness and generosity of spirit, it shines through all that you say and do. Blessings…
Hi Victra, So happy you are enjoying the bread! Your ideas sound great. I would definitely experiment and see how it comes out. I think it should work. This is a very flexible – and forgiving – recipe. Love, Mary
Hello, sweet friend! Thank you for all of your hard work on the website and videos. This recipe is amazing!
Hi Jess,
Thanks for your comment and kind words. I’m glad that you enjoyed the recipe, and thanks for having me join you as part of your Traditional Foods Journey! 🙂
Love and God bless,
Mary
I have made this bread many times and it always turns out perfectly!! I’ve made multiple batches and popped the cooled loafs into the freezer, happened to have one that was almost a year old sliced it up tasted wonderful!
Mary I was wondering how would I go about making large dough batches and storing just the dough in either the fridge or the freezer? We love making small batch daily breads but don’t have the time for the prep.
Hi Mia,
Thanks for your comment. I’m so glad that your sandwich bread came out wonderfully.
If you’d like to make a larger batch of the sandwich bread dough in advance, portion it out into one loaf amounts and then wrap well each individual amount of dough before freezing it. Be sure to thaw your frozen dough and use it within two to three months.
I hope that helps. Thanks for joining me on your traditional foods journey.
Love and God bless,
Mary