Homemade Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread Recipe & Instructions
I have been on the hunt for a good homemade bread recipe that my family would willingly use for sandwiches. They have loved every bread recipe I’ve used, but with a regular loaf pan the loaf tends to peak in the middle. This causes peaks and valleys in the bread making them odd sizes and most are just not the right size for making sandwiches. During my hunt, I also was investigating how to create a “sandwich bread” like I used to buy in the store… you know… rectangular loaves.
I am happy to report I have found both and I am ready to share!
I will start first with the pan. I found the 13 x 4 x 4 Inch Pullman Aluminized Steel Bread Pan with Lid on Amazon.com. It is a decently weighted pan with a lid that slides into place during the rise/baking cycle. Placing the lid on the loaf during the final stages of rising and baking it in creates a flat top shaping the loaf into sandwich bread. GENIUS!
Now for the recipe and instructions on how I did it!
- 1 to 1¼ cups lukewarm water*
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup honey
- 3½ cups 100% Whole Wheat Flour
- 2½ teaspoons instant yeast, or 1 packet active dry yeast dissolved in 2 tablespoons of the water in the recipe
- ¼ cup nonfat dried milk
- 1¼ teaspoons salt
- *Use the greater amount in winter or in a dry climate; the lesser amount in summer or a humid climate.
- ) Add ingredients as per your bread machine manual. Place on dough cycle and allow to process.
- ) Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface, and roll under your hands to shape into a log long enough to fit the length of your pan. Place the log in a lightly greased loaf pan, cover the pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the bread to rise for about 1 to 2 hours, or till the center has almost reached the top of the pan. Remove plastic wrap, grease underside of the pan lid and slide on. Allow to sit and rise another 30 - 60 minutes (to allow dough to reach lid). Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- ) Bake the bread for 15 to 20 minutes, then remove lid to the pan. Bake another 20 minutes. The finished loaf will register 190°F on an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center.
- ) Remove the bread from the oven, and turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool. If desired, rub the crust with a stick of butter; this will yield a soft, flavorful crust. Cool completely before slicing. Store the bread in a plastic bag at room temperature.
I had been reusing plastic bags from store bought bread, but they soon started falling apart. I found these reusable bags on Amazon and just love them!
Don’t have a bread machine? Here are the full set of directions as per King Arthur Flour:
1) In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and stir till the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased surface, oil your hands, and knead it for 6 to 8 minutes, or until it begins to become smooth and supple. (You may also knead this dough in an electric mixer or food processor, or in a bread machine programmed for “dough” or “manual.”) Note: This dough should be soft, yet still firm enough to knead. Adjust its consistency with additional water or flour, if necessary.
2) Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl or large measuring cup, cover it, and allow the dough to rise till puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, about 1 to 2 hours, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.
3) Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface, and shape it into an 8″ log. Place the log in a lightly greased 8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ loaf pan, cover the pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the bread to rise for about 1 to 2 hours, or till the center has crowned about 1″ above the rim of the pan. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.
4) Bake the bread for 35 to 40 minutes, tenting it lightly with aluminum foil after 20 minutes to prevent over-browning. The finished loaf will register 190°F on an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center.
5) Remove the bread from the oven, and turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool. If desired, rub the crust with a stick of butter; this will yield a soft, flavorful crust. Cool completely before slicing. Store the bread in a plastic bag at room temperature.
Awesome!! Can I ask where you got that bread baking dish? I have not seen one like it?
Oh-My-Gosh Ignore me, I speed read to fast – Found the link. THANKS!!!
cool, thanks!
That is healthy delicious bread………..! I’ve been looking for a recipe on how to make this kind of bread, thanks much for sharing this yummy recipe. I’m gonna try this asap. 🙂
Growing up I can remember waking up to the smell of fresh baked bread, my mom used to make it all the time! I really not to start doing it myself 🙂 Im gonna try this one out!
I love the looks of this bread and could almost taste it. I would love to have one of those loaf pans, too! Can’t wait to try this!
I love how unlike most whole wheat bread, this doesn’t look as dense. Can’t wait to try it. Thanks
I’ve had a hard time finding a good recipe too. I had no idea that bread pan existed…must get one! 😉
That is just great! Thanks for the information on where you got the pan. I can’t wait to go and purchase one and start making my whole Wheat bread.
I love this,I so want to start making my own wheat bread,,thanks for sharing that with us
I’ve been wanting a pullman pan for forever. I’ll have to check this one out. Also been wanting a really good ww sandwich bread recipe. I’m going to try this out tomorrow without the cool pan. Also reusable bread bags? Awesome! Definitely ordering those 🙂 Thanks for all the great tips.
i have been looking for bread recipes that dont have to go in a bread maker. this one sounds goo too
Thanks for posting this! I have been baking artisan bread at home for the last year but haven’t found a good sandwich bread recipe yet. I’ll be giving this a shot.
Everyone in my family uses wheat bread so I thought it would be nice to share this on my Facebook wall so everyone can see! Wheat bread can get expensive so it’s nice to be able to bake your own at home to cut that cost a little!
Thanks for the recipe. I am trying to eat more whole grains so this is great.
i’ve nevered made homemade bread before, i’m going to give it a shot…thank you for sharing.
This looks so good! I love homemade bread. I used to make it with my aunt when I was younger every time we’d visit her. I love the smell of it!
i have been wanting to make some whole wheat bread, and now i have no esxcuse! thank you for sharing!
I’m so excited! I want one of these pullman loaf pans! I like your recipe, too. This is the best thing I happen to see in a long time! I agree making sandwiches with regular homemade bread doesn’t work that well, this is perfect!
Wow, I’ve been baking bread this cold season, and using it for sandwiches – I need a Pullman loaf pan. I’ll have to check out Amazon. This looks like a great recipe – I use powdered milk, too and honey, and whole grains – thank you for the wonderful recipe. I’m surprised at how browned the crust is, I wouldn’t have thought with a Pullman loaf pan it would come out that way – yum!
one of my favorite things is homemade wheat bread. Honey wheat I should say! The best ever! Very easy to follow recipe.
Hi, this recipe is for the 13″ Pullman pan? I just received one from a friend & would like to try your bread. I thought I’d read this was for the 13@ pan but further down the recipe it said an 8″ loaf pan. Am I seeing things? Thanks for your help.
Yes, the directions in the printable section are how I used the original recipe in the 13″ Pullman pan. The recipe below with the 8″ pan is the original recipe. Good luck! 🙂
I made this recipe with whole wheat flour and I don’t know what I did wrong but it came out kind of flat the dough did rise but it flatten in the baking process. I also made this recipe with white all purpose flour and it come out very nice.