today is Mar 25, 2023
You will be blown away by how soft and fluffy this white sandwich bread is. It’s a very basic recipe with only 6 ingredients, but be ready to be impressed! The recipe doesn’t use any eggs and butter.
I love making tangzhong bread and also bread using preferments such as biga and poolish. They yield bread that is so soft and fluffy. The preferments yield bread with an amazing flavor. This super-soft white bread has also made it to my list of favorite bread to make. I have made it several times for my family and they love it every time. Here’s why we love it: 1. Only 6 ingredients The ingredients are so basic and nothing fancy. You most likely have it at home 2. The result is amazing I’m pretty blown away by the result. The bread has the softest and fluffiest crumbs yet with a lightly chewy texture and if you use Pullman tin, it has a nice thin crust 3. It stays soft for days I kept the sliced bread in an air-tight container and put it inside a bread box and the bread crumbs stayed soft for at least 3 days! I’m impressed
You must be wondering what makes the bread so soft and fluffy. Let’s look at the ingredients and you will see: 1. Bread flour I use bread flour with 13% protein. Please do not substitute with all-purpose flour. The bread needs the gluten to be strong since this is a very soft and fluffy bread 2. Active dry yeast You can also use instant yeast, you just need 25% less 3. Oil I use neutral-tasting oil such as grapeseed oil. You can use any oil of your choice. Please do not reduce the amount of oil. This is one of the reasons why this bread is incredibly soft and fluffy. The oil keeps it that way. The recipe doesn’t use an excessive amount of oil either 4. Salt Salt sure adds depth of flavor to the bread 5. Sugar I thought 50 grams of sugar for 350 grams of bread flour would be too much, but it turned out to be just nice. I recommend not cutting down, at least not the first time you try this recipe out. This is another reason why the bread is incredibly soft. Keep in mind that sugar also contributes to moisture and helps keep to tenderize the crumbs 6. Water Hydration definitely also another factor that contributes to that tender crumb. You can definitely use dairy or non-dairy milk for a richer taste if you like, but I don’t feel like it’s necessary
I highly recommend using a stand mixer to knead the dough for the best result. You can knead by hand too, but it’s just going to take a longer time as we need to rest the dough more so you can knead the dough easier. It’s a lot of elbow grease kneading a dough by hand that’s for sure!
1. Combine the bread flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl of a stand mixer. I use the hook to stir them to combine
2. Add the oil and water
3. Start mixing the mixture at the lowest speed (I use Kitchen Aid) for 1 minute so that the flour won’t be flying around, then increase to speed 2 and knead for 2-3 minutes. Increase speed to 4 and knead for 8-10 minutes. The dough should be smooth, flexible, and slightly sticky to the touch (don’t be tempted to add flour)
4. If you gently and slowly stretch the dough, it can stretch very thin without breaking. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl for 1st proofing
5. Let the dough proof at a warm place for about 1 hour or until it doubles in size. Don’t go by the time, but observe the dough. If you poke your finger into the dough and the indentations stays, that means the dough is done proofing
6. I use a non-stick Pullman tin with the lid (7 1/2 x 4 x 4 1/4 inch). You can use regular loaf pan such as 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch. I still spray with a non-stick spray just to be sure.
Punch the dough down to release air and transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface, smooth side facing down
7. Lightly dust the rolling pin with some flour and start rolling out the dough into a rectangle, push out any air bubbles in the process of rolling
8. Then start rolling the dough down and lightly tuck it in as you roll (as shown in the photos below). You will get a log
9. Transfer this into a loaf pan and slightly push the dough down to fit the pan. Cover the pan with a cling wrap so you can see how far it has proofed. Let it proof at a warm place until it reaches about 2 inches below the top rim. This may take somewhere from 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the temperature. I will start checking at around 30 minutes.
10. Once the dough is about 2 inches below the top rim, cover with a lid if you are using a Pullman tin
11. 10 minutes before the end of proofing time, if you are using a Pullman tin with a lid, preheat the oven to 425 F (218 C), If you are using a regular loaf pan, preheat oven at 350 F (180 C)
12. If using a Pullman tin, bake for 10 minutes and then lower the temperature to 350 F (180 C) and bake for another 30-35 minutes
If using a regular loaf pan, bake for about 35-40 minutes or until the top crust is golden brown.
13. If you bake with a Pullman tin, let the bread stays inside the pan for 10 minutes
14. Then turn it out to a wire rack to let it cool down completely before slicing, about 2 hours or so.
When I sliced into this bread, oh my…I’m honestly surprised by how soft and fluffy the crumb is. The kids even like the taste of the plain bread on its own. It has that hint of sweetness that the kids like I supposed. My kids kept saying “The bread is so soft mama”.
1. Let the bread cool down completely 2. If the bread loaf is unsliced, store them in a plastic bag or foil, push all the air out and it can be kept at room temperature for a day or two. You can also use a cling wrap to wrap it up 3. If you plan to slice the bread, slice in the middle of the loaf, instead of the end of the loaf (which I usually did). This is a great tip that I learned from here. Then just slice whatever you need and you can put the two smaller loaves, the cut-end together again, minimizing any loss of moisture that way. Keep them in a plastic bag or wrap them in a cling wrap or use a foil and they can be kept at room temperature 4. If you plan to store them for longer days, it’s better to freeze them. I would cut them into slices and then portion out, about 4-6 slices each portion and wrap each portion in plastic bag. Then put all these in a freezer bag and put them in the freezer. You can simply remove the portion you need and let them sit at room temperature and they will be as good as new.
I love it when you guys snap a photo and tag to show me what you’ve made 🙂 Simply tag me @WhatToCookToday #WhatToCookToday on Instagram and I’ll be sure to stop by and take a peek for real!
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 45 mins
Proof the dough twice: 2 hrs
Total Time 3 hrs
Servings 15 slices
I highly recommend using a stand mixer to knead the dough for the best result. You can knead by hand too, but it's just going to take a longer time as we need to rest the dough more so you can knead the dough easier. It's a lot of elbow grease kneading a dough by hand that's for sure!
Combine the bread flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl of a stand mixer. I use the hook to stir them to combine. Add the oil and water. Start mixing the mixture at the lowest speed (I use Kitchen Aid) for 1 minute so that the flour won't be flying around, then increase to speed 2 and knead for 2-3 minutes. Increase speed to 4 and knead for 8-10 minutes. The dough should be smooth, flexible, and slightly sticky to the touch (don't be tempted to add flour). If you gently and slowly stretch the dough, it can stretch very thin without breaking.
Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl for 1st proofing
If you knead by hands, combine the bread flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the oil and water and use a spatula to stir to combine into a rough dough. Cover and let the dough rest for 20 minutes
After 20 minutes, gather the edge of the dough and pull it to the center and do that 5-6 times and then transfer to a lightly floured work surface and start kneading the dough, with a motion like you are washing a cloth. The dough will be sticky but don't keep adding flour. As you knead, the dough will get lets sticky since the gluten starts to develop. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, it may take 10-15 minutes to reach there, or longer, depending on how your knead it. It is important that you knead the dough until it's smooth and elastic
Once the dough is smooth and elastic, transfer to an oiled bowl for 1st proofing
Let the dough proof at a warm place for about 1 hour or until it doubles in size. Don't go by the time, but observe the dough. If you poke your finger into the dough and the indentations stays, that means the dough is done proofing
I use a non-stick Pullman tin with the lid (7 1/2 x 4 x 4 1/4 inch). You can use regular loaf pan such as 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch. I still spray with a non-stick spray just to be sure
Punch the dough down to release air and transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface, smooth side facing down. Lightly dust the rolling pin with some flour and start rolling out the dough into a rectangle, push out any air bubbles in the process of rolling
Then start rolling the dough down and lightly tuck it in as you roll (as shown in the photo above). You will get a log. Transfer this into a loaf pan and slightly push the dough down to fit the pan
Cover the pan with a cling wrap so you can see how far it has proofed. Let it proof at a warm place until it reaches about 2 inches below the top rim. This may take somewhere from 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the temperature. I will start checking at around 30 minutes. Once the dough is about 2 inches below the top rim, cover with a lid if you are using a Pullman tin
10 minutes before the end of proofing time, if you are using a Pullman tin with a lid, preheat the oven to 425 F (218 C), If you are using regular loaf pan, preheat oven at 350 F )180 C)
If using a Pullman tin, bake for 10 minutes and then lower the temperature to 350 F (180 C) and bake for another 30-35 minutes
If using a regular loaf pan, bake for about 35-40 minutes or until the top crust is golden brown.
If using Pullman tin, slide the lid open. The internal temperature of the bread has to be at least 190 F (87 C) if you measure it with a digital thermometer. You can also use a skewer and poke it into the middle of the bread. It should come out clean with just a few moist crumbs. If it has lots of damp crumb and/or uncooked dough, it needs more oven time. Try to bake another 5 minutes and check again
You can also check by tapping the bottom of the bread. It should sound hollow. But I don't recommend doing this if you bake with a Pullman tin because the bread will collapse if you get the bread out of the tin and it happens to be underbaked. I recommend using a skewer/toothpick test or digital thermometer to check
If you bake with a Pullman tin, let the bread stays inside the pan for 10 minutes and then turn it out to a wire rack to let it cool down completely before slicing, about 2 hours or so
If you use a regular loaf pan, let the bread cool down in the pan for 5 minutes and then loosen the edge and transfer to a cooling rack to let it cool down completely
Nutrition Facts
Incredibly Soft White Sandwich Bread (No Eggs, No Butter, No Dairy)
Amount per Serving
% Daily Value*
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Marvellina is a food blogger, recipe developer, photographer, and publisher at What To Cook Today. A food blog that brings you tried and true Asian recipes.