The best sandwich bread (made with fresh milled flour)

Learn how to make my tried & true everyday sandwich bread made with fresh milled flour that is light, spongy, and much more delicious than store bought bread.

I have been experimenting the last six months or so on trying to find *the best* sandwich bread that not only I love (ingredients wise) but that my kids love too. And let me say it has not been a journey! Although my kids have been very patient with me.

Fresh milled flour is incredibly nutrient dense (truly mind blowing, you can learn more about that here) but using whole wheat flour can lead to a denser bread that is nothing like the light, spongy “bread” you may be used to from the grocery store. Hence why I’ve been on a journey to find a version my kids love and prefer.

This sandwich bread recipe is truly a winner! My oldest told me straight up “Mom, this is the best sandwich bread you’ve ever made!” and my two year lovingly calls it “yummy bread!” so I’d say I’ve earned their approval.

It holds up well to sandwiches, makes mouth watering toast, has an excellent rise, and has that soft squishy feeling everyone loves in sandwich bread. And the best part – it uses fresh milled flour so it is far more nutritious than typical bread. I adapted the recipe from the “kindergarten honey wheat bread” from this book – one of my absolutely favorites that taught me how to bake bread in an approachable, non fussy way.

I like to think of fresh milled flour as kind of a glitch in the matrix – I can make my kids favorite carb-rich foods such as bread, pancakes, muffins, cookies etc and provide them with so many nutrients whereas these foods typically don’t offer much as far as nutrition.

Now for this recipe I do use half fresh milled wheat flour (hard white wheat) and half all purpose flour or “dead flour” as it’s referred to in the fresh milled grains community. Obviously, this cuts back on the benefit of fresh milled flour since the recipe only uses half. I am not a purist, however, and believe that some is way better than none! I tried many a loaf with 100% fresh milled flour and while I loved them, my kids were not huge fans (at least not yet.)

I am all for healthy, nutrient dense food & serving that to my kids, but there is a give & take – if they don’t eat it, it doesn’t really matter how nutrient dense it is. This sandwich bread recipe is a perfect compromise and again, a total winner, because they gobble it up. Nutrients and all!

This recipe also uses commercial yeast instead of sourdough. When I learned to bake bread I started out of the gate with a sourdough starter, and never really used yeast. I do prefer sourdough for the health benefits but I have to say – there is something about being able to start & finish a loaf in the same afternoon. Yeast is simply more convenient, and has a place in my kitchen.

As a busy mom, being able to knock it all out in one afternoon, and also not be mixing dough before bed, is a win. I do plan to make a sourdough version of this bread however, as I ultimately think the benefits of fresh milled flour & sourdough are the most ideal!

Fresh milled flour sandwich bread

Step one: Add water, yeast, and honey to mixing bowl. Allow five minutes or so for yeast to bloom.

Step two: Meanwhile, mill 500g of hard white wheat.

Step three: Add fresh milled flour, all purpose flour, honey, oil, and salt to mixing bowl.

Step four: Mix & then knead in stand mixer until dough passes the window pane test. This usually takes about 6-8 minutes on speed 2 in my kitchenaid stand mixer.

Step five: Allow dough to double in size. This could be anywhere from 30 min to 1 hour depending on the ambient temp of your kitchen & temp of the water you used, just keep an eye on it.

Step 6: Turn dough out onto your countertop & shape into a loaf. Place in a greased loaf pan (I spray mine with avocado oil).

Step 7: Allow dough to proof for another 30 min to 1 hour or until light & airy like a marshmallow. Preheat your oven to 375F during this time.

Step 8: Bake for 35-45 min, or until golden on the putside with an internal temp of 195-200F.

Step 9: Allow to cool completely before slicing.

Once the bread has cooled, slice it up for sandwiches, toast, or anything else you love a good hearty yet light whole wheat bread for. And if any goes stale before getting gobbled up, it also makes great french toast, croutons, and bread crumbs!