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Simple No Knead Sandwich Bread Recipe – that fools our kids into thinking it’s store-bought!

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by Ed

I have been experimenting for a couple of months now with a more foolproof form of the No Knead Refrigerator Bread Dough sandwich bread. 

I’ve done it! Here’s my no knead sandwich bread recipe – that fools my kids into thinking it’s store-bought!

I tinkered with loaf sizes and amounts of dough several times and I think this is the best combo.

easy no knead sandwich bread recipe

My basic premise is that too much dough is better than too little. No one ever complained about how tall and puffy their loaf of bread was (has anyone ever complained about homemade bread at all?  OK, maybe our kids did.  Hence making loaves that look more like “they’re supposed to look”).

You also need to go easy on the whole wheat flour: 1/3 in your dough mix is likely the max.

This bread requires less equipment than it’s artisan cousin:  no pizza stone and no water tray. Very easy now that I think about it.

If you have been nervous about trying the 5-minute bread dough, this might be a good time to give it a go.

no knead sandwich bread recipe

My first few loaves were stubby and dense. I learned the keys:  

  • More dough.  
  • Smaller loaf pan.  
  • More rise time. 

No Knead Sandwich Bread Recipe Ingredients:

No Knead Sandwich Bread Recipe Steps:

  1.  Preheat oven to 375F.
  2. Lightly flour the inside of your loaf pan (I avoid oil – it makes for a crustier crust, which renders it offensive to small children)
  3. Cut your batch of No Knead Refrigerator Bread Dough in half and shape/smooth it as you would for the pizza or artisan bread.
  4. Stretch it out to loaf shape and plop it in the pan.
  5. Cover with wax paper or plastic wrap and leave to rise for 2 hours. Mine looked like this when it was near the end of the rise.
  6. Remove paper or plastic. Put into oven and cook for 60 minutes (give or take- I use same “brown top” benchmark that I use for the artisan loaves
  7. Let cool a few minutes when it comes out of the oven. It will continue to steam a bit and that allows it to pop out of the pan nicer. 
  8. Let cool fully before slicing as it will cut easier.  This is a purely hypothetical statement as we have never been able to let it cool fully- it smells too damn good.  The crust usually softens a bit too.  After it has cooled, if you still want your crust to be more Wonderful, pop your homemade loaf in a leftover bag from some store-bought bread.  Give it a couple hours or an overnight stay and it will be super-soft.
  9. Enjoy!


Here are links to some of the many ways we use this dough (We’re always experimenting, so expect more to come): 

  1. This post covers the Basic No Knead Refrigerator Bread Dough (Start here!)
  2. Pizza Dough
  3. Basic Artisan Loaf
  4. Easy Naan
  5. Cinnamon Rolls 
  6. Pull Apart Monkey Bread Recipe
No Knead, Quick and Simple Sandwich Style Bread Loaf

No Knead, Quick and Simple Sandwich Style Bread Loaf

Yield: 1 loaf

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375F.
  2. Lightly flour the inside of a medium sized bread loaf pan
  3. Cut your batch of dough in half and shape/smooth it as you
    would for the pizza or artisan bread.
  4. Stretch it out to loaf shape and plop it in the pan.
  5. Cover with wax paper or plastic wrap and leave to rise for
    2 hours.
  6. Remove paper or plastic. Put into oven and cook for 50 to 60
    minutes (until golden brown)
  7. Let cool a few minutes when it comes out of the oven. It
    will continue to steam a bit and that allows it to pop out of the pan nicer.
  8. Let cool fully before slicing as it will cut easier.
  9. Enjoy!



This recipe is one of the meals on our Meal Plan Master List.  Check it out here.

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lynn

Sunday 27th of February 2022

Your title made me laugh! My grandma used to bake us bread weekly and I would complain that I wanted the store-bought bread as everyone else had in their lunch! I get embarrassed to think about that now. Thanks for the giggle!

frugalfamilytimes

Tuesday 8th of March 2022

Ha! You were a totally normal kid then, Lynn! I remember the very same thing! :) I also wanted white bread so badly, like my friends. My folks only ever bought brown. (And thank goodness! :)

Unknown

Monday 13th of January 2020

I've tried to make this but it doesn't rise. It still tasted great but more like an artisan bread. Am I doing something wrong?

Ed from Frugal Family Times

Tuesday 14th of January 2020

Hmmm, there are a couple things you can do. First, try some fresh yeast when you make the next batch of dough. Next, while the dough will keep for up to two weeks in the fridge, it's usually best in the first few days- bake the sandwich loaf soon after making the dough.Finally, try leaving the loaf in a slightly warmer place for the two hour rise. I'm not sure if any of these will do the trick, but they are my most common issues when I use the dough.

Donna

Monday 21st of December 2015

The artisan bread is great for dinner, but sandwiches, at least for my family, require a loaf much more like this. Thanks for doing the experimentation to figure out how to do it right!

frugalfamilytimes

Saturday 26th of December 2015

You're so welcome, Donna! :)

Anonymous

Friday 13th of November 2015

I love the artisan style bread but it didn't work well for sandwiches. Thanks for the instructions to make it more kid-lunch friendly!

frugalfamilytimes

Friday 13th of November 2015

Enjoy! :)

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