Super Soft Sandwich Bread Recipe (Freshly Milled Flour)

Name: Whole Grain Sandwich Bread
Prep time: 2 h
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 2 h 55 min
Yield: 24
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 c. water; 1 c. milk (or buttermilk); 4 T. butter; 4 T. honey or granular sugar; 1 egg (optional); 2 T. Instant Yeast; 2 T. Rice Bran; 2 T. Vital Wheat Gluten; 2 t. sea salt; 1,000 grams freshly milled hard white or red wheat berries (6-7 cups); melted butter for brushing

March 17, 2026

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If you’ve ever thought whole-grain bread had to be dense or heavy, this recipe will change your mind. Soft, fluffy, and made with freshly milled whole grain flour – this sandwich bread is the perfect blend of nourishing and delicious.

There’s nothing quite like the smell of freshly baked bread filling my home… so in 2018, after my last baby was officially a year old, I resumed my pre-children routine of making homemade bread each week.

However… after lots of research and dozens of internet “rabbit trails”, I decided to switch to using freshly milled flour for maximum nutritional benefits.

I thought it would be a fun experiment with a brief learning curve… now, looking back, I don’t think I’ve ever been more frustrated, annoyed, or downright angry regarding baked goods in my entire life! I was even reduced to tears on more than one occasion due to yet another flopped loaf of bread I was sure would turn out based on tweaks I made in the recipe.

my first failed attempt at whole grain bread — my first attempt at bread with freshly milled flour!

Thankfully, I’ve made continual progress in my freshly-milled flour baking hobby!

I’ve found my stride and developed a handful of go-to recipes that (for me) seem to work well every time I make them. I even have a dedicated binder for all my whole-grain recipes.

Most importantly for our family, I finally landed on what we consider the “best”, softest, most delicious sandwich bread recipe — made with freshly milled whole grains.

It’s even good enough for PB&J, and that’s saying something!

This same dough recipe works for sandwich bread, dinner rolls, hamburger buns, cinnamon rolls, stromboli, pizza crust, and more.

I won’t claim my recipe is “foolproof” because if you’re new to making bread, or new to freshly milled grains, you will likely need a few rounds of trial and error before you find what works for you.

But, if you’re looking for a super soft loaf of whole-grain sandwich bread, my recipe has worked well for our family for many years now, and I think it will be a great starting point for you, too!

If it doesn’t turn out the first time, just make it into French toast or croutons!

Super Soft Sandwich Bread Made with Freshly Milled Whole Grains

This recipe can easily be halved or doubled… depending on your mixer capabilities and your need for whole-grain bread dough. However, as written, it makes enough dough for:

4 loaves (8″ x 4″ — 25 oz.)
3 large loaves (9″ x 5″ — 33 oz.)
2 giant loaves (13″ x 5″ — 50 oz.)
10 mini loaves (5.5″ x 3″ — 10 oz)
48 dinner rolls or slider buns (2 oz.)
24 large hamburger buns (4 oz.)
45 cinnamon rolls (15 per pan)
3 large Stromboli (18″ x 6″)
5 Pizzas (12″)

Ingredients for Whole Grain Sandwich Bread

2 c. water — any temperature is fine. I always use city tap water, but others swear you’ll get better results with filtered water.

1 c. milk (or buttermilk) — I always use full-fat whole milk, but feel free to try whatever you have in the house.

4 T. butter — you could substitute coconut oil

4 T. honey — feel free to use granular sugar, brown sugar, or even molasses

1 egg (optional) — this helps the bread stay fresh-tasting longer. If you’re going to eat it in one day, you likely won’t need the egg.

2 t. sea salt — you will immediately realize if you forget the salt (speaking from experience 😩)

2 T. Rice Bran — this helps to soften the texture of the bread. It makes a big difference (in my opinion).

2 T. Vital Wheat Gluten — adding additional gluten helps with the stretchiness of the dough, and creates higher-rising bread.

1,000 grams freshly milled hard white or red wheat berries (6-7 cups)

2 T. Instant Yeast — you can use active yeast, but it’s faster and easier with instant (I’ll explain more below)

melted butter for brushing — this helps to ensure a softer crust

Substituting All-Purpose Flour

If you want to try this recipe with all-purpose flour, you’ll likely need more flour. You will also be able to omit the rice bran and vital wheat gluten.

I’d say start with 6 cups of flour, and slowly add more until you reach the desired dough texture. You might need as much as 9 cups of flour!

You could also make this recipe with half freshly-milled flour and half all-purpose flour, if you’re not sure your family would like 100% whole grain bread yet (I did this for a long time).

I personally wouldn’t take the time to substitute store-bought whole wheat flour, as it creates very dense bread and doesn’t have any of the nutritional value of freshly-milled flour, as it has been sitting on store shelves for well over 24 hours.

How to Make Whole Grain Sandwich Bread

1. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine water, milk, butter, and honey.

2. Microwave on high for 1 -2 minutes, or until butter is completely melted and the temperature is between 110º and 120ºF.

3. Pour melted butter mixture into a heavy-duty mixer (Kitchen Aid or Nutrimill) with the dough hook attachment.

4. Add egg, salt, rice bran, wheat gluten, and 600 grams of freshly milled flour.

5. Mix on low speed for 1 minute, or until combined.

ingredients for sandwich bread in the mixer

6. Let this mixture sit at room temperature for 20 minutes (this allows time for the freshly milled flour to absorb much of the liquid).

7. After 20 minutes, sprinkle yeast over the dough and add half of the remaining flour (about 200 grams).

*NOTE: If you were using active yeast, you would need to “activate” the yeast with the wet ingredients, and it would start to rise while letting the dough rest for 20 minutes. This is why I choose instant yeast, because I can add it dry to the dough when I add the extra flour.

8. Mix on medium-low speed for 5 minutes, adding more flour as necessary.

9. Continue mixing the dough for 4-5 minutes, until it’s soft, sticky, and easily forms into a ball. (It should be a bit sticky, but not fully suctioned to the bowl or your hands.)

10. Form the dough into a ball and place it into a very large greased bowl.

11. Cover with greased plastic wrap or a wet towel and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes.

11. After the dough has risen significantly, punch it down and form it into another smaller ball by pulling the dough from the outside into the middle.

12. Divide the dough into smaller portions and form into bread, buns, cinnamon rolls, etc.

13. Place prepared dough into greased baking pans, cover, and let rise for 30-45 minutes, or until doubled in size.

14. Preheat the oven to 375ºF.

15. Brush melted butter over the tops of risen dough and bake according to the details below.

16. Brush melted butter over the tops again once the bread is removed from the oven.

17. Let bread sit in baking pans for 5 minutes, then turn out onto cooling racks to cool completely.

Baking Times

Remember… all ovens are different, so watch your dough the first time.

four 8″ loaves = 40-45 minutes
three 9″ loaves = 45-50 minutes
two 13″ loaves = 45-50 minutes
dinner rolls, buns, & cinnamon rolls = 15-18 minutes
strombolie (after you fill it with toppings) = 20-22 minutes

Yield: 24 servings

Whole Grain Sandwich Bread

After years of experimenting and tweaking, this is our family's favorite recipe for super soft sandwich bread made with freshly milled whole grain flour!

Prep Time 2 hours

Cook Time 45 minutes

Additional Time 10 minutes

Total Time 2 hours 55 minutes

Ingredients

2 c. water
1 c. milk (or buttermilk)
4 T. butter
4 T. honey or granular sugar
1 egg (optional)
2 T. Instant Yeast
2 T. Rice Bran
2 T. Vital Wheat Gluten
2 t. sea salt
1,000 grams freshly milled hard white or red wheat berries (6-7 cups)
melted butter for brushing

Instructions

1. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine water, milk, butter, and honey.

2. Microwave on high for 1 -2 minutes, or until butter is completely melted and the temperature is between 110º and 120ºF.

3. Pour melted butter mixture into a heavy-duty mixer (Kitchen Aid or Nutrimill) with the dough hook attachment.

4. Add egg, salt, rice bran, wheat gluten, and 600 grams of freshly milled flour.

5. Mix on low speed for 1 minute, or until combined.

6. Let this mixture sit at room temperature for 20 minutes (this allows time for the flour to absorb the liquid).

7. After 20 minutes, sprinkle yeast over the dough and add half of the remaining flour (about 200 grams).

8. Mix on medium-low speed for 5 minutes, adding more flour as necessary.

9. Continue mixing the dough for 4-5 minutes, until it’s soft, sticky, and easily forms into a ball. (It should be a bit sticky, but not fully suctioned to the bowl or your hands.)

10. Form the dough into a ball and place it into a very large greased bowl.

11. Cover with greased plastic wrap or a wet towel and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes.

12. After the dough has risen significantly, punch it down and form it into another smaller ball by pulling the dough from the outside into the middle.

13. Divide the dough into smaller portions and form into bread, buns, cinnamon rolls, etc.

14. Place prepared dough into greased baking pans, cover, and let rise for 30-45 minutes, or until doubled in size.

15. Preheat the oven to 375ºF.

16. Brush melted butter over the tops of your dough and bake according to the details below (40-45 minutes for regular loaves.)

17. Brush melted butter over the tops again once the bread is removed from the oven.

18. Let bread sit in baking pans for 5 minutes, then turn out onto cooling racks to cool completely.

Notes

Recommended Baking Times:

Remember… all ovens are different, so watch your dough the first time.

four 8″ loaves = 40-45 minutes
three 9″ loaves = 45-50 minutes
two 13″ loaves = 45-50 minutes
dinner rolls, buns, & cinnamon rolls = 15-18 minutes
strombolie (after you fill it with toppings) = 20-22 minutes

How to Store Homemade Bread

Homemade bread, buns, cinnamon rolls, etc., should ideally be stored at room temperature and eaten within 48 hours to enjoy maximum freshness and softness.

However, if you want to bake in bulk, or if you find yourself with a bunch of extra bread, simply wrap it well in plastic wrap or in a freezer bag and freeze it.

Baked goods will stay fresh in the freezer for 2-3 months with no freezer burn (if properly stored).

Do not store bread or rolls in the refrigerator, as they will dry out quickly.

More Whole Grain Recipes

My Favorite Whole Grain Bread Tools

NutriMill Harvest Grain Mill (they are regularly out of stock — sorry!)
NutriMill Artiste Stand Mixer (with dough hook)
Huge food storage container with lid (to let the dough rise in)
USA bread loaf pans
USA extra-large sheet pans
Large Baking Stone
Colapsible Cooling Rack
Bulk Instant Yeast
Wüsthof Bread Knife
I buy my grain in bulk from Country Life Natural Foods, but you can also get it on Amazon

It’s a lot of information for one post, but I certainly hope it’s helpful for any of you who are interested in baking, eating, or simply learning more about whole-grain bread!

Feel free to ask any questions in the comments, or contact me directly.

Happy Baking (and Eating)!

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