As a mom, having homemade sandwich bread on hand is one of the best ways to serve my family nourishing meals while keeping convenience in mind. There’s something incredibly valuable about knowing exactly what’s in our bread—no preservatives, no unnecessary additives, just wholesome ingredients that fuel our bodies.
I love having a loaf (or two!) in the freezer, ready to go for quick lunches, breakfast toast, or even grilled cheese on a busy evening. It gives me peace of mind, knowing my family is eating something nutritious, and it just tastes so much better than store-bought. It especially comes in handy when life throws me a curve ball for the day and the dinner plans fly out the window. Having this bread on hands means that nutrition will not also fly out the window. But if you’ve ever tried making sandwich bread with fresh-milled flour, you know the struggle—getting a soft, sliceable, truly fluffy loaf is no easy task.
Baking with fresh-milled flour is a labor of love, but it comes with its challenges. Unlike store-bought flour, which has been stripped of its bran and germ, fresh-milled flour contains all the natural fiber, oils, and nutrients. While that’s amazing for nutrition, it can make achieving the perfect sandwich bread texture tricky.
The Challenge of Fresh-Milled Sandwich Bread
Many fresh-milled bread recipes turn out too dense, too dry, or require endless kneading to develop enough gluten for that soft, elastic crumb. Trust me, I’ve been there. But after countless test batches, I’ve perfected a method that creates light, fluffy sandwich bread without the frustration.
Why You’ll Love this Fresh Milled Flour Sandwich Bread
- No endless kneading! Forget working the dough for 20+ minutes to get a windowpane test—this method uses alternate techniques to develop gluten beautifully.
- Perfect balance of grains – A blend of hard white wheat and spelt (or kamut) keeps the loaf soft while adding depth of flavor.
- Reliable, family-approved results – This recipe has been tested over and over to ensure success, so you don’t waste your precious fresh-milled flour!
- Stays soft, even with fresh-milled flour – Many homemade loaves dry out too quickly, but this recipe stays tender for days.
Equipment Needed:
- Grain Mill
- Bread loaf Pan
- Mixing bowls, wooden spoon, measuring cups and spoons
- Kitchen Scale
Ingredients for Fresh Milled Flour Sandwich Bread
- 380-400g whole milk, warmed to 105-110°F
- 2 tablespoon (30g) white granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon (30g) olive oil
- 2 ¼ teaspoon (7g) instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon (4g) salt
- 120g spelt or kamut flour, fresh-milled
- 300g hard white wheat flour, fresh-milled
- 1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten
If you love the Fresh Milled Flour Sandwich Recipe, you may also like:
- Sourdough Discard Artisan Bread
- Fresh Milled Flour Sourdough Waffles
- Fresh Milled Flour Sourdough Bread
Instructions
Mix Ingredients & Begin 1st Rest
Mill your flour, measure out ingredients, and mix the ingredients together (milk last). It will feel dry, so you may need to use your hands at the end to make it a shaggy dough. Cover and let it rest for 1 hour
Use a mixer to mix the dough
Place the dough in a stand mixer, and mix for 8 minutes. After 8 minutes assess the dough. If it's super wet add 1-2tbs of flour at a time, mixing slowly. If its super crumbly and dry, add 1-2 tbs of milk until it reaches a sticky/tacky but elastic, soft, and smooth texture (similar to regular bread recipes not using FMF)
Rest
Let it rest/rise for 1 hour
Prepare for the loaf pan
Prepare the loaf pan by placing parchment paper in the pan (using oil or butter so it sticks), and position it longways on a surface. Turn it out on a very lightly floured surface and roll out long ways so it's as long as the sandwich bread loaf pan (left to right). Then roll up (down to up, vertical vs. how you rolled it (left to right). Then place it in the sandwich bread
3rd Rest and Preheat the oven
Once the bread is risen over the top of the bread loaf pan (about 45 minutes to an hour), preheat the oven to 350.
Bake, Cool, and Enjoy!
Bake the bread for 30 minutes, until the internal temperature is 190-200 degrees. Put butter on the crust, and let it melt on the crust of the bread. Take it out of the bread pan and let it cool for about 2 hours. Then slice and enjoy!
Fresh Milled Flour Sandwich Bread
Equipment
- 1 Grain Mill
- 1 Kitchen Scale
- Measuring Spoons
- measuring cups
- dough whisk and wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 380-400 g whole milk warmed to 105-110°F *see notes about quantities*
- 2 tablespoon 30g white granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon 30g olive oil
- 2 teaspoon 7g instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon 4g salt
- 1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten
- 120 g spelt or kamut flour fresh-milled (you can do all FMF hard white, but there will be a lower flavor profile)
- 300 g hard white wheat flour fresh-milled
Instructions
Mix the dough
- Heat up the milk and use a thermometer to ensure it's 105-110 degrees F
- mix together the salt, vital wheat gluten, milk, and yeast
- Add in the flour and continue to mix until a shaggy dough forms
1st rest/rise
- cover and let it rest for one hour
Mix and 2nd rest/rise
- Add it to a kitchen aid and mix on low for 8 minutes.
- Assess the dough- it should be elastic and tacky. If it is too wet add flour 1-2 tbs at a time until it reaches that tacky texture. If it's dry and crumbly add milk 1-2 tbs at a time until its tacky.
- Once you reach the tacky consistency cover and let it rest for another hour
Shape and 3rd rest/rise
- Prepare the loaf pan by putting parchment paper into the pan, and place a piece of parchment paper in the loaf pan. Finally turn the loaf pan so it's positioned longways on the table.
- Turn the dough out and roll it out from left to right until it's the length of the loaf pan.
- Roll the dough horizontal (opposite from how you rolled it out) it should be about 3 rolls. Place into the bread pan, cover, and let it rise for about 45 minutes
Preheat the oven
- Preheat the oven to 350
Bake
- When the bread has risen over the pan it's ready to bake. Remove the tea towel and place it in the oven to bake for 30 minutes, until the internal temperature is 190-200 degrees Fahrenheit
Cool and enjoy
- Pull it out of the oven, top it with melted butter ,take it out of the bread pan and let it cool for 1-2 hours.
- Slice and enjoy
Notes
- start with 280 g of milk and slowly work your way up to 380
- you can use all hard white wheat
- if the top is getting too brown, cover with foil
- I love to slice and freeze this- just place it in a freezer friendly bag and toast it when you are ready to enjoy
Before you go
This fresh-milled sandwich bread is a true game-changer for any mom wanting to feed her family well without sacrificing texture or taste. I can’t wait for you to try it—your homemade bread game will never be the same!
Phyllis says
Will 1% milk work as well? I do not use whole milk.
Parker says
I am sure it would, whole milk usually just provides a slightly richer texture. let me know if you try it!