Easy Soft & Fluffy High Altitude Sandwich Bread

Nothing beats the smell of freshly baked bread wafting through your kitchen—especially when it’s a perfectly fluffy, golden sandwich loaf. Making bread at high altitudes comes with its own unique set of challenges, but that doesn’t mean you have to settle for store-bought loaves. This high-altitude sandwich bread recipe is soft, fluffy, and just sturdy enough to hold your favorite sandwich fixings.

Love homemade bread? Check out these other delicious high altitude bread recipes: no-knead Artisan Bread, banana bread made with sour cream, sweet cornbread, moist pumpkin bread and apple bread.

This High Altitude sandwich bread recipe is baked at 8,000 ft elevation. To adjust the recipe for other elevations check out High Altitude Baking Adjustments

One of my favorite ways to spend a cozy weekend morning is baking bread with my kids. There’s something magical about transforming simple ingredients into a golden, fluffy loaf—and it’s a process even little hands can help with.

My youngest loves sprinkling the yeast into warm water and watching it bubble, while my oldest takes charge of kneading the dough. It’s a messy, flour-covered affair, but it’s those moments of giggles and teamwork that make it so special.

Why high altitude affects yeast breads:

The atmospheric pressure at high altitude is much lower than at sea level. The lower air pressure causes yeast breads to rise much faster. If a bread rises too fast it will end up collapsing.

This sandwich bread recipe has the ideal amount of yeast, the optimal rise time, and the perfect balance of moisture, texture, and flavor. Find out more about how high altitude affects baking and how to adjust recipes for different elevations here.

Recommended tools:

• LARGE MIXING BOWL – the bowl needs to be large enough to hold the dough after the initial rise
• MEASURING CUPS AND SPOONS – baking (especially at high altitude) is a science and accurate measurements are needed
• 3 BREAD PANS – the high altitude sandwich bread recipe makes 3 loaves of delicious golden bread
• PLASTIC WRAP – covering up the bread dough while its rising helps retain moisture and keep it warm. A large plastic bag will also work.
• OPTIONAL: INSTANT READ THERMOMETER – the water and milk need to be warmed to specific temperatures. A thermometer will help until you get a knack for the right temperature with just your hand.

Sandwich Bread ingredients:

• YEAST – use instant yeast or active dry yeast
• ALL PURPOSE FLOUR – the amount of flour needed will depend on the moisture and temperature in your kitchen
• WATER AND MILK – create the perfect amount of moisture for the yeast to activate and create soft bread
• BUTTER – adds richness and tenderness to the bread texture. The butter needs to be room temperature or softened.
• SUGAR – adds just a touch of sweetness
• KOSHER SALT – adds wonderful flavor to the bread
• OLIVE OIL – the mixing bowl and bread pans needs to be greased. My preference is olive oil but feel free to use butter or other types of cooking oil.

TIP: for yeast to activate and create a beautiful rise the water and milk must be 100-110° F

How to make High Altitude Sandwich Bread:

1. Mix the water and yeast

The first step in making bread with yeast is to “bloom” the yeast. Mixing warm water and yeast will activate the yeast causing it to create a foamy layer on top of the water. See the image below of the yeast mixture blooming.

The water needs to be warmed to 100-110° F to activate the yeast. Too warm will kill the yeast and too cold will not activate the yeast.

2. Mix the bread dough

• Add the milk, butter, sugar, salt and 4 cups of flour to the yeast mixture. I find it easiest to mix the mixture with a fork. See the image below.

The milk needs to be warmed to 100-110° F to help the yeast continue to “bloom” or activate. The butter should be room temperature or softened to incorporate well into the dough.

Mixing in only 4 cups of flour initially will help incorporate all of the ingredients and create a smooth dough that will be easier to knead.

3. Add in enough flour and knead

WHAT DOES ADD IN ENOUGH FLOUR MEAN? Every time you make bread it will require a slight difference in the amount of flour. The time of year, moisture in the air, and temperature in your kitchen will affect the moisture in your bread dough.

HOW DO I KNOW HOW MUCH FLOUR TO ADD? The dough should not be sticky but also not dry. The dough should easily stick together and move well in your hands as you knead the bread. If the dough becomes too dry then slowly add additional water until you reach the right consistency.

1. Add in 2 cups of flour to the bread dough mixture and dump it out on a lightly floured clean surface. I find its easiest to mix with a fork until kneading.
2. Slowly add in 1/2 cup of flour at a time until the dough is the right consistency while kneading.
3. Knead the bread dough until the dough forms into a ball that is no longer sticky. Typically this takes about 3-4 minutes with this recipe. See the image below.

Find TIPS on how to knead bread dough by hand and how to know when to stop kneading below under FAQs

4. Initial rise until doubled in size

1. Place the dough ball in a greased large bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
2. Let the dough rise until doubled in size. See the image below.

Typically it will take about an hour to rise but the rise time will depend on the temperature in your house. During the winter I love to put my bread dough by our wood stove.

TIP: Place the bread dough in a warm space to help the dough rise faster.

5. Form into 3 loaves

1. Punch the dough down with your fist to knock the air out of the dough.
2. Separate the dough into 3 equal pieces with a serrated knife or by pulling it apart.
3. Flattened each piece of dough into a rectangle. The short side should be the length of your bread pan. The dough should be flattened till about 1/2 inch thick.
4. Roll the dough into a loaf by carefully rolling up the dough starting with the short side. Wrap the top layer on the ends underneath the roll.
5. Place the rolled loaf of dough into a bread pan. Make sure to grease the pan first. See the image below.

6. Second rise until doubled in size

1. Cover the bread pans loosely with plastic wrap to keep the moisture in.
2. Let the dough rise until doubled in size. See the image below.

Again, typically it will take about an hour to rise but the time will depend on the temperature in your house.

TIP: Place the bread dough in a warm space to help the dough rise faster.

7. Bake for 20 minutes

1. Preheat oven to 425° F when the loaves of dough are close to double in size
2. Remove the plastic wrap and bake for 20 minutes or until the sides and top of the loaf are golden brown.
3. Remove the bread from the pans immediately and place the bread on wire cooling racks.
4. For an extra shine on the top of the bread, brush the top of the loaf with butter

TIP: when you tap or lightly flick the bottom of the baked loaves it should sound hollow when the bread is done

8. Wait to slice the bread until it’s cool

Warm bread with melted butter is possibly one of the most delicious things BUT try as hard as possible to allow the bread to cool down before slicing it. Slicing warm bread causes the bread to release moisture and can lead to dry bread later.

Make this recipe at sea level:

With one very small change make this delicious high altitude sandwich bread at sea level. Simply increase the amount of yeast to 5 teaspoons or 2 packages of yeast.

FAQs:

How to knead bread dough by hand:

1. Lightly flour a clean work surface, your hands, and the dough.
2. Use the heel of your hand to gently push the dough away from you and slightly stretch it out.
3. Use your other hand to gently hold the side of the dough as you push the dough away then fold it in half towards you.
4. Continue the pushing and folding until the dough is no longer sticky, begins to smooth out, and feels softer and more elastic.
5. If the dough is sticky or continues to be sticky despite kneading then sprinkle a little more flour on your hands as you knead.

If you’re looking for a delicious high altitude bread that doesn’t require needing than check out this No-Knead High Altitude Artisan Bread recipe.

How to know when to stop kneading:

Each bread recipe will require a different amount of time kneading. There are 2 ways to know when to stop kneading:

1. Finger poke test – gently poke the dough with 1 finger. The dough will bounce back without sticking to your finger.
2. Windowpane test – tear off a small (roughly 1-2 inch ball) piece of dough. Stretch the dough between your hands. The dough should stretch out enough until it is thin enough for light to pass through when held up to a window or a light. The dough should not tear when it is stretched.

If your bread dough does not pass one of these tests, continue to knead until it does. Then proceed with the initial rise per your recipe’s instruction.

Why is my bread dough not rising?

5 reasons why your bread dough isn’t rising:

• The yeast was dead before starting – yeast used after is expiration date will not be as effective
• The yeast was too cold – if the water or environment was too cold, then yeast may have multiplied too slow or not at all
• The water temp was too hot – hot water will kill yeast
• Too long of rise time – at high altitude too long of rise time can cause the dough to collapse
• Insufficient rise time – the dough needs at least an hour to rise

What is the best way to store bread?

To keep homemade bread fresh, store it in an airtight bag or container at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, freeze the bread in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

How long does homemade bread last in the freezer?

Homemade bread will last up to 3 months in the freezer if stored properly in an airtight container. Homemade bread does not have preservatives in it, so any leftover bread should be stored in the freezer within 3 days of baking it.

How do you thaw frozen homemade bread?

Allow the loaf of bread to thaw at room temperature for 12 hours before slicing it. Eat the thawed bread within 3 days to prevent the bread from spoiling.

Try other these other high altitude recipes:

High Altitude Breakfast Recipes

• Blueberry Coffee Cake with Streusel Topping
• Blueberry Muffins
• Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs
• Cinnamon Rolls
• Waffles with Dairy Free Option
• Easy Crepes with Dairy Free Option
• Fluffy Pancakes
• Dutch Baby Pancake

High Altitude Bread Recipes

• Cornbread
• No-Knead Artisan Bread
• Fail-Proof Flaky Biscuits
• Soft & Fluffy Dinner Rolls
• Pumpkin Bread with Streusel Topping
• Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips
• Banana Bread

High Altitude Dessert Recipes

• Blueberry Pie with Frozen Berries
• Pumpkin Pie
• Apple Pie with Crumb Topping
• Fresh Peach Pie
• Apple Pie with Cream
• Fresh Strawberry Pie – No Bake
• Pecan Pie
• Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Texas Sheet Cake with Frosting
• Chocolate Fudge Cake
• Oreo Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache

If you make this delicious High Altitude Sandwich Bread recipe leave a comment below and let me know how it turned out. If you have any questions, post them below and I would love to help you out.