Soft and fluffy sourdough sandwich bread is the perfect bread to have on hand. Made with all purpose flour, sourdough starter, butter and a little honey, this fermented bread has a lighter texture and tangy flavor.
One of the main complaints I hear about making crusty sourdough from readers is that they miss the soft sandwich loaf style of bread.
Not only is this recipe absolutely delicious (making it really hard to ever go back to store-bought bread), but it is also super simple. No strange ingredients, no stretching and folding every 30 minutes… Just mix, rise, shape, rise again, and bake.
Let it cool, slice and slather it with butter. It’s so yummy and it reminds me of a bread you would get on a breadboard from a restaurant.
Let’s be honest, though, it’s way better since it’s made from scratch and has that wonderful sourdough tang.
Make sure to save this sourdough loaf bread recipe for the future. It will be a go to for sure.
Tips:
- Use really soft butter and cube it up so it blends easier.
- Don’t over ferment the dough. It will turn into a wet sloppy disaster that won’t rise well. Still edible. Maybe. It could also be turned into sourdough croutons.
- When making the dough, using a stand mixer makes the process much easier and hands off. You can also do this with your hands.
- If you are new to sourdough, you can check out how to make a sourdough starter here, find my sourdough conversion chart, and baking glossary of terms.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.
Tools you may need:
Measuring cups and spoons. You could also use a kitchen scale
FAQ:
Does sourdough bread make good sandwiches?
Yes. The delightful tanginess adds to the flavor profile of the sandwich, making it a wonderful addition. You can use crusty sourdough bread or this soft sourdough sandwich loaf.
Why is my sourdough sandwich bread not rising?
There could be a few reasons for this. The most likely one is that your sourdough starter may not be active enough or is weak.
Another contributor could be the temperature of the room where you are placing your dough to rise. The cooler the temperature the longer it will take for bread to rise.
Lastly, the water you use in your dough mixture could be a factor. If the water used was too hot, it may have killed the starter. Additionally, if you are using city water the chlorine could potentially kill the yeasts in the starter.
Are sourdough sandwiches healthy?
Sourdough is one of the healthiest breads since the grains are fermented, which makes it more digestible and the nutrients more available for your body to absorb.
Top with your favorite healthy toppings and you can have a wholesome and filling meal in one sandwich.
Ingredients:
Butter (softened) or coconut oil – I prefer using butter for that savory buttery flavor. If you are wanting to make a vegan version, you can use softened (not melted) coconut oil.
Honey or sugar – I like to use honey since it is a natural sweetener.
Salt – This gives the bread so much flavor and skipping it will leave you with a tasteless loaf.
Sourdough starter – You want a nice active and bubbly starter to make bread. Starter that isn’t ripe won’t produce nice fluffy bread.
Water – Room temperature.
All-purpose flour – The best part of this recipe is that it uses good ol’ plain all-purpose flour. Nothing fancy.
How To Make Sourdough Sandwich Bread
To a stand mixer, add all of the ingredients. I like to add the flour last, so I can add a bit less or more depending on my starter’s hydration.
Knead until dough is stretchy and smooth. You want it to pull away from the sides of the mixing bowl and be smooth and elastic – about 10 minutes. It should pass the windowpane test. Grab a small ball of the dough and stretch it into a square. It should stretch thin enough to see through without breaking.
Tip: This isn’t a super hydrated dough and won’t be very wet like other doughs.
Allow to bulk rise for 10-12 hours in a warm place like on top of a stove or refrigerator. You can go longer if you want the benefit of the fermentation, but if it gets over-proofed the dough will turn into a sloppy mess!
In the summer, I ferment mine more like 8 hours but can get away with longer in the colder months.
Shape The Loaves And Rise
Grease two loaf pans or add parchment paper.
Divide in two equal parts.
Shape by rolling the dough flat into a rectangle and rolling it up.
Add to parchment lined or buttered loaf pans.
Second rise for 2-4 hours at room temperature, or until doubled. Again this depends on the temp! It could be as little as 1 hour if the house is warm and the starter active. Do not skip this step.It adds volume and strength to the dough.
Bake
You can add an optional egg wash for more browning.
Bake at 375 for 45 minutes, or until golden on top.
Allow to cool completely before slicing.
Storage:
Store in an air-tight container for up to five days for best results.
You can also freeze loaves in freezer safe plastic bags for 3-6 months.
Find More Of My Sourdough Recipes:
- Sourdough Zucchini Bread
- Easy Homemade Sourdough Pasta Recipe
- Sourdough Coffee Cake
- The Best Soft Sourdough Pretzels
- Sourdough Brioche
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone .
Sourdough Sandwich Bread
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, softened or coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons honey or sugar, If using sugar, note that it will be 24 g
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 cup starter, active and bubbly
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 8 cups all purpose flour*
Instructions
- To a stand mixer, add all of the ingredients. I like to add the flour last, so I can add a bit less or more depending on my starter's hydration.
- Knead until dough is stretchy and smooth. You want it to pull away from the sides of the mixing bowl and be smooth and elastic – about 10 minutes. It should pass the windowpane test.
- Allow to bulk rise for 10-12 hours in a warm place like on top of a stove or refrigerator.
- Divide in two equal parts.
- Shape by rolling the dough flat into a rectangle and rolling it up.
- Add to parchment lined or buttered loaf pans.
- Second rise for 2-4 hours at room temperature, or until doubled.
- Bake at 375 for 45 minutes, or until golden on top. You can add an optional egg wash for more browning.
- Allow to cool completely before slicing.
Notes
- *Some people have said making two loaves is too much for their stand mixer to handle. This depends on the type of stand mixer you have. If you have a standard KitchenAid mixer, you may want to halve the recipe and make one loaf.
- Use really soft butter and cube it up so it blends easier.
- Don’t over ferment the dough. It will turn into a wet sloppy disaster that won’t rise well. Still edible. Maybe. It could also be turned into sourdough croutons.
- When making the dough, using a stand mixer makes the process much easier and hands off. You can also do this with your hands.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thank you so much for all you do. I have followed you for several years and just so appreciate you. Been getting into sourdough and so thankful I made your bread. It was amazing and stayed soft even the next day. Both were gone in two days because we did sandwiches and French toast. I could not be happier that I finally found a bread that all my boys like including my husband. Next is your cinnamon rolls. Also I made more bread tonight and will bake it after church tomorrow.
I’ve been looking for a good sourdough sandwich loaf that didn’t overwhelm me and had kinda given up. I was in a rut with sourdough cooking but when I saw this recipe I went on a mission to revive my starter. I had to use my back up starter from the fridge but I’m back up and running now! So I got busy making this recipe and it came out beautifully! My husband said it’s exactly what he wants in sandwich bread. It’s the type of bread you want for grilled cheeses, some deli meat and cheese, egg salad sandwiches or whatever else you come up with. I also love that the recipe makes 2 loaves. This recipe will become a regular in my house. Nice job Lisa!
This bread is a showstopper. Soft and keeps very well. Best for PB&J. I doubled the honey. My entire family tried it and asked if I can make some for them next time!
As always this recipe is 100%!
This was the first recipe I attempted with my sourdough starter and it was a major hit!! Convinced me I could in fact make amazing baked goods with a sourdough starter!!
Hi Lisa! What size are your loaf pans? Excited to try this recipe! Thanks 🙂
Can I use a taller loaf pan to bake slightly taller bread for sandwiches?
I very much enjoy your sourdough recipes. I had already taken your original recipe and slightly changed it to make a softer sandwich loaf. A question I have is what size loaf pans do you use?
Can you share how you changed the recipe? Thanks
Can you half the recipe to just make one loaf. Do you have any suggestions for high altitude?
Thank you 😊
I just did that last night… need to bake it and see how it turns out🤞
I’ve tried this recipe multiple times and can’t get it right.. it typically turns out really dense with a super thick crust that looks over baked but then the middle is under baked and it always cracks. There are probably multiple things in my technique that I can improve but I can’t figure out how to get a good risen fluffy bread that hasn’t cracked along the side? Any additional tips?
I’m wondering what temperature your oven is. Sometimes the temperature can be off and even though it is set to say 375 it is actually running at like 425, for example. Also, are you kneading until the windowpane test has been accomplished? I’m sorry you are struggling with this recipe.
We had to get an oven thermometer for ours; we kept burning pizza all the time! It’s maybe $5-8 or so at Walmart and super helpful–highly recommend getting one.
Mine turns out the same way. I thought it was because my oven wasn’t getting hot enough. But maybe I should lower the temp and cook longer? I’m not sure what to do, but it’s not fluffy, it’s really dense with hard crust. However, it wasn’t getting done at 375 for the suggested time.
I just made it and had the same experience. The bread is dense & doughy. I am going to try again, but not sure what to adjust.
Great recipe! I just had to make a couple changes to really make it work for me.
1. I noticed my starter didn’t like the amount of salt that was added. If your dough will not rise, try 1tsp of salt instead of 1tbps.
2. My bread was coming out very dark and dense when I pulled it out of the oven. I had to reduce the temp to 350 degrees and reduce the time to 30 mins.
Otherwise it’s the best sourdough recipe I’ve tried so far!
Glad you found modifications that work for you! Thanks for sharing those tips.
When I don’t knead it long enough it will kind of explode on one side in the oven!
I actually am wondering if you have a very thick starter. I was feeding my starter 1 water, 1 starter and 2 flour and my starter was incredibly thick. I’ve been teaching myself so I couldn’t figure out the problem with my recipes. I recently altered my starter to 1.1.1. And it changed EVERYTHING. My dough rises better and isn’t as “hardy”. It was delicious but came out exactly as you described. Also, as a side note, I keep a whole wheat starter and a bread flour starter. The whole wheat is a bit more rustic and the bread flour is much lighter and fluffier. (I might actually prefer the whole wheat). I’m completely self taught and all of these slight changes have taught me so much! Our starter ratio and flour makes a big difference!
Wondering if this dough can be put in the frigid for a cold retard? If so, when in the process would I do this?
I have been looking for a simple sandwich loaf recipe and I hope this is the one! Thanks
I would do it after the bulk rise. Shape, place in the loaf pan and then put it in a plastic bag to place in the fridge for a slower ferment.
I’m wondering if after taking it out of the fridge from the second ferment if you’d need to let it come to room temp or even ride slightly before baking or just bake it straight from the fridge?
Hi Lisa,
If I choose to ferment in the refrigerator overnight after the bulk rise, would I need to leave it out to reach room temperature before baking in the morning?
Thanks!
I have found out that if I mix the dough and let it sit on the counter for 1 1/2 to 2 hours then put in the frig for 3 days, yes, I said 3 days and take it out, let it sit for 1 1/2 to 2 hours to get the chill off, then shape it and out in bread tins, depending on your house temp, I put mine in the oven with the light on for about 4-5 hours, it’s ready for the oven. It tastes amazing and I get a 3 day ferment out of it so it breaks down the gluten even more. I use kamut flour. Having to add more water to my dough because it sucks up the water. I hope this helps😊
That is an interesting process. Thanks for sharing!
How did your bread turn out? I’m curious about halving this too.
I just did this and it turned out BEAUTIFULLY! My new favorite sandwich loaf!
I use this all the time now. Making today! i love it! Its perfect.
I’m at 5,000 feet elevation and this recipe worked perfectly for me. See my post for only change I made to the recipe.
Marcy, what change did you make? I am at 5,00 ft. elevation too, but I have struggled to get my bread to turn out soft and fluffy with a good rise. I have made this recipe probably 10 times, making little tweaks every time, but it never comes out so soft. My starter is active and happy, and my dough always doubles on the first rise.
I halved the recipe so I could need and proof the loaves separately. Worked great.
I live at 7600ft. Drop your oven temp by 25F and increase baking by about 10-15 minutes, also make sure you either use an egg wash before baking or brush with melted butter after you take out of the oven for a softer crust. I half my recipe and it’s fine, but I usually make 2 loafs and after cooling for a few hours, I wrap one loaf in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil and freeze it. Note: for high altitude, sometimes you need to add an extra 1-2 tablespoons of flour and decrease oil just a bit.
where do you get your starterAnd if you make you’s what is the recioe please
She has a recipe and a video on the blog! It’s just flour and water. Or you can find sourdough starter on Amazon!
Can I use fresh ground hard white wheat instead of AP flour? If yes, should the flour amount be different?
Yes! I actually have a whole wheat boule here- https://www.farmhouseonboone.com/how-to-make-whole-wheat-sourdough-bread You can also sub it 1 for 1 in this recipe.
Hi Lisa,
I’ve tried your boule recipe and my dough is so wet! Ivebused both hard red and soft white berries. Do you have suggestions?
Hmm I’ve never had it come out wet after the stretch and folds (I’m assuming your are talking about the no-knead bread since its a boule). I would add a little more flour to it.
After the first rise my dough turned into a wet sloppy mess:( I left it to rise from 10pm to 8am, is over proofing the problem?
Usually if it turns soupy like that, it is an over proofing issue. Maybe it was in too warm of a spot for that long?
Mine came out super wet too. I added flour till it felt right.
I am so happy I literally stumbled upon your YouTube channel a month ago. What caught my attention was you, being a mother of 7 and expecting #8. I’m 61 years old and I’m child number 6 of 8. We are retired and homesteading in North Central Arkansas for the past 5 years. My husband and I produce a good portion of our own food. Rarely by any vegetables. We have our laying hens (13) and and just butchered our 6th round of meat chickens. Our first 2 hogs in March. We source or beef locally. And raw Dairy about 50 minutes from home. I’ve been a Doula for 35 years mostly to family and friends and for a few years as a business. Once I started watching your channel it was full-on harvesting season so TV wasn’t happening, then one morning I saw your birth story. The Doula in me said: “Treat yourself to this birth story”. I’m so glad I did because I then got hooked on all you are doing as a Mom/wife. I’ve made bread all my life, but coming from CA, we missed sourdough. So much so that my husband started watching YouTube videos. He became the expert for 3 years. I’m more confident now and yesterday I started the sandwich loaves. Trusted the process and woke up to my beautiful bowl full of dough. About to shape it now. Gosh it looks gorgeous! Thanks for the inspiration! I’ve also started my de-clutter mission… and Girl, I’ve been aching to simplify and my husband is FINALLY ready to release “stuff”!
Thank you for showing how women can be strong in doing motherhood/homesteading, homeschooling in a positive light.
Madolyn Cobb
Thank you so much for your kind words and sharing your story! Appreciate you!