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 minutesโฆ Just mix, rise, shape, rise again, and bake.
Let it cool, slice and slather it with butter. Itโs 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 itโs 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.
- Donโt over ferment the dough. It will turn into a wet sloppy disaster that wonโt 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.
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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 โ 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 โ I like to use honey since it is a natural sweetener.
Salt โ This gives the bread so much flavor and skipping it will leave you with a tasteless loaf.
Sourdough starter โ You want a nice active and bubbly starter to make bread. Starter that isnโt ripe wonโt produce nice fluffy bread.
Water โ Room temperature.
All-purpose flour โ The best part of this recipe is that it uses good olโ 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 โ 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 isnโt a super hydrated dough and wonโt 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 โ 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.
- Donโt over ferment the dough. It will turn into a wet sloppy disaster that wonโt 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.
What size loaf pans do you use?
I made this recipe using two 9 X 5 pans and that worked perfectly.
What size loaf pans did you use?
I’m on my second attempt at this recipe. Both times I’ve over proofed because we have a gluten sensitivity but the end result was definitely edible and actually rose. Just not as much as Lisa’s. On my 3rd attempt I may try to sit the dough in the fridge to give it the extra ferment for gluten removal without compromising the end result of the bread.
Hi Lizzi, I wanted to see if you figured out a longer fermenting method? My gluten sensitivity acted up doing the ferment time of this recipe too.
I’ve had luck with other recipes by doing the bulk ferment in the fridge for 2-4 days. I plan on trying that with this recipe. Knocks the gluten issue to the curb for me.
Just be aware that long fermentation does not remove gluten, just reduces and makes it more digestible.
Hi Lisa, been following your blog for a few years now and love every video and recipe you create! This recipe is absolutely fantastic. I made it with light spelt flour and shaped it into buns instead of a loaf. OH MY GOODNESS. Best, most fluffy, hamburger buns I’ve ever made! Great for a deli sandwich as well or even pulled pork. So soft, fluffy, and keeps well since I don’t have to slice into it until it’s needed. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
Could I sub half the flour for wheat flour?
Gah! My dough didnโt rise a bit overnight. Any idea what the issue could have been? My starter is beautiful and active and passed the float test, so itโs not that! Kitchen is a bit chilly at 68 but usually SOMETHING happens. I am so disappointed, this recipe sounds so good and perfect!
Put it in the oven with the oven light on. That usually becomes a warm place for the bread to rise. Iโve seen great results when I do that.
In my experience itโs over kneading. Iโm not sure on the 10 minutes. Iโve ruined three loaves kneading it that long. Iโm now trying by hand but the kneading isnโt quite right.
Try adding the salt at the very end of kneading. This recipe really takes a toll on my kitchen aid and heats it up mixing for that long.The heat and salt will kill your yeast while mixing if itโs too hot.
I keep my house at 65 and never have an issue with rise.
The best bread!! Iโm a beginner sourdough baker and this was the best tasting Iโve ever had! So easy with great results! Five stars! *****
So what size loaf pans did you use?
Could this work in a bread maker just for baking? In hot summer days I don’t want to turn oven on.
I haven’t tried Lisa’s recipe yet but thought I’d reply because I make sourdough in my bread maker all the time (without adding yeast)! I just do a dough cycle and then let it sit until it’s risen to the top of the pan (make sure you cover it during the rise so it doesn’t dry out). With my bread maker I bake it for 1.5 hours. I want to experiment with a long ferment in the fridge to get it more sour. Easiest recipe ever, but of course you’ll miss a bit of the texture by just letting the machine knead it.
I made this recipe today, and it was a hit! Easy and will definitely be making again!