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.
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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 – 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 (113 g)
- 2 tablespoons honey or sugar, 42 g for honey or 24 g for sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt, 17 g
- 1 cup starter, active and bubbly (227 g)
- 2 1/2 cups water, 590 g
- 8 cups all purpose flour, 1120 g*
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.
I’ve made this 3 times cutting the recipe in half but I am having trouble with it not rising very high on the second rise, so the loaf isn’t sandwich size slices when it’s done. It tastes fantastic and has a beautiful crumb but I’m not sure what might be going wrong that I can’t get it to rise very high. Anyone have any tips or suggestions?
Maybe you need to let it proof longer.
I proofed for 12 hrs and then let rise again for 4.. I don’t want to do it for too long either! After the bulk ride it is definitely doubled in size but the second rise I’ve let go for 4 hours, even 6 once and it still didn’t rise any higher.
I just made this and cut it in half as well. I had to let it bulk rise for more than 12 hours (I think 14 hours) because it hadn’t doubled yet due to my house being cooler. I turned on my oven at 170 degrees for a half hour, then turned it off. I set the dough on top. That did help it to proof and it rose to 1” over the top of my bread pan. I let it proof for 4 hours then did the poke test. It turned out perfect!
Can I refrigerate dough after mixed and bulk rising? I got my times off and I won’t be able to bake in 10-12 hours.
Yes. After the bulk rise, shape and place in the loaf pan. Allow to rise in the fridge for 12-15 hours. Bake straight from the fridge to the preheated oven.
If you do your bulk ride, then shape and put the loaf pan in the fridge… how do you store? Do you keep the cover off? Do you still cover? I always have troubles with the dough sticking to whatever I cover it with, plastic wrap, a towel, etc. I’d love help on how to store it to rise in fridge. Thank you!!
Wrap it in plastic. I will usually just use a plastic grocery bag and tie it. It doesn’t really touch the top much so it doesn’t stick.
Hi! If I need to leave the dough to proof for more than 12 hours, could I stick it in the fridge for 16-24 hours and get the same result?
I don’t recommend doing the bulk rise in the fridge. I have let my dough bulk rise at room temperature for like 8 hours or so and then stuck it in the fridge until the next morning when I could shape and rise. Usually, I recommend doing the bulk rise at room temp, shaping, and then placing the dough in the loaf pan in the fridge for 12-15 hours before baking.
This is the first of many recipes that actually came out like bread from the store but way better! Thank you so much for sharing ❤️ My forever sandwich bread and kid approved!
That is such a kind compliment. So glad this recipe worked so well for you.
Hey Lisa, I’m actually in the midst of making this recipe right now and I have a question. Can I do my second rise in the fridge as well? Would I need to adjust my baking temperature or time?
Second rise can definitely be in the fridge. I usually let it sit in the fridge for at least 12-15 hours. It can even go longer. Just take it out and bake right away. No baking adjustments needed.
Caan i use the proof setting on my oven to speed up the first rise? Or will it ruin the dough?
I do not have that setting, so it is not something I’ve tried. I would think it would be okay though! Let us know how it turns out!
Can you make a whole wheat recipe with this too ? Like mix with white flour ?
HELP! Struggling with making sourdough bread successfully. My starter seems active & bubbly to me. It’ll rise on bulk ferment but often struggles on the second rise. Also, my dough is usually very sticky. I’m using flour that has been frozen (arrowhead mills organic all purpose) . Would that make a difference in the saturation abilities?
My sourdough recipe is much the same, except it doesn’t take so long to rise. Also, instant yeast is added in so that makes sense that it will rise much more quickly, but Does the instant yeast take away the health benefits or no?
Thanks
Instant yeast will definitely make it rise more quickly. Quicker rise time means it will have less time to ferment the dough so it won’t have as much health benefits as a traditional sourdough loaf.
Hi! I’m having trouble with the kneading process. I just mixed up my fourth batch of this recipe this morning and each time I have been unable to make it pass the windowpane test and my loaves have been slightly dense and gummy after baking. I don’t have a stand mixer so I do all of my kneading by hand. I have kneaded from ten minutes to twenty (varying times for each batch) and haven’t gotten it to the right stage any time so far. I’ve added and not added flour and that hasn’t seemed to help either. Any ideas?
I’m so sorry. Kneading it by hand is a lot of work. Even with the stand mixer it can take 15 minutes or more. You may consider trying the stretch and fold method found here: https://www.farmhouseonboone.com/no-knead-sourdough-bread
This is my first sourdough bread attempt and it came out great! I think it “over-proofed” a little but I managed to get it shaped and into the loaf pan just fine. We used it for lunch sandwiches today and my husband said it was the best sourdough sandwich bread ever!
That’s awesome! So glad you both enjoyed it!