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.
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 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 (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 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.
Barbara Calcagno says
Can I put my loaf in the fridge for the second rise? My bulk fermentation will be done at 11Pm…I can’t stay up for the second rise.
Lisa Bass says
Yes, that should be fine. You will have to let it complete its second rise on the counter in the morning before you bake it. The warmer temperature helps it to rise in the loaf pan more, as the refrigerator will not.
Holly Garner says
LOVE this bread! Has anyone tried making it with bread flour instead of all purpose?
Jami says
I used only bread flour (1:1) and it turned out delicious!
Janet says
Hi Lisa!
Would you Hasti know if unbleached spelt flour can be used in place of all purpose flour in this recipe?
Thank you!
Janet
Janet says
That shouldโve said โhappen to knowโ. Sorry for the spell check typo!
Janet says
My question shouldโve read, โDo you happen to knowโ. Iโm so sorry for the spell check typo!
Janet
Brie says
Thank you for sharing this recipe! How long would you recommend kneading the dough by hand if you do not have a stand mixer?
Lisa Bass says
At least 10 minutes. You want it to reach the windowpane test. You could also try the stretch and fold method as well.
Brie says
Thank you!
Amber says
Iโm not sure where my issue is but Iโve made this twice now with the only variation being that I incorporated half bread flour the first time and only about 20% BF the second time. My house was probably too cold during the overnight BF(maybe about 66deg) the first time but the second time it was not and while it appeared to get a better rise, nothing like my regular SD . Both times, the dough was too sticky to โrollโ and just very hard to form into a loaf but after a lot of shaping, got it into the pan and even got a decent second rise before baking. Both times the loaf isnโt getting rise in the oven and definitely not fluffy interior (second someone came out worse than the first). Iโd love to get this right! So many others seem to have success with this recipe, I just am not.
Lisa Bass says
I’m sorry you’re having troubles. It does sound like your home may be a little cold for the sourdough and that could be causing some of your issues.
Desiree Walker says
This is the third sourdough sandwich bread recipe I have made and it is the only one that wasnโt complicated and the only one that came out looking right! Thank you for this recipe!! It tastes amazing!!
Lisa Bass says
Yay! I love that.
Sydney A says
Hi! Trying this recipe for the first time this morning. Do you cover your loaves for the second rise?
Lisa Bass says
Yes! It just helps the loaves from drying out on the top.
Janet says
This bread is AMAZING! Since I baked my loaf in a metal loaf pan, it didnโt take 45 minutes to bake. I pulled it out after 37 minutes and it was perfect!
Can you please tell me if the nutritional facts are per slice or loaf?
Thank you!
Lisa Bass says
Yay that is great to hear! It should be per slice.
Cynthia Wigmore says
Lisa,
Thank you for all of your sourdough information! It took me about 2wks to get my starter at a good place and this bread is the first one I attempted, it turned out delicious!! I had to refrigerate it overnight due to the time I started, but I pulled it out this morning and did the second rise and baked. Yum!!
Cyndi Wigmore says
Lisa,
Thank you for all of your sourdough information! It took me about 2wks to get my starter at a good place and this bread is the first one I attempted, it turned out delicious!! I had to refrigerate it overnight due to the time I started, but I pulled it out this morning and did the second rise and baked. Yum!!
Lisa Bass says
That’s great!