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.
![loaf of sourdough sandwich bread in a stainless loaf pan on a white countertop with a white towel in the front](https://www.farmhouseonboone.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/sourdough-sandwich-bread-14-1024x683.jpg)
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.
Tammy Luzzi says
I donโt have a stand mixer and would love to hear your conversions of time hand kneading so I donโt over or under mix! Thank you! ๐
Lisa Bass says
It’s really hard to over mix by hand. I would say it would take at least 20 minutes of kneading by hand.
Lisa Alexander says
Love this recipe! Easy and delicious. I would love some tips on freezing it though. Does it freeze well? Should I slice then freeze? How to defrost etc? Thank you!
Lisa Bass says
It does freeze really well. I like slicing it before freezing.
Layla says
Hey! I use a large 13.3in x 5.3in x 4.2in pullman loaf pan! Will these measurements be good for this size loaf pan?
Lisa Bass says
Yes. It may not cook two full loaves though. Here’s the size that I usually use.
Cora B says
I’m going to try this tomorrow. It looks delish!
Watching the way you shaped into a rectangle, then rolled up to place in pan, I’m thinking with the addition of a filling, it would make a nice cinnamon swirl loaf. Thoughts?
Lisa Bass says
Yes it would! I actually have a recipe that uses the sandwich loaf to make a cinnamon swirl. Here is the recipe link.
Karina says
This is the only sourdough bread recipe I have tried and I stuck with it because itโs so simple and always comes out great! I always cut the recipe in half to make 1 loaf a week ๐
I will note that sometimes my loaf comes out lopsided but Iโm sure thatโs something Iโm doing wrong. Any tips on how to fix that?
Lisa Bass says
It may just be the way that it rises in the loaf pan.
Jenna Johansen says
I made your recipe today. The loaves were very heavy and although the crumb looked good it felt very dense. What did I do wrong?
Lisa Bass says
Sometimes over mixing or over fermenting can cause the dough to be more dense.
Kristin Scott says
Could I use half to make a loaf of sandwich bread and half to make burger buns? I’m wondering if the with would work well to do that.
Lisa Bass says
Sure!
Emma says
For the first rise should it stay covered on the counter? Additionally, can I do the first rise in the fridge? As in mix the dough and then put immediately into the fridge. Then allow to rise on the counter in the loaf pans and then bake?
Lisa Bass says
The first rise should be covered on the counter. The fermentation in the fridge is a much slower process and it does not get warm enough for the dough to rise. It strictly is for nutritional benefits.
Mary McWilliams says
Thanks for the recipe! I’m excited to try it! Will it work with glass loaf pans?
Lisa Bass says
Yes it will!
Shari says
Can I allow the bulk rise to go longer than the 10-12 hours? I just completed the dough at 2 pm and donโt plan to get up 10-12 hours (middle of night) to do step 4.
Lisa Bass says
Yes, if you would like to bulk ferment longer, pop it in the fridge! It can be in there for up to 5 days.
Jenna M Gehrtz says
I just did the same thing, I was thinking about the time. Do I need to leave the dough out for the 10 to 12 hours then place in fridge for longer fermentation? Or can that be done right away?
Lisa Bass says
Yes, let it ferment first and then put it in the fridge.
Lexie says
If I pop this in the fridge to bulk ferment longer, do I then just pick up with step 4 as usual after?
Lisa Bass says
Yes, that is correct.