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.
I made my first loaves today!!!! Wellโฆโฆ my husband baked it because I started at the wrong time yesterday lol. I love it! Iโve been having my starter for almost three years and these have been my first all successful loaves. For those that have failed, donโt give up! Iโm telling you that youโll get there. Thanks Lisa!
I Just made this. I wonโt be able to bake it until 16 hours from now. Can or When can I put in refrigerator so itโs NOT OVERPROCESSED? And how long will it need to Sit out of refrigerator before Dividing, Rising in pans and baking? Sorry!!! This is my first time Making this recipe. Thank you in advance for any Help.
After the first bulk rise. Shape and then place in the fridge for 8-12 hours (or longer).
Thank you Lisa
I am with you on this sourdough journey
no going back
I no longer buy bread products
I make sourdough crackers, bagels, bread etc.
No tummy aches just really good food.
Love to you
Happiness and Health are Homemade
Sally
That is wonderful Sally!
I just made two loaves of this amazing sandwich bread! Thank you so much for the recipe. Bread is a bit daunting for me but your bread recipe was easy and delicious!!!
Fantastic! Once you get the hang of it, it’s super simple!
I make my regular sourdough loaves in bulk & freezeโ but can you freeze the sandwich bread loaf?
Yes. Bread freezes wonderfully.
I started making the bread at around 11am and set it for 10 hrs at room temp. It rose so much but I was not going to sit up until 12am. So I set it up the fridge and I woke up I didn’t have to set them out for a 2hr rise. I just popped them in the oven because they doubled in size overnight in the fridge. I haven’t cut into them yet, but they are beautiful!
That is fantastic!
How to I avoid over fermenting? I follow your times for resting and I got a sloppy mess. Is my kitchen too hot?
Can this recipe be made in a bread machine?
Hi, when you do the long bulk rise, how do you cover the dough? Just put it in a bowl big enough to put a lid on or cover with a towel? Also do you have weight measurements for this recipe? Im excited to try it! Thank you!
I covered it in tin foil, put the light on in the oven and it worked great.
What if I let it sit overnight in the refrigerator to ferment more and it didnโt rise. Should I try mixing it more or what should I do?