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.
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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 (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.
Steph Sexton says
Best sourdough sandwich bread!
Abigail says
Iโm making this with half whole wheat. Perhaps my starter was a little less active than ideal and perhaps I didnโt knead it long enough, but itโs taking much longer than 12 hours to rise. Is the whole wheat a problem do you think?
Lisa Bass says
Whole wheat is trickier and if it wasn’t super active, that could be your issue.
Agnes says
Hi Lisa! I love this bread and make it regularly-Thank you!
Today I ran out of time for the second rise (because sick babies and bedtime took forever) I just shaped and stuck in the fridge for a second proof. Should they go straight in the oven in the morning or should I let still let the loaves rise at room temp for a bit?
Lisa Bass says
Let them rise at room temperature for a bit!
Sue says
Do you have to cover the bread pans when baking like with the round rustic bread? Look forward to getting this ready to bake tomorrow!
Lisa Bass says
No, not on this recipe!
Doug Fletcher says
Great recipe! The first attempt was a fail because SOMEONE in my household turned the oven on pre-heat while the dough was rising… but it’s all good. Second attempt–perfection!
Lisa Bass says
Oh no! Glad your second attempt worked out.
Lauren says
So soft! So delicious. Reminds me of Panera bread sundried tomato bread minus the sundried tomatoes :D. So good and good as toast.
Debbie says
Hmmmmโฆ I measured ingredients exactly by weight. My Kitchen Aid has been mixing for about 20 minutes. Iโve gradually added about 2 or more cups of flour. Mixture is just now pulling from sides of bowl. About 70F and low humidity today. What is going on? (Not my first try at sour dough bread but nothing like this has happened!)
Lisa Bass says
Sometimes it doesn’t hurt to give the dough a rest before mixing it again. The rest helps the gluten structure to form and the dough to come together.
Rebecca Weigel says
I make this bread weekly and havenโt bought bread since! Works great for homemade uncrustables because of how soft it is. I save the crust and make croutons. Could batch make uncrustables for my toddler and freeze them for lunch on the go and then batch make croutons.
Using all organic ingredients this loaf comes out to about $2 to make which is way cheaper than any organic bread I can get in the store. I donโt know if itโs just my oven but I found itโs finished before 45 minutes closer to 30/35 minutes.
So easy! Love it! Thank you!
Nicole D says
Great recipe! Thank you! Yes was a big load for my Kitchenaid Artisan but was still manageable. Still easier to use mixer than by hand my wrist weโre grateful for that. Mixed up dough placed in big glass proofing bowl with small coating of olive oil proofed on counter for 4 hours than over night for total of 12 hrs. Took out of fridge 720am let sit for 20-30mins while I got everything out to roll out and shape. Shaped and let final rise for 2 hrs. Coated with egg wash. Used one glass and one ceramic loaf pan both did great. Let cool in pans then break released perfectly. After completely cooled cut into loaf. So soft and perfect. Will definitely be using recipe again. Thinking about additives like herbs and cheese or seeds. ๐ค
Great recipe for actually using up starter๐ฅฐ
Thank you
Lori Wickham says
OMG!! This makes the best bread ever! And itโs very easy. I just started making my own sour dough crusty bread and after 3 tries I wasnโt satisfied with the results. But, this bread recipe is the best.
Doug F says
I have this recipe bulk fermenting right now! It came together very easily. I am thinking that I might turn one of the two loaves into cinnamon bread with some melted butter, icing sugar and cinnamon in the bread before I roll it up into a loaf. Have you (or has anyone) tried that?
Lisa Bass says
Sounds delicious! I do have a recipe on cinnamon bread if you need it.
Connie says
I like to make one loaf of regular bread and the other cinnamon raisin. It is easy to do this with just one recipe and get 2 kinds of bread! I love using the cinnamon raisin loaf for French toast.