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
- 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.
Oh my gosh!!! What a rise on these loaves! One in the freezer for next week- the other eaten fresh from the oven- yummy. My family love it- definately going to be a favourite from now on… thank you so much lisa- your a baking wizard xxx
There is nothing better than soft fluffy bread! Glad you loved the recipe.
Hi Lisa!
My loafs keep turning out super dense and heavy. Do you think itโs because it needs more time to rise? The first rise I leave it overnight, it doubles in size. The second rise, I leave them for 4 hours, but they havenโt really doubled. Iโm afraid to let them over rise, but should I leave them for longer?
It could be a couple things. Are you sure the dough is developed enough? It could also be too cool in the rising spot.
I had a sourdough boule (not this recipe) turn out SUPER dense recently and I did some research and discovered that I likely over-kneaded the dough. Is it possible that you did that? Just throwing ideas out there ๐
This is my first sourdough recipe Iโve made. Iโve been so hesitant to try in the event I put all the work in and it failing BUT this was no fail at all!!!
Why I havenโt done this sooner is beyond me.
My loaves turned out beautifully!
Iโm hookedโฆcanโt wait yo make do many more sourdough goodies!
How wonderful! So glad you had success. Enjoy your sourdough adventure.
Love this recipe, but how do I keep my bread from splitting on the side? Maybe Iโm not doing the final proof long enough? Thanks!
How long is the final proof? If it has been over-fermented it will most likely spill over.
What if you leave the bulk ferment out and you don’t have enough time to do the last two hour rise and bake before bed? Can it bulk ferment then go into the fridge until the next day?
Yes! Shape, and place in the fridge.
This recipe was simple and turned out absolutely perfect. The softest and best tasting sandwich bread I have ever made and I so a lot of bread baking! Thank you
Wonderful! So glad you enjoyed it.
Hi! Iโm considering making small loaves as gifts, but wanted to ask if anyone has been successful in doing so and what team/time did you bake them at?
Hi Lisa, Attempting to make your sourdough sandwich bread. I’m not sure that my bulk rise was successful nor my 2nd rise. But I pressed on anyway and both loaves are in the oven now. They smell wonderful. I think I may have overfed my starter. Is this possible?
It is possible to overfeed your starter, so the experts say. I’ve never had this happen. Hope the bread worked out. If all else fails, you could make croutons.
Can the second rise be overnight in the fridge?
I saw her answer another comment that, yes, you can do the bill ferment then shape your loaves and let them do the second rise in the fridge for 8-12 hours (or longer) ๐
I had inquired sometime ago if you had a sandwich bread recipe (sourdough) and boy did you deliver.
It was so easy to make and tastes great. I love not having to use a scale.
Thanks,
Daphna
My loaves have been rising for about 6 hours but haven’t doubled in size. My house is pretty cool right now (about 70 degrees). Should I keep waiting or do I need to go ahead and bake them?