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 (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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I love so many of your recipes but how come everytime I try the sandwich bread after kneading in the mixer it is sooo sticky? It pulls away from the walls but I am not getting
To the point of passing the windowpane test ๐ I want it to work so bad
You can add a little bit more flour if needed.
Raised so well!
What size pan does this do ? I have a pull
Man 13 inch
This is the bread pan that I use for this recipe. I just posted a new recipe that calls for a Pullman loaf pan though. Here’s that recipe!
It doesn’t show a loafpan at all! Could you post it again?
Great recipe, all I use for bread at the moment. Freezes well
Hi I wonder if this can be made without the sugar/honey? Seems like it should work since the beginner sour dough recipe has no sugar? Can you advise please? Thank you!
Yes, you could take it out!
I feel so proud of myself for getting a great result b T so far all of your recipes turn out wonderFul! So glad you have demystified sourdough.
I have made this so many times successfully! It turns out beautifully. My family says itโs the best bread theyโve ever had and I love all your recipes! Thank you. I didnt change my method or times, but the last couple of times the top has many small cracks after cooling. I have been mixing it in the kitchenaid for about 10 min and then hand kneading for 5 more. Should I just hand knead for 15 min? Iโm letting it rise for 10 hrs on the countertop in a warm area and then for 2 more hours after shaping. Am I over proofing it? Should I cut down the initial rise time? I am using an egg wash the last 15 minutes of bake time. Iโm not sure where Iโm going wrong. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
You could try cutting down a little on the rise time. Sometimes it can build too much pressure in the dough and that’s what causes it to crack.
This is a sourdough loaf that ALL my kids can eat without complaining! Thank you, Lisa! So easy too.
Hi, Lisa! I had a very small window of time to put some sourdough together this morning and decided on this sandwich loaf recipe. I just bought a new pan and wanted to compare it to my existing pan. I used a scale, threw it together and put it in my kitchen aide mixer. Started it on low and sped it up for the remaining 6 minutes. Turned out beautifully! Doubled in size within 5 hours and is now on itโs second rise. My question is, โCan one loaf be long fermented?โ I love having fresh bread and there are only 2 of us at home. Thanks for any suggestions you can offer!
Hey Kathy, I make this as well for just 2 people and just cut the recipe in half and make 1 loaf . We can go through one of the amazing loafs.๐ฅฐ๐ฅฐ
Hello! I’ve made this several times successfully and my family LOVES it! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and recipes with us!
I prepared my dough last night, but this morning, it had tiny brownish/gray dots all over the top. It almost looks like wheat specks in the flour, but the bottom of the dough, which wasn’t exposed to air, doesn’t have any of that. I used a cheaper, bleached AP flour and am wondering if it’s possible that it could have molded overnight? My initial reaction was that it just looks off and I’m afraid to bake it. Any ideas?
That’s really interesting. I would be afraid to bake with it too, as it does sounds like mold.
Could be the honey. Itโs happened to me. Baked just fine.