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 minutes… Just mix, rise, shape, rise again, and bake.
Let it cool, slice and slather it with butter. It’s 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 it’s 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.
- Don’t over ferment the dough. It will turn into a wet sloppy disaster that won’t 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 – 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 – I like to use honey since it is a natural sweetener.
Salt – This gives the bread so much flavor and skipping it will leave you with a tasteless loaf.
Sourdough starter – You want a nice active and bubbly starter to make bread. Starter that isn’t ripe won’t produce nice fluffy bread.
Water – Room temperature.
All-purpose flour – The best part of this recipe is that it uses good ol’ 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 – 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 isn’t a super hydrated dough and won’t 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 – 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.
- Don’t over ferment the dough. It will turn into a wet sloppy disaster that won’t 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.
Is the nutrition per loaf or per slice? Thank you!
Per slice!
LOVE this recipe. I use it for my business too and it’s my absolute favorite next to making cheddar jalapeno.
I do have a question about the nutrition facts. I’m on a calorie count for the new year and am unsure what the serving size would be. Or do I just say it was my treat for the day lol 🤭
It’s per slice!
After bulk rise, can I cold ferment the dough overnight in the fridge before shaping and second rise? Would love to achieve more gluten breakdown as in regular loaves.
Yes!
Thank you for this recipe – it’s the first sourdough recipe I’ve ever made after a lot of reading and research. I chose it for its simplicity and the fact that I had all the supplies already. I do have a few questions. My loaf is on its first rise right now. I halved your recipe after reading your notes since my kitchenaid is standard size. Do you use salted or unsalted butter? When you say to not over ferment, what does that mean? My dough did not pass the window pane test – it seemed dry after 10 mins on the dough hook at speed 1. I added maybe a tablespoon of water, put it back on the hook a few more minutes and it was pretty much the same – any idea why? I’ll update with how it turns out! Thanks again!
Sometimes the dough just need a bit of time to rest. Resting helps the gluten structure to form giving it more of a stretch.
I have used both salted and unsalted butter. I do prefer salted butter though!
Over fermenting is when you leave your dough out too long. The fermentation process is what creates the rise. If you let it ferment too long, it will lose its rise and become a sticky mess. The gluten structure loses all of its form.
I started mine a little late in the day. Can I allow some bulk rise on the counter and then some in the fridge overnight? If I do that, when I take it out for the second rise, should I allow more like 3-5 hours for a hour to come to room temp? Ahhhhh!! I hope I didn’t mess this up..
Yes, that sounds great. Allow 3-5 hours for the second rise on the counter and more if needed, depending on your environment.
Thank you so much, and thank you for this amazing recipe!
Should we cover it when left out for 12 hours?
Yes!
This is definitely a keeper! Soft and fluffy texture is exactly the way I would describe this bread. I love the artisan loaves, but I was ready for a sandwich bread. I also like that this recipe makes two loaves. I can’t wait to try it with sandwiches. I haven’t tried a sourdough recipe on this website yet that I don’t use regularly.
Can olive oil be substituted for butter in this recipe?
Yes.
I just made this bread and turn out perfect. I let it rise for couple hours the put in refrigerate over night and bake it morning. And turn out my husband love it because it was soft. Now I don’t have to buy other bread any more.
Hi! Question.. Can I use bread flour and or fresh milled flour for this recipe? I can’t wait to try it! I use your traditional sourdough recipe and love it!!
Yes, either one!
Hi and Happy New Year!
Can I use a Pullman pan with this recipe (Christmas gift!), and if so, any adjustments?
Thanks,
Patti
Yes. I also have a recipe for Pullman pan bread. Here it is.
Can I use wheat flour instead? Would the amounts be the same for wheat flour?
1-1 is just fine!