Basic Sourdough Pan Loaf

A simple sourdough pan loaf, baked in a normal loaf tin. This is a great recipe for sourdough beginners and anyone who doesn’t have a dutch oven.

While we have a sourdough sandwich bread recipe already on Baked, it includes eggs, oil, and milk. There were a number of requests from readers for a more basic sourdough pan loaf, so here it is! Four ingredients, super easy, and delicious.

If sourdough is new to you, or you’re not having the best results yet with boules, a pan loaf might be a great option. Since there’s nowhere for the dough to go but up, you won’t have some common beginner’s problems with too much spread and lack of an upward rise.

It’s a good way to go if you aren’t sure you want to invest in a large dutch oven as well. Or maybe you’d just like a square sandwich! With a slightly tighter crumb, this makes for a very nice sandwich bread (less risk of toppings falling through).

Please note than any sourdough bread baked in a tin, like this one, won’t have the same crisp, harder crust as a sourdough boule. It’s more of a thin, slightly crackly crust – equally delicious, just different.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Method
• Tips and Notes
• Substitutions
• Recipe

Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top of the post, or scroll to the bottom of the post, to see the full recipe card with ingredient measurements and instructions.

Ingredients

• Active starter or levain
• Water
• Flour
• Salt

Method

TWO NIGHTS BEFORE

Make the levain: Take out 1-2 tbsp of your starter from the refrigerator and mix with 50g of room temperature water and 50g of white flour. Cover the bowl with a plate and leave it on the counter to ferment overnight for approximately 8-12 hours.

ONE DAY BEFORE

Once your levain is ready, combine all of it with the 350g of water. Add the flour to the water mixture and, using your hands, mix to combine. Once the dough is mixed, cover with a tea towel and let it rest at room temperature for 40 minutes.

After the dough has rested, add the salt. Mix well until combined then cover with the tea towel and let the mixture rest again for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, it is time for the first fold.

Do the first fold: Here’s a tutorial on how to stretch and fold sourdough bread. Complete 6 folds (one fold every 30 minutes) for 3 hours total.

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Shaping the dough: Begin by taking the dough out of the bowl and letting it rest on the counter for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare your loaf pan by brushing it with a little neutral oil or butter.

On a lightly floured surface, take your dough and flatten it to a rough rectangle. Roll it up like a burrito, being sure to press out any air bubbles. Place the dough in the prepared pan, cover with a tea towel or bowl cover and refrigerate 8 hours, or overnight.

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Bake: The next day, take your loaf out of the fridge and let it rise on the counter for around 2 hours, or until the dough springs back when lightly touched with a floured finger. You can score the loaf if you desire, but it is not needed.

While the dough is proofing, set one rack in the middle and one on the bottom of the oven. Preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C).

Once the dough is proofed, reduce the temperature to 450°F (230°C) and place a cookie tray on the bottom rack. Fill it with about 2 cm (¾ inch) of water. Place your bread on the upper rack and bake for 25 minutes.

After 25 minutes, remove the tray of water and bake the bread for another 20 minutes.

Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to cool fully on a rack before slicing.

Tips and Notes

Adding the pan of water to the oven during the first half of baking increases the humidity within the oven, and helps to improve the texture of the outer crust of the loaf. This is the same concept as baking in a dutch oven.

Scoring isn’t needed for this recipe, but if you want to control where the bread will go as it rises during baking, you may prefer to score. If not, the loaf will usually open more on the side near the top rather than across the top.

If using starter rather than levain, skip the two nights before step. This is the time needed for the levain to become active, the same as you would feed a starter one night before baking with it.

Substitutions

This pan loaf can easily take about half whole wheat flour with no trouble. You may be able to do 100% whole wheat sourdough, but we haven’t tried it.

Another lower gluten flour, like spelt or einkorn, would add a good flavour and can replace part of the all-purpose flour.

Active sourdough starter and levain can be used interchangeably for this recipe, so go for whatever your preference is.

More Sourdough Breads

100% Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread
Sourdough Naan
Sourdough Hot Cross Buns
Sprouted Grain Sourdough Bread
Sourdough Dark Rye Bread

If you make this recipe, let us know by tagging @baked_theblog + #bakedtheblog on Instagram! We love to feel like we’re in the kitchen with you.