Sourdough sandwich bread is a soft, squishy loaf with a hint of tang. Perfect for your favourite sandwiches or morning toast and jam!
We love crunchy, crackly sourdough boules as much as the next, however, sometimes you just want a soft, squishy slice for a sandwich, you know? Enter sourdough sandwich bread! Using a no-knead sourdough technique, and a slow 8-hour ferment, we bake this bread in a classic loaf tin for that familiar sliced-bread look.
What Do You Need To Bake Sourdough Sandwich Bread?
- milk
- active, bubbly sourdough starter
- 1 egg
- flour
- sugar
- salt
- olive oil
White Flour Sourdough Starter Vs. Whole Grain
Some people make sourdough starter with regular all-purpose white flour. Others maintain sourdough starters with whole grain flours like rye, whole wheat, or spelt. Any flour with gluten content will work, however, all yield different results when added to sourdough bread recipes. White flour sourdough tends to be lighter, while whole grain loaves are generally more dense. We baked this recipe with rye flour sourdough starter.
If you don’t have your own on the go just yet, visit this post called How To Make Sourdough Starter. Your starter will need about a week, maybe a bit longer, before it will be ready to bake with!
Best Flour To Use In This Recipe
White flour or bread flour is best to use for a light fluffy loaf – we used white all-purpose flour. Feel free to substitute up to 50% whole grain flour like whole wheat or spelt, however, note the texture and density of the crumb will change.
Baker’s Schedule:
- Mix Ingredients (30 to 60 minutes) – Mix ingredients and do three sets of stretch and folds either every 10 minutes for 30 minutes, or every 20 minutes for 60 minutes.
- First Rise (8 hours) – First bulk rise at room temperature, 8 hours or until doubled in size.
- Second Rise (2 to 4 hours) – Shape dough and place in loaf tin lined with parchment paper or greased with butter. Cover with a tea towel and rise in a warm, draft-free place 2 to 4 hours.
- Bake (40 to 45 minutes) – Bake loaf at 350ºF / 180ºC for 40 to 45 minutes.
- Cool (4 hours) – Cool loaf for a minimum of four hours before slicing.
Tips & Suggestions For Making This Recipe:
- If you don’t have olive oil you can substitute any other neutral or light-tasting oil you have on hand.
- Make this recipe dairy-free by substituting plant-based milk in the loaf and vegan butter to grease the tin.
- You can substitute up to 50% of the all-purpose flour for any whole grain flour you like, however, this will result in a more dense loaf of bread.
- If you prefer a tangier, more sour flavour let your dough ferment at room temperature for longer than the recipe instructs.
- To store this bread keep it in a container with a lid, or wrap it in beeswax wrap. You can also wrap it in a double layer of plastic wrap or foil and store it in the freezer for up to one month.
More Of Our Favourite Sourdough Recipes:
New York-Style Sourdough Bagels
Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough Bread
Sourdough Sandwich Bread
Sourdough sandwich bread is a soft, squishy loaf with a hint of tang. Perfect for your favourite sandwiches or morning toast and jam!
Ingredients
- 250 g (1 cup) whole milk
- 100 g (½ cup) bubbly, active sourdough starter
- 1 large egg (about 50 grams)
- 50 g (¼ cup) olive oil*
- 500 g ( ~ 3-⅓ cups) all-purpose flour
- 45 g (scant ¼ cup) sugar
- 8 grams (~ 2 tsp) sea salt
Instructions
Day One: Mix and First Rise
- Add the milk and sourdough starter to a large bowl and whisk until combined. Add the egg and olive oil and mix again until incorporated.
- Add flour, sugar, and salt to the bowl. Use a wooden spoon to stir until a soft, shaggy dough forms.
- Let the dough rest, covered with a tea towel, for 10 minutes. After the initial rest period, perform a series of 3 stretch and folds over the course of 30-60 minutes, leaving at least 10 minutes between each round.
- Cover the bowl well with a tea towel and plate, then leave it at room temperature to rise for about 8 hours, or until doubled in size.
Day Two: Shape and Second Rise
- Line a bread tin with parchment paper or grease very well with butter. Set aside.
- Once the dough has gone through the first proof and doubled in size, it's ready to be shaped. Lightly flour a clean surface with flour and tip the dough out onto it.
- Do a couple of stretches and folds to add a bit of tension to the dough and make it easier to work with, then shape a rough rectangle with it, making sure one side is about the same length as your bread tin.
- Roll the dough into a rough spiral, making sure you're rolling from the side that's the length of your tin, then place it seam down into your prepared tin. Don't worry if the spiral is loose or imperfect.
- Cover the dough with a tea towel and set in a warm, draft-free place to rise again for 2-4 hours, or until the dough is about 3 cm (1 inch) over the top of the tin in the centre.
Day Two: Bake
- Once your loaf has risen, it's ready to be baked. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Place the bread onto the centre rack and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the top of the loaf is golden.
- Remove from oven and cool in the tin for 10 minutes before carefully removing and cooling fully on a rack. Don't cut the bread until it's completely cooled down, at least a couple of hours. It keeps well in a container or wrapped in beeswax wrap for a couple of days and can be frozen for up to a month.
Notes
* Any neutral or light tasting oil can be used here. Sunflower, avocado, canola, etc.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 237Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 274mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 1gSugar: 5gProtein: 6g
This is an approximation of the nutrition offered in this recipe, and is created using a nutrition calculator.
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.
Orsi says
This bread is first class! Second time I am making it. It is a real hit! Thank you for posting it!
Alexandra Daum says
So happy to hear that, thanks Orsi! We’re glad you’re enjoying the recipe : )
Jenn Melchiorre says
The recipe says “ 250 g ( one cup ) milk, and (100 g) one cup starter,” Which amount is correct for the starter, 100 g or one cup?
Alexandra Daum says
100g is correct – it should say 1/2 cup for the starter, not a full cup. Thanks for your note Jenn, it’s changed in the card now. Milk has a higher weight so a cup weighs more than the equivalent volume of starter.
Lindsay B says
Help! I dont know what I’m doing wrong. I’ve attempted this twice in the past few days. The first I attempted bulk rise in the fridge, as i needed 16 hours or so before i could come back to it. The dough hardly rose at all, I threw it out and started again. Second time, attempted the 8 hour rise at room temp, and again, very little change in volume.
My starter is active, bubbly. I feed it about 5 hours before I make the dough. It passes float test no problem when I mix the dough.
Any ideas? My house is not cold. I’m really not happy having to throw away good ingredients.
Thanks!
Alexandra Daum says
Hi Lindsay, I’d never recommend throwing away a sourdough even if it hasn’t risen in the allotted time! Are you using milk and eggs straight out of the fridge? If so, try letting them warm to room temperature before mixing as really cold ingredients will hamper rise. My recommendation here, since you’re having trouble with the bulk ferment, is to use room temp ingredients and let it rise at room temperature until it doubles as described. You might want to try placing the bowl in a sunny spot like a windowsill to speed things up more. The only other thing I can think of is that it might not be mixed fully before the bulk fermentation and due to that the starter is having difficulty getting enough contact with the rest of the dough – but that shouldn’t be a problem since you’re mixing it with the wet ingredients first. Hope this helps.
Laura says
Can this be made without the sugar?
Alexandra Daum says
It’ll be bland without sugar, and not so sandwich bread-y, but you could leave it out if you really must. You can also use a substitute like coconut sugar or even honey mixed with the water.
AnG says
May i know whats the size of loaf tin you are using for this recipe?
Alexandra Daum says
Mine is a touch longer and narrower than normal, 30cm by 13cm instead of the usual 17.5cm width.
AnG says
Mine is only 21.5cm by 10.5cm. Wonder if making half the recipe work in my tin?
LO says
After the second rise, it just says Day Two, but doesn’t give instructions for overnight? I assume cover and store in fridge?
Alexandra Daum says
Hi there – I’m not sure what you mean. It’s an eight hour rise (or until doubled) for the first rise, and then the bread is baked after the second rise (in the tin). It’s day two: shape and second rise, then day two: bake – because they’re both on day two. The second rise is only a couple of hours. Hope that helps!
June Newman says
I’m sorry, but I don’t understand. After 1st rise is it refrigerated? Or is the first rise overnight on the counter?
Alexandra Daum says
Hi June, the first rise is at room temperature and the second rise is in a warm, draft-free place. So that can also be room temperature or somewhere like an oven with the light on. Because this is an enriched dough, it would rise very, very slowly in the refrigerator, which is why we say to do room temp or warm rises in the recipe card.
Julie says
Can you use non-dairy milk? Is oat milk ok?
Alexandra Daum says
Hi Julie – yes, it’s listed in the substitutions section. I usually use oat milk for this loaf so you’re totally fine making that substitution.
Mina Egan says
Hi – can I skip the egg or is it necessary? Thanks!
Alexandra Daum says
I haven’t tried without, but I think it’d be fine, if less soft.
Dave Hayden says
Would this loaf work in a Pullman pan with the cover on? Thanks!
Alexandra Daum says
Definitely in a Pullman pan, but I’d be worried about it wanting to rise higher than the cover would allow. If you want a perfectly square loaf, though, I think it’d be fine as long as it was a fairly large tin. Unfortunately I don’t have one to test with but it should work – you just might get a tighter crumb if the lid constrains the oven spring too much.
Dave Hayden says
Thanks! I’ll try it and let you know what happens.
Dina S says
Hi! I am itching to make this lovely recipe. My only concern is that I live in a humid, tropical climate and wonder if it is safe in these conditions to leave an enriched dough out overnight? Any advice on that? Thanks!
Alexandra Daum says
In that case, I think it’d be better to mix the dough in the morning and let it rise during the day so you can keep an eye on it. It’ll likely rise much faster than in a cooler climate and wouldn’t need the overnight rise in any case (in the summer here, it only takes 4-6 hours for me).
Brenda Wilkins says
I have a starter that I’ve maintained in the refrigerator, feeding once a week for the past month..yea me !! In this recipe do I start with the refrigerated starter straight out of the refrigerator or do I have to feed it 1st and let it bubble and double on the counter and then start the recipe? It’s get confusing as to what to do with different recipes! One minute I think I’ve got it then I have a brain fart..omg!! What a learning process with this sourdough!! Thanks for your help.
Alexandra Daum says
Hi Brenda! This recipe calls for active starter, so that means it should be fed about 12 hours before using it : )