Soft Sourdough Sandwich Bread (Beginner Friendly Recipe)
A soft sourdough sandwich bread with a tender texture and amazing flavor without using any store-bought yeast, just the wonderful power of wild leavening. This is incredibly soft with very little crumb, so it holds up well to all your favorite sandwich fixings!
Servings: 12 slices
Calories: 148kcal
Cost: varies
Equipment
- Large Bowl or stand mixer
- Whisk or dough hook
- Loaf Pan standard 9x5
- Parchment Paper optional
Ingredients
- 175 grams water approximately 3/4 cup, see recipe notes if using whole wheat or fresh-milled flour
- 200 grams sourdough starter approximately 1 cup
- 7 grams sugar approximately 1.5 teaspoons
- 7 gram salt approximately 1.5 teaspoons
- 15 grams salted butter melted, approximately 1 Tablespoon
- 400 grams all-purpose flour approximately 2.75 cups, see recipe notes if using whole wheat or fresh-milled flour
Instructions
The Night Before Baking
- Feed your sourdough starter, so you have 1/2 cup total volume.
The Morning Of
- Feed your starter again to equal 1 cup total volume of starter. Allow starter to rise until almost doubled in size (about 2-3 hours).
Make Dough
- Place water in a large mixing bowl and add in starter with melted butter, stir to combine. Add in remaining ingredients and stir until well combined. Dough should clean the sides of the bowl.
- Knead for 8 minutes and perform a window pane test. If you can’t see light through the dough before it tears, knead for 2 more minutes and check again. The dough shouldn’t stick to your fingers. Form into a ball.
- Lightly flour surface and roll out dough into a rectangle. Roll up into a loaf, tucking edges under to create tension on top. Place in parchment lined or greased loaf pan.
Let Rise
- Cover so it doesn’t develop a skin or dry out and allow to rise until doubled and up even with edges of loaf pan. Right before baking, brush top with melted butter.
Bake
- Bake in preheated 400°F oven for 30 to 32 minutes.
- Remove from loaf pan onto cooling rack, slather with more butter, and allow to cool for at least 15 to 20 minutes (longer if possible) before slicing.
Notes
- Fresh Ground or Whole Wheat Flour: To make this with fresh-ground or whole-wheat flour, increase the liquid to 250 grams (1 1/4 cups). Dough will feel slightly sticky, but after resting for 10 minutes, it will soak up the water.
- To Store: Let it cool fully, wrap it in parchment, then tinfoil, or place it in a bread bag, for 5-7 days.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 148kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 236mg | Potassium: 36mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 31IU | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 2mg
