Perfectly Soft Sourdough Sandwich Bread
The ultimate sourdough sandwich bread recipe! This no-yeast sourdough recipe produces a perfectly full white bread that is perfect for sandwiches.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Rise Time 10 hours
Total Time: 11 hours
Servings: 1 Loaf
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup (100 g) Active Sourdough Starter (100 grams) Fed the previous night and at its peak
- 3/4 Cup (190 ml) Warm Water (plus one tablespoon) (190 grams)
- 1/4 Cup (60 ml) Milk (60 grams) room temperature
- 3 1/4 Cups (390 g) All-Purpose Flour or Bread Flour (390 grams)
- 2 Tablespoons (25 g) Granulated Sugar (25 grams)
- 1 ½ Teaspoon (1.5 Teaspoon) Salt
- ¼ Cup (56 g) Unsalted Butter (56 grams) room temperature
Instructions
- Knead the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the sourdough starter, warm water, milk, flour, sugar, and salt. Knead on medium-low speed with the dough hook attachment. Add the butter once the dough comes together and continue to knead for five minutes.
- First rise: Lightly grease a large bowl. Place the dough in the bowl, cover it, and let the dough rise in a warm place. You are ready to move on to the next step when the dough has doubled, which will take roughly 5-7 hours. (See notes section "Rising Times").
- Lightly grease a 9x5-inch loaf tin.
- Shape the bread dough: Punch the dough down to release air once it has doubled. Lightly flour your work surface, a rolling pin, and your hands. Place the dough onto your work surface. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle, roughly 8x15 inches. Roll it up into an 8-inch log and place it into the 9x5-inch bread pan. This is called the "jelly roll". (See the video on the post for a visual.)
- Second rise: Spray a piece of plastic wrap with oil (this helps prevent sticking). Loosely cover the shaped bread dough with the plastic wrap. Allow the bread to rise until it's about 1-1.5 inches above the top of the loaf pan, roughly 4-6 hours. Overnight: If you're crunched for time, place the loaf inside the fridge overnight. The next morning, take it out and let it continue to rise until it's 1-1.5 inches above the rim of the pan. (See picture in blog post for a visual). For best results, do NOT bake until the bread is at this level.
- Once the bread has finished Adjust the oven rack to a lower position. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Bake the bread: Remove the plastic wrap. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown on top. If the top of the sandwich loaf is browning too quickly, loosely cover the bread pan with aluminum foil. The bread is ready when the internal temp of the center of the bread is 195°F (90°C).
- Remove from the oven and allow the bread to sit in the pan for five minutes. Then, remove it from the pan and let it cool down on a wire rack before slicing.
Video
Notes
- Sourdough Starter: Your sourdough starter should be at its peak. Feed it the night before you bake at a feeding ratio of 1:1:1. Refer to my guide on how to make a sourdough starter from scratch.
- Rising Times: Rising times are HIGHLY dependent on your environment. Your dough may rise slower than the times listed in the recipe. What is important is if the dough doubles. If the dough has not doubled, do NOT move on to the next step!!!! I recommend investing in a clear Cambro container to measure the first rise accurately.
- Baker's Schedule: Depending on the environment and how fast your dough rises, you can bake this in one day or spread it out over two days. For more details, refer to the "Baker's Schedule" section on my blog post.
- Adding Instant Yeast: Turn this into a sourdough discard recipe by adding 2 ¼ teaspoon of instant yeast. You'll shorten the time of the recipe and the loaf will be ready within four hours. The first rise will be roughly an hour; the second rise is also roughly one hour.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Stand Mixer | Cambro Container (for accurate bulk rise) | 9x5-inch Loaf Pan | Rolling Pin | Instant Read Thermometer | Wire Cooling Rack
- Storing Instructions: Place the bread in an air-tight container and store it at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. It can be stored in the freezer for up to three months. You can reheat it when you're ready to eat it.