This Sourdough Sandwich Bread is an easy and super soft sourdough bread that’s just perfect for sandwiches. In fact, it’s my favorite bread for toast!
I used to make Sourdough Sandwich Bread all the time. Then our lives got busy and there just wasn’t time for making bread – unless I could throw it in the bread machine. But, now I make the time.
I guess I’m saying all that to say – it does take some time to make this Sourdough Sandwich Bread. But, it doesn’t really take much hands-on time. And it makes two large loaves of bread.
Depending on how much bread you eat in a week, this is probably a once a week task.
Sourdough Sandwich Bread Recipe
So, how much time does it take? You prepare your starter 5-10 hours before you want to start preparing the bread. They it takes another 8 hours for the rising process.
I typically measure out my starter, feed it, and let it sit overnight (say, Friday or Saturday night). Then the next morning I follow the recipe for making the bread. So, my schedule could look like this, just to give you a better idea:
- Saturday, 9:00 PM – Prepare starter
- Sunday, 9:00 AM – Mix the bread
- Sunday, 9:30 AM – 1st stretch and fold
- Sunday, 10:00 AM – 2nd stretch and fold
- Sunday, 10:30 AM – 3rd stretch and fold
- Sunday, 11:00 AM – 4th stretch and fold, let rise 3 hours
- Sunday, 4:00 PM – Divide dough in half, shape into loaf pans, let rise 2-1/2 hrs.
- Sunday, 6:00 PM – Preheat oven.
- Sunday, 6:30 PM – Bake bread.
You can adjust this schedule to fit your schedule. In fact, once you have done the stretch and fold and divided the dough into loaf pans, you can refrigerate it at this point. Then take it out of the fridge six hours before you want to bake it.
Sourdough Sandwich Bread
Ingredients
Sourdough Starter
- 50 grams starter
- 150 grams flour
- 150 grams water
Bread
- 650 grams water
- 300 grams sourdough starter
- 1000 grams bread flour
- 50 grams oil
- 40 grams sugar or honey
- 20 grams sea salt
Instructions
- About 5-10 hours before making dough, prepare the starter by mixing 50 grams starter, 150 grams flour, and 150 grams water. Cover and let sit at room temperature until ready to make the bread.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the 650 grams of water, the 300 grams of starter, and mix well.
- Add the flour, oil, sugar or honey, and salt. Mix well for 2-3 minutes. Cover the bowl with a towel and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- After the 30 minutes, remove the dough from the bowl and stretch and fold the dough. Place back in the bowl, cover, and allow to sit at room temperature for another 30 minutes. Repeat the stretch and fold two more times for a total of four times over a 2 hour period. Only after the fourth time, drizzle a small amount of oil over the dough, fold dough over, place back in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for about 3 hours.
- You can also refrigerate the dough at this point, to bake later. If you refrigerate the dough, let sit at room temperature for about 6 hours.
- Oil two bread loaf pans.
- Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Shape each piece into a tight loaf. Transfer dough to loaf pan, seam side down. Gently press down on the dough to make sure the dough is evenly filling the pan.
- Cover the pan with plastic wrap and proof about 2-1/2 hours or until dough begins to crown the pan.
- About 30 minutes before baking, fill a roasting pan with 2 cups of water on bottom rack. Then set a baking stone on the middle rack and preheat the oven to 400F.
- Spray the top of the loaves with water. Place loaves (in the loaf pans) on the baking stone and bake for 15 minutes. After the 15 minutes, remove the pan of water from the oven. Continue baking for 15-20 minutes until loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when thumped. Center of loaf should read 200F.
- Transfer to cooling rack and gently tip loaves out of pans. Allow to cool complete (about 2 hours) before slicing.
Notes
To give you an idea of my bread baking routine, I'm showing you a couple of options. I typically only bake bread every couple of weeks. But, even when I baked bread weekly, I would typically start it on a Friday or Saturday night. Then we would have Sourdough Sandwich Bread for the entire week.
Routine 1:
Evening before prepare sourdough starter for the bread. Let sit overnight. (5-10 hours)
8:00 AM - Prepare dough. You will need to stretch and fold ever 30 minutes for 2-1/2 hours.
10:30 AM - Let rise 3 hours.
1:30 PM - Transfer dough to loaf pans and let proof about 2-1/2 hours.
3:30 PM - Preheat oven.
4:00 PM - Bake bread.
4:40 PM - Remove bread from oven and let cool 2 hours.
Routine 2:
8:00 AM - Morning before, prepare sourdough starter for the bread. Let sit 5-10 hours.
1:00 PM - Prepare dough.
3:30 PM - Let rise 3 hours.
6:30 PM - Proof dough 2-1/2 hours
8:30 PM - Preheat oven
9:00 PM - Bake Bread
9:40 PM - Remove bread from oven and let cool overnight.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 48 Serving Size: 1 sliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 112Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 163mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 3g
More Sourdough Bread Recipes
If you love sourdough sandwich bread as much as I do, you might also like these other Sourdough Bread recipe ides from The Birch Cottage:
- Easy Sourdough Starter Bread Recipe
- Ratios for Feeding Sourdough Starters
- Garlic Parmesan Sourdough Bread
And be sure to pin this recipe to your favorite Pinterest board to save it for later or to share with family and friends.
Mary
Monday 8th of May 2023
I like your items. Planning on trying Sourdough bread. Wish the measurements were also in cups and teaspoons.