In honor of my sourdough starter turning one year old this month, I figured it was time to share one of my favorite and most used sourdough recipes…this delicious Sourdough Sandwich Bread! This bread is perfect for sandwiches, toast, or my favorite, eating right out of the oven with butter! If you need to start a sourdough starter I have a step-by-step recipe and instructions and it’s actually so easy!
Tips and Variations For This Recipe
- When it comes to sourdough I always use bread flour, but this recipe will also work with all-purpose flour.
- This recipe calls for a little bit of instant yeast to cut down on the proofing time. You CAN leave out the yeast if your starter is at its peak after feeding, however the dough will require a slow-rise of up to 18 hours. This will also produce a more sour flavor.
- I have not yet tried out this recipe in my bread machine, surprisingly! I will update when I do so but I can’t think of any reasons why it wouldn’t work!
What You Will Need
- 1 C. (225g) milk, warmed to lukewarm in the microwave, approx. 20 seconds
- 3 Tbsp. (36g) granulated sugar or honey
- 2 tsp. instant yeast, optional-see note above
- ½ C. (150g) sourdough starter, ripe or discard
- 3 C. (400g) bread flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 Tbsp. butter, softened
- melted butter for brushing on right out of the oven
How To Make Sourdough Sandwich Bread
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the warm milk and the sugar until dissolved. Add in the sourdough starter and yeast and mix lightly until just combined.
- Next, add the flour and salt and mix with the dough hook on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Add in the softened butter in smaller pieces and continue mixing on medium speed for 5-6 minutes.
- Cover the dough with a tea towel and let rise for up to 2 hours, or until it doubles in size. As noted above, if you’d prefer to not use any commercial yeast, this rise will take about 18 hours and should be done in the refrigerator.
- Dump the dough out onto a clean surface and shape the loaf. I do this by pressing the dough out into a small rectangle, then fold the ends in and tuck the seam on the bottom. Transfer to a greased loaf pan to rise again for 1-2 hours, or until the top of the dough is about 1-inch above the edges of the pan.
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Once preheated, bake the loaf for 30-33 minutes. Upon taking out of the oven, immediately brush with melted butter. This is important to ensure a soft crust. Dump the loaf out onto a wire rack to cool completely..or dive right in!!
- Store in an airtight bag or container for 3-4 days, but it is the best the same day.
Here’s a few more sourdough recipes I have on the blog!
