Soft and so easy to make, this Sourdough Discard Sandwich Bread is ready in just a few hours and made with only a few ingredients! Make this loaf on the weekends and enjoy it for breakfast or lunch piled high with your favorite ingredients!
I think you'll love my whole wheat sourdough sandwich bread too!
I have to be honest with you, I've never had luck with sandwich bread until I figured out this recipe. I love making my sourdough discard bread, but it's shaped like a normal boule and baked in a Dutch oven. It's pretty fool proof.
When it comes to sandwich bread recipes, I have made them time and time again and I could never get that loaf right. It would always have a huge crack down the middle of it, even though it tasted great! It never looked as good as other sourdough breads that I have made.
Then, I nailed down this recipe and my sourdough sandwich bread! It has a super soft crumb and a perfect crust with a slight tang of sourdough. The best part is, it doesn't take hours and hours to make! You'll have a hot, fresh loaf of bread in only a few hours.
This recipe was easy to follow with simple ingredients and it is delicious! I will make this again soon.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Soft Sourdough Sandwich Bread
- Can You Make Sandwich Bread with Sourdough Discard
- Sourdough Discard Sandwich Bread Recipe Ingredients
- How to Make Easy Sourdough Sandwich Bread
- Sourdough Discard Sandwich Bread Recipe Variations
- Sample Baking Schedule
- Serving Suggestions for Easy Sourdough Sandwich Bread
- How to Store Same Day Sourdough Sandwich Bread
- Soft Sourdough Sandwich Bread Recipe FAQs
- More Sourdough Recipes
- 📖 Recipe
Why You'll Love This Soft Sourdough Sandwich Bread
You’re going to love this sourdough discard sandwich bread because it’s the kind of recipe that is so easy to make and comes out perfectly every time! It’s soft, fluffy, slices easily, and gives you that sourdough flavor without babysitting a dough all day. Plus, it uses up that discard you keep swearing you’ll find a use for! Toast it, stack it with your favorite sandwich fillings, or eat a slice warm with butter, whatever you do, you’re going to wonder why you didn’t make this sooner.
Can You Make Sandwich Bread with Sourdough Discard
Yes! Baking with my sourdough discard is one of my favorite things to do! The sourdough discard adds a tang to the bread like it does to sourdough biscuits, but the yeast does all the hard work of making the bread rise. I promise, this will become your new favorite loaf of bread to make. My family loves to spread Nutella on toast, but use it in your favorite sandwich, topped with mixed berry jam, or with apple butter.
Sourdough Discard Sandwich Bread Recipe Ingredients
- Warm water. The water should be slightly warmer than lukewarm. Too warm and you run the risk of killing the yeast.
- Yeast. Active dry yeast packets can be found right in your grocery store. Make sure the yeast is not expired or you will have dense bread.
- Sourdough discard. That means the the sourdough starter has not been fed and is not bubbly and active.
- All purpose flour. You can use bread flour if you have it on hand. A combination of both is great too. When thinking of all purpose flour vs bread flour, both will work in this recipe.
- Honey. Honey helps feed the yeast. You can use maple syrup or a little bit of sugar if that is what you have on hand.
Be sure to check out the printable recipe card for full recipe information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Easy Sourdough Sandwich Bread
Step 1: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the water and yeast. Let it sit for 3-4 minutes to activate the yeast.
Step 2: Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl. Turn the stand mixer on slow speed for 1 minute and then increase the speed to medium for another 5-6 minutes.
Step 3: When the dough pulls away from the bowl, turn the stand mixer off. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for 90 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
Step 4: Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface.
How To Shape A Sandwich Loaf
Step 5: Flatten the dough into an oval. Grease a loaf pan with olive oil.
Step 6: Starting with the side closest to you, roll the dough into a log.
Step 7: Place the dough in the prepared loaf pan. Time for the bulk rise! Let the dough rise for 90 minutes to 2 hours or until the dough has risen to 1 inch over the loaf pan. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the loaf pan into a preheat oven for 30-35 minutes.
Lynn's Tip!
If your kitchen is on the colder side, it may take up to 3 hours for the bread to rise a second time. Don't stress! You can turn on the light in your oven (oven is off) and place the bread in there to speed up the rising.
Sourdough Discard Sandwich Bread Recipe Variations
There are countless flavor variations you can experiment with when making sourdough discard sandwich bread! Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Herb and Garlic. Add some chopped fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, or basil, along with minced garlic, to the dough for a savory twist. You can also brush the top of the loaf with garlic-infused olive oil before baking for extra savory flavor.
- Cheese and Jalapeño. Just like my cheddar jalapeno sourdough bread, mix shredded cheese (cheddar, pepper jack, or your favorite cheese) and diced jalapeños into the dough for a spicy and cheesy kick. This variation is perfect for grilled cheese sandwiches or for avocado toast.
- Olive and Sun-Dried Tomato: Fold chopped olives and sun-dried tomatoes into the dough for a more Mediterranean-inspired flavor. This bread is fantastic with hummus, sliced turkey, or roasted vegetables.
- Cinnamon Raisin. A classic breakfast bread! Just like sourdough cinnamon raisin bread, add cinnamon and raisins into the dough. This is great for toasted with butter or cream cheese.
- Everything Bagel. Mix in everything bagel seasoning into the dough or on top of the bread to make it taste like your favorite bagel. It's perfect for making deli-style sandwiches or serving alongside smoked salmon and cream cheese.
- Honey Whole Wheat. Substitute some of the all purpose flour with whole wheat flour and add a few tablespoons of honey to the dough for a slightly sweet and nutty flavor. This variation pairs well with peanut butter and jelly or sliced ham and mustard.
Sample Baking Schedule
Serving Suggestions for Easy Sourdough Sandwich Bread
Serve this sourdough discard sandwich bread in all your favorite ways, as classic lunchbox sandwiches, piled high with turkey, ham, or chicken salad. It’s great toasted with butter and jam for the easiest breakfast ever or as a grilled cheese that gets extra golden and crispy thanks to the tender crumb. Use extra bread for French toast because the sourdough gives it a great flavor! Serve it as avocado toast with all your favorite toppings or simply warm with a smear of salted butter when you want a cozy, no-fuss snack. It’s the kind of bread that works for everything!
How to Store Same Day Sourdough Sandwich Bread
Store the leftover bread in an airtight container on your counter or in a bread box. Make sure the bread is wrapped completely, otherwise it will turn stale on the counter. Use this bread to make air fryer egg toast for a quick and easy breakfast!
This bread is great to freeze too! Place the loaf of bread or bread slices into an airtight container or a gallon sized Ziploc bag. Freeze the bread for up to 3 months (but to be honest, I've kept bread for much longer than that!)
Soft Sourdough Sandwich Bread Recipe FAQs
Yes! Since we aren't letting the bread rise for too long, you'll still need to use yeast in this recipe. If you don't want to use yeast, you'll have to let the dough rise for a lot longer and just 2 hours.
No, this is not as sour as a standard sourdough recipe. That is because we are not letting the bread rise for as long as a loaf of sourdough bread would.
Yes! Cut the dough into pieces and shape them into rolls. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown.
Sourdough bread is made with active, bubbly starter that helps the dough rise naturally and gives that classic tangy flavor and chewy texture. Sourdough discard bread, on the other hand, uses the inactive starter you remove during feedings. It still adds great flavor, but the rise usually comes from added yeast, making the bread quicker and easier to make.
Yes! Sourdough discard is completely safe and healthy to eat as long as your starter is well-maintained. It’s just flour and water that’s been fermented, so it adds flavor, a little extra nutrition, and a nice boost of gut-friendly bacteria to whatever you bake. It won’t have the same fermentation benefits as a fully risen sourdough loaf, but it’s a great ingredient to use instead of tossing out.
More Sourdough Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Soft Sourdough Sandwich Bread Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 240 g Warm Water
- 50 g Honey
- 100 g Sourdough Discard
- 25 g Neutral oil I used avocado oil
- 450 g All Purpose Flour
- 10 g Salt
- 7 g Active Dry Yeast 1 packet
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment, add the water and yeast. Let that sit for 3-4 minutes or until it is foamy.
- Add the honey, flour, salt, oil, and sourdough discard to the bowl. Mix for 7-8 minutes on low to medium speed or until the dough forms a ball and comes away from the bowl. Let it rest for 1 hour to 90 minutes or until it doubles in size.
- Lightly grease a loaf pan.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Flatten the dough into a large square, about 8 inches by 8 inches. Starting with the side closest to you, roll the dough into a large log.
- Place the log into the prepared loaf pan, seam side down. Let it rise for another hour or until the top of the loaf is about 1 inch above the loaf pan.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake the bread for 30 minutes or until the top of the loaf is golden brown.
Notes
- Depending on how cold your house is will depend on how fast the bulk rise takes place. You want the dough to rise about 1 inch above the loaf pan before you bake it.
- If you do not have a stand mixer, you can mix all the ingredients by hand and then knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until the dough is soft and not sticky anymore.
- A kitchen scale is very useful in this recipe. Weighing the ingredients is the most exact way to measure ingredients for bread.
- This dough freezes really well! Place it in a freezer safe container or a gallon sized Ziploc bag and freeze it for up to 3 months.
- Keep the bread on the counter in an airtight container. Do not refrigerate the bread or it will go stale quickly.
Terri Miller says
when adding extras like jalapenos and cheese, do you do that while it is mixer kneeding? Or after?
Deanna says
The best discard bread loaf that I have baked! Thank you.
Stacy says
Great recipe! Worked perfectly! Great bread!
Patsy says
Can I add citric acid to increase the sour taste? We like the sour taste.
Thanks!
Shelley Paterson says
Will this work in my bread maker? Are there any modifications I need to make?
Lynn Polito says
I don't have a bread maker unfortunately so I'm not sure how the dough would do in a bread machine.
Joyce Gerdes says
I WAS skeptical at first but this is by far the best bread I have ever made. It rises beautiful above the pan. So much so that I thought I was going to have one big air pocket when I cut into it. But no, It was perfect throughout the entire loaf. I now make a LOT of extra discard so I can keep making my own bread. The family loves it. I have given it to neighbors. I though maybe it was a fluke the first time it turned out but it has turned out perfect every time. The only thing I do different is I add the honey to the water and yeast while it proofs. The rest is definitely by the scale. LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS.
wendy says
This recipe was easy to follow with simple ingredients and it is delicious! I will make this again soon.
Lisa says
You had me at bread! 🙂 This is perfect for avocado toasts!
Renee says
Any idea why my dough was so sticky? I followed the instructions and used a scale for exact weight. I had too keep adding flour before it would pull away from the bowl. Do you suppose to cold discard had anything to do with it?
Thanks!
Lynn Polito says
Definitely could be that. How is your starter hydration? Did you have some of the hooch on the top of the discard that may have made it into the bread?
Joyce Gerdes says
My dough was a little sticky after the proofing but a little flour on my hands and it came together nicely. Let it be sticky, let it rise until it doubles. Then i floured my hands and turned it onto my board to form. It worked well.
Stacy says
Keep kneading! Mine is always also very sticky and by 5-6 mins of kneading it's all good! Trust the kneading process!
Marie says
Love this recipe and finished product. I did use 8x4x4 in pans for doubled recipe. Great loftiness and texture. Very nice bread. TY.
Lynn Polito says
I am so happy to hear your enjoyed it! Thank you for making my recipe!