Sourdough Sandwich Bread is an easy, beginner friendly recipe to make any day of the week! It is soft, slightly tangy, and perfect for sandwiches!
For a hearty bread, check out my sourdough whole wheat sandwich bread!
We all love a crusty same day sourdough loaf, but when you want a sandwich, you want a soft loaf of sourdough. This recipe is for you! The inside is soft but the crust is just slightly crusty to give the bread some texture.
It's perfect for sandwiches, slathered with mixed berry jam, or as a side to any dinner. I make this bread at least once a week for my family. Add sandwich bread to the list of things I no longer buy from the store!
If you love sourdough, join our Sourdough Facebook group with other Sourdough fanatics sharing their favorite recipes as well as tips and tricks!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Baking your own bread is fun! Who doesn't love playing with dough and baking your own bread for your family!
- You only need a few simple ingredients! There's nothing exotic or crazy in this dough.
- It's easy to make! Mix the dough, let it rise, shape it, let it rise again, and bake! Couldn't be easier than that!
Ingredients to Gather
- All purpose flour. To make sure that the bread stays soft, we are using all purpose flour. When thinking about bread flour vs all purpose flour, there are a few things to keep in mind. If you want a softer crumb, all purpose flour is the way to go.
- Butter. Softened, cubed butter. This will also help make the crumb of the bread super soft.
- Honey. Honey adds a subtle sweetness to the bread, while also feeding the wild yeast.
- Active bubbly starter. If you are new to sourdough, you can buy a sourdough starter, make your own starter, or get one from a friend. You'll want to make sure that the starter is fed at least 8 hours before you want to bake with it.
Be sure to check out the printable recipe card for full recipe information on ingredients and quantities.
How To Make Sourdough Sandwich Bread
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment, add the water and sourdough starter. This is the float test. If the sourdough starter floats, you're good to go! If it doesn't, feed the starter again and make the dough later.
Add the cubed butter, honey, all purpose flour, and salt. Turn the stand mixer on medium speed and mix for 4-5 minutes until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl and forms a smooth, elastic dough.
Cover the bowl with a clean, damp kitchen towel and let it rest for 8-10 hours. The dough should double in size and look bubbly.
Once the dough has doubled in size and looks bubbly, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.
Press the bubbles out of the dough and roll the dough into a log that is the size of the loaf pan you are using.
Grease a loaf pan with butter. Place the dough in the loaf pan. Let it rise for another 1-2 hours. The dough should be at least 1 inch over the top of the loaf pan before it is ready to bake. Do not rush this process!
Lynn's Tip!
Once the dough is in the loaf pan, you can cover it an place it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. When you are ready to bake the bread, take it out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature and rise at least 1 inch over the top of the loaf pan. This may take up to 4 hours since the dough is cold.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. When the dough has risen, bake the bread for 40-45 minutes or until the top of the loaf is golden brown.
Tips and Tricks
- Make sure the dough has risen enough over the top of the loaf pan. The dough should be a ½ inch to an inch over the top of the loaf pan. Don't rush this process. If you bake the bread too early, it will be dense.
- Keep an eye on the rise of the dough. If your kitchen is warm, it might only take 6-8 hours for the dough to double in size. If your kitchen is colder, it might take up to 12 hours for the dough to double in size.
- Make sure your sourdough starter is active and bubbly. Since we are relying on the wild yeast in the dough, it's important that the starter is active and bubbly.
- You can make sourdough discard sandwich bread instead if you don't have active starter on hand. It's super easy and made in a portion of the time.
Storage Info
Once the loaf has cooled to room temperature, place the loaf in a plastic bag or a brown paper bag on the counter. You can also keep it in an airtight container.
This bread is also perfect to freeze! Slice the loaf and wrap the slices tightly in plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn. Place the wrapped slices in a gallon sized freezer bag, removing as much air as possible before sealing.
Label the bag with the date and store it in the freezer; when ready to use, thaw slices at room temperature or toast them directly from frozen.
You can also freeze the entire loaf in a gallon sized freezer bag. Defrost the loaf right on the counter before you are ready to enjoy it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Mix all the ingredients by hand. You'll want the dough to be soft and elastic. It should take about 10 minutes to knead this dough by hand.
Yes! To make sourdough sandwich bread vegan, simply use coconut oil instead of butter and granulated sugar instead of honey.
Yes! You can easily double or triple this recipe. Just be sure that the stand mixer is large enough or mix the dough in batches.
More Sourdough Recipes
📖 Recipe
Sourdough Sandwich Bread (No Yeast)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 500 g All Purpose Flour or bread flour
- 50 g Butter Softened and Cubed
- 12 g Honey
- 10 g Salt
- 95 g Active Bubbly Starter
- 260 g Water Room Temperature
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the water and active starter. Mix until combined.
- Add the flour, cubed butter, salt, and honey. Mix for 5 minutes on low to medium speed. Let the dough rest for 8-10 hours (or overnight) or until the dough has doubled in size.
- After the dough has doubled in size, turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Spread the dough out slightly. Roll the dough into a log that is about 7 inches long.
- Butter a loaf pan well. Place the dough in the loaf pan. Let it rise for another 1-2 hours or until the top of the loaf is at least 1 inch above the top of the loaf pan. This could take 1 hour if your kitchen is warmer, or it could take up to 2 hours if your kitchen is warmer. Don't rush this process.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the top of the bread is golden brown.
Notes
- Do not rush the second rise! Whenever I've made sandwich bread, I always rushed the rise in the loaf pan and then the sandwich isn't as soft as it could be. The bread should rise about an inch above the loaf pan before it gets baked.
- If your kitchen is colder, the bulk fermentation rise (the first rise) could take up to 12 hours. If your kitchen is warmer, it might only take 8 hours. Keep an eye on it. You want to see the dough double in size.
- To make the dough ahead of time, after the first bulk rise, cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator. This will also increase the sour flavor of the bread. When you are ready to bake it, take the bread out and shape it. Place it in the greased loaf pan to let it rise. Since the dough is cold, it will take longer than the allotted 2 hours, so be patient.
- For even more shine, brush the freshly baked bread with butter to get a shine on top of the bread.
Natalie says
First time sourdough baker. this recipe came out so well. I was so happy how straight forward this was. first attempt and it was a success!
Lynn Polito says
I am so happy you enjoyed it! Thanks for making my recipe!
Mike Kempe says
I’m amazed to be the first reviewer a year since this recipe was posted. Perfect bread first attempt. I’ve been baking sourdough with variable success for a while now, and while always delicious, there’s always been room for improvement in one way or another. Sourdough sandwich bread is one of those cases. Not this time! Possibly experience, possibly the recipe, but most likely a bit of both. In any case it came out exactly right. Changes I made were that I doubled the recipe, used oil instead of butter, and baked it in my 13” Pullman bread tin. Delicious square sourdough sandwich bread at last!! Well played, Lynn.
Lynn Polito says
I am so glad you enjoyed it!! Thanks for making my recipe!