Easy Sourdough Sandwich Bread

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This sourdough sandwich bread recipe makes an amazingly super-soft bread with a flavor and texture that kids absolutely love. Once you make this easy no-knead sourdough bread recipe, buying it from the store will be a thing of the past!

two loaves of sourdough sandwich bread on a wooden cutting board.

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Why We Love This Amazing Recipe

It’s super soft inside and out – so everyone loves it!
Sourdough loaves typically have a sour taste and crunchy, chewy exterior that some people (and kids) dislike. However, this recipe is baked in a loaf pan for a wonderfully light crust and soft interior.
There is no kneading required!
Since this is a no-knead bread recipe, there’s no worry about “Have I kneaded the dough enough?” The recipe is literally fail-proof.
It tastes like “regular” sandwich bread – without the “sour” taste.
Even if your kids aren’t sourdough fans, they’ll love it! They probably won’t even notice the difference between it and store-bought. The kids might also like our grilled cheese on sourdough bread recipe or some other sourdough breakfast ideas.

Learn more about how sourdough is fermented in my overnight sourdough bread post.

a bowl of fermented sourdough bread dough in a clear glass bowl.

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

Make this yummy soft loaf with just a handful of simple ingredients. As I mentioned, there’s no yeast, eggs, or milk required!

“Active” Sourdough starter – fed 12-24 hours before starting the recipe.

When we say “active,” we mean a mature starter that is at least a week old and always doubles in size within 4-6 hours of feeding. It doesn’t mean you need to use it at the peak activity after a feeding. This recipe uses an unfed starter or one that was fed 12-24 hours prior.
Bread flour – I prefer using unbleached King Arthur bread flour. Although you can use all-purpose flour, the higher protein content in bread flour creates a higher more airy loaf that’s perfect for sandwiches.
Sugar – either granulated sugar. You can substitute the sugar with 2 rounded tablespoons of honey.

Do you lack a sourdough starter? My quick and easy sourdough starter recipe can make a fast starter in just five days. You can also make a loaf of our classic sandwich bread or whole wheat sandwich bread recipe, which uses yeast instead.

How to Make Sourdough Sandwich Loaf Bread

This sourdough bread recipe requires just a few basic steps. Spoiler alert: the overnight rise makes a soft sandwich loaf that’s far better than anything you’ll find at the grocery store.

Start the recipe on a relaxing Saturday or Sunday evening, and then bake the next day. It will be ready to slice and stack with your favorite sandwich ingredients during the week.

🎯 TFN Pro Tip

I recommend using a clear glass mixing bowl. This allows you to see the activity on the dough’s top and bottom. Often, the bottom of the dough will show a lot of activity, reassuring you that it’s properly fermented.

Mix the dough

First, feed your starter 12-24 hours before starting the recipe.
In a medium bowl, combine the starter with warm water, and then add flour, sugar, oil, and salt. I like using a dough whisk for mixing. Mix well to form a shaggy, sticky dough.

Flour or wet your clean hands and use them to finishing mixing the dough. Then, cover the bowl with a damp towel and allow it to rise for 30-45 minutes.
Coax the dough from the bowl, place it on a clean and lightly floured surface, then do a set of stretch and folds several times (see video below).

Overnight Sourdough Fermentation Process

The dough needs a long fermentation bulk rise, usually done overnight. This process is what rises the dough with wild yeast instead of commercial yeast. See our Fermentation Rising Guidelines in the recipe card for estimated rising times.

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Looking for a shorter fermentation rise recipe to use up your sourdough discard? You’ll love our sourdough flatbread recipe! Use it for wraps, naan, or even pizza. Best of all, it only has a one hour rise so they’re ready fast!

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Tips for keeping dough warm during colder months:

Place the bowl in the oven with the door closed and light on to create a slightly warmer climate without actually turning the oven on.

Use a heated mat (like those used for germinating seeds) for rising. See my Sourdough Tools list to shop what I use.

Use the “proof” setting of your oven (I set mine to 85ºF) and set a timer. This will speed up the rising process, so check it at 4 and 6 hours.

If there is a sunny room in the house that stays warm, keep the dough covered in that area.

Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let the sourdough to rise at room temperature overnight, approximately 8-10 hours (see recipe for a sourdough rise chart). If you live in a drier climate then I recommend covering the bowl with plastic wrap instead of a damp towel. The plastic wrap keeps the dough from drying out overnight.

In the morning, lightly flour your countertop. Remove the dough from the bowl and roll up the dough into a log shape (as shown below). Cover with a damp towel and let the dough rest for about 10 minutes.

Baking Instructions

Lightly spray a 9” x 5” loaf pan with nonstick spray. Then tighten the loaf by gently rolling and pulling the dough, and transfer it to the prepared loaf pan seam side down.

Cover with a towel and let the loaf rise for another hour or two.

sourdough sandwich bread dough in a bread pan ready for baking.

When you’re ready to bake your loaf, preheat the oven to 375ºF. Then bake for 40 minutes, until the crust is a lovely golden brown color.

Remove the pan from the oven and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before carefully tipping it out of the pan onto a wire rack to cool.

Let the sourdough cool for at least one hour before storing it whole or sliced and enjoyed.

Serving Suggestion

This sandwich bread is incredibly versatile. Elevate your breakfast with an avocado sandwich spread on toasted slices, or indulge in a lunchtime delight with tomato caprese with fresh burrata. For a more substantial meal, consider a classic BLT with crispy bacon, ripe tomatoes, and a drizzle of mayonnaise.

Recipe FAQs

Will this recipe work with all-purpose flour?

Yes, you can use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour, using the same amount of flour. Since all-purpose flour has a slightly lower protein content than bread flour, your loaf might be slightly smaller.

Can I use whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour?

You can, but for the best texture (density) and softness, I recommend only replacing 1/2 of the all purpose flour with whole wheat flour.

My dough did not double in size overnight.

The dough needs a warm area for the bulk (overnight) fermented rise. Find a warm place (75º – 85º F) like an oven with the light on, a warm window, or above the dryer to extend the bulk fermentation rise for 2 more hours.

How will I know if my sourdough bread is done baking?

When the baking time is up, I check to see if the top of the loaf is golden and it sounds hollow when tapped on. If you are unsure, check the internal temperature which should be around 195º – 200ºF.

What’s the best way to store fresh baked sourdough bread?

Let the bread cool completely. Store it in a plastic bag at room temperature. I use a plastic bread bag with a twist tie to seal it and it stays fresh for about 5 days. For the softest crust, we recommend sorting it out of the fridge at room temperature.

To keep it fresher longer, put it in an air tight, freezer safe container and keep it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let it defrost at room temperature before slicing and using.

For more storage tips, see our post on how to store sourdough bread.

More Easy Sourdough Recipes…

If you tried this soft sourdough sandwich bread recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!

Why We Love This Amazing Recipe

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions