If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my disclosure policy here.
This sourdough recipe uses King Arthur Flour for an amazing super soft sandwich bread that kids and adults will love. It includes a no-knead method that’s perfect for doing an easy overnight rise and creates the softest, fluffiest sandwich bread with all the health benefits of sourdough. You’ll never buy bagged bread again once you give this sourdough sandwich bread recipe a try!
You’ll need an active starter to make any sourdough recipe. I’m linking my easy sourdough starter recipe. This fast sourdough starter is literally fail-proof, thanks to my pro tips. And it has step-by-step instructions – perfect for a beginner.
Easy Sourdough Sandwich Bread with King Arthur Flour
We love the tangy taste and fluffy interior that classic sourdough bread is best known for having. Not only is sourdough delicious, but it is also one of the easiest baked goods to make from scratch: no yeast, dairy, or eggs are needed!
Sourdough bread is vegan-friendly, there are no eggs or milk, and it’s quite healthy compared to other types of bread. The starter needed to make it feature live and active cultures that help the bread naturally rise, meaning that you don’t need any yeast or other artificial rising agents.
Learn more about the health benefits of sourdough bread in my Overnight Artisan Sourdough Bread post.
Homemade loaves of sourdough bread typically have a crunchy, slightly chewy exterior. However, my no-knead bread recipe uses King Arthur Flour and an easy overnight rise to create a wonderfully light crust and soft bread. The result is a flavorful and tender sourdough that’s perfect for slicing and enjoying as your new favorite sandwich bread.
Ingredients YOu Need to Make This Recipe
Tender sourdough with a perfectly soft crust is easy to make with just a handful of simple ingredients. There’s no yeast, eggs, or milk required!
Here is everything needed to sandwich-worthy soft bread:
- Sourdough starter – active and bubbly
- Water – warmed to 95 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit
- Bread flour – I prefer King Arthur Flour for this soft crust sourdough bread recipe
- Sugar – either granulated cane sugar or your choice of sugar alternative, like coconut sugar
- Extra virgin olive oil and salt
No sourdough starter? Learn how to make a fast sourdough starter in my Sourdough Starter post.
How to Make the Best No-Knead Sourdough Sandwich Bread Dough
This soft crust sourdough bread recipe requires just a few basic steps. Spoiler alert: the overnight rise makes a soft bread that’s far better than anything you’ll find at the grocery store.
Start it on a relaxing Saturday or Sunday evening, and then bake the next day. In no time, the sourdough bread will be ready to slice and stack with your favorite sandwich ingredients.
Follow these steps to make the best no-knead sourdough sandwich bread dough:
- In a medium bowl, combine the sourdough starter with warm water, and then add King Arthur bread flour, sugar, oil, and salt. I like using a dough whisk for mixing. Mix well to form a shaggy, sticky dough. Tip: Flour your hands and use them to finish mixing the dough. Then cover the bowl with a damp towel and allow the dough to rise 30-45 minutes.
- Next, carefully coax the dough from the bowl and transfer it to a clean and lightly floured surface. Stretch and fold the dough a few times before returning to the bowl. Recover with another damp towel, and now allow the sourdough to rise at room temperature overnight, approximately 8-10 hours.
- In the morning, lightly flour your countertop. Remove the dough from the bowl and gently stretch it to form a rectangle. Use your fingers to dimple the dough to release the air from the dough (as shown in the photo below).
Then roll up sourdough dough into a log shape. Cover with a damp towel and let the dough rest for about 10 minutes.
How to Bake Soft Sourdough Sandwich Bread
Lightly spray a 9” x 5” loaf pan with nonstick spray. Then tighten the loaf by gently rolling and pulling the dough, and transfer to the prepared loaf pan with the seam side down. Cover with a towel and let the loaf rise for another hour or two, until it has doubled in size.
When you’re ready to bake your sourdough loaf, start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Then bake the bread for 40 minutes, until the crust is a lovely golden brown color. Remove from the oven and allow the bread to rest for 10 minutes before carefully tipping out of the pan onto a cooling rack.
The sourdough sandwich soft bread should completely cooled for at least one hour before it is either stored whole or sliced and enjoyed.
How to Store Soft Crust Sourdough Sandwich Bread
Homemade sourdough bread stays fresh for up to 5 days, if stored in a plastic bag at room temperature.
For the softest crust I recommend that you do not put in the fridge, but you can seal in an airtight plastic bag and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow the bread to defrost at room temperature before slicing and using.
frequently asked questions
Sure, though you will experience a slightly smaller loaf. If you have vital wheat gluten, use 4 cups of all purpose flour and 4 tablespoons of vital wheat gluten in place of the bread flour.
The sourdough needs a warm area for the bulk (overnight) rise. Find a warm place (75º – 85º F) like an oven with the light on, a warm window, or above the refrigerator or dryer to set the bread for 2 hours
I usually go by baking time, if the top of the loaf is golden, and it if sounds hollow if I tap on it. If you are unsure, if the sourdough bread is fully baked, the internal temperature should be around 195º – 200ºF.
Here’s the Full sourdough Soft bread recipe:
Soft Sourdough Sandwich Bread (No-Knead)
Equipment
- Bread pan, 9" x 5"
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup (65 g) sourdough starter, bubbly and active
- 1⅓ cups (300g) warm water, filtered (95º to 100º F)
- 1/4 cup (56g) granulated cane sugar
- 3½ – 4 cups (500g) bread flour (I prefer King Arthur flour)
- 1½ Tbsp (15g) extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp (9g) sea salt
Instructions
- Add the starter to a large bowl. Mix in warm water and sugar, stirring until dissolved. Add bread flour, oil, and salt. Stir with a dough whisk or wooden spoon until a thick, shaggy dough forms. Flour your hands, and finish mixing dough by hand until all the flour has been absorbed. Cover with a clean, damp kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 30 to 45 minutes.
- Coax the dough from the bowl and stretch and fold the dough by stretching 4 inches then pushing it down the middle and turning 1/4 until you make a circle. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with a damp towel, and let rise at room temperature overnight (at least 8-10 hours) until double in size.
- In the morning, lightly flour your counter top. Remove the dough from the bowl, gently stretching it into a rectangle, then your fingers to dimple the rough to release the air from the dough (as shown in photo). Roll up dough into a log shape. Cover and let the dough rest 10 minutes.
- Spray bread pan with cooking spray. Tighten the dough log by gently pulling it towards you along the counter top for 5-8". Place it in your loaf pan, seam side down. Cover and let rise for 1-2 hours, until dough has doubled in size. Press the corner edge of the dough in 1/2" and if the indentation remains, it's ready to bake.
- Preheat your oven to 375º. Bake in the center of the oven for 40 minutes. The top of the loaf should be golden in color. After 10 minutes, tilt the pan to remove the bread to cool on a cooling rack. Wait at least 1 hour before cutting (to prevent the loaf from deflating).
Notes
Nutrition
I am not new to baking but new to sourdough. This is the very first receipt I decided to try and it was absolutely perfect. The bread tastes wonderful and it is so soft! Thank you for a great recipe that will be using for years to come!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe! It’s our favorite sandwich bread recipe and everyone seems to love it as well.
Loving this recipe! Thank you for sharing!
I love hearing this! Thanks for sharing your experience making this sourdough sandwich bread, it’s a real favorite around here, too.
This recipe is perfection as is! Bread came out beautiful, fluffy, soft crust, easy to slice and most importantly, delicious! Probably the best and easiest loaf recipe I have ever made! Thank you for this wonderful recipe…will be putting this in my weekly baking schedule!
Thanks, Susan. We love it around here too!
This is a delicious idiot proof recipe. I make this all the time now. Ive tried it with 1/3 whole wheat as well as 1/3 rye flour and it worked out great although slightly less rise . I think if I added some vital wheat gluten it would be perfect. Thanks for the recipe!!
Oh gosh, what a nice combination of flours for bread! I am coming out soon with a similar Sourdough Sandwich bread recipe that uses 1/2 bread flour and 1/2 whole wheat.
The best sandwich sourdough I’ve made and the least complicated. The overnight bulk rise is what makes this so awesome. You can have fresh bread for lunch. Thank you pulling this together Renae.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe! It is a favorite in my household, and it IS easy to make, which makes it even better.
Can this be frozen after baked?
Yes, it can Clarissa. Thanks for checking. I’ll add it to my frequently asked questions.
Mine is in the oven now! Did a bulk rise during the day while I was at work and OMG. Came home to beautifully risen bread dough. I used AP with one loaf and whole wheat flour with the other. Whole wheat only required around 3 cups (King Arthur brand). It smells and looks amazing so far. I did score the tops with three small cuts….not sure if that will affect anything or not. Looking forward to it cooling off so I can eat it lol
Yay!! And you can definitely score the top.
Can this bread be made without putting it in the refrigerator over night an letting it rise on the counter.
This sourdough sandwich bread recipe does rise overnight at room temperature on the countertop, not in the refrigerator. I highlighted that in the recipe to make it more clear. Thanks for asking so that I could clarify that!
I have made this twice now, and I love this bread. It’s so nice to have a recipe with no added yeast — the lift come only from the sourdough starter. I always follow the recipe exactly the first time, but for me the first loaf was far too sweet. The second loaf I made I reduced the sugar to just 2 teaspoons, and that’s the way I’ll make it from now on. Thanks for sharing this great recipe.
You are welcome! This is our favorite sourdough bread.
Renae – I have made this recipe at least 30 times in the last 6 months. It took me a few tries to get the feel of the dough and get a really great loaf. This recipe is my go-to for sandwich sourdough. I love it.
BUT – for many of the last few loaves something has changed. After baking, the middle of the loaf is raw – a big hole of raw dough – which ruins the loaf, of course.
For the life of me, I can’t understand what I am doing wrong. I follow the same process every time.
Have you heard of this before? Any advice?
Thanks!
Hi Sheri! No, I have no idea why the bread isn’t baking through and I haven’t received any similar comments. But, I do have some suggestions and/or tips. Have you checked the temperature of your oven? It is only affecting this bread when you bake it? Try taking the internal temperature of your bread next time – aim for 195º to 200º F before you pull it from the oven. Have you changed your bread pans?
Thanks for the ideas, Renae. I reread the recipe and made sure I followed everything to the letter. On the next loaf I checked the internal temperature – and let that guide me instead of the clock. PERFECT! I love this bread. I made another one today – and will bake tomorrow morning. I have full confidence it will be amazing.
I’m so happy one of my tips worked for you!
Is it possible to use Kamut white wheat flour with this recipe?
Yes, I have used Kamut flour successfully in my other bread recipes (I love that flour!). I would recommend weighing the ingredients the first time you make the sandwich bread recipe. Let me know how it turns out. I can’t wait to replenish my Kamut white flour – right now I only have the whole wheat Kamut that I grind myself.
I’m going to try this recipe this weekend. Can I shape this loaf into a ball (boule) and cook it in a Dutch oven?
You could, but I don’t think the crust will be soft. If you are looking for a traditional boule loaf recipe, I suggest looking at https://thefeatherednester.com/dutch-oven-sourdough-bread/ (all-purpose flour) or https://thefeatherednester.com/sourdough-recipe/ (a blend of all-purpose flour and bread flour) which are dutch oven sourdough bread recipes.
Would I be able to use AP flour and/ or whole wheat flour? If I can’t get ahold of any bread flour?
Thanks
Yes, you can use AP flour! The loaf rise might be a little less. I haven’t tested this with whole wheat flour.
Love this bread! So easy! So yummy
It’s so easy that it’s a staple in our house! I’m glad you love it, too.
I’m not sure what I did wrong but my bread is dense and my crust rock hard… the first time it tasted undercooked so I baked the second for an extra 10 mins, it’s tastes better and rose better but has an even harder crust than the first try. I let them rise for a good 12 hours and the dough looks and feels light and airy. I think where I’m going wrong is during the proofing? It doesn’t seem to double in size, it’s only a slight rise no matter how long I wait. Could this be due to not stretching the dough enough before letting it proof? I’m using the same flour you recommended, I also used your starter recipe, I’m on day 8 or 9 now. Any advice you can give would be appreciated, I’m feeling a little defeated. Thanks.
Since your starter is young, it sounds like it might not be ready for baking yet. Although my sourdough starter was ready for baking at a week, depending on the environment your starter is in, it might not be ready. It takes a strong and active starter to rise a loaf of bread. Read this: https://thefeatherednester.com/homemade-sourdough-starter/#h-knowing-when-your-starter-is-ready-to-use . If your starter meets all those milestones, then I would look at the temperature of the room for your overnight (or bulk rise). Is it at least 75ºF?
I was wondering if this dough could be cold retarded in the fridge and if so, at what stage in the process could this be done. Thanks!
I made this today following the recipe exactly and the loaf was very good, but a bit sweet. Next time I might try cutting the sugar in half.
I have not tried refrigerating the dough with this recipe. Since I’m not sure what your goal is by refrigerating the dough – for example, to bake it at a later time – perhaps you should just do a daytime fermentation rise rather than overnight?
The acidity and flavor of everyone’s sourdough starter is a little different, so if your starter makes a sweeter loaf then cutting the sugar in half would be fine.
I just made this recipe. I did put in refrigerator to retard overnight. I mixed ingredients late in morning (as I’m not an early riser!). I let it sit for 8 1/2 hours on counter in approx. 74° F kitchen. I then put in fridge overnight for about 11 hours. Took it out let it come to room temp for about 1 hour. Removed from bowl and continued with recipe. I let it sit for another 1 1/2 hours shaped in bread tin before putting it in oven. Worked out perfectly. Still had lots of rise. Thanks for the recipe!
I’m glad you were able to adapt the recipe for your needs! I plan on modifying this recipe to make a new sourdough bread recipe with an overnight refrigerated (retard) rise soon. Your tips will definitely help me when I do my recipe testing, thanks!
this is THE best recipe – I double it each time I make it as one just doesn’t last. You’ve made bread making super easy and simple.
thank you * thank you * thank you * thank you * thank you * thank you * thank you * thank you* thank you * thank you * thank you * thank you * thank you
You are so welcome! Comments like this make me so happy.
Just made this recipe today and it was fantastic! This is going to be my sandwich bread go to. Thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, too. We just love how soft it is, which is amazing for sourdough bread.
I leave in a warm whether. Should I learn it 8-10 hours over night on the counter or in the fridge?
On the counter overnight (not the fridge). You should be fine. We keep our house at 78º overnight and mine rises perfectly overnight.
How much sugar do you use? I was confused about the 1/4 cup then TBSP
It’s 1/4 cup. Thanks so much for pointing out that typo to me!
This is the best sandwich loaf I’ve ever had!!! The only change I made was using 100g wholewheat flour + 400g bread flour. I think I’ll just bake it for 5 or 10 minutes less next time, too, as I have a fan oven and the top of the loaf was slightly overdone. But apart from that, it was delicious! Definitely making it again!!
I would love to try making this with whole wheat, so thanks so much for sharing this! I’m glad you found a new favorite, too.
Does this sourdough bread recipe have the sour tang to it? I have been looking for the San Francisco sour dough.
Thanks
No, this recipe has a mild sandwich bread flavor. I find that the sour tang comes more from the sourdough starter than the recipe. Amazon sells a tangy San Francisco-style sourdough starter here. . I’d suggest a sourdough starter designed for that tangy sourdough taste.
Hi, thanks so much for this recipe!
After twice fail with other recipe , this is my first time baking sourdough successfully. The taste is just amazing! I live in a humid tropical country and your step by step recipe still works well. Definitely a keeper!! I will post the pic on your Pinterest. Thanks again!!
I’m so glad to hear my recipe has worked out well for you! This is one of our favorite breads.
Brilliant! I’ve been making comparatively rustic and hardy loaves and boules for the last 15 months, but my first attempt at this wonderful sandwich loaf turned out beautifully, and is a welcome addition to my sourdough repretoire.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe. As much as I enjoy rustic loaves, it’s great to have some soft sandwich bread on hand, too, right?
Great tasting recipe 🙂 I’ve baked this bread 3 times now, and each time it is delicious. Could you help me understand why it splits on the side though? Id love to make a picture perfect loaf!
We love this bread, too. I haven’t had it split on the side. Could it be the edge of the roll from when you rolled the bread dough up? If so, then either start pinching the edge of the roll to seal it or ensure that it is on the bottom of the loaf when you add it to the bread pan. That should solve it.
Splitting typically happens when you have under proven your dough. I’m not sure if that’s the case for you, but maybe try that!
That’s a good recommendation, too!
Wonderful recipe. I have been making it for my husband and for my son and his wife. They love my sourdough bread but want a softer bread for sandwiches. This is so easy. I have a question. I made the dough early in the day today but its now late and I don’t have time to put it in the loaf pans for another 2 hours. Can I put the bowl in the fridge overnight and then in loaf pans in the am? (by the way I have also made this into cinnamon raisin bread!)
This bread recipe has become a favorite! I love how easy the process is. It makes beautiful fluffy bread both times I’ve tried it. The instructions are clear and easy to follow. Thank you so much for an amazing recipe!
I love hearing this! Thank you.
Can you substitute some whole wheat flour?
I have used 1/4 whole wheat successfully in this recipe. Let me know how it turns out for you!
I NEVER comment on websites or other social media so the fact that I’m leaving a comment here says something. This bread is fantastic and is exactly the recipe I have been looking for. I wanted an overnight sourdough sandwich bread that doesn’t need any fancy bowls or baking vessels. This is it! It’s so soft and still has those sourdough pockets of air inside and out. I accidentally used all-purpose flour and was worried how it would turn out but it rose beautifully. My house is on the cool side so both the bulk rise and morning rise took a little longer but it was worth it. I’ve fed my starter so I can bake more. Thank you!
My house is on the cooler side in the winter and I have been letting it rise longer, as well. I’m so happy to hear that you love the recipe as much as we do!
I just bought vital gluten to make this- my son has severe allergies and this is one of the first recipes that doesn’t use eggs or milk- hooray! What size loaf pan do you use?
I’m so glad you’ve found a recipe for your son! I use a 9′ x 5″ pan, I believe it’s linked in the post. Anything close to that size should work perfectly.
Made this loaf in a deep storage pyrex dish (not an actual loaf pan) that was 8″ x 6″ and it turned out perfect! I tend to like wider sandwich bread though.
Looks delicious and easy enough for a first time bread maker!
It is definitely the perfect recipe for a beginner!
So excited to try this! Thank you for another great recipe!
We are so in love with this bread! I’ve been making it weekly. It keeps really well at room temperature.