Sourdough Sandwich Bread

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, buying it from the store will be a thing of the past!

Why We Love This Sourdough Sandwich Bread

1. 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.
   
2. 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.
   
3. 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.

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 No Knead Sourdough 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.

Mix the dough

1. First, feed your starter 12-24 hours before starting the recipe.
   
2. 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.

3. 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.
   
4. 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.

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!

5. 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.

6. 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

7. 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.

8. 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.

If you want to add flavor to your sandwich bread, you might want to try our sourdough cinnamon raisin bread!

Recipe FAQs

More Easy Sourdough Recipes…

• Double Chocolate Sourdough Bread
  
• Jalapeno Cheddar Sourdough Bread
  
• Sourdough Bread Bowls Recipe
  
• Sourdough Garlic Toast

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!