This sourdough sandwich bread recipe uses King Arthur Flour for an amazing super soft sandwich bread that kids absolutely 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.
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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 contains live and active cultures that help the bread naturally rise. That means 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.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
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 for 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.
Tips for Successful Sourdough 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:
- Feed your sourdough starter 12-24 hours before starting this bread recipe.
- 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.
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Flour or wet your hands and use them to finish mixing the dough. Then cover the bowl with a damp towel and allow it to rise for 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 the 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 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 it out of the pan onto a cooling rack.
The sourdough sandwich soft bread should be completely cooled for at least one hour before it is either stored whole or sliced and enjoyed.
How to Store 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, we recommend leaving it out of the fridge. However, you can seal it in an airtight plastic bag and keep it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Allow the bread to defrost at room temperature before slicing and using. For other storing options, read our post, “How to Store Sourdough Bread“.
Soft Sourdough Bread Recipe FAQ
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.
Soft Sourdough Sandwich Bread (No-Knead)
Equipment
- Bread pan, 9" x 5" - See notes for a 12' x 4.5" pan
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup (65 grams) sourdough starter, bubbly and active (fed within 12-24 hours)
- 1⅓ cups (300 grams) warm water, filtered (95º to 100º F)
- ¼ cup (56 grams) granulated sugar
- 3½ -4 cups (500 grams) bread flour I recommend weighing your flour, see notes for using measuring cups
- 1½ tablespoons (20 grams) extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons (9 grams) 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 most of the flour has been absorbed. Don't worry if there is flour on the sides or bottom of the bowl. 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. Do not refrigerate dough.
- 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).
Video
Notes
The recipe ingredients call for 3 1/2 to 4 cups of flour because measuring is not as reliable as using a food scale to weigh the flour. Be sure to stir the flour, then use a spoon to add it into the measuring cup, and level it with a knife.
Start with the lower amount of flour and add up to 4 cups, only if needed. Troubleshooting (Updated 6/26/2023) If your bread “blows out on one side,” we recommend using a long bread pan that is 12″ x 4.5″ in size. Then bake at 375ºF for 30 minutes. Storing Let bread cool for at least one hour before cutting. Store bread in a bag at room temperature for up to 5 days. See our post ‘How to Store Sourdough Bread‘ for other options.
Nutrition
Love Sourdough Bread? Then check out these sourdough bread recipes:
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Grace says
This has been my…to go to….recipe for over a year! I did cut back on the sugar….. I use about 15 grams. I upped the water to around 312 grams. My question is could I make this bread all in one day? I know it’s easy to do the overnight way but just curious. Could I add more sourdough starter? Or would you suggest some yeast?
Gianne - TFN Team Member says
Hi, I think you may start very early in the morning as long as you let the dough rise for 8–10 hours. We wouldn’t recommend adding yeast.
Esther Bergen says
I have been making sourdough bread for several years and have tried all kinds of recipes. We prefer softer bread as a rule and I was thrilled to discover this recipe. I’ve made it several times this week already and it is such an improvement over the one I had previously been using. It rises higher, slices thinly and has fantastic flavor. Thank you for sharing your expertise and for simplifying the process into one that is easy and enjoyable. Much appreciated!
Apryl Fox says
I’m making this right now but I failed to realize what time it would be to bake the loaf and that would be like 1am lol. So will it be ok to say wait until like 5am or later to bake it?
Gianne - TFN Team Member says
The dough can be refrigerated for a maximum of two days, allowing flexibility when more time is available. The loaves can be formed while the dough is cold and then left to rise, although the duration may vary depending on the kitchen temperature, sometimes taking a few hours. This recipe is highly adaptable and forgiving, making it suitable for experimentation.
Allie Slothower says
The best sandwich loaf I’ve tried yet. I have been making sourdough bread for just about a year now and this is my favorite sandwich lot recipe I’ve come across. Thank you for sharing this lovely recipe!
I do have a question – could I just double this to make a bigger size loaf?
Gianne - TFN Team Member says
Yes you may!
Nick says
Hi,
I’m having trouble with this recipe. I made a couple of modifications that I did not think would have a great impact, but things aren’t going well, so I could be wrong.
First, I did less sugar than called for. I also used light olive oil. Otherwise, all of the measurements and ingredients match the recipe.
However, the bread did not rise overnight (step 3). Only after a few hours being warmed by the oven light has it begun to noticeably rise. Could this be because of the reduced sugar? Or perhaps my house is too cold (we’ve been close to freezing overnight lately). I don’t think it’s my sourdough starter, as I made a non-dairy-free dough at the same time that rose without any issue. (This other recipe is very similar except for have 1/4 of the sugar called for here and using butter instead of olive oil).
Thanks!
Bec - TFN Team Member says
Hi Nick,
It’s difficult to pinpoint without actually being there, but I’m going to guess that the lack of rise could be due to both the room temperature and the lower sugar. As you may know, yeast needs to feed on the sugar, so if there isn’t enough, it won’t have the “oomph” to properly rise.
Nick says
Update:
I haven’t “re-tried” using a higher sugar amount. That said, I kept at it with the original dough. I put it in the oven with the light on, door cracked and the dough bulked up enough to shape it and put it in a pan. In the pan, it rose as normal. After the pan rise, the bread baked beautifully and it is delicious! Even tastier than the other recipe that I use, which includes butter! I’m going to keep trying with this one, including seeing what the proper sugar amount and/or higher temperatures do to the rise time.