Sourdough Sandwich Bread
Make the best soft crust sourdough sandwich bread with our easy no-knead recipe. You'll love our step-by-step instructions and pro-tips for success!
Servings: 16 slices
Calories: 215kcal
Equipment
- loaf pan, standard sized See recipe notes for a 12' x 4.5" pan or smaller loaf pans
- large bowl
- dough whisk
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup sourdough starter (65 grams) discard or fed 12-24 hours prior *see notes below
- 1⅓ cups warm water, filtered (300 grams) 95º to 100º F or baby bottle warm
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (56 grams) or 2 rounded tablespoons of honey
- 4 cups bread flour (500 grams) or all-purpose flour
- 1½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (20 grams) or your preferred cooking oil
- 2 teaspoons fine salt (9 grams)
Instructions
- Add the starter to a large bowl. Mix in warm water and sugar, stirring until dissolved. Add flour, oil, and salt. Stir with a dough whisk or wooden spoon until a thick, shaggy dough forms.
- Flour your hands or wet 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 (see video below for how to do this).Return the dough to the bowl, cover with a damp towel (or plastic wrap if you live in a dry area) and and let rise at room temperature or a warm area 4-12 hours (see chart in notes) to ferment.
- 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 loaf pan with cooking spray. To bake smaller loaves, see Recipe Notes below for directions.Tighten the dough log by gently pulling it towards you along the countertop for 5-8". Place it in your loaf pan, seam side down. Cover and let rise for 1-2 hours, until the dough is about double in size.To see if it's ready to bake, press the corner edge of the dough in 1/2" and if the indentation remains, it's ready to bake.
- Preheat your oven to 375ºF. If desired, brush the top of the loaf with an egg wash.
- Bake in the center of the oven for 40 minutes. See Recipe Notes below for smaller loaves. The top of the loaf should be golden in color. Remove from oven.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
FOR GRAMS MEASUREMENTS: Click on METRIC tab above ingredients.
This recipe uses a discard or unfed sourdough starter, which means one that was fed 12-24 hours before starting the recipe. Our recipe does not use a starter that's at its peak when mixing the dough. A 100% hydration sourdough starter works best for this recipe.
I recommend using a clear glass mixing bowl for fermentation (rising). 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.
Do not refrigerate the dough! Our recipe does not use a refrigerated rise. If it gets too cold, the dough will not ferment (rise) properly.
Bulk Fermentation Rising guidelines:
Rising times will vary according to your room temperature and humidity:
- 80ºF about 4-5 hours
- 75ºF about 6-7 hours
- 70ºF about 8-9 hours
- For temperatures under 70ºF it can take up to 12 hours or more
- 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.
- 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.
- Check to see if the top of the loaf is golden and if it sounds hollow when tapped on.
- Check the internal temperature in the center of the bread. It should 195º – 200ºF when done.
- 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.
- This sandwich bread is also great to freeze. Place in an airtight bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw the loaf at room temperature, then slice and enjoy.
- Check out our in-depth guide on how to store fresh sourdough bread for more storage tips.
Nutrition
Serving: 2slices | Calories: 215kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 181mg | Potassium: 52mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg