Sourdough Sandwich Bread with a Soft Crust
Sourdough Sandwich Bread is made with milk, butter & active sourdough starter. This soft crust sourdough bread has a tender crumb and awesome flavor. It makes a perfect sandwich.
Table of contents
Why this is the best Sourdough Sandwich Bread
White Sandwich Bread doesn’t have to have the lackluster taste and squishy texture of a certain “wonderous” bread that many of us ate growing up. This sourdough sandwich bread has deep flavor, a beautiful texture and a soft crust.
Milk, butter and a whisper of sugar create a perfectly soft white bread that is ideal for making a great PB&J or BLT.
Although this recipe takes a good 8-12 hours from start to finish, the vast majority of the time is hands off.
To make this recipe even more convenient, you can let the dough rise over night. A long rise in the refrigerator does only good things for the bread.
If you don’t already have one, I can show you how to make a sourdough starter and how to feed a sourdough starter.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Sourdough Starter – This recipe was developed using 100% hydration starter. You will need to adjust the liquid or flour in the recipe if you’re starter isn’t at 100% hydration.
- All Purpose Flour – Medium protein AP flour makes a bread with a soft crumb yet develops enough gluten so the bread rises high in the oven.
- Milk – Scalding denatures (breaks down) proteins in the milk which can interfere with gluten development.
- Butter – A little fat softens the crumb of the bread.
- Salt – For flavor.
- Sugar – Enhances browning and make the crumb soft and slightly sweet.
How to make Sourdough Sandwich Bread with a soft crust
- Mix the dough and set it aside for the initial fermentation.
- With each hour of fermentation the dough will rise higher, become more active and more elastic.
- After the initial fermentation you can continue on to shape and bake the loaf, or you can refrigerate the dough overnight and continue the next day. A long, cool rest in the refrigerator enhances the flavor and texture of the dough.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
- Without kneading out the air, gently form the dough into a rectangle.
- Roll the rectangle into a log and set into a lightly greased loaf pan.
- Cover the pan and set the loaf aside to rise.
- The dough will expand to almost fill the pan.
- Slash the top of the loaf to promote even rising in the oven.
- Brush the loaf with egg wash and bake until the interior temperature is 200F.
- Cool the loaf completely before cutting.
A timeline for making Sourdough Sandwich Bread:
- If your starter needs feeding, do that the night before or early in the morning of the day you want to make the dough.
- Mix the dough in the afternoon, allow it to ferment for 3-4 hours then refrigerate the dough before going to bed.
- Take the dough out of the refrigerator first thing in the morning, shape the loaf and set it into the pan.
- To warm up the dough, turn on the oven just until it’s barely warm. Turn off the oven and set the pan with the cool dough in the oven. Remove the pan once the dough is back to room temperature. You can skip this step, but it does speed up the rising time.
- Leave the loaf to rise for 1 1/2- 2 hours, or as long as is needed to almost double in size.
- To make and bake the dough in the same day, feed your starter the evening before so it’s active by morning. Start the dough early in the morning and it should be ready to bake by late afternoon or early evening.
Storage
Sourdough Sandwich bread will keep at room temperature for 2-3 days. The bread (sliced or whole) can be frozen for up to a month.
I know you hate to throw away that sourdough discard. Check out these recipes that use sourdough discard.
More great sourdough breads
- Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread
- Sourdough Hoagie Rolls
- Sourdough Multigrain Bread
- Sourdough Semolina Bread
- Sourdough Rye Bread
- Crusty Sourdough Bread
If you love this recipe as much as I do, I’d really appreciate a star rating and a quick comment. Ratings and comments help my recipes show in search results. Thanks!
Sourdough Sandwich Bread Recipe
This white bread has a soft crust, tender crumb and awesome flavor. It makes a perfect sandwich. This recipe makes 1 large loaf. The exact number of servings will vary based on how the loaf is sliced.
servings
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Ingredients
- 8 oz whole milk (1 cup)
- 1 oz unsalted butter
- 8 oz active sourdough starter (1 cup, 100% hydration)
- ½ oz granulated sugar (1 tablespoon)
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 12 ½ oz all purpose flour (2 ½ cups, see note)
- 1 large egg (for egg wash)
Instructions
- Warm 8 oz whole milk in the microwave to until scalding hot (just before it comes to a boil.) Stir 1 oz unsalted butter into the warm milk to melt. Set the milk aside to cool until it's slightly warmer than body temp.
- In a mixer bowl, combine the warm milk with 8 oz active sourdough starter, ½ oz granulated sugar and 1 ½ teaspoons salt and stir to combine. Add 1 ½ cups of the flour and stir until the batter looks like thick pancake batter. If using a stand mixer, change to the dough hook.
- With the mixer running, slowly add the remaining flour until the dough gathers on the hook and clears the sides of the bowl. Knead for 5 minutes. If mixing by hand, stir in as much flour as you can then turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead in the remaining flour.
- Remove the dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky. Knead to form a smooth ball. If the dough is very sticky sprinkle a little more flour as you knead.
- Place the dough in an oiled bowl, turning once to coat the dough. Cover the bowl and set it aside at room temperature.
- After 60 minutes uncover the bowl, lift one side of the dough and fold it into the middle of the dough. Repeat with the other three sides of the dough then flip the dough over. You're basically turning the dough inside-out to redistribute the yeast and strengthen the gluten. Cover the bowl and after 60 minutes repeat the procedure.
- Cover the bowl and after 60 minutes fold the dough one more time. By now the dough should be lively, elastic and airy. If the dough is still sluggish give it another hour or two at room temperature. If you want to finish making the bread in the morning return the dough to the bowl, cover tightly and refrigerate overnight. The next morning continue with shaping. Otherwise continue shaping the loaf on the same day.
- Grease a 9"x 5" loaf pan with a very light film of vegetable oil.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and without kneading out the air, gently push the dough to a 9" rectangle. Tightly roll the dough to form a log.
- Set the dough into the pan and cover with a damp kitchen towel or oiled plastic wrap. Set in a warm place and rise until the dough is doubled in size, about 1-1½hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Use a sharp knife or razor to cut a 1/2" deep slash down the center of the loaf. Brush the loaf with egg wash.
- Bake about 30-35 minutes until golden brown and and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The interior temp should be 200 °F.
- Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack. Finish cooling to room temperature before slicing,
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Notes
If measuring the flour by volume use the “dip & sweep” method. That is, dip the measuring cup into the flour bin, overfill it, then sweep away the excess.
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @eileen.bakingsense or tag #bakingsense!
Fabulous! replaced my go to for this one!
Easy to understand the instructions. Thank-you
This is my go to sandwich bread recipe. I mix it in my KitchenAid and finish up using the dough hook to knead it. I also no longer measure how much flour I use and add until it pulls away from the side of the bowl and continue kneading until I think it’s done. It then gets put directly into my loaf pans. Love this recipe!
Made this today. It was great. Loved the taste and texture. Can I substitute rye flour for some of the all purpose flour? Any thoughts on how this would affect the texture?
Yes. Rye flour would change the flavor and texture of the bread. Rye flour doesn’t really develop gluten so you may want to use bread flour instead of ap flour as the base. I do have a recipe for Sourdough Rye Bread that is a personal favorite.
Thanks for the rye recipe. This will be the next bread I try!
My go-to recipe. I really love how the crumb turns out, very much like regular sliced bread. This also toasts up wonderfully. I make this using 2% Fairlife lactose free milk but still use real butter. I end up using almost 1/4 cup extra flour also depending on humidity
I have not made this yet but I have a question. I am very lactose intolerant so I always use lactose free milk. Would lactose free milk make any difference in your recipes that call for milk? Also, in your recipes should I be using whole or 2% milk?
I always use whole milk, but you can certainly use 2% if that’s what you have on hand. Lactose free milk or even non dairy milk should be fine.
I use Fairlife 2% and unsalted butter. I haven’t tried with a butter substitute but it should work. This is my go-to bread for my daughter and she’s lactose sensitive.
Hello, I started making this bread in 2020 and made it weekly at least once for a couple years. After my son was born I didn’t make it for a while, and was surprised to see the method had changed some. Is there a reason the first two half hour folds are gone? Just wondering if I should keep my old standby or if it is the same as currently written? 🙂 Thanks!
Hi Stacy, I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying this recipe. It hasn’t changed substantially. I’ve been streamlining the sourdough recipes so the method is the same for all. The new technique will not really change the outcome of the bread. But you could certainly keep the two first folds if that works for you. Either way, you should still get great results.
I’ll be making this soon but your one comment below regarding why bakers sometime use scalded milk was informative. Now I know.
Quote: The whey protein in milk can weaken gluten development. Scalding the milk weakens the whey protein so you get better gluten development.
This type of information is what I love. The “why” behind the “how.”
@Dave, Thanks for asking this question and thanks to Eileen for answering it. Years ago I always scalded my milk but have noticed most recipes now just say warmed milk. I’m going back to scalding! Thanks so much!
How do I convert this recipe to a 4x4x4 pullman loaf pan? We don’t eat much bread, but we like it fresh. I’m very appreciative.
My go to loaf pan is a 9″x5″. For a 4x4x4 I would make half a batch of dough. You could also make a full batch. Keep half the dough in the fridge while you bake the first half in the pan (it can be held in the fridge up to 2 days). Freeze the first loaf then bake the other half of the dough. If you freeze the loaf right after it’s done cooling it will be as good as fresh when you defrost it later.
This is my go-to loaf recipe for my family. I make it using fairlife 2% lactose free milk. Comes out light and fluffy every time.
Do you know if this recipe can be made with a milk substitute? I am looking for a good sourdough sandwich bread recipe, but my daughter can’t have milk. Could I use water or oatmilk instead?
The milk helps give the bread it’s soft crumb and nicely browned crust. Rather than water I suggest you substitute with oat milk or almond milk.
@Callie Johnson, I have made this many times with water (we can’t have dairy either) and we really enjoy it. It’s our go-to sourdough sandwich bread! 🙂
This was exactly the sandwich sourdough recipe I was looking for! Though i love yeasted recipes, I love when I can use sourdough starter instead of yeast. This recipe was easy and turned out beautifully! This will definitely start being a staple in our house.
Thank you!
First I want to say, I love this recipe! I just had one question. Is there a reason we heat the milk to scalding, or is it just to melt the butter?
Yes. The whey protein in milk can weaken gluten development. Scalding the milk weakens the whey protein so you get better gluten development.
This is the recipe I’ve been looking for! I proofed in the fridge overnight to get that good flavor. Super soft crust and so good! Thank you for sharing this recipe. I think this will be good for cinnamon rolls or even pizza crust.
@Robin, if you dont mind me asking i also want to make it but want to refridgerate overnight do u refridgerate it in the bread pans once its risen/? Thanks in advance
I have made this several times over the last year and it’s so perfect. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I just made this bread and it certainly lives up to it’s name. It slices like a dream and is very tasty.
Have tried this recipe twice I use half sprouted hard white, fresh ground wheat and half bread flour. I do the overnight fermentation in frig. The dough is so gorgeous I love it. Bread baked up and keeps great. Thank you!!!
How long should it take to knead on the counter (once the initial mixing is done with the stand mixer)? It took me about 20 minutes to knead the first time I made it. The bread turned out great! I am making it tonight and it took me 20 minutes to knead. I am fairly new to bread making and wasn’t sure. I can’t wait for the loaf to be done!
If you’re making the dough on a stand mixer you don’t need to do additional kneading on the counter. Give it 5 minutes on the mixer and you’re ready to start fermentation. The dough will continue to develop during fermentation.
@Eileen Gray, thank you for clarifying. Should the flour weight be 300 or 350 grams? I thought 1 Cup of flour weighs 120 grams so 2.5 Cups would be 300 grams.
The weight of a cup of flour is not an absolute number. It depends how you fill the cup. The way I measure flour (dip and sweep) I always get 5 oz per cup. 5oz x 28.3=141.5g. I round to 140g.
@Eileen Gray, this is the process I used as well.
Love this recipe so much! Wondering if I could add bulgur wheat to the dough? Does it need to be cooked first? How much? Would it replace some of the flour? Thanks so much!!
Hi Lena. I use bulgar wheat in this recipe when I can’t find cracked wheat. I do soak it in boiling water before mixing the dough. This is a very hearty loaf.
@Eileen Gray, The Cracked Wheat Sourdough looks fantastic. I don’t have bread flour so can I substitute AP flour and knead it a bit longer to help with the gluten development? Thanks so much! You are awesome!
Hmmm, you could try it but this dough is quite heavy with the whole wheat and cracked wheat. The gluten from the bread flour helps give it structure. If you want to try it with ap flour I would suggest rather than 1 cup each of bread and whole wheat flour use 1 1/2 cups ap flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat. If you’re doing the sourdough version give the dough plenty of fermentation time to develop.
This is my go-to recipe for bread. I’ve been making sourdough for almost 2 years now and this is hands down our favorite. I don’t bake during the summer months because of the heat, but I just mixed up my first batch for the fall and can hardly wait! I’m adding sliced roasted garlic and asiago cheese as an experiment. We had a similar loaf while on vacation and that’s what the bakery said was in it. Fingers crossed!
I have done this recipe twice with great results—just wondering —how many calories per slice?
Depends how many slices you get. You can run the ingredients through any nutrition calculator on the internet to get a calorie count.
Can this be made with 2% milk and how much would you increase the recipe for 10×5 pan?
Yes, you can use 2% milk. You can make it in a 10×5 pan and just have a slightly shorter loaf.
I make this recipe pretty much every week. We use it for sandwiches all week long. It always comes out great.
I’m fairly new at sourdough baking and tried this loaf twice. It’s great and since I’m beginning to experiment with combining flours, I think this recipe will be ideal to start with. I plan to try it with 300g unbleached all purpose and 50g einkorn all purpose. I understand the water adjustment might be significant, but have been unable to find the right amount when adding einkorn to other flours. Have you worked with einkorn? If so, can you give me some advice on adjusting the water? Also, can honey be subbed for the sugar?
I am wondering about this too. Eileen?
Sorry I never responded to the original question. I don’t always see comments as they come in. I don’t have experience with Eikorn. I try to use widely available products which is why I use King Arthur flour, mostly. I do know that you might need to adjust the water, as you mentioned. In regards to using honey instead of sugar, yes. Since it’s only a tablespoon it won’t add that much moisture. If you add honey you could hold back a couple of tablespoons of water just to be sure.
This bread is great! I have made this one and the wheat sandwich bread several times. Could almond flour be used instead of the all purpose flour?
Debra Rockstead
No, almond flour would not work as a substitution for wheat flour. Almond flour is simply ground almonds and wouldn’t contribute structure to the bread. If you want to make gluten free bread I would recommend you find a website that specializes in wheat free recipes and use one of their bread recipes.
Thanks for the recipe…is it possible I can bake this bread in a pullman pan? Thanks in advance
Yes, I think you can. The amount of dough is probably less than you’d usually put into a pullman. I read that a pullman holds dough made from about 5-6 cups of flour. That would be a double recipe of this loaf.
Found your recipe well written & easy to do. Bread looked good and I waited till it was completely cold to slice it. But suspect another 5 mins in the oven would have helped with drying out inside. The slices were ever so slightly doughy.
My daughter thought I was cooking up something chocolate from the baking aroma! Maybe it was the sourdough starter? Will be making this loaf again. Each time is it’s own adventure 🙂
Do you think almond milk will work instead of whole milk? Is there a modification that could make it work? Thanks!
Yes, that should work without any changes to the recipe.
This is a great recipe!! Easy to follow instructions and the end result was delicious! My family gobbled it up! I’m a newbie with sourdough and this was an easy recipe! Thank you!
Guessing this is a no, but wondering if a bread machine could be used for this.
I honestly can’t say since I have no experience with a bread machine. But I have had a number of readers comment that they’ve made other sourdough recipe in their bread machine. If you try it, let us know how it works out.
Definitely possible, personally I use the bread dough setting two times then remove from the machine and finish by hand. I find eyes on is important with sourdough as the season and strength of your yeast strain can change
Hello! I’m very excited to try this recipe because I love your sourdough hamburger buns, and the process and ingredients seem very similar. I am curious as to why the bun recipe calls for bread flour and the sandwich bread requires all-purpose. Are the two interchangeable at all? I have both on hand but less use for the bread flour, so I wouldn’t mind using it instead if it will work.
Thank you so much!
Because the buns are not baked in a pan the bread flour gives them a tighter crumb. The Sandwich bread is baked in a loaf pan so a softer dough is ok. But you can certainly use bread flour if you want to use it up. Just hold back a little, maybe a 1/4 cup, since bread flour will absorb more moisture than ap flour. If you find the dough is still sticky you can sprinkle in the last bit of flour until you get a good dough.
Update to my prior post. I baked to internal temp of 200, not 210.
Hi Cas. I can’t reply directly to reviews so I’m responding here. If you found the center of the dough a bit under baked it could be that it wasn’t quite proofed enough so the center of the dough was more dense than the outside. If the dough was cold from the fridge the center might take longer to bake. Cutting the bread while it’s still warm could also make the center gummy since the warm starches will collapse and stick together when the bread is sliced.
My first attempt at a soft sourdough loaf was a success! My husband wants to enter it into a baking contest! Haha
I ran out of eggs for the egg wash so I brushed on butter instead.
It worked great. Such a soft and fluffy loaf. I easily cut into thin slices, put them into large Ziplocs and froze them so we can have fresh tasting bread for weeks! Recipe is simple to follow with fantastic results. Thank you!
Lisa
I got a sandwich loaf pan with a cover. Are there any modifications I need to make. I will make about 1 1/4 of the recipe as my pan is larger than a regular loaf pan.
Normally, this loaf will spring up a bit over the top of a 9″x5″ loaf pan, so adjust accordingly if you are going to bake with the cover. Otherwise, I think it should bake just fine.
Ive made this loaf twice with fairly good results. I got a stand mixer and will use it today to make another loaf. How long do I mix with the hooks? The dough is very wet and doesn’t want to gather on the hooks and away from the sides
Even if the dough doesn’t cling right away, it should become more cohesive after a couple of minutes of kneading. Do 5 minutes of kneading and if the dough is really sticky you can sprinkle in a little flour as the mixer is running. That will often get the dough to release from the bowl and gather on the hook. Enjoy your stand mixer!!!
Thank you Eileen both for the recipe and the reply. I did leave it in the bowl for over 5 minutes added flour as it mixed. I am so pleased with my loaf of bread. It is the best one so far and so yummy.. I will be making this very often and plan on trying some of your other recipes!
Does the starter need to be at room temperature before adding? If I fed my starter 3 days ago, and after it rose, I refrigerated it, and it looks and has texture to indicate it’s not hungry yet, should I still feed it and let it rise again, then use it while still at room temperature?
It doesn’t have to be, but the dough will take longer to rise if you make it with a cold starter.
Hi
Thanks for your tutorial, so easy to follow, the time line was very helpful aswell.
I am wondering why we need to fold and shape the dough, I did this and had one massive hole along the lenghth of the loaf, what did i do wrong.
Could i just put it in the loaf tin straight from the fridge and let it rise?
This is such a good recipe! It is my go-to for sourdough sandwich bread. I’ve doubled the recipe and have made it several times and it comes out perfect every time. I am making this today specifically for bread pudding 🙂
I’ve made this loaf more than a dozen times completely successfully and absolutely loved it, but all of the sudden the dough is getting super sticky in the kneading stage and not coming together into a solid ball. The more I knead the more it turns to soup and if I try to bake with it it won’t rise in the oven. Any idea where the problem is?
It sounds like something might be going on with your starter. Over kneading is definitely possible and that is probably why the dough just got worse with kneading. Try giving your starter two feedings over the course of a day before making the dough to see if that helps. Also, use your starter when it’s at it’s peak and just before it starts to recede.
I have a much easier time letting a dough rise without stretch and folds, just in terms of my schedule. Is there something I could do to get around them? Extra kneading time? Extra time in the fridge? TIA!
The stretching and folding helps to develop the gluten, redistributes the yeast and co2 and gives you the chance to monitor the texture of the dough. Since you are already kneading the dough in the beginning it should have pretty good gluten development. You can just leave the dough at room temp and skip the folding and still get good results. Just make sure to check that the dough is well risen and cohesive before putting it in the fridge for the night.
Thanks! Looking forward to trying this during the week
This is hands down our favorite bread recipe! Have you tried adding things like cheese or olives to it? I’m ready to venture outside the box. Thanks!
No, but this would be a nice base for a cheese bread, Maybe roll shredded cheese into the dough.
Eileen, thank you for this recipe. I am currently living out this pandemic in Botswana with my mom and dad. At the beginning of this whole thing I insisted I do a sour dough starter. I have one at home in Dallas and have been making bread for a few years with it.
I started one here and while traditional loafs are great, my dad is a toasted bread guy so I started looking for a good loaf recipe.
Enter me finding your blog & recipe.
I’ve made this every single week since April. (I even have to bake a mini loaf for my dad – who refuses to wait till the bread is properly cooled to cut into it *insert eye roll. – so he can have hot bread immediately.
I just wanted to say what a joy this has been to consistently make week after week for my family.
Thank you.
Thank you Amanda. It’s a joy to hear that baking bread has been helpful in these stressful times.
I made your recipe & it turn out great!
Hi there! I just made your loaf. My kids are currently enjoying it. It tastes wonderful, however it is a little dense. Wondering what advice you have for that. Thank you
Did it seem like it got some good oven-spring? Did it seem to lose air or just never get enough? If it seemed dense all along I would say make sure your starter is well-fed and active before making the dough and be sure to give the first fermentation plenty of time. If it’s not light, airy and elastic after 3 hours give it another hour or two. Finally, once you shape the loaf let it fill the pan before putting it into the oven. If it seemed to lose volume then be careful not to let it over-rise before baking. It the dough rises too much it will deflate when you score the top to put it in the oven.
Thank you for responding! It definitely didn’t lose volume or deflate. It seemed fine until I cut into it. It’s very close to being just right, it just seems a little chewy/dense. I’ll will make sure to hit all the points you mentioned very well next time (probably tomorrow). I don’t think it was an issue with my starter, it was very bubbly and active when I used it.
I’ve made this recipe a few times and the bread has always turned out delicious. My question is about the amount of flour. Is it really only 350 grams? The dough is super wet and never clears the side of the bowl when I’m kneading it in my KitchenAid. I end up adding at least another 100 grams of flour. I am using AP flour and I’m sure I’m weighing all the other ingredients correctly.
Hi Joanne, yes this is a sticky dough. Sandwich bread is soft and plush and that comes from a wet dough with added fat from the milk and butter. The hydration percentage of this dough is about 66, which isn’t super wet for a sourdough bread. The bread is meant to be baked in a loaf pan so the pan will keep the bread shape even if the dough seems soft. I just made this recipe last week and while the dough does start out quite sticky, it becomes more cohesive during the long fermentation. If you’ve been happy with the bread with the additional flour then keep making it that way. But why not try it as it is written and see what you think?
I made it again today and it was light and fluffy. The dough continued to be super wet and sticky during the kneading and folding process. This morning, when I took the dough out of the refrigerator, I could finally handle it without it sticking to my hands. Thanks for the recipe. It’s a keeper!
I have fed my starter one last feeding this evening and it should be ready by Tuesday morning. I’d like to bake the bread Wednesday morning. When should I begin .
You can make the dough any time you see that your starter is at the height of activity. So if you make the dough some time today (Tuesday) then refrigerate the dough overnight. Take the dough out Weds morning to shape, rise and bake.
This is my first time baking with sourdough. I followed this recipe to the T and the results were spectacular! This is the best sandwich loaf EVER!!! Even my hubby liked it and let me tell you that he is very finicky when it comes to food. Thank you so much for this lovely loaf and can’t wait to try other recipes from your blog. SUPERB!
Awesome!
Thank you very much for your recipe. Made a lovely loaf.
Greetings from Mongolia.
Hi from Pennsylvania!
My first time baking a sandwich loaf. But had a smaller loaf pan & needed to estimate how much to fill in. Resulted in a smaller loaf and a small braided one. . It was a great success.in texture and flavor.
I .m baking this loaf today. Does the load risen when baking?
Are you asking if the loaf rises while baking? Yes, it does. That’s why you slash it down the middle. It give the dough a place to expand as it rises.
Hello! I’ve been searching far and wide to find a good sandwich bread recipe! The thing that usually hits a snag for me is dairy…is there a particular science behind dairy in bread? Does it need the higher fat content in particular by using whole milk as well as the butter? Just wondering if plant based would be an equal substitute? Like if I were to use a nut based half and half versus a milk? Does it matter? I’m thinking plant based butter would be a sufficient substitute for flavor. Thoughts?
Thanks so much! Looking forward to trying a lot of your recipes because I love your clear and concise steps!
Hi Lyndsay. In this recipe, yes, the butter and milk are providing fat for tenderizing the crumb of the bread for that quintessential soft sandwich bread character. If you use a plant based product that has fat content I think you’ll get a pretty good result. Almond or coconut milk and maybe vegetable shortening would work well, I think.
I’ve read through the comments and my question wasn’t answered, at least not that I could see. If I want to make the bread all in one day, at what point do I let it set and rise? Between 5 & 6 there seems to be only 30 minutes. Then between 6 & 7 there is only 80 minutes, unless it is still sluggish. From there if one isn’t finishing it in the morning there is no long rise time. It says to simply continue shaping the loaf on the same day. I’m sorry if I’m confused, but there just seems to be something missing in the instructions. After shaping it is left to rise for 1 – 1.5 hours. And then backed for 30-35 minutes. That gives at best a total of 3.5 hours. Thank you for your help.
At the end of step 7 instead of putting the dough in the refrigerator you go right on to shaping and rising the loaf. From there follow the steps as noted. The length of time for the final rise may be a bit shorter since the dough is not cold. But with sourdough, the times are always just broad estimates that can vary based on the temp of the dough, the ambient temp and the activity of your starter.
Thanks so much for this recipe, I tried it today and love the results.
Just a couple of things I’d like to check with you. I’m in England so I wasn’t sure what type of flour to use. I would normally make sourdough bread with bread flour but Your recipe says to use ‘all purpose’. I made two loaves today, one using British ‘plain’ flour (about 10% protein) and the other using some ‘all purpose’ flour I managed to find (only 3% protein.) They both worked well but I think the one using plain flour (9%) gave a better result as the other was very soft (still delicious) I had to add an extra 50g of flour to both loaves though as it was far too sticky. My starter is 100% so I’m not sure why that was, any idea? Also what protein is the flour you use? And would it work with bread flour (about 12.5% protein)? Finally I used fresh skimmed milk (fat free) and that seemed fine. I’ll certainly be making many more.
American all purpose flour is about 11.7% protein and bread flour is 12.7%. So I think maybe a mix of “plain” flour and “bread flour” would be a good approximation of all purpose flour. Plain flour at 9% is closer to American cake flour. Skim milk is fine.
I noticed on the amount of flour it says 2 1/2 c but by weight you say 12.5 oz or 350 g. Shouldn’t it be 20 oz or 600 g?
A cup of flour weighs 5 oz (using the “dip & sweep” method).
I made the recipe again this morning and it was a huge success!! My first loaf I tried was too dense and undercooked. I made a few tweaks to my technique and husband said it’s his favorite bread I’ve ever made. Will make again!! Question: how does this double in a standard size kitchen aid mixer?
I wouldn’t do a double batch in a kitchen aid mixer. It would be really heavy. I say that having stripped gears on my kitchen aid more than once.
How do I get the loaf to be less dense? My loaf came out pretty thick/dense. Suggestions?
There are many reasons the loaf could be dense. First question that comes to mind is if the dough was fully proofed before baking. Second question would be if the dough was overproofed and deflated.
I used less flour
I loved the smell and texture of the dough as it was doing its bulk ferment. I finished with that around 2pm, put it in the fridge with a tight lid overnight. Took it out first thing in the morning and it was super dense! I slightly kneaded it, shaped it, and put it into the pan. After a couple of hours (I usually let my dough sit in my oven turned off but with the light on), checked with the finger poke and it needed reshaping. So reshaped and did finger poke occasionally until it passed the test. Even though it passed the test, it had not doubled so I was not sure what I should do. So I baked it. After about 35min, I took its temp and got 200°, but when I got to thr middle it was so gummy and doughy! The first couple of slices, while slightly chewy were still very tasty! I tried to stick it back in the oven but it only made it worse. Do you think keeping it tightly sealed overnight was the problem? My boule recipes I just cover with towel overnight. Or could do you think I messed it up some other way??
Hmmm, I’ve never had this dough behave this way. I’m surprised it was dense after the night in the fridge. My dough is usually super-airy after the night. Was your starter nice and active when you made the dough? When you reshaped the dough the first time had the loaf risen nicely?
I had fed my starter the night before I made the dough and it passed the float test when I mixed it, but it was still passed the 4-6hr peak. Could have been that!! I did not feel like it really rose very well after I put it in the pan. It rose while it was baking though but deflated after it cooled. I’ll definitely try again. I’m in South Louisiana so not sure if our climate has anything to do with how mine turned out.
I usually feed my started in the evening and let it sit overnight but and then bake the next day but I hadn’t fed it in a while so I I fed my starter yesterday morning And put it in the fridge last night. Can I bake bread today?
I have had success if I’ve fed the starter and just refrigerated it for a day. I find that it’s still quite active when I take it out of the fridge. Of course, as with everything sourdough, you’ll have to listen to what your starter is telling you. If you take it out of the fridge and it looks airy and active go ahead. If it looks like it’s past it’s prime feed it again.
Thank you for this recipe! I started a little late in the day and finished around 11 pm. Worth it! Now I have to obsess over all your recipes!
Thanks!
Wow! this was great. I’m making another loaf today. When Corona hit I like many others started to experiment with bread in the kitchen. This has been a recipe that got me to my first truly successful sandwich loaf. I still have a lot to learn, but it sure has been fun!
Do you stir down your starter before measuring it out? And do you prefer weight or volume measurements for this recipe? Thanks!
I always prefer weight measures as they are more accurate. You’ve hit on the problem with volume measures exactly. I don’t stir the starter down before measuring. I’ve done it a bunch of times and as long as the starter is pretty active, a cup is very close to 8 oz. But, again, if you have a scale do weight measures.
I missed the step about rolling it tightly into a log before placing in pan. Will this have an impact in how it turns out?
No, It should be fine. The shape might be a bit different, but the pan will help it rise to the right shape.
Sorry if this has already been asked. I looked through the comments but there are SO MANY of them. Haha. I made this yesterday and it turned out great. I did make the dough the night before and then refrigerate overnight. I was wondering if refrigeration is necessary. When I make my regular sourdough I leave it to ferment at room temp for a very long time, almost 24 hours, for that added health benefit. I noticed it took a long time for the dough to come back to room temp, and I was wondering if it would be bad to just leave this out all night. Does the milk make it prone to spoil? Curious if you’ve ever done this. Thanks!
Hi Tarrah. I wouldn’t worry so much about leaving the dough out because of the milk. It will be baked in the end. The long, cool rise in the refrigerator does do nice things for the texture and flavor of the bread. At cooler temp the dough will develop a little more of the acetic tang. The cooler temp also slows down the yeast activity. I would worry that the dough would tire itself out and the yeast might be less active being left at room temp that long. Have you not had this problem with your regular bread?
Hmm. I don’t know. Lol. Maybe it would be better if I did refrigerate my regular dough. I don’t really understand the science of all of this. I’m still learning. When I leave it overnight, it is huge in the morning, but I just deflate it, stretch and fold and leave it a couple more hours before shaping and then letting it proof again before baking.
As long as you have no trouble with the final proof you’re yeast is still happy. When you leave it out overnight, how long has it been fermenting at that point? If you mix the dough late in the evening and then leave it overnight you’re doing most of the fermentation time during the night. If you mix the dough and leave it ferment for several hours (as my recipe does) and then leave it overnight that’s a much longer fermentation at room temp. Do you see what I’m saying?
When I made your recipe, I started late at night, so it didn’t have very long before I put it in the fridge. I left it out for several hours before baking the next day. With my usual bread, the fermentation time varies quite a bit, but it’s usually anywhere from 18-24 hours. I know some people ferment a VERY long time so that it is almost considered “gluten free” in terms of how it reacts with your gut. My mom doesn’t eat gluten, but she can eat sourdough that has had a long ferment. So when you put it in the fridge, does that disrupt the fermentation process? I’ll have to try it both ways to see how it affects the loaf. I definitely haven’t had any trouble getting it to continue rising and proofing after a long ferment. I was thinking it would be easier to just bake first thing in the morning if I left it out overnight rather than having to let come back to room temp.
I’m not an expert so I can’t comment on the gut reaction/longer fermentation. But putting the dough in the fridge doesn’t stop the fermentation, it just slows it down. The cool temp promotes more acetic acid which gives the bread a slightly tangier flavor. If you want to do a very long fermentation you can just leave it in the refrigerator longer than over night. I’ve left dough for a full day before shaping and baking. But you could definitely mix the bread late in the evening and leave it out to ferment overnight. I’ve done that myself with my sourdough bagel recipe with good results.
Wow thank you for responding so quickly!!! I look forward to baking and eating this tomorrow.
Eileen, I have watched a bazillion videos/recipes for sourdough bread and made 2 artesian loafs. One on a pizza stone and one in my dutch oven. My family wanted a “proper sandwich loaf’ and I wasn’t willing to use my yeast packets because the starter only method has made a real positive difference in our gut health. This recipe/tutorial is brilliant. The questions and comments along with your patience in answering every one is commendable and all one needs to make a great loaf of bread. THANK YOU.! I have only one question…If I add seeds etc, you say to knead them in before shaping. Normally this would be a fold, not a knead. Can you tell me how long to knead. Worried about deflating. The loaf.
When I want to add seeds to the inside of the bread I dump the dough out onto the counter, sprinkle the seeds over the surface of the dough. Then fold the dough over to enclose the seeds and do a few kneads to distribute the seeds through the bread. Otherwise, you could pat the dough into a rectangle, sprinkle the seeds and then roll the dough to make a swirl of seeds. Because this bread doesn’t have the big open crumb of a crusty sourdough, I wouldn’t worry about deflating the dough a little before shaping.
I just got into sourdough making and am excited to make your recipe. I got a little off on my timing. My starter is ready now so after I do the stretch and folds which is 3 hrs the dough will be ready around 3:30. I wanted it to have a long rise so I was planning on putting it in the fridge and baking tomorrow. Should I leave it on the counter and put in fridge tonight or go ahead and put in fridge around 3:30 and cook in the morning? If I do the later it will be in the fridge about 17 hours.
I’ve had the dough in the fridge as long as 16 ours with no problem. That being said, a couple of extra hours at room temp won’t hurt and could help if you dough is slow to activate.
Have made this twice now – have been told that we’re not buying bread anymore because this is so good. Have just started the wholewheat milk and honey loaf. You’re making our isolation time so enjoyable because we are making something of yours everyday now
Glad to hear it!
Is 2 1/2 cups flour the total amount of flour???? The dough is way too sticky and does not come off the side of the bowl as it is mixing. Adding more flour and hopefully it turns out. With one cup starter and one cup milk it just doesn’t seem like enough flour.
Yes, that is the correct amount. I measure the flour using the “dip and sweep” method. Meaning, dip the cup into the flour bin to fill it up and then sweep away the excess. If you spoon the flour into the measuring cup, your cup of flour will weigh less. Also, if your starter is not a 100% hydration starter you may have to adjust the flour or water in the dough.
Hi there,
First time with sourdough starter (started about 2 weeks ago) and first time ever making break.
So I followed all the steps above (to the best of my ability) and unfortunately the result was a super dense loaf. It smells great and it’ll probably still taste good (still waiting for it to cool) but not sure what I did wrong.
My starter was bubbly and smelled good however I noticed it was a tad runnier than it used to be. Perhaps I am feeding it incorrectly? It used to be thicker and more of a “doughy” consistency.
Following all the steps (didn’t do the overnight refrigeration – I just spent the entire day doing the recipe) I even checked the “bounce back” it dented and slowly filled in. Reading comments above that meant it was ready to bake.
So yeah, maybe I didn’t kneed enough? I know the one step I was confused on was the step before placing in the loaf pan. I took it out careful not to push out air bubble and “shaped” into a rectangle. I didn’t know what you meant by roll into a log so I turned it over in half (log) and literally rolled into a log and placed in the pan. The knife score didn’t go so well – it stuck to the knife.
Is your starter a 100% hydration starer? That is, fed equal weights of starter-flour-water. Did it look like the bread rose and then fell or didn’t rise at all in the oven?
Hi, my dough is very liquidy, what did I miss? This is the third time I’m making it and thefirst time it was perfect, the second time it ramained liquidy for a long time, and now it’s liquidy again. Does a hot home make it this way? I’m in California and we are currently going through a heat wave. Thanks!
The heat will matter less than the texture of your starter. Was the starter at a different stage of activity the first time you made it? Do you weigh your ingredients or use volume measure? If you use cup measures make sure to use the “dip and sweep” method.
So when I put the dough on the floured surface I missed the part about making the rectangle and rolling up tightly. I just shaped it into a fat log and put in the loaf. It has risen well but I wonder if I will have to many big holes and should reshape and roll it now? It looks beautiful though.
I would go ahead and bake it anyway.
This sandwich bread is amazing! I only refrigerate when I run out of time. I also take the temp of my dough prior to bulk fermentation so I know about how long to let it go. Typically I end up at about 4-5 hrs for BF with my 75-76’ dough. My dough rises best in my microwave. Then I wait until it fills up my bread pan on the next rise before baking. The egg wash is a must in my book! Makes the crust super yummy and looks beautiful. I store in a container without the lid fully engaged or in a tea towel. The only question I had is is there a nutrition fact for fats and calories?
I don’t calculate the nutrition on my recipes. You can always copy and paste the ingredients into a recipe calculator.
Do you think almond milk or pea milk would work in this recipe?
Yes, I think they should work.
Hello,
I am a bit confused on step 6. I am reading that you rise twice for 30 minutes each, then a 60 minute, then repeat all of step 6 again or just the 60 minutes? Then, after the repeat of step 6 move to step 7 for another 60 min rise? Thanks.
Hi Vicki. There’s a total of 4 folds over 3 hours. Wait 30 min and fold, wait 30 min and fold, wait 60 min and fold, wait 60 min and fold. By the end of 3 hours if the dough is aerated and cohesive you can move on to shaping the bread or put it in the fridge and finish the next day. If after the 3 hours and 4 folds your dough is still sluggish you can give it another hour or two before moving on. The total time can vary quite a bit based on the activity of your starter and/or the temp of the dough and the room.
Thank you… Just starting on my second 60 min. Looking forward to trying this bread.
I feed the starter last night and as per instructions kneaded the dough in morning.. but even after all the folds, the dough is still breaking when I am stretching it. What should I do? Should I throw it all and start again please suggest.
So you mixed the dough in the morning and then left it to ferment, folding every 30-60 minutes? What stage are you at? I’ve never had the dough break apart. What type of flour did you use?
Beautiful bread! I am so excited to have such a great result with my sourdough. Everyone loves this bread . I am making it for the second time today, and doubled the batch both times. Thank you!!
So glad you like it!
I live at 5500 feet above sea level. Any changes to the recipe for high altitude?
Thanks
Great recipe! I made it last week, and my kids went wild for it. I doubled the recipe today, and was worried about dividing dough for loaves, but they came out beautifully. I cut the bulk dough in half with a pastry cutter after 2-ish hours of rise before I shaped the loaves, taking care not to deflate the dough as I cut. I also noticed that for me, mixing by hand, my dough takes closer to 3.5 C of AP flour. Thanks so much!
Thanks for the feedback. Have fun! Are the kids getting their hands in the dough too?
Megan, You’re exactly right! The first time I made this i thought I was going crazy adding extra flour little by little but I’m glad I trusted my gut. It turned out fabulous! Making it for a second time today and it required slightly less flour this time… I suppose it depends on just how active your starter is and how much is “actually” in one cup, contributing to more liquid? At least that’s my theory, but I’m no expert! Either way, I LOVE this recipe… and the Sourdough Pizza Crust. Thanks Eileen, for the quality content!
Just made this and it looks great! Waiting for it to cool before slicing. Is there any special care in storing sourdough bread? Should I keep in refrigerator? What is the shelf life? I know it has no preservatives like store bought. Thanks for any tips!
Melinda
Keep it at room temperature for a day or two, and then freeze. Never refrigerate bread as it actually accelerates the staling process. Freezing stops the process. For all my breads I slice the loaf once it’s cooled, eat what I want that day and the rest of the loaf goes directly into the freezer. Most loaves fit nicely in a 1 gallon freezer bag. I clean and reuse the freezer bags.
I just tried this recipe and it turned out beautifully. I’m hoping my kids will like it too! Thanks for the great instructions and pictures.
It’s definitely a kid-friendly bread.
I just made my first sourdough starter from scratch over the past two weeks. This loaf is the first loaf I’ve baked using my sourdough starter. It came out so much better than I imagined it would. Thank you for the recipe and the inspiration!
You’re welcome, Amy. Enjoy your sourdough journey.
I tried your recipe for the first time with my starter and the results were fantastic. I’d like to experiment with adding some whole wheat flour, chopped sunflower seeds, and wheat germ. I saw your suggestion to use ½ to 1 cup of whole wheat flour, but what effect would these other added ingredients have on the final product? Any suggestion on amounts? Thanks.
I just published a recipe for Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread. You could replace a little of teh whole wheat flour with wheat germ and add some seeds to that dough. I would knead the seeds in just before shaping the dough. You could also sprinkle wheat germ and seeds on top for another layer of crunch.
I’ve been experimenting with my starter and I’m so glad I found your recipes. I’m new to this and I’m wondering if there are any adverse effects of using self-rising flour and/or bread flour in my bakes. Those were all I could find in the supermarket. Quarantine baking is challenging.
Bread flour should be fine for any bread recipe. If the original recipe uses all purpose flour you might need slightly less bread flour because the bread flour will absorb more liquid than the all purpose flour. Maybe use a couple tablespoons less to start with. As far as self rising flour, that is flour with salt and baking powder already added. This wouldn’t work great for bread recipes, but could work for other recipes that include baking powder in them. Typically, a cup of self rising flour has about 1.5 teaspoons baking powder added. So you’ll need to adjust your recipe to eliminate or reduce the amount of leavening from what’s listed in the recipe.
Hi!
Love your recipe and have shaped the bread and its risen to almost double in volume . Started making it this afternoon at 3 pm and now it’s 9.30 pm in India .
Should I put the loaf overnight in the fridge and bake tomorrow morning ? If yes how long to I leave it out bef I bake it tomo morning? Awaiting your response Many thanks !!
Hi. If the bread is already shaped and risen to double you should go ahead and bake it, if possible. Since it’s already doubled in volume you might find that by morning it has over-risen. If that is the case you can reshape the bread and rise it again before baking.
I have followed the recipe (doubled) and everything seems to have gone well until the last rising. It has been in the loaf pans for 4 hours and still not ready to bake. I don’t usually have problems with bread rising in my kitchen, so I don’t think room temperature is the problem. I used the water test with my starter and it floated—so it shouldn’t be an issue with the starter. Any thoughts?
How are you checking if it’s ready to bake? Did you give it the poke test? Poke the dough and if it immediately springs back it’s not ready. If it slowly springs back it should be ready. Was the dough shaped and refrigerated after shaping or was it mixed and shaped without the refrigeration step.
Can you leave the bread out overnight in the oven (off w light on) or counter, instead of the fridge? Then in the morning divide it in pans and bake? I doubled the recipe. Thanks!
If you want to leave it out overnight I would leave it in a cool spot. Also, mix the dough later in the day so it’s not out too long. You don’t want to exhaust the yeast by leaving it in a warmer spot. My kitchen tends to be quite cool in the winter and spring, so leaving it on the kitchen counter would be ok.
Hi, I have this in the bowl working on the ‘folding’ steps. I’m unsure how many times I need to fold it. Is it two times waiting 30 mins each and then two times waiting 60 mins each and then into the pan for 1 1/2 hrs (or so) then bake?
Thank you.
Yes, fold after 30 minutes, fold after 30 minutes, fold after 60 minutes and fold again after 60 minutes. That a total of four folds over 3 hours. But if you find after 3 hours the dough is not noticeably lively and aerated you can leave it another hour or two, or even more, at room temperature. The goal is to get a dough that is well aerated and cohesive. In chillier weather I’ll often mix the dough and leave it out in my kitchen all afternoon and evening then put it in the fridge before bed.
We don’t typically keep whole milk on hand, I’m wondering if 1% is a suitable substitute?
Yes, that would work too.
Hi Eileen,
After yesterday’s successful sourdough english muffin, I would love to try this recipe. With social distancing going on I’d rather use a milk powder to substitute whole milk. I read that I can substitute 1 cup whole milk to 1/3 cup of milk powder to 1 cup water. I will give you an update.
I made this yesterday, I followed all the instructions and left in the fridge to ferment overnight. First thing next morning, I took it out from the fridge, shape into loaf and put into a warm oven for an hour. Then put on top of the bench to rise on room temperature. After another 2 hours the dough didn’t rise at all.
So I decided to reshape again the loaf and waited for another 2 hours. The dough rose a little and I decided just to bake it. It turned out very fluffy but very flat. I don’t mind doing this again one day.
Hi Ann, With sourdough recipes we always have to be very flexible with the timing. How the dough rises depends quite a bit on how active your starter is, the temperature of the room and the temperature of the dough. If you find that after several hours of the initial fermentation (on day 1) that the dough is not lively and aerated just give it more time at room temperature. During the initial fermentation it’s almost impossible to leave it out too long (unless you go days, of course). Next time, if the shaped loaf is slow to rise I wouldn’t reshape it, I would just leave it in a warm spot until it kicks in. Please let me know if I can answer any other questions.
Thanks for the prompt response Eileen, appreciate that! Well, I noticed on day 1 that the dough rose and aerated properly especially next day before I shape it. How long can I leave the dough for the first rise? I got scared leaving it for more than 3 hours. Can I leave the dough inside the oven with lowest heat setting to rise? Sorry too many questions.
Anyway, I make bread and feed my starter once a week. I’ll leave my starter inside the fridge then took a starter to make bread at the same time feed and leave in room temperature for atleast 4 hours then put it back to the fridge.
I am planning to make this bread again. It’s been days but we can still taste the freshness of the bread unlike the store bought.
With all bread, not just sourdough, go more by how to dough looks and acts than by time. To check if a dough is ready for the oven, poke the dough with your finger. If it bounces right back it’s not quite ready, if the dimple remains and doesn’t fill in the dough is over-risen, if the dimple slowly fills-in the dough is ready for the oven. You can leave the dough in the oven if it’s not more than about 75-80 degrees F. Warmer than that won’t be good for the yeast. I use a similar schedule to feed by starter.
I put my bread from overnight in a warm oven following your directions. It was rising well. I then covered it with a damp dish towel to rise for the 1 1/2- 2 hours before baking. It seems to have deflated. When I tested by poking with my finger, the dent remains, so it must be over risen. You say, in the comments above that the loaf can be reshaped. What exactly do you mean and can I just leave the bread in the pan to rise more?
It sounds like the dough is over-risen. You can turn the dough out of the pan, knead it briefly, reshape it and return it to the pan to rise again. The timing is never exact with sourdough (or any yeast dough). So even if the recipe says 1 1/2- 2 hours you need to check it frequently since it will rise more quickly in a warmer room. As far as putting the bread in the oven, as I mention the oven should be barely warm and then turned off. “To warm up the dough, turn on the oven just until it’s barely warm. Turn off the oven and set the pan with the cool dough in the oven. Remove the pan once the dough is back to room temperature.”
Thanks. I’m looking forward to tasting.
Fantastic recipe! I am struggling to get the high grade and wholemeal flour I use for my usual sourdough baking and this works brilliantly with the medium protein flour I have been able to find. Thank you.
You’re welcome. It also freezes really well. I have a sliced loaf in the freezer now. Often, instead of throwing away starter, I’ll bake extra loaves and freeze.
Hi, I was just reading through comments and came upon yours. I am a sourdough newbie and like most people viewing and testing out Eileen’s recipe, I am loving it! I was buying four from the supermarket, and somedays flour is hard to come by with everyone at home becoming bread bakers…LOL!
I actually went directly to the source and purchased a variety of whole meal flour from a mill. Yes, the flour is higher in price, but also higher in quality. They actually have the date on the flour bag when the flour was milled.
The mill I went to was Sunrise Flour Mill our on MN, but they are just one of many you can purchase from directly. I actually purchased two of the blends in 10 lb bags.
I made this for the second time today and it turned out a lot better second time round (I think I missed a few steps the first time, oops!) Really enjoyed the texture of the bread and the fact that it can be sliced so thinly – a lot of homemade breads I make have to be sliced a lot thicker. Enjoying the time at home to experiment with different breads, so thanks for the recipe!
*second time in a week, not second time today, oops
Thanks for this recipe! We love it soooo much
Wondering if it would turn out if I substituted part whole wheat or if it will then lose its softness and wonderful texture? Any chance you’ve tried?
Hi Hailie, yes you could substitute some of the flour with whole wheat flour. You could probably use about 1/2 to 1 cup of whole wheat flour. I would start with 1/2 cup and if you like that you can try adding a bit more whole wheat next time.
Thank you! Excited to try this modification today
I’m unclear on step 7. I will be using the refrigerator method, but how long am I knead the dough before it goes into the fridge?
Typo… but how long am I to* knead the dough before…
Sorry, that wasn’t very clear. I’ve edited the recipe to make it clear that at that point you will repeat the “folding” procedure. I just made this bread myself today and it is a really good sandwich bread.
Ok,gotcha! Thanks for replying so quickly – appreciate it!!
I should also note that I made the dough for this bread yesterday and just let it hang out on the kitchen counter all afternoon and just put it in the refrigerator when I went to bed. The time is very, very foriving.
I made it yesterday\today and it was delicious! The whole family loved our sandwiches. Thanks for the recipe!
You are welcome!
Hi, I’ve recently been baking a lot of artisan sourdough breads. The crust is crispy, inside soft and chewy. I mean I’ve tried store bought artisan loaves and their texture is the same as mine. Mine actually taste better lol.
Every recipe I’ve used takes four ingredients- flour, water, salt and starter. I’ve cooked inside Dutch ovens for better oven spring and it works wonderful. But my wife wants a soft crust. A really good bread for sandwiches. These artisan loaves are delicious with soups and spreads, good as toast or even a slice by itself but I just don’t believe they’re meant for sandwiches unless I’m doing something wrong.
I have a cinnamon roll dough recipe that I’ve actually used for breadsticks, dinner rolls etc – it’s amazing. How can a dough meant for cinnamon rolls turn out so perfect as a dinner roll. So soft, airy, buttery and fluffy. I’m addicted to the rolls. What’s the difference? It seems only milk, eggs and sugar.
I’m new to all this so bare with me – but what makes sourdough “sourdough” – is it the fact I’m using a starter? I’m also still working on getting more tang, four loaves this week and still not as tangy as I’d like it. Retarding overnight seems to be doing something but still not where I want it to be. I’m driving my wife insane. My first loaf was sour and now 4 loaves later barely sour. I want more tang lol. Please advise. I’m sorry for all the questions. I’m just going nuts lol. Any simple tip or trick that will definitely give me a more sour loaf of bread?
Hi Chris, I don’t know if you’ve made this recipe yet, but I think it’s the soft sandwich bread your wife is looking for. I agree that the artisan sourdough breads are delicious, but maybe not the best sandwich bread. In fact, I knead my crusty sourdough briefly before shaping just to knock out some of the biggest holes.
Yes, milk, eggs and sugar will tenderize the dough and could be baked in different forms.
Sourdough is infinitely interesting and since I closed my cake business I’m just now having time to play and experiment. I consider anything that starts with a starter with natural yeast a “sourdough”. A sourdough doesn’t necessarily taste sour. I’ve read lots of theories of how to get a more sour flavor in the dough. I think it’s about the types of acid produced as the yeast eats the sugar. The more time the dough spends in the refrigerator, the more acetic acid is produced as opposed to lactic acid. You may have noticed that if you leave your starter too long in the refrigerator without feeding it smells quite sharp. In the near future I plan to do some side by side bakes to test the different techniques. In the meantime, if you click on the recipe link at the top you’ll see a drop down menu. There’s an entire category of sourdough recipes you can try, including cinnamon buns and donuts that are to die for. Thanks for reading!
Mine gets less sour if I make bread more often which means I’m feeding it more often. It goes sour again when I feed it less.
Yes! I’ve found my dough has a nice sour flavor if I feed my starter every other day instead of every day.
I actually have 2 starters going. One that I feed every day, that makes lovely mild bread and cinnamon rolls as wells as the one I feed every other day-ish (only when it starts smelling sharp), that gives me much more typical “sour flavor”. Also I’ve found my starter is more sour if it is kept just a bit drier than most instructions recommend…I remember reading somewhere that the yeast that produces acetic acid prefer a slightly drier environment vs the ones that prefer a slightly wetter environment.
When I sliced don’t the middle before bakin, it deflated the beautiful puffy loaf. Is it super to do that?
The loaf was probably over-risen and that’s why it deflated. Did you bake it anyway? For the future, an over-risen loaf can be reshaped. To test if a loaf is ready to bake poke the dough. If it springs right back it’s not ready. If the dent slowly fills in the loaf is ready. If the dent remains and doesn’t fill in the loaf is over-risen.
Hi, Is this recipe easily doubled to make two loaves at a time; any changes needed?
Thanks!
Sure, as long as your mixer can handle it.
Which step do you split the dough to make 2 loaves?
When you are shaping the loaves.
I just found this recipe and I am anxious to try it as I have been trying many different sourdough sandwich recipes. Haven’t found one I’m thrilled with.
I am curious about one thing. Is the bread better with putting it in the fridge over night? Does it actually change the texture/ flavor of the bread or that purely a convenience?
Wanted to ask before I make it
Hi Jane, refrigerating the bread overnight is a convenience, but it is also great for the flavor and texture of the bread. The longer and slower the rise, the more complex the flavor of the bread. That being said, if you mix and bake the bread over the course of the day, and as long as you let the fermentation do it’s work, the bread will still be good. The fermentation time can vary based on how active your starter is, the room temp, dough temp, etc. Just make sure that the dough is nice and elastic and rising well before shaping and baking.
Baked this up today! It came together wonderfully and rose perfectly with my sourdough starter. I loved the texture and the ability to bake a sourdough loaf in under 8 hours total time.
Thanks for the feedback, Karlee! I love this bread and I’m glad you like it too.
Love this recipe, but find a discrepancy that has kept my loaf a little too dense. Step 7 says to knead the dough, refrigerate, etc. Step 9 says without kneading out the air, shape the dough. Today, I’m baking this start to finish and realize why my bread is on the gummy side. I am also suspecting I fail to let my dough warm back up before timing rise. Never gets to double and I have limited time on workdays. Any suggestions?
Hi Carol, Are you saying when you refrigerate the dough overnight it doesn’t rise to full volume the next day? The time for rising will vary based on how warm your kitchen is, etc. Did you see the note in the “Timeline” section in the post? It explains how I jump start warming up my dough. I’ll put it in the notes section of the recipe too. Not sure about your limited time on workday. But what I sometimes do is set my alarm for very early, take the dough out and leave it on the counter and go back to bed. Timing with bread, especially sourdough, is always variable.
Do you check the temperature of the loaf? I noticed mine takes longer then 35 minutes. I use a Thermometer to be sure I’m over 190. I also don’t refrigerator. I make it on the weekend slice and freeze so I can enjoy it during the week.
Oh no. I just put an egg in (made your amazing hamburger buns last week). Am I doomed? It’s a bit sticky but I didn’t want to add too much extra flour. Bulk rise happening now. Wish me luck.
You’re not doomed. The texture will be a bit softer and more cakey, but it sill still be delish.