Made with all purpose flour and just a touch of butter, learn how to make soft, tender sourdough sandwich bread with bubbly, active sourdough starter. So easy! Recipe adapted from my book: Artisan Sourdough Made Simple.
Out of the 4 classic sourdough bread recipes I make weekly (sourdough bread, sourdough focaccia and sourdough pancakes), sandwich bread is the most requested by far. Why? It’s soft. Buttery. It makes the whole kitchen smell like magic. And best part about making it yourself? It’s 100% natural.
There are no chemicals or nasty preservatives in homemade sourdough sandwich bread. Just hints of creamy butter with mild, tangy sourdough flavor in every bite. In this post, I’ll show you how make easy sourdough sandwich bread with step-by-step instructions and video. You’ll also find a sourdough cinnamon-raisin and whole wheat variation, plus more recipes in my bestselling book: Artisan Sourdough Made Simple. You’ll never go back to store-bought again!
Sourdough Sandwich Bread: Ingredients & Equipment You Will Need:
- All purpose flour
- Unsalted butter
- Sugar
- Sea salt
- Sourdough starter
- Warm water
- Stand Mixer
- Loaf Pan
Recipe Tips
- No stand mixer? No problem! After mixing and resting the dough, knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 8-10 minutes, or until smooth, soft and elastic. Do not worry about under/over kneading. This is very difficult to do by hand. Relax into the process and focus on the texture, not the time.
- Think about pan size. For a lofty-high rise, use an 8.5×4 inch loaf pan instead of the traditional 9×5 inch loaf pan. The smaller pan size will give the dough a boost. However, both sizes will work.
- Why Sugar? Enriched doughs, like this one, usually contain sugar (and butter, sometimes eggs). It adds just a hint of sweetness. This bread is not sweet. Omit if you want.
- Make it vegan. Replace the unsalted butter with your favorite plant-based, dairy free butter for a similar taste. Just watch the salt content though; some plant-based brands are very salty!
- Temperature controls time. The warmer it is, the faster the dough will rise. I’ve included helpful tips to boost the process. Full details in the recipe at the end of this post.
how To Make Sourdough Sandwich Bread
Mix the Dough
Weigh your ingredients using a scale. You’ll get better results doing so. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment: add the flour, butter, sugar and salt. Mix until the butter looks like crumbs.
Add the sourdough starter and water; mix again to combine. The dough will feel slightly sticky and elastic at this stage. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and rest for 30 minutes- the gluten needs to relax.
After the dough has rested…
Switch to the dough hook, and run the machine on medium low to knead the dough. This should take about 6-8 minutes or so. The dough should feel soft and supple, and not stick to your hands. On this particular day, my dough was a little bit stickier than usual so I added a dusting of flour to even it out.
Bulk Rise
Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Let rise overnight at room temperature (68 F) for 10-12 hrs. The dough is ready when it has doubled in size.
Shape the Dough
The following morning, coat a 8.5×4 inch loaf pan (or 9×5-inch pan) with softened butter.
Remove the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently flatten the surface to release some of the air bubbles. Sandwich bread should not have any large holes (unless you like jelly in your lap).
Starting at the bottom, roll the dough into a log tucking the ends underneath. Transfer to the loaf pan. Watch the Video!
Second Rise
Now the dough needs to rise again.
This step is important because it builds back additional strength after the bulk rise. You’ll get a nice rise when it’s done correctly.
The dough is ready when the center rises to about 1-inch or more above the rim. It should look nice and puffy, and no longer dense. Be patient with this step. It takes time especially when the weather is cold. This is where the smaller 8.5×4 inch loaf pan comes in handy; the smaller size will speed of the rise. Consider using a proofing box to boost the rise.
Preheat your oven to 375 F.
TIP: For higher oven spring, preheat your oven to 500 F (instead of 375 F). Once the bread goes in, reduce the temperature to 375 F and bake as directed.
Bake the Dough
Place the dough on the center rack and bake for 45-50 minutes.
Once finished, let the loaf cool for at least an hour before your dive in. It’s worth the wait!
Additional Notes
If you have a large family, or just eat a lot of bread, I highly suggest doubling this recipe. Bake (2x) loaves side by side and freeze whatever you don’t eat. This loaf can be frozen whole, covered tightly in plastic wrap or as individual slices.
Sourdough Sandwich bread Variations
- Whole Wheat: Replace 20% all purpose flour with whole wheat or light whole wheat flour. If the dough seems dry (whole grain flours absorb more liquid), add more water as needed to achieve a workable consistency. Do this 1 tsp. at a time.
- Bread Flour: Do an even swap, adding more water if the dough is dry. For example, King Arthur Bread flour is very “thirsty” so more liquid might be needed. If using Gold Medal bread flour, which is not as absorbent, additional adjustments might not be necessary.
- Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin: Click here for my step-by-step post!
More Sourdough Bread Recipes To Try!
- Sourdough Focaccia Bread
- Sourdough Bread: A Beginner’s Guide
- Best Sourdough Pizza Crust (No steel or stone!)
- Easy Homemade Sourdough Bagels
- Light Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread
Easy Sourdough Sandwich Bread
- Prep Time: 12 hours
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 12 hours 50 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf
- Category: Sourdough Bread
- Method: Oven-Baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A simple and easy recipe for homemade sourdough sandwich bread. Made with all purpose flour and just a touch of butter. I like to make the dough at night so we can have fresh bread in the morning. This loaf freezes well (whole or sliced). I recommend this loaf pan.
Notes
For best results, please weigh your ingredients with a scale instead of using measuring cups.
Here’s why: weight and volume measurements are not equal, only approximate! This is especially important regarding the sourdough starter. If your starter is very bubbly, 1/4 cup might only weigh 30 g which is too little for this recipe (you need 50 g). The dough will take forever to rise! Same goes for the flour… 4 cups might end up weighing way over 500 g depending on how tight the flour was packed into the cup. You’ll end up with dry dough.
I used Whole Foods 365 Everyday all purpose flour for this recipe. King Arthur and Trader Joe’s ap flour will work as well. If using another brand with a lower protein content (i.e. Gold Medal, Pillsbury, Heckers) consider reducing the total water amount by 15 g.
Ingredients
- 500 g (4 cups) all purpose flour
- 60 g (4 tbsp.) unsalted butter, softened, cut into cubes
- 12 g (1 tbsp.) sugar
- 9 g fine sea salt
- 50 g (1/4 cup) bubbly, active sourdough starter (100% hydration)**
- 270 g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) warm water
Helpful Tips:
** If the weather is not warm enough, sometimes the second rise can take longer than expected. To speed up the rise, use an 8.5×4 inch loaf pan (instead of a 9×5 inch pan), increase the amount of starter and decrease the amount of water for best results. Please choose one of the following adjustments below, keeping the rest of the ingredient quantities the same:
- 100 g starter + 255 g water
- 150 g starter + 250 g water
Additionally, because temperature controls time you can also increase your surrounding temperature for the bulk or second rise, as needed. Place the dough in a proofing box set to 75-80 F. Or, preheat your home oven to 75-80 F and then shut it off immediately (use an oven thermometer to make sure it’s set to exactly 80 F and not higher!). Place the covered dough inside until it bulks up. Do no use this option overnight- it will be too warm.
Instructions
Baking Schedule: this is an overnight dough which takes approximately 10-12 hrs to rise @ 68 F. Start the night before, in the evening, and plan to bake the following day. If it’s warmer than 68 F the dough will take less time to rise. Alternatively, start in the morning and bake in the afternoon or evening.
Mix the Dough
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the flour, butter, sugar and salt. Mix on low speed until combined; the butter should look like crumbs.
Add the starter and warm water. Mix until the flour is fully absorbed (get in there with your hands to finish mixing). The dough will feel slightly sticky and elastic at this stage. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let rest for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, replenish you starter with fresh flour and water.
After the dough has rested, switch to the dough hook and run the machine on medium-low (#3 on a KitchenAid) for 6-8 minutes. The dough will feel soft and supple and not stick to your hands. If it does, add a dusting of flour.
Note: If you do not have a stand mixer, the dough can be made by hand. After mixing and resting for 30 minutes, knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 8-10 minutes, or until smooth, soft and elastic. Do not worry about under/over kneading. Relax into the process and focus on the texture, not the time.
Bulk Rise
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise overnight at room temperature (68 F) until double in size, about 10-12 hrs. Please refer to the Baking Schedule above for additional rise time options.
Shape the Dough
In the morning, coat an 8.5×4 inch loaf pan with butter.
Remove the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently flatten the surface to release any large air bubbles.
Roll the dough into a log tucking the ends underneath. Rest for 5-10 minutes. With floured hands, gently cup the dough and pull it toward you to tighten its shape. Using a bench knife, place the dough into the loaf pan seam side down.
Second Rise
Cover the dough with lightly oiled or buttered plastic wrap. Let rest at room temperature until it has risen to about 1-inch above the rim of the pan (check the height by looking at the domed center portion of the dough). You are not looking for it to double in size. For timing, this can take anywhere from 1 1/2-2 hours (or more!) depending on temperature and the amount of sourdough starter used. Remember, the warmer it is, the faster the dough will rise. Refer to the “helpful tips” at the top of this post.
Preheat your oven to 375 F. Note: For higher oven spring, preheat to 500 F instead. Reduce to 375 F once the dough goes into the oven and bake as directed.
Bake the Dough
Bake the dough on the center rack for about 45-50 minutes, or until golden brown.
Cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes, and then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
This sandwich loaf will stay fresh for up to 3 days, stored in a plastic bag at room temperature.
Comments
Rose says
This is perfect!!! Enjoyed making this bread. Thanks so much!!
Sof says
This is my go to reference recipe now for my sandwich loaves. It’s pretty forgiving in my experience (as a beginner). I’ve made more than 10 loaves so far using this and my family loves it. Thank you!
Christina Rasmussen says
Awesome recipe! Can I make with olive oil though? A friend cannot have butter.
Lynn says
Hi,
I have made both, but am a little curious as to why the loaf / sandwich bread is not refrigerated in the morning and the boule is ?
Thank-you.
Kari says
Does this freeze well at all? Say I want to bake a few loaves to pull out throughout the week.
Meghan says
Yes! I slice the full loaf and freeze and take out individual slices to toast.
Rosie says
Hello!
Thanks for sharing this recipe with the web!
Do I make any modifications if I’m using a glass loaf pan instead of metal?
Thanks!!
-Rosie
Natasha says
Great recipe. As a newbie I want to try this next! Can you substitute Milk instead of water?
Emily says
Can I put the dough in the fridge overnight before the second rise? Or should I let it rise the second time and then put it in the fridge? Just trying to figure out my timing! Thank you :)
Emilie Raffa says
You can do both. If you put the dough in the fridge overnight before the second rise, heads up: it won’t rise much at all. You’ll need to continue to let it rise the next day at room temperature. Alternatively, after the bulk rise, you can shape and chill the dough overnight (second rise). In the morning, asses the dough before baking. If it needs more time to “plump” up, let it rest at room temperature as needed.
Jamie says
2nd time making this bread and the flavor is amazing but I am struggling to get it nice and fluffy… its a little too dense for me. It’s rising just like it should and looks perfect when I put in loaf pan but then when I take out of the oven the top isn’t rounded (looks flat) and bread is not as fluffy as im thinking it needs to be. Any suggestions!?
carol says
Help! I was bored and started your Sandwich Bread Recipe. I finished up at 12 noon. BUT there is no way I can stay up until 10 or midnight. Can I put the dough(first rise) in refrigerator and finish up in the morning?
Joan says
Awesome recipe! Thank you! I am interested in soaking the dough in an acid medium. Can I use yogurt when kneading the dough and if yes, how much? I checked the comments and saw Betty mentioned the use of buttermilk. Betty, can you tell me how much buttermilk in weight you used please? Thank you. Betty, I am assuming you used this recipe.
Jaime J. says
I love this sandwich bread!
Emily S says
Love this recipe. I do change the step sequence by adding the butter after the water, starter, and flour have been mixed and this time i only folded my bread instead of kneading it. It turned out great. Has anyone cold proofed this overnight? Even in my cool house (68F) overnight it rose way too much.
Becca says
Just placed mine in the fridge in the bread pan because I messed up timing of the day. Will let you know how it comes out tomorrow;)
Gwen says
Could you replace some of the water with milk for a softer bread?
Jennifer says
This is the best sourdough sandwich bread recipe I have found. My kids and I love it. Thank you!
Meryl says
Would tbidloaf be ok in the fridge at any point? Would I do it after the first or second rise? Just out of curiosity.
Thanks
Betty says
Worked beautifully with first try. Have to reduce the baking temperature since my oven is always on the hotter side. This is the same for the sourdough bread, which also works well with lower baking temperature. I have also tried variations, whole wheat, multigrain and butter milk, even sourdough bagels. All worked out well. My experience is the rising time, which can be significantly different from the recipe because it’s so dependent on the temperature.
Kristin says
LOVE this bread. I am starting to have issues with huge air bubbles at the top of my loaves though – can anyone help me figure out why???
Gypsy says
If you gently pop them with a sharp knife, or snip with scissors before baking, it prevents the bubbles from swelling up and burning.
Kristin says
I do this, but then when I bake the loaf doesn’t look good, and tunnels still form ☹️
Ginger says
Does this recipe need to use starter that has been freshly fed? I keep my sourdough starter in the fridge and feed it on Saturday, therefore, I’m wondering if I need to start the recipe Saturday night using the freshly fed starter versus starting the recipe on Friday night prior to feeding the starter. Or if I use starter that hasn’t been freshly fed, may use more of it….. Thanks!!
Colleen Miller says
This dough is fool proof. I’ve also started separating, and rolling dough into buns to make amazing hamburger/sandwich buns.
Olviya says
Great idea! How long do you bake them for, and at what temperature?
Amanda Pikala says
PERFECTION!!
Catherine says
Hi there, I’m just curious as to why you don’t have to score this sourdough bread since I usually see other recipes saying you need to score a sourdough so it doesn’t blow-out.
Thanks!
Catherine
Rachel says
I am about to make this recipe and am wondering if you bake it in a covered or uncovered loaf pan.
Patty Carroll says
This was my 1st attempt at sourdough sandwich bread, and it’s taking all of my willpower to not consume the entire loaf. It is absolutely delicious. I followed your instructions, with one exception. I placed the dough in the fridge overnight, after the second rise. I took it out this morning, let it come to room temp and continued with the process. Could not be happier with the outcome! Thank you for the post!
Whitney says
I’m so happy to see this comment! My second rise won’t be done until 10pm-midnight so I plan on putting it in the fridge and baking tomorrow! Glad to hear it still turns out!
Abbie says
Ohhh my! Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe! It is so délicieux ♡♡♡ and easy instructions to follow!
Nancy says
I chose the version with 150gm Starter, and used a proofing box for both rises. Can’t wait to see the crumb.
S. L. says
This is my go-to recipe for sandwich bread now. So. Easy.
Meghan says
First time trying this recipe and it turned out amazing!! Followed the directions and did all rises on “bread proof” setting of my oven. Easy peasy! We decimated 3/4 of a loaf in one meal- next time I will double, slice, and freeze.
Martyna says
Looking to replace the AP flour with bread flour and sugar for honey. Any suggestions on amounts? Thanks!
Amy says
First time making and it still hasn’t reached the oven. My starter was very ripe and followed the 50 grams mentioned in recipe. Sat in counter over night but house was 63 degrees. Woke up to no rise. Have placed in oven on proof but barely rising after 2 hours. Don’t want to give up as I doubled recipe. Any ideas where I went wrong. My dough after initial mix felt pretty dry, held together on mixer knead so didn’t add additional water. Felt like an awful small amount of starter.
Sally says
I agree..my dough was very dry added more water and starter…not sticky at all..letting rest now…nit sure lots if flour to waste
Amy Potter says
Follow up ..I did not give up. I turned my oven on to “proof” and after 3 more hours got the rise I was looking for. Also used oven proof once shaped and in pan. It baked up perfectly with more rise and a beautiful crumb. Guess my house was just too cold. Says a lot for the recipe that it could bounce back after all that time!
Rhea says
So glad I read these my dough was EXACTLY like this!! Next morning no rise I didn’t want to throw the dough away do I put it in the oven with the light on.
Belen says
Same thing happened to me!
The next morning I just set it in the oven with the light on and I started noticing it rising after an hour or so. I left in there for 3-4 more hours and it had doubled just fine.
This is my first time making it and I haven’t put it in the oven yet but hopefully yours came out alright! I was also sad and didn’t wanna just waste the dough
Janice says
I have made this often and love the recipe. I am wondering if you have ever made it with some percentage of dark rye flour, and if so, what modifications you may have made to the recipe? Thanks so much!
Gary says
Great recipe. I’ve made it many times and it always turns out great. I suggest you use a bread pan with high sides the bread rise to the occasion. In a slight change to the recipe I usually make this using friendship bread starter vs sour dough. It makes a nice fluffy sandwich bread that isn’t overly sweet like most friendship bread is to me.
Dania Smith says
I’ve made this loaf three times now. The first time, (going step by step down to every little detail) my loaf came out okay but I realized the second rise took about 6 hours for me. I also did not know how to do the log thing so I looked it up. The second time, there were bubbles and I popped them (don’t pop them) which made my loaf look funny but it was still delicious. The third time it was absolutely perfect. It looks like it came out of a magazine. This is now my go to recipe for sandwich sourdough bread. My family absolutely loves it! Even my picky kiddos which is a huge win for me. I only have one month of sourdough experience under my belt. The key is keep practicing, even if you fail the first few times. Make it again and again. Don’t give up and it’ll come to you naturally.
Gary says
I agree with you. It looks like magazine bread. My kid a picky eater and loves it also.
Karen H says
Great outcome with this recipe. This will be my go to recipe for sandwich loaf.
Amanda says
If I ran out of time to bake after the second proof, am I able to put this in the fridge or is it important to bake it directly after second rise?
Emilie Raffa says
You can hold the dough in the fridge- it’s not a problem. Just keep an eye on it. You don’t want it to overproof (this will depend on how long the dough was proofing before you put it in the fridge). Hope this helps!
Amanda says
Thank you so much for this speedy reply!
Alyanna says
Made this on Sunday and my whole family loved it! I’m new to sourdough baking and chose this as my first recipe to try! I was wondering if I could add jalapeños and cheese to this?
Roxanne says
Thank you so much for this recipe! Its my first time using sourdough and it was perfect and also delicious 😊 My loaf came out so beautiful! Now I just need to ge me a dutch oven 😊
Ellie says
What would cause my loaf to become extremely tall, it like almost doubled in height when baked?
Noel says
Hi! I made this recipe using 150g fed starter and 250g water and it rose very high when baking.
I want to make it again today but I noticed the initial ingredient list says 50g starter (I assume fed) and 270g water. Is this the initial option to try before looking to the the 100 and 150g options?
My family really loved it so I want to get the rise right :)
Caitlin says
I’ve now made this recipe quite a few times, typically doubling it, and it’s the best sandwich loaf recipe I’ve found! It’s really forgiving, I only have one loaf pan so sometimes the second loaf gets 3 rises, sometimes the first rise is a bit longer than the recipe states, sometimes I replace half the water with milk. I’ve messed around with this recipe quite a bit (within reasonable parameters) and always ended up with a great loaf of bread. It freezes beautifully as well (which is great when you only have a couple days a week to bake).
Thank you so much! This is definitely going into the recipe book I plan to hand down to my children.
Sam says
How did you freeze the dough? I’m looking to make a few loaves to freeze so I can just pop them out and let them rise and not have to mix up a new batch everytime. Did you freeze after shaping and second rise?