The Perfect Sourdough Sandwich Bread

This delicious sourdough sandwich bread is perfect for your favorite picnic meal, or a Sunday French toast brunch! The best part about this recipe is that it’s 6 simple ingredients and a great beginner bread-maker recipe. This long fermented bread requires no yeast and can be made in one day if needed.

As a mom of 6, sourdough sandwich bread is a staple we can’t go without. I have fiddled with this recipe until it’s absolutely perfect, and it doesn’t require any stretching or folding rounds, just a simple stretch and fold before it goes in the pan. It only makes one loaf, so if you want a bigger batch then try my same day sourdough loaf recipe.

Cook Book

Ingredients

This sourdough sandwich bread recipe is one that I make the most often. It’s easy to whip up and goes well with so many things. It has a soft crumb which makes it easy to eat for all ages, and my kids just seem to like it best. Here is what you will need to make this recipe

Milk: I prefer to use whole milk, but any milk or milk substitute should work. First, scald the milk, then allow it to cool until it is just warmer than room temperature before using.

Butter: Use unsalted to keep the salt levels consistent.

Sugar: You could use honey or maple syrup as a substitute. The sugar helps feed the yeast and encourage rising.

Flour: All-purpose flour will yield the best results. You can play around with the ratios of using other types of flour, but all purpose will work best for the recipe that is written. If you are looking for a whole wheat recipe, try my whole wheat honey loaf recipe.

Salt: I prefer sea salt, but any salt will do.

Sourdough Sandwich Bread Recipe

There is nothing to this sourdough sandwich bread recipe! It’s simple to whip up in a day. This recipe calls for milk and butter, which adds flavor and makes the bread really soft and fluffy. I make this recipe weekly because it’s really easy to make and everyone’s favorite to eat. Here’s how you make it.

1. Scald milk and cool, and add to a large bowl. Add butter and sugar and stir until dissolved. Add starter and stir until dissolved.

2. Add 2 C flour to the bowl and mix until a shaggy dough. Then add the remaining cup of flour and salt and squeeze dough with hands until flour is incorporated.

3. Remove dough from bowl and knead on a wet countertop for 3-5 minutes. Oil a clean large bowl and place dough in bowl, cover and let rise and ferment for 8-18 hours.

4. After dough has risen and fermented for desired amount of time, remove from bowl and stretch and fold a few times to tighten the crumb. Shape dough into a loaf and pinch the seams. Cover the loaf with oiled plastic wrap or a shower cap, and let rise for 1-4 hours until it has risen 1 inch over the top of the pan.

5. Place dough in a buttered and floured bread pan and bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

Sourdough Starter

Tips for Making Sourdough Sandwich Bread

• Butter After Baking: To keep the crust of your bread soft, make sure to rub butter on top of the loaf while it is still in the baking pan, right after you remove it from the oven. The butter will melt all over the top and help keep the crust nice and soft.
• Mix In a Stand Mixer: You can make this dough in a stand mixer easily. Instead of pouring the ingredients into a bowl, just add them to your mixer and follow the instructions as usual. 
• Wet Dough: This dough tends to be on the wet side. This will make a softer loaf, which is what you want! Don’t be worried if the dough looks too wet, it will be sticky, but it shouldn’t be unmanageable. If you want to keep the dough from sticking to you while kneading, you can wet your hands. Only flour your dough if it is unreasonably sticky and you really can’t manage it without more structure.