Name: Sourdough Sandwich Bread
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1025 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup butter (113 grams, softened or coconut oil ); 2 tablespoons honey or sugar (42 grams for honey, If using sugar, 24 g ); 1 tablespoon salt (15 grams); 1 cup starter (200 grams, active and bubbly ); 2 1/2 cups water (590 grams); 8 cups all purpose flour* (1120 grams)

Soft and fluffy sourdough sandwich bread is the perfect bread to have on hand. Made with all purpose flour, sourdough starter, butter and a little honey, this fermented bread has a lighter texture and tangy flavor.

loaf of sourdough sandwich bread in a stainless loaf pan on a white countertop with a white towel in the front

Tips:
FAQ:
Ingredients:
How To Make Sourdough Sandwich Bread
Find More Of My Sourdough Recipes:
Sourdough Sandwich Bread Recipe

One of the main complaints I hear about making crusty sourdough from readers is that they miss the soft sandwich loaf style of bread.

Not only is this recipe absolutely delicious (making it really hard to ever go back to store-bought bread), but it is also super simple. No strange ingredients, no stretching and folding every 30 minutes… Just mix, rise, shape, rise again, and bake.

Let it cool, slice and slather it with butter. It’s so yummy and it reminds me of a bread you would get on a breadboard from a restaurant.

Let’s be honest, though, it’s way better since it’s made from scratch and has that wonderful sourdough tang.

Make sure to save this sourdough loaf bread recipe for the future. It will be a go to for sure.

six slices of sourdough sandwich bread spread out on a wire rack over parchment paper

Tips:

Use really soft butter and cube it up so it blends easier.
Don’t over ferment the dough. It will turn into a wet sloppy disaster that won’t rise well. Still edible. Maybe. It could also be turned into sourdough croutons.
When making the dough, using a stand mixer makes the process much easier and hands off. You can also do this with your hands.
If you are new to sourdough, you can check out how to make a sourdough starter here, find my sourdough conversion chart, and baking glossary of terms.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.

sourdough sandwich loaf with a slice of bread laying in front of the loaf on payment paper. More slices are in the background

Tools you may need:

Stand mixer

Measuring cups and spoons. You could also use a kitchen scale

Loaf pans

FAQ:

four slices of sourdough sandwich bread spread out on a wire cooling rack over parchment paper

Does sourdough bread make good sandwiches?

Yes. The delightful tanginess adds to the flavor profile of the sandwich, making it a wonderful addition. You can use crusty sourdough bread or this soft sourdough sandwich loaf.

sourdough loaf with one slice of taken off on a wood cutting board

Why is my sourdough sandwich bread not rising?

There could be a few reasons for this. The most likely one is that your sourdough starter may not be active enough or is weak.

Another contributor could be the temperature of the room where you are placing your dough to rise. The cooler the temperature the longer it will take for bread to rise.

Lastly, the water you use in your dough mixture could be a factor. If the water used was too hot, it may have killed the starter. Additionally, if you are using city water the chlorine could potentially kill the yeasts in the starter.

sandwich made with lettuce, tomato, turkey on freshly sliced sourdough bread on a wire rack with more bread in the background

Are sourdough sandwiches healthy?

Sourdough is one of the healthiest breads since the grains are fermented, which makes it more digestible and the nutrients more available for your body to absorb.

Top with your favorite healthy toppings and you can have a wholesome and filling meal in one sandwich.

overhead photo of slices of sourdough sandwich bread on a wood cutting board with slice cheese and a plate of butter to the back right

Ingredients:

Butter (softened) or coconut oil – I prefer using butter for that savory buttery flavor. If you are wanting to make a vegan version, you can use softened (not melted) coconut oil.

Honey or sugar – I like to use honey since it is a natural sweetener.

Salt – This gives the bread so much flavor and skipping it will leave you with a tasteless loaf.

Sourdough starter – You want a nice active and bubbly starter to make bread. Starter that isn’t ripe won’t produce nice fluffy bread.

Water – Room temperature.

All-purpose flour – The best part of this recipe is that it uses good ol’ plain all-purpose flour. Nothing fancy.

a loaf of sourdough bread sliced on a wood cutting board

How To Make Sourdough Sandwich Bread

To a stand mixer, add all of the ingredients. I like to add the flour last, so I can add a bit less or more depending on my starter’s hydration.

Knead until dough is stretchy and smooth. You want it to pull away from the sides of the mixing bowl and be smooth and elastic – about 10 minutes. It should pass the windowpane test. Grab a small ball of the dough and stretch it into a square. It should stretch thin enough to see through without breaking.

Tip: This isn’t a super hydrated dough and won’t be very wet like other doughs.

Allow to bulk rise for 10-12 hours in a warm place like on top of a stove or refrigerator. You can go longer if you want the benefit of the fermentation, but if it gets over-proofed the dough will turn into a sloppy mess!

In the summer, I ferment mine more like 8 hours but can get away with longer in the colder months.

woman punching down sourdough bread dough in a glass bowl

Shape The Loaves And Rise

women oiling two stainless steel loaf pans

Grease two loaf pans or add parchment paper.

woman using a bench scraper to slice sourdough bread dough in half on a white countertop

Divide in two equal parts.

two pieces dough on a white countertop. One is in a rectangle and the other in a ball next to a bench scraper and a loaf pan

Shape by rolling the dough flat into a rectangle and rolling it up.

adding sourdough sandwich bread dough to a greased loaf pan on a white countertop

Add to parchment lined or buttered loaf pans.

tea towel over two loaves of sourdough sandwich bread on a white vintage stove with cast iron skillets to the left

Second rise for 2-4 hours at room temperature, or until doubled. Again this depends on the temp! It could be as little as 1 hour if the house is warm and the starter active. Do not skip this step.It adds volume and strength to the dough.

two loaves of sourdough sandwich bread risen and ready for baking

Bake

woman using a pastry brush to brush on egg wash onto a loaf of sourdough bread dough in a loaf pan

You can add an optional egg wash for more browning.

Bake at 375 for 45 minutes, or until golden on top.

Allow to cool completely before slicing.

loaf of sourdough bread straight from the oven on a white countertop with a white towel in front

Storage:

Store in an air-tight container for up to five days for best results.

You can also freeze loaves in freezer safe plastic bags for 3-6 months.

Find More Of My Sourdough Recipes:

Sourdough Zucchini Bread
Easy Homemade Sourdough Pasta Recipe
Sourdough Coffee Cake
The Best Soft Sourdough Pretzels
Sourdough Brioche

If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone .

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