Sourdough Discard Sandwich Bread

This sourdough discard sandwich bread recipe is perfect for sandwiches and has that classic subtle sourdough tang while only taking a few hours to whip up rather than a day. A soft crust with a fluffy interior, this is the best and easiest recipe.

Sometimes you just need a loaf of homemade bread within a few hours. 

Say company is coming over, or you didn’t plan dinner or lunch very well and realize you need some bread for sandwiches. Or maybe you are just getting into sourdough bread making and your starter isn’t mature enough to make bread just yet… 

Well this discard sourdough sandwich bread is perfect for that. It uses commercial yeast to give it rise rather than relying on the natural yeast from the sourdough starter. But the sourdough starter still gives it a slight tang.

Is that slightly cheating? Maybe, but sometimes we just need something a little quicker and easier. Plus, there is just no comparing homemade to store-bought bread.

It is soft, buttery, and fluffy with a closed crumb. Perfect for sandwiches, french toast, toast, grilled cheese, bread pudding, and more.

Why you will love this recipe:

Easy recipe: This recipe takes very little hands-on time. After activating the yeasts, you just throw all the ingredients into a stand mixer and let it work its magic.

Quicker: Similar to my soft sourdough sandwich bread recipe, but much less time. Yeast breads just don’t take nearly as long as a sourdough loaf.

Great way to use sourdough starter discard: If you have a new starter and are discarding and feeding a lot, this is a great way to use up that extra discard.

Tips:

• Use really soft butter so it will combine with the rest of the dough ingredients really well and without chunks.
• Don’t let the dough over ferment. It will turn into a wet sloppy disaster that won’t rise well. 
• 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 have a Professional KitchenAid stand mixer you can double this recipe. If you have a standard mixer, I would not recommend doubling.
• If you are new to sourdough, you can check out how to make a sourdough starter here.

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

Ingredients:

Active dry yeast – The main ingredient to give this recipe rise, it doesn’t rely on the wild yeasts and bacteria in the starter to give it rise.

Butter – Softened

Honey – Could also substitute with sugar.

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

Sourdough discard – This is a sourdough starter that hasn’t been fed in at least 12 hours. It is the portion you would typically just toss before feeding the starter. Active starter could also be used, but you will have a less tangy flavor. Find more sourdough discard recipes here.

Warm water – Room temperature. Make sure it is not too hot or you run the risk of killing the yeasts. It should be about 100 degrees F.

All-purpose flour – One of the best things about this recipe is it includes all-purpose flour, a pantry staple. If you have bread flour, that will also work.

Tools you may need:

Loaf pan

Large bowl with lid

Stand mixer with dough hook attachment

Rolling pin

Measuring cups and spoons or kitchen scale

Bench scraper: optional, but helpful.

How To Make Sourdough Discard Sandwich Bread

Whisk together warm water, sugar, and yeast. Allow it to sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes. The mixture should get nice and bubbly. Make sure the water isn’t too hot or it will kill the yeast.

To a bowl of a stand mixer with dough hook attachment, add all of the ingredients. 

Knead on low speed until the dough is smooth and elastic – about 10 minutes or so. It may take longer. You can also do this by hand. It shouldn’t stick to the sides of the bowl. 

To check to make sure the gluten has developed enough so the bread is nice and fluffy, 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. If it breaks, it needs to be kneaded a little longer.

First Rise

Place the dough in a greased bowl with a lid, towel, or plastic wrap.

Let the dough rise (also known as bulk rise) for about 1-2 hours (or until it about doubles in size) in a warm place like on top of a stove or on top of the refrigerator.

Shape And Rise

Grease a bread pan or add parchment paper.

Roll the dough flat into a rectangle and roll it up. Pinch the ends to the rest of the loaf.

Add the shaped bread dough to the parchment lined or buttered loaf pans seam side down.
Second rise for 30 minutes to an hour at room temperature, or until doubled. Covered with a towel.

Optional: whisk an egg in a small bowl. Brush on top of the dough.

Bake the sandwich loaf at 375 for about 45 minutes, or until a lovely golden brown color on top. The internal temperature should be between 195-210 degrees F.

Allow to cool completely before slicing or storing.

Storage:

Store in an airtight container for up to a week or freeze for up to 3 months. Check out this post all about how to store sourdough bread.

FAQ

Can you do anything with sourdough starter discard?

Rather than throwing away your sourdough discard, you can use it for so many recipes. Especially recipes calling for other leaveners like yeast, baking soda and baking powder. 

To learn how to make any recipe in sourdough, check out this post or for all my favorite sourdough discard recipes, check out this post.

Can you use sourdough discard in sourdough?

Yes. As long as the sourdough recipe has another type of leavener like baking soda or baking powder and doesn’t require the wild yeast in an active starter to rise the recipe (like in muffins, cookies, quick breads, cakes, etc.) then you probably can use discard.

What is the difference between sourdough bread and sourdough discard bread?

Sourdough bread relies on the wild yeast in active sourdough starter to give the bread its rise, whereas sourdough discard bread uses discard and relies on commercial yeast.

Is eating sourdough discard healthy?

Sourdough discard is healthy because the grains are already fermented and broken down. It works great in recipes, and if you add it to recipes and let it ferment, it will also ferment the grains in said recipe.

Can I use active sourdough starter for this recipe?

Yes. You can use an active starter for this recipe even though it calls for discard.

Find More Discard Sourdough Recipes:

• The Easiest Artisan Sourdough Bread
• Sourdough Discard Pretzels
• The Best Sourdough Discard Scones
• Easy Sourdough Discard Bagels
• Discard Focaccia

If you make this recipe and love it, I would love if you gave it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone with your delicious creation.