Sourdough Sandwich Bread: Easy & Delicious Recipe

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Homemade sourdough sandwich bread is easy to make. This recipe is simple and made from scratch with a homemade sourdough starter. This sliced bread is ideal for sandwiches and paninis. And step by step with video and expert tips are also included.

Sliced sourdough sandwich bread on the table. — Best Sandwich Bread with Sourdough Starter

Sandwich bread is a staple in many households, beloved for its versatility and soft texture. When it comes to making the best sandwich bread, sourdough can take your loaves to new heights of flavor and quality.

Sourdough starter adds depth and complexity to the flavor of sandwich bread, giving it a subtle tanginess that enhances any sandwich filling. The sourdough fermentation process also helps improve the bread’s texture, making it softer, moister, and longer-lasting than bread made with commercial yeast.

Why make this bread

Flavor: The sourdough starter adds a unique, tangy flavor that enhances the bread’s taste and pairs well with a variety of sandwich fillings.
Texture: Sourdough fermentation creates a soft and chewy texture with a tender crumb, perfect for sandwiches.
Digestibility: The fermentation process breaks down gluten and phytic acid, potentially making the bread easier to digest and increasing nutritional value.
Longevity: Sourdough bread tends to stay fresh longer than bread made with commercial yeast, thanks to its natural acidity.

A sourdough sandwich bread on the table. — Sandwich Bread with Sourdough Starter

Bakers schedule

Below is how I organized my schedule for this sandwich bread. Follow this timeline, which really has a lot of room for flexibility (the hours are just my personal schedule).

Hour	Activity	Time
2 pm	Refresh starter	3 to 5 hours
7.00 pm	Autolyse	1 hour
8.00 pm	Knead	10 – 15 mins
9 pm	Bulk Ferment	6 to 8 hours (retard overnight)
8 am	Thaw	1 hour (next morning)
9 am	Shape	20 mins
9.30 pm	Proof	2 – 3 hrs
11.15 am	Preheat oven	15 mins
11.30 am	Bake	40 to 45 mins

bakers schedule

A slice of sourdough bread on the wooden board. — Sandwich Bread with Sourdough Starter

Ingredients and substitutes

Flour – I highly recommend bread flour if you love a chewy texture to your sourdough bread. But you can also certainly use all-purpose flour. And if you want to make whole-wheat sourdough buns, replace half the flour in the recipe with whole-wheat flour.
Salt – You can use coarse salt, but I prefer to use fine kosher salt to help the dough absorb it well.
Sugar – This is a sweet bread, but you can certainly reduce the sugar by half. And you can also use honey or maple syrup.
Butter – Makes the dough rich and buttery with a soft crumb.
Eggs – Add a lot of flavor to the bread, give a tender crumb, and strengthen the texture.
Milk – Enhances the flavor and tenderizes the dough, giving it a soft texture. The temperature of the liquid milk is an important factor in bread-making. It has to be warm, not hot, usually about 110°F.
Levain – Levain is a larger amount of wild yeast that is made from a small quantity of sourdough starter.

Ingredients for making sourdough sandwich loaf. — Ingredients: Sandwich Bread with Sourdough Starter

Step-by-step: Soft sourdough sandwich bread recipe

Refresh your starter – Combine the sourdough starter, water, and flour in a medium bowl. Stir well to combine. Then, cover and leave it to rise for 3 to 5 hours at room temperature until it doubles in size.
Pro tip – You can also make the levain up to 5 days in advance and leave it in the fridge.

Progress pictures making the levain from sourdough starter. — Levain: Sandwich Bread with Sourdough Starter

Autolyze
- In a large mixing bowl of a stand mixer, add the milk, eggs, and sugar. Combine well.
- Add the flour and salt, followed by the starter. Stir well with a wooden spoon or spatula.
- Then, cover the bowl and leave it to rest for 60 minutes.
  Pro tip – Autolyze will help strengthen the gluten formation in the dough. In the video, I combined the wet and dry ingredients separately, but you can do it all together in the stand mixer as well.

Progress pictures kneading the sourdough bread. — Sandwich Bread with Sourdough Starter

Knead – Next, knead the dough with a dough hook attachment on medium speed for 4 to 6 minutes.
Then add the soft, room-temperature butter and knead for another 4 to 6 minutes, or until smooth and elastic.
Pro tip – The dough will still be very soft, yet smooth, shiny, and very elastic when you do the windowpane test.

Rise

Bulk ferment – Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and cover it with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel. Leave the dough to rise in the refrigerator (38°F / 3°C) for 6 to 8 hours.
Pro tip – The dough can be kept in the fridge for up to 24 hours. The highly enriched dough will rise very slowly.
Degas – When doubled in size, punch down and transfer to a clean work surface. Then, break any large air bubbles and shape the dough into a ball again.
Pro tip – At this point, if you are not ready to shape and bake the dough, you can put it back into the oiled bowl and let it rise again in the fridge for another 6 to 8 hours.

Progress pictures proof and divide the sandwich bread. — Proof: Sandwich Bread with Sourdough Starter

Divide – Roll the dough into a cylinder and divide the dough into four portions. Alternatively, you can also roll the dough into one large log to make classic sandwich bread.
Pro tip – Weigh the four portions to ensure they are similar in size. Mine was about 215 to 240 grams each because I use the 9x4x4 pan. These will rise about an inch over the rim of the pan.

Progress pictures shaping the sandwich bread. — Shape Sandwich Bread with Sourdough Starter

Shape – Roll each portion into a tight roll. To do this correctly, flatten the dough on an unfloured surface. Then, fold the top and two sides in. Then, roll towards you into a sausage shape. And place the pieces in a buttered sandwich loaf pan, seam-side down. (Pan size with ingredients)
Pro tip – For a single large loaf, use a similar method: flatten, fold both sides into the center, then roll from the top to the bottom.
Proof – Cover with a clean kitchen cloth or plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for about 2 to 3 hours or until almost doubled in size.
Pro tip – Spray the plastic wrap with oil to prevent it from sticking to the rolls. In summer, the dough may rise in 90 minutes, while in winter it can take up to 3 hours.

Progress pictures baking the sandwich bread. — Bake Sandwich Bread with Sourdough Starter

Bake

Preheat oven – Preheat the oven at 375°F / 190°C / Gas mark 5 for at least 20 minutes.
Egg wash – Brush the loaf with egg wash, milk, or cream.
Pro tip – Egg wash is 1 whole egg with 2 tbsp of water. An egg wash will give a nice golden color. If you can’t use egg, milk or cream will work just as well. However, do not use oil or butter, as it will create a crust.
Bake – Bake for about 40 to 45 minutes until lightly golden on top.
Pro tip – If the top of the sandwich bread is getting too dark, tent it with aluminum foil.
Cool – Then, take it out of the pan, and brush it with melted butter. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then invert on a cooling rack and cool completely before cutting.
Pro tip – Do not leave the bread in the pan for too long, as the steam will make the bread soggy on the bottom.

A sandwich bread on the table. — Best Sandwich Bread with Sourdough Starter

A sourdough bread on the table. — Crust Sandwich Bread with Sourdough Starter

Sliced sandwich bread on the table. — Easy Sandwich Bread with Sourdough Starter

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Frequently asked questions

How do I store sourdough sandwich bread?

Store the bread in a paper bag or bread box at room temperature for up to 3-4 days. For longer storage, freeze it as mentioned above.

How long does it take to make sourdough sandwich bread?

The total time can vary, but it typically takes about 12 to 24 hours, including fermentation, proofing, and baking.

Can I substitute sourdough starter with yeast? Can I make this bread without a sourdough starter?

This recipe is specifically designed for sourdough starter, but you may be able to adapt it using commercial yeast. Here are a few sandwich bread recipes to try:
Pullman sandwich bread
Brioche sandwich bread or Brioche Pullman Loaf
No-knead sandwich bread, Whole wheat sandwich bread
Challah Sandwich Bread

How do I know when the bread is done baking?

The bread is done when it is golden brown on top and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Can I freeze sourdough sandwich bread?

Yes, you can freeze the bread. Let it cool completely, then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil before freezing. It should last for up to 3 months in the freezer.

Can I make my sourdough bread sour?

A sourdough starter is fresh wild yeast, and if you use it soon after it has been fed and peaked, it will not be sour. To achieve a sour taste, you need to let the starter go without food for a while. Starve it until it gets a brown liquid called hooch on top. This increases the acidity in the starter, which gives the sour flavor to sourdough.

Veena Azmanov