Every home baker needs a foolproof recipe for soft, fluffy sourdough sandwich bread in their recipe box and here's one that will reward you with amazing bread each time. My easy sourdough sandwich loaf recipe doesn't need any added yeast; it uses an active, bubbling sourdough starter to create buttery, tangy flavor and a light, airy crumb. It slices beautifully too!
A fantastic same-day sourdough sandwich bread
Many sourdough breads need to be started the night before, but this sourdough sandwich loaf can easily be made in about eight hours from start to finish. So if you start the bread in the morning, you can have it baked and ready in time for dinner.
The recipe makes two sandwich loaves, which last us all week long. I use it to make all of my sandwiches even more delicious, and it's wonderful with peanut butter and jelly. You can even dunk it into soups and stews! But my hands-down favorite way to eat it is to toast it lightly - especially when it's a couple of days old - and slather it with vegan butter.
This recipe uses mostly white flour but I don't feel too bad about that because research shows that sourdough-based baked goods - even white sourdough bread - are healthier. Sourdough starter is full of healthy bacteria that are probiotic and extremely beneficial to the gut microbiome. These bacteria help partially break down gluten in the dough and make the bread easier to digest (they also improve the texture of the crumb, rewarding you with that soft sourdough bread you love).
Sourdough bread also has a lower glycemic index, which means it releases glucose into the blood more slowly. This recipe is vegan so it uses no eggs or milk, and consequently has no cholesterol and no natural sugars.
Even if all of that doesn't sway you, don't you know at least that one person who refuses to eat wholegrain bread? This bread would be perfect for them! If you still prefer a wholegrain version, I have a fantastic whole wheat sourdough sandwich bread recipe on the blog.
I made this bread a few weeks ago and it's AMAZING. Super easy and just perfect. I have made SD sandwich bread a few times and this is by far the best! Thank you!!! - Ryan
Sample schedule for baking sourdough sandwich bread
This is the timetable I follow when I make this sandwich bread for dinner:
- 8 a.m.: Make the first starter and set it aside to rise four hours.
- 12 noon: Make the dough and let it rise two hours.
- 2:30 p.m.: Shape the loaves and set aside to rise two more hours.
- 4: 45 p.m.: Bake bread for 40 minutes. Cool on wire rack before serving.
Recipe card
Sourdough Sandwich Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1½ cups sourdough starter (bubbling and active)
- 1½ cups lukewarm water
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 4-5 cups unbleached all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (or any neutral oil of your choice)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt (or any salt of your choice)
Instructions
First starter and rise
- Place the sourdough starter in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add to it the wholewheat flour, 1 cup of all-purpose flour, and water. Mix well and set it aside, covered, in a warm place for four hours.
- After four hours the starter should be quite fluffy and bubbly.
Make sourdough sandwich bread dough
- Add 2 cups of all-purpose flour, olive oil and salt and mix. Add more flour as you knead until the dough becomes quite firm but still feels a little sticky to your fingers. You can do this by hand or in the stand mixer, using the dough hook attachment, on medium-low speed.
- Turn out the dough on the kitchen platform or any flat surface and knead by hand for 4-5 minutes or until the dough feels smooth and springy to your fingers and barely sticks to the platform.
Second rise
- Shape into a ball and place in an oiled bowl, turning the ball of dough around once to coat the top with oil. Cover tightly and place in a warm spot (like an oven with the light turned on) for at least two hours or until the dough has doubled.
Shape loaves
- Punch down the dough and divide into two. Roll out each half into a rectangle, about seven by 10 inches, and roll it up like a jelly roll. With the seam side down, tuck in the ends to form a loaf.
Third rise
- Prepare two loaf pans by spraying or brushing lightly with oil and then sprinkling on some cornmeal or semolina on the bottom and sides. Place the loaves into the prepared loaf pans.
- Cover the loaves with a kitchen towel and let them stand in a warm place for at least two more hours or until the dough domes above the top of the loaf pans.
Bake bread
- About half an hour before baking, preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit/220 degrees Celsius. Place the loaves in the oven and bake 40 minutes. Remove the loaves from the oven, turn them out on a rack, and let them cool thoroughly before slicing.
Notes
- Increase salt by up to one teaspoon if you like a saltier loaf.
- For a gluten-free version, try my gluten-free sourdough sandwich bread.
- Refrigerate: The bread can be stored at room temperature for four days and in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
- Freeze: Freeze the bread for up to three months in a freezer-safe bag, whole or sliced.
Nutrition Information
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Top tip
How much water you need for the bread could vary depending on the hydration of your sourdough starter and the weather where you live. If you find that adding two cups of water results in a very sticky dough, reduce the amount of water next time to 1 cup and trickle in the remaining water while kneading the dough, if needed.
Sourdough sandwich bread FAQs
Yes, just halve the amount of ingredients and you are all set!
The culprit here is your sourdough starter. If it is not active and fed recently (as in eight hours to 24 hours before use) you simply won't have enough natural yeast in the starter for the dough to rise.
To create a softer crust for the sourdough sandwich bread, replace half the water with soy milk.
Bread flour will give you a slightly crustier loaf. Use it if you like a crustier bread, it will be fantastic.
If you have some experience baking bread, but are new to sourdough baking, you should have no trouble making this easy sourdough sandwich bread. If you are new to both bread making and sourdough bread making, you might have a learning curve.
You can use sourdough discard but make sure it's no more than two to three days old and comes from a very active, bubbly sourdough starter. I did use sourdough discard in the past for this recipe, but I find an active starter gives a better rise and therefore a fluffier loaf.
This happens to me too, especially when I get busy and don't knead the dough long enough or let the loaves proof too long after shaping. Next time knead the dough longer until it is very supple and smooth, and make sure you don't overproof the loaves, i.e. don't let them rise for longer than the recommended time.
Kara says
I tried your recipe after attempting another recipe 3 times with no luck, and it turned out amazing! Thank you for this amazing recipe!
Vaishali Honawar says
So happy to hear! Thanks for letting me know.
Arthur says
Good morning, Vaishali, I'm about to try your sourdough sandwich recipe. I love the detailed explanation and sequence of mixing ingredients. I have a fan oven (my wife does, that is.) I am a bit concerned about the temperature and cooking time.
I'm in England and unfortunately all our recipes are in centigrade but if I convert to centigrade it seems to be in the region of Dutch Oven rather than bread pan. It's probably me I'm an octogenarian so bear with me,
Arthur.
Ps I hope my spelling is up to scratch, just before I clicked send I noticed that predictive text had changed your name to Vauxhall.
Vaishali Honawar says
Hi Arthur, So happy to hear you are going to try the sandwich bread. The oven temperature in centigrade would be 220 degrees. Hope that helps and I will also add that clarification to the recipe. Your spelling is perfect. 🙂
Anonymous says
Thank you much for you quick response. I shall give it a try.
Ani says
I make this bread at least once and sometimes twice a week. It's not too tangy so it's perfect. We all love it, even my husband who is so particular about not eating whole wheat lol and my kids. My fave is to eat it toasted with butter, just like you said.
Vaishali says
You need 1 cup in step 1, and after adding the two cups in step 2 you will very likely need more, especially if your starter is high hydration.
Mamaw says
Can I make this without the wheat flour?
Vaishali says
Do you mean with gluten-free flour? I have a fantastic gf sandwich bread recipe you can search for in the search bar or google "holy cow vegan gluten free sandwich bread."
diana says
My starter that I started with you is probably only one cup ( as per instructions). How do I increase my starter amount to be at least one and a half cups?
Vaishali says
Just add more flour and water (0.75 cups water to every cup of flour) to feed the starter.
Vaishali says
It's 475 grams. Sorry, corrected now.
Carol says
Hello! This recipe looks good, but before I waste my ingredients, can I just ask: are you sure it’s perfectly ok to use sourdough discard out of the refrigerator? Because I notice that the recipe calls for active bubbly starter. I just want to make sure!
Thanks-Carol clemans
Vaishali says
Hi Carol, if you use discard, make sure it has been fed no more than 3-4 days ago and is quite robust.
DeAnne says
Is this adaptable for using a bread machine?
Vaishali says
I have a sourdough sandwich bread machine recipe--please follow that!
Lisa says
Love your bread! Can you tell me do you use freshly fed starter or day after?
Thanks!
Vaishali says
Freshly fed starter would give you the best results!
Linda says
Somehow I had it in my head this was a discard recipe! I'm going to stick it in the fridge overnight to ferment, and pick back up on it in the morning! Wish me luck!!!
Vaishali says
Good luck! 🙂
Angelina McCarville says
Hi! What size loaf pans do you use for this recipe? Thanks!
Vaishali says
Just the standard - approx 8 1/2 inches by 4 1/2 inches.
Erin H says
Can you please update the overall prep time to include the 4 hours of initial rising, the 2 hours to double in the bowl and then the 2 hours in the load pans?
Vaishali Honawar says
Done.
Erin says
Hi i make this weekly! Thanks for the recipe! I was wondering how you get the smooth top on the bread? Mine is never beautiful and smooth on top.
Vaishali Honawar says
Hi Erin, just knead the dough longer until it's very supple and smooth.
Amanda says
I made this recipe last night. It is amazing! I added in some everything bagel seasoning while adding in the flour. It is a great recipe. I love the texture of the bread and tender crust. I have made your 100% sourdough wheat loaves several times this month. It is my go to sandwich bread recipe for lunches (peanut butter and jelly). It holds up well for about 5 days in the pantry. I appreciate your recipes.
Vaishali Honawar says
Yay!! So happy you've enjoyed making the bread, Amanda.
Natalie says
I alternate between making this recipe and the no knead sourdough bread recipe. However, I make this the most. Of course, I started out by using your recipe for a starter 😉 I have never had any problems with your starter or your bread recipe. It always turns out delicious! I do cut this recipe in half to only make one loaf and then I make a fresh loaf every week. One thing that I noticed is when you do change it to 12 instead of 24 slices to cut the recipe in half, it does not change the ratio in the instructions. I wonder if this was some of the trouble people were having when they were trying to make it. Luckily, I noticed this and adjusted accordingly, so I've never had an issue. I love your sourdough recipes so thank you for helping me on my journey with "Breadface" (my 6 year old son named our starter)!
Vaishali Honawar says
Hi Natalie, so happy you've loved making the bread. I love the name! 🙂 I wonder why that was happening with the adjuster, but it's fixed now. Thanks for letting me know.
Sara says
I am always looking for new things to make with my sourdough starter, this bread is particularly useful since it can be used to replace something I would already buy from the store! I was looking for a no yeast recipe and this one was pretty good. It is definitely a slow rise so follow the times listed and be patient. Remember it could take longer if your house is chilly. Also, I had to add significantly more flour than stated and the dough was still much more soft and sticky than your typical bread. But it turned out so I guess it was alright.
Vaishali Honawar says
So happy to hear you've loved the recipe, Sara. Thanks for letting me know and for the helpful tips!
Jo says
Can the discard starter loaf be made using a lid on bread tin to get square sandwich bread?
Vaishali says
Hi Jo, I suppose so, although I haven't tried this.
Heather says
I use discard in this recipe, works well. I needed a quite a bit more flour then the recipe called for. Rest and rise time was about the same but it was also very warm in my kitchen