First let me clarify that when I say this sourdough sandwich bread is yeast-free, I mean it’s free of any added yeast. There is yeast in this loaf, but it’s the wild kind, seduced from the air around your kitchen by the flour and the water and by the potent chemistry they create together.
This is the most perfect sandwich bread I’ve ever baked, and yes, it’s mostly white flour, but I don’t feel like the devil about it. Research shows that the healthiness of white sourdough bread far exceeds that of wholegrain and multigrain breads. That’s because sourdough has a powerful effect on blood sugar: when left to work its fermenting magic, it breaks down the starches in the foods it’s added to, making them easier to digest. Sourdough is also probiotic, which means it is packed with healthy gut bacteria, so you can feel truly holier-than-thou when you smear this bread with some peanut butter or use it to cradle a delicious vegan burger.
Many sourdough breads need to be started a day before, but this one can easily be made in about eight hours from start to finish, including three rise times. So if you start your bread late in the morning, you can easily have some in time for dinner.
I understand that most of you probably aren’t sourdough nuts and don’t have a jar of bubbly starter sitting on your kitchen table or in the refrigerator, but that doesn’t mean I won’t try to convert you. Making sourdough starter is one of the easiest things you can do– all you need to do is stir flour and water with a spoon. Nature takes care of the rest. I used a recipe from the King Arthur Flour website to make my starter and it’s excellent. I did change the hydration — the ratio of water to flour — of the starter. The King Arthur recipe has 50 percent hydration, which means it has 1/2 cup of water for each 1 cup of flour used to make and feed the sourdough. My sourdough has 75 percent hydration, meaning I add 3/4 cup of water for each cup of flour when I feed my sourdough. I find the 50 percent hydration starter just a tad too firm for my baking.
I am in love with my starter. I’ve been using it almost every weekend to make my whole-wheat sourdough waffles and they are such a hit that Jay and Desi demand them every week. This bread is our new favorite way to use it. All I need now is to name my starter– I read somewhere that sourdough aficionados do that, and my friend Margo told me the other day that her mother, who kept hers alive for more than 30 years, called him “Herman.”
Any suggestions?
- 1 1/2 cups sourdough starter (see recipe notes for link)
- 2 cups lukewarm water
- 1 cup wholewheat flour
- 4-5 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp salt
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 it barely sticks to the platform.
- 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.
- Punch down the dough and divide into two. Prep two standard loaf pans by spraying lightly with oil and then sprinkling on some cornmeal or semolina.
- Shape each portion of the dough into an oval. The dough should be very pliable and should shape easily.
- Place each loaf into the prepared loaf pans. Cover with a kitchen towel and let them stand in a warm place for at least two more hours or until the dough rises above the top of the loaf pans.
- About half an hour before baking, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- 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.
**
Make more with sourdough:
Whole Wheat Sourdough Ciabatta
All Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread
Sivaay 🙂
?? ?
Si from Desi, Va from your name and ay from Jay 🙂 name for you new starter
Haha, that’s a good one. 🙂 Love it!
George…as in “I want to hug him and squeeze him and call him George” The classic line from Bugs Bunny’s take on “Of Mice and Men”. Makes me giggle every time.
How does one “feed” their starter and “keep it alive”? I LOVE sourdough bread, but whole grain versions are hard to find. I’d love to make some, but my disability makes that only possible on occasions. So, given that, I’m not sure if I’m a good candidate for creating, feeding and loving my very own George.
Yeah George gets my vote too. It’s such a good name for a sourdough starter <3
Plus naming your starter is such a cute concept, love it!! The bread looks lovely btw, I don't bake anything more complicated than cookies so I won't probably be making this, but I will ask my friend to bake some 🙂
Thanks, this post makes me so happy, especially the naming part !!
Hope your friend bakes it for you, Namrata. 🙂
Love George! He is seriously in the running. Channon, I have a few whole wheat sourdough breads on the blog but I am in the process of developing an all whole wheat recipe with sourdough only.
Superb!!!!
?
Sounds amazing! Any idea if I could use gf flours? Any specific ones?
Thanks so much for sharing your awesome recipes!!
Niki, that’s an interesting question. You can make a glutenfree sourdough and there is a recipe on the King Arthur blog but it uses a special starter. I also have seen versions with kefir which of course would not be vegan. If you’re looking for a glutenfree sandwich bread, although not a sourdough one, you might want to try this: https://holycowvegan.net/2013/04/gluten-free-sandwich-bread.html
How about Bianca? Since it’s white and all?! 🙂
Thanks for the suggestion, Vidya. Definitely in the running. ?
Your bread sounds wonderful
and about to try baking it now,
thank you for making it possible.
Awesome, hope you like it!
Sam 🙂 Sammy boy 🙂
I love that name because it was also the name of my first dog. I’ve already picked the name though– George. 🙂 Thanks, Anusha.
I made this today and it turned fantastic. Tkls.
Thanks for letting me know, Joe! Glad you enjoyed it.
Hi,
I baked this today and the crust didn’t turn brown at all like in your pictures. What kind of oven do you use? Thanks 🙂
Also, what size loaf pan did you use?
Thanks again 🙂
Hey Shalini, I use 8-inch by 4-inch loaf pans.The color of the crust depends on the pan you’re using. A darker pan gives you a darker crust.
The top of my bread was pale, it looked uncooked even though it actually was well-cooked.. I don’t understand the relation of the color of the pan to the color of the crust, do you mean the part that’s covered by the pan, like the lower part of the bread?
I have another question.. lol. Sorry, I’m a newbie at baking. Well, in a recipe like yours that states 1 1/2 cups of sourdough starter, what happens if the hydration levels of my starter is different from yours? Thanks again haha 🙂
Hey there, that’s the reason I state that you use sourdough with the same hydration as mine: 1 cup flour to 3/4 cup water. Otherwise you will have to increase/decrease the amount of flour and water in your recipe, which could change the bread significantly.
Ohh.. okay. I’ll follow your measurements for the starter next time 🙂 thanks
Will try this recipe! I only ever make sourdough boules so I’m excited to try a sandwich loaf.
I did want to mention that the King Arthur Flour starter recipe is 100% hydration. 1/2 cup of water and 1 cup of flour are volume measurements and they have different densities but when flour is measured correctly (using the”fluff and sprinkle” method rather than scooping) they are roughly the same weight (about 4oz) and mass. A lot of bread bakers weigh or mass everything because it’s more accurate and it’s easier than using cup measures. If yours is perfect with more water, I would guess you are scooping your flour and therefore actually getting more flour than they intended, which is why adding water brought it back to the hydration it should be. There’s a video from King Arthur Flour about the difference in amount of flour here: https://youtu.be/GUSovVHpqsU.
Hope that’s interesting and/or helpful! If that’s obvious, just ignore me. Chemist wife syndrome. 😊
-Joanna
Hi, I wanna try this recipe but my starter is not quite ripe yet. Also I use 100% hydration (100 grams water to 100 grams red whole wheat flour). Should I adjust the recipe or just try it’s it is?
Thanks
Hi Ima, you will need to adjust your starter because these measurements are for the starter made with the amount of hydration given in the recipe.
Hello, just tried this as my first actual loaf! Happy to say I got a significant rise, but when I pulled them out they were rock solid! Wah wah waaaaaah! What could I have done wrong?
Ok, wait a minute – as it’s cooling it’s getting softer!
Now my question is – how to store it best?
Hi Bryn, you can store it in the refrigerator, in a plastic bag, like the ones you get when you buy storebought bread.
Is standard loaf pan an 8″?
Yes, 8 or even 9 would be fine.
Is it possible to replace the whole wheat flour with something like chickpea flour?
Hi Jane, it would really not work with chickpea flour because there’s no gluten to help the bread build structure. Also the sourdough anyway has wheat in it. If you want to avoid most, but not all, wheat, you might try this with a gluten-free bread flour. If you do, I’d be interested in hearing how it turns out. You might want to keep some things in mind while modifying the recipe. I have a few tips in this post: https://holycowvegan.net/gluten-free-sandwich-bread/
I love making this bread. It’s so good. Thank you for sharing. I was wondering if there was a way to let one of the rise times to be overnight? Maybe the first rise…instead of 4 hrs…could it wait for overnight? I ask because it makes a long day for me…with the 3 rises plus baking time is about 9 hrs.
Hi Sue, you could try leaving the dough overnight in the refrigerator. That way it should still rise, but at a slower rate, and you’ll also likely get more flavor. Let me know how it goes!
Made my starter (not yet named) and on day seven made the bread. It rose to the ceiling! Great loaf with a sharp tang on first bite. I will try the whole wheat recipe next weekend. I’d be okay with a lesser rising loaf! And I prefer the density of ww bread. I hope over time the starter will take on more complexity of flavor, and my husband is looking forward to weekly sourdough waffles. Thank you!
Do you proof your starter before mixing the first step in your bread recipe?
I feel like something must have been left out, the bread is delish but sooo pale, there’s no way it is even close to the picture. I even turned the oven up and did an extra 10 minutes. Did you brush something on before baking?
Hi Andrea, Sourdough should give the bread a good color, but if it had a good texture and taste, I wouldn’t worry about the color so much. I use dark metal or glass pans which make a difference to the color. You could also try spraying on some cooking spray or brushing on some oil the next time for a darker color.
The color the the bread crust takes on can also be a product of how long is has risen. If it rises too long then the crust will become pale. Still will test great. Maybe try a little shorted second rise and see if that gives you the darker crust you are looking for.
I can not thank you enough for this recipe!!! I have tried so many Sourdough recipes without commercial yeast with no success. This bread is amazing! Oven spring was immediate and huge! Taste is just wonderful! And I love that it is 5 ingredients and no commercial yeast. My bread did split at the top crust. Maybe I’ll score it next time or maybe it rose too long. Either way, it will now be my go to recipe! Thank you!
Do you feed your starter before using?
No, okay to use unfed starter.
If using fed starter, do you need the first four hour rise? I’ve made this a couple times (was amazing) but wondering about possibly cutting down on time spent at home waiting for bread! I’ve always used fed starter (I wouldn’t have 1.5 c of starter if it wasn’t fed) and now wondering if I need that initial rise.
Just tried this recipe and it makes an awesome loaf of sandwich bread. I’ve been searching for a way to make sandwich bread from my sourdough starter (free of commercial yeast) and this has been the best recipe that I’ve tried. I did change out the AP flour some some dedicated bread flour. I also decreased the cooking time a bit, but that might be a result of fluctuations from one oven to the next.
What sourdough starter did you use? All the ones I see have yeast in them.
What did I do wrong? Used a starter I already had going. The initial mixture was very liquid but I figured I could make it up in the next step with the addition of more flour but nope. It bubbled really nicely. Dough rises well upon sitting but endlessly sticky and floppy – imposible to knead or shape. I just plopped it in the pans to see if anything edible comes out of it. Haven’t baked it yet.
Update: It worked!! It’s tinier that hoped but that’s because I was afraid to let it rise to high above pan before baking. But I’ll be damned, tastes fine. I’m sure something went wrong with the dough though, really was impossible to handle or shape.
Made this today…I preface this by saying I bake bread weekly, this recipe is great! … it required MUCH more flour, but the results were EXCELLENT!!!! I did use some bread flour, but this makes quite a lovely loaf that holds up well to sandwiches.
Thank you for making my low salt cooking SO much easier with this lovely bread recipe!!!
Forgot to rate….
Hi there, Is the oven temp fan forced or conventional? Cheers, Sharon.
Conventional.
I have a Herman the German , a reliable old School Charlie and a Fred (Fred is a bit self conscious about it, I bake bread every week and I bake all our bread’s, cakes, etc, etc. . . I make 2 loaves of sweet White bread, 2 loaves of Sourdough bread, dinner rolls, bagels, cinnamon roll bread, 2 Norwegian Honey Oat Sourdough Bread ( This is one of my recipes) and a English Muffin Bread. I had to name them so my Husband knew when I am speaking of these what I was referring to.
I just want to thank you for sharing this sandwich sourdough recipe. I tried last night and the breads came out beautiful. It was chewy, crusty on the outside and moist on the inside.
I just want to thank you for sharing this sandwich sourdough recipe. I tried it last night and the breads came out beautiful. It was chewy, crusty on the outside and moist on the inside.
So I have made sour dough bread three different times from the recipe following it exactly and it turns out the same way every time. It is really good but my loaves do not get tall enough to use the bread as a sandwich. I am not sure what I am doing. I do notice that I have to use some additional flour to handle the mixture because mine seems to be rather moist and very sticky. I also can’t really form the bread into ovals because it is still on the very soft and pliable side. It is hard to make two loaves because it doesn’t want to separate. I am assuming that I am doing something wrong I am just not sure what. Any advice? But still very happy with the taste and overall results.
I’m running into the same problem as others. The first few times I made this recipe it was great. Now, every time, I get the taffyish dough. It kneads up nicely, but then won’t rise and is like gooey taffy when I try to shape the loaves. It doesn’t rise at all in the pans. And then barely in the oven. So sad. What’s going wrong? I tried the no knead loaf and the same thing is happening. Taffy dough. I make quick dosas from the sourdough, and those are amazing. Help?
Could you elaborate on your starter? Did you start with wheat flour and feed with all purpose? Thanks
How do you measure your starter, do you flatten it?
The starter is not very firm, so it should level out on its own when you measure it to the top of the cup. Don’t heap it.
So, I tried it, But ended up doing not following the instructions correctly. I used rye flour to start my starter dough. Its winter here in South Africa so the fermentation was pretty slow. I fed it every second day, which allowed for more fermentation. I made the bread on the seventh day from the discarded feed (had it stored in the fridge, and I hate unnecessary waste) which I left on the counter top overnight to ferment and combined it with the starter dough. I mixed everything together adding one cup flour at a time without the initial step of fermenting the starter dough with 1 cup of flour. It rose but not very high. I kneaded out the air and stuck it in the oven over night to rise and it worked, it doubled in size but I forgot to rise it in the pans I was baking it in, so I had to transfer the mixture to the baking pans. Its quite dense, heavy almost like a ciabatta and such a beautiful flavour… Im now slowly adding in AP flour to my rye starter to create something less dense. Can’t wait to try your brioche loaf but will wait until i’ve worked out the rye out of my starter dough. Thank you for all the wonderful recipes!!
Since my comment, I’ve been researching how bakers work with starter. I’ve learned a TON about sourdough and how to work with starter for a variety of approaches! Cultures for Life has some helpful information, and I tried their bread recipe, but it was not as good as this one. I’ve finally figured it out, and this recipe is – hands down – our favorite. The biggest secret to sourdough is to work with it visually vs. timing – it may take five hours to rise instead of two. I also went with a longer first ferment time (the 4 hrs can be up to 24 hrs) for an even more sour flavor, and just one rising time in the pans after kneading. The second biggest secret is that sourdough is way more sticky than regular bread dough, and that’s okay! I’ve learned to appreciate and manage the ‘taffy’ style. I LOVE having learned all of this, thank you very much for encouraging it! I can’t imagine my life without sourdough bread – we eat this every day!