Sourdough Sandwich Bread

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Soft sourdough bread to make the perfect sandwich without all the chemical junk!

This is the perfect sourdough sandwich bread for kids, French toast, or a classic PB&J!

This is one of my favourite sourdough breads to make. Not only is it simple, with a total of about 20 minutes of hands on time, but it's easily one of the most consistent and fool-proof breads to make. I highly recommend making this as a transitional loaf, to ease your way into sourdough or to lure your family over to the good side.

Easy Sourdough Bread

This sounds like an oxymoron, doesn't it? Sourdough really can be easy once you get the hang of it, and this is the perfect recipe to build confidence with. Let's get into it!

Flour

I like to use a blend of all-purpose and bread flour in my breads. I find that it creates a balanced loaf - one with structure that is also soft and fluffy. However, if you only have one type of flour, this recipe will still work well. Using entirely bread flour will result in a slightly more dry loaf, whereas entirely all-purpose flour may leave the loaf a bit more dense.

What about whole wheat?

I love whole wheat flour for its unique texture and of course its nutrient profile. Adding whole wheat to bread dough can significantly alter the end result, though. Whole wheat flour is much more 'thirsty', as it is capable of absorbing more water than all-purpose flours. This means that you may end up with a dry and hard loaf if you fully replace the flour with whole wheat. Fortunately, some whole wheat is tolerable. I have made this recipe 'wheaty' by replacing 50g of the bread flour for 50g of whole wheat or dark rye flour. So, if you want to make this a whole wheat sandwich bread I would recommend starting out there, and then slowly increasing the whole wheat flour with each subsequent loaf to find the right balance for you.

Ingredients:

• 250g unbleached all purpose flour

• 250g unbleached bread flour

• 70g softened unsalted butter

• 20g brown sugar

• 11g sea salt

• 75g active bubbly starter

• 265g lukewarm water (95°F - 105°F)

• 5g additional butter (optional, for crust)

Sample Baker's Schedule

Directions:

1. Mix flour, butter, sugar, and salt in a stand mixer until combined. It should form a sandy texture with no large chunks of butter

2. Add starter and warm water and return to the mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mix on 2 or 3 for about 4 minutes

3. Remove the dough from the mixer and place into a glass container large enough for the dough to double in. Cover the container and leave the dough out at room temperature (78F-80F)

Optional step: after 30 minutes of resting, knead the dough or perform a set of coil folds

4. When the dough has almost doubled in size shape it into a tight log. This will take around 6 hours at 85 F°, or as long as 12 hours at 74° F. As you shape, press the dough down firmly to remove any large air bubbles

5. Put the dough seam side down into a loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel.

6. When dough has risen to fill the loaf pan (1-2 hours), preheat the oven to 375° F. Once preheated, place the loaf into the oven on the middle rack for 45 minutes. Use a thermometer to confirm the internal temp has reached 210° F and it is thoroughly baked.

7. Remove the loaf from the oven. Use additional butter to brush the top of the loaf. Let cool for 1 hour, then cut and enjoy!

Baker's Schedule (sample timelines for making this recipe)

Option 1: Bake in the morning

• 9:00 AM - Feed starter

• 7:00 PM - Mix dough

• 7:00 AM - Shape dough

• 9:00 AM - Bake bread

Option 2: Bake at night

• 9:00 PM - Feed starter

• 6:00 AM - Mix dough

• 6:00 PM - Shape dough

• 8:00 PM - Bake bread

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