SourdoughAmericanMedium

Soft Sourdough Sandwich Bread

Name: Soft Sourdough Sandwich Bread
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 10 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 cups (500 g) bread flour, spooned into cups and leveled; 1¼ cups (300 ml) whole milk, warmed to about 90°F (32°C), lukewarm to the touch; ½ cup (100 g) active sourdough starter (100% hydration), fed 4–8 hours earlier, bubbly and at its peak; 2 tablespoons (40 g) honey; 1½ teaspoons (9 g) fine sea salt; 3 tablespoons (43 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature; 2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon softened for greasing the pan, 1 tablespoon melted for brushing the baked loaf

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

A tender, golden sandwich loaf with a mild tang, enriched with milk, butter and honey so the crumb stays soft and the crust slices cleanly. It's baked in a standard loaf pan and relies on your sourdough starter alone, with no commercial yeast.

Prep: 35 min
Cook: 45 min
Wait: 8 hr 15 min
Total: 9 hr 35 min
Makes: 1 loaf (10 slices)

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Steps

Before you start

Feed your starter 4–8 hours ahead. It should be bubbly and doubled in volume, and a spoonful should float in water. A sluggish starter is the main cause of dense loaves.
Soften the butter at room temperature for about 1 hour so it is spreadable but not melted.
Plan on about 9½ hours start to finish, most of it hands-off. Bulk fermentation is the longest stretch and runs 4–5 hours in a 75°F (24°C) kitchen. Allow longer in a cooler room.
Measure flour by weight if you can. If using cups, fluff the flour, spoon it into the cup and level it off.

1
Mix the dough
- Pour the lukewarm milk into a large bowl.
- Add the starter and honey and stir with a spatula until the starter breaks up and the liquid looks milky and mostly smooth.
- Add the bread flour and mix until no dry flour remains and the dough looks shaggy and sticky, about 2 minutes.
- Scrape down the sides and cover the bowl with a damp towel or plate.
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Ready when: No dry flour pockets remain and the dough is shaggy and sticky.
Tip: If the milk is hotter than 100°F (38°C), cool it first. Heat can weaken the starter.
2
Rest the dough
- Leave the covered dough at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- This rest lets the flour hydrate fully, which makes the dough smoother and easier to knead.
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Ready when: The dough feels smoother and less ragged than when you left it.
3
Knead in salt and butter
- Sprinkle the salt over the dough and add the 3 tablespoons (43 g) softened butter.
- Squeeze and fold the dough with wet hands for 3–4 minutes until the butter and salt are fully absorbed.
- Then knead on the counter or in the bowl, stretching and folding, for about 5 minutes more.
- The dough will be soft and slightly tacky.
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Ready when: The dough is smooth and elastic, with no visible streaks of butter, and it stretches thin without tearing right away.
Tip: Wet your hands instead of adding flour. Extra flour will make the loaf dry and dense.
4
Bulk ferment with folds
- Return the dough to the bowl, cover and keep it at about 75°F (24°C).
- During the first 1½ hours, do a set of stretch-and-folds every 30 minutes (3 sets).
- For each set, grab one edge of the dough, stretch it up and fold it over the center.
- Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat 4 times.
- After the last set, leave the dough undisturbed until it has grown by about 50–75% and looks puffy, 4–5 hours total from the first fold.
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Ready when: The dough is puffy and jiggly, with bubbles visible at the edges and on the surface, and it has grown by 50–75% (not doubled).
Tip: In a cool kitchen, bulk fermentation can take 6 hours or more. Judge by the dough, not the clock.
5
Shape the loaf
- Grease the inside of the 9×5-inch (23×13 cm) loaf pan with 1 tablespoon of the softened butter.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter and gently pat it into a rectangle about 8 inches (20 cm) wide and 10 inches (25 cm) long.
- Fold the short sides in to meet in the middle, then roll the dough up tightly from the short end into a log, pinching the seam closed.
- Place it seam-side down in the pan and press it gently into the corners.
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Ready when: The log is taut on top, the seam is sealed and the dough fills the pan's length evenly.
Tip: Roll firmly to build surface tension. A loosely rolled loaf bakes up with large holes under the crust.
6
Final proofOven 375°F / 190°C
- Cover the pan loosely with a damp towel or plastic wrap and leave it at room temperature for 1 to 1½ hours.
- About 20 minutes before the end, place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375°F (190°C).
- The loaf is ready when the dough has crowned about 1 inch (2.5 cm) above the rim of the pan.
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Ready when: The dough rises about 1 inch above the rim, and a floured fingertip pressed in leaves a dent that springs back slowly.
Tip: If the dent doesn't spring back at all, bake right away. The dough is over-proofed. For more tang, proof covered in the fridge for 8–12 hours and bake straight from the fridge, adding 5 minutes.
7
Bake the loafOven 375°F / 190°C
- Place the pan in the preheated 375°F (190°C) oven.
- Bake for 40–45 minutes, rotating the pan after 25 minutes.
- Check that the crust is deep golden brown.
- If the top browns too quickly, tent it with foil for the last 10 minutes.
- Test the center with an instant-read thermometer.
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Ready when: The crust is deep golden brown, the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom and the center reads 200–205°F (93–96°C).
Tip: Underbaked sandwich bread turns gummy as it cools, so don't pull it out early.
8
Unmold and cool
- Immediately turn the loaf out of the pan onto a wire rack, standing it upright.
- Brush the top and sides with the 1 tablespoon melted butter.
- Let the loaf cool completely, at least 2 hours, before slicing with a serrated knife.
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Ready when: The loaf feels at room temperature all the way through, including the bottom.
Tip: Slicing warm bread squashes the crumb and makes it seem doughy. Be patient.

Good to know

Tips

Use a metal or glass 9×5-inch (23×13 cm) pan. A larger pan gives a flatter loaf, and a smaller one may overflow.
Judge fermentation by the dough: puffy, jiggly, with bubbles. Time is only a guide, since starter strength and room temperature vary widely.
For a softer crust, brush the loaf with melted butter as soon as it comes out of the pan and wrap it once fully cool.
For sturdier slices that hold up to sandwiches, let the loaf cool completely and slice it the next day.

Make ahead

"After shaping, cover the pan and refrigerate for 8–12 hours instead of the room-temperature proof. Bake straight from the fridge at 375°F (190°C), adding about 5 minutes. You can also slice and freeze the finished loaf."

Storage & reheating

"Room temperature: wrap or keep in a bread bag, cut-side down on a board, for up to 4 days. Fridge: not recommended, since it dries the bread out faster. Freezer: slice, wrap tightly and freeze up to 3 months. Toast slices straight from frozen, or thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes. To refresh a whole loaf, warm it at 350°F (175°C) for 8–10 minutes."

Substitutions

whole milk → Unsweetened oat milk or water. Water gives a slightly chewier crust and less soft crumb. Oat milk stays closer to the original.
honey → Maple syrup or granulated sugar. Use the same weight, 40 g. The flavor will be slightly different but the texture is the same.
unsalted butter → Olive oil or neutral oil. Use 3 tablespoons (40 ml). The crumb will be a bit less rich and the flavor will change slightly.
bread flour → All-purpose flour. Reduce the milk to 270 ml (about 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons) because all-purpose flour absorbs less. The loaf will be a little less tall and chewy.