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The Best Soft Sourdough Sandwich Bread for Beginners

A freshly baked, golden-crusted sourdough sandwich bread loaf sliced to show its soft, airy interior crumb.
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Bake a soft, fluffy, and sliceable sourdough loaf perfect for everyday sandwiches. This recipe uses simple steps designed for beginner sourdough bakers.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 150g active sourdough starter
  • 325g warm filtered water
  • 20g avocado oil
  • 25g honey
  • 500g unbleached bread flour
  • 10g salt

Instructions

  1. Combine Starter Mix: In a large bowl, mix the active sourdough starter, warm filtered water, avocado oil, and honey until the mixture looks milky.
  2. Add Dry Ingredients: Add the bread flour and salt to the wet mixture. Mix by hand until a shaggy dough forms and no dry flour remains. Cover the bowl.
  3. Rest: Let the dough rest for 1 hour. This is the initial autolyse period.
  4. Stretch and Fold: Perform four sets of stretch and folds, spaced 30 minutes apart. To do this, gently stretch one side of the dough up and fold it over the center. Rotate the bowl and repeat three more times.
  5. Bulk Fermentation: After the final set of folds, cover the dough and let it bulk ferment for 4 to 8 hours at room temperature, or until it has increased in volume by about 30-50% and shows signs of life. For an overnight rise, place it in the refrigerator after the first set of folds.
  6. Shape: Gently turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Shape the dough into a tight log or rectangle suitable for a standard loaf pan (approximately 9×5 inches).
  7. Pan Proofing: Place the shaped dough seam-side down into a greased loaf pan. Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Let it proof at room temperature for 1 to 3 hours, or until the dough has risen about 1 inch above the rim of the pan.
  8. Preheat Oven: About 30 minutes before baking, preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius).
  9. Bake: Bake the loaf for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 200-210 degrees Fahrenheit.
  10. Cool: Remove the bread from the pan immediately after baking and let it cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. This prevents a gummy texture.

Notes

  • For a softer crust, you can lightly brush the top of the loaf with melted butter immediately after removing it from the oven.
  • If you prefer a slightly sweeter loaf, increase the honey to 30g.
  • This recipe works well with an overnight, cold proof in the refrigerator after shaping for a more developed flavor.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://kingscook.com/sourdough-sandwich-bread-soft-loaf/