Recipe: Simple Sourdough Sandwich Bread
Of all my recipes, this is my pride and joy. When I stopped buying bread last fall and switched solely to making my own, I knew I needed a good go-to sandwich bread.
It seemed other recipes kind of wore me out after awhile, or they needed too much butter, or extra ingredients.
This dough is soft and easy to work with, without using any more butter than needed (3T for 2 loaves).
It stays fresh for days, makes a delicious sandwich- or just smeared with some butter alongside soup (or by itself- I’m constantly sneaking slices!).
It freezes great! Just allow it to cool before closing up in an airtight bag and freezing.
Tip: I do recommend using bread flour for best results. I do sometimes make it with all-purpose flour, but the water needs to be reduced by 10% to keep it workable.
Simple Sourdough Sandwich Bread
I created this recipe in a venture to find a sourdough sandwich bread that was soft, tasty, but also simple and easy to make. It is the only sandwich bread we eat!I highly recommend weighing ingredients for most accurate results.Makes 2 loaves
Ingredients
- 160 g active sourdough starter
- 480 g water
- 40 g sugar (can substitute honey)
- 800 g bread flour* (see notes)
- 16 g salt
- 3 T butter softened
Instructions
- Mix ingredients together in a large bowl or mixer until dough is smooth.Alternately, mix until just combined and then do a series of stretch and folds every 30 minutes for the first two hours.
- Cover and let rest until almost doubled. This can take 6-12 hours depending on your room temperature.
- After dough has doubled, pour out onto a lightly floured surface, and divide into loaves. Press the dough ball flat to remove any large air bubbles before shaping into a loaf.Place in well-oiled bread pans and cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap.Let rise until dough reaches the top of the bread pan, typically 4-6 hours.
- Preheat oven to 375°. Score loaves with a razor blade or sharp knife. Bake until golden brown, 40-45 minutes.
- Let cool before slicing
