Easy, Soft Sourdough Sandwich Bread Recipe (1 Day)
This soft sandwich loaf made with sourdough starter is the easiest sourdough bread recipe I’ve ever made.
It ferments on the counter overnight and can be baked before lunchtime. The mixing happens in the stand mixer, and your hands-on time is literally less than 15 minutes.
If you thought an incredible loaf of sourdough that’s kid-friendly, perfect for sandwiches, and ideal for DIY Uncrustables would be hard and time-consuming, think again!
Developing This Recipe
I adapted the bread portion of The Clever Carrot’s cinnamon raisin bread recipe, but I’ve made so many changes at this point, that I feel bad pointing people to it. I have about 50 footnotes! 😂
That said, bookmark that recipe, because the cinnamon swirl version is to die for!
After making all of my tweaks to the bread portion of that recipe – and slowly cutting out steps to see how much I could simplify it – I’ve nailed it!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
You’ll love how easy this recipe is; it’s honestly the perfect beginner sourdough loaf. My kids say it’s their favorite bread I make.
- Low-stress bulk fermentation: this sourdough loaf recipe is so forgiving when it comes to the fermentation. You don’t have to nail it like you do with traditional artisan bread. Because you shape the proofed dough into a log – and it bakes in a loaf pan – it could be over-proofed, and you would not be able to tell in the final result.
- Overnight recipe: you mix this dough before bed and bake it around lunchtime. It’s the fastest sourdough bread recipe I’ve ever made.
- EASY: this recipe is incredibly easy. No stretch and folds, no autolyse, no pre-shaping. It’s as easy as a commercial yeast loaf but with all the added health benefits (and flavor) of sourdough starter.
- Perfect for DIY Uncrustables: this bread is soft yet strong; it holds up beautifully under a sandwich sealer!
Baker’s Timeline
| Day 1 | |
| Morning | Feed your starter (1:5:5 ratio is best to have it peaking by nighttime) |
| Before bed (9pm) | Mix dough ingredients together in stand mixer; cover and rest (And refresh your main starter with a feeding!) |
| 9:30 pm | Knead dough in stand mixer for 5-10 minutes more. Cover and rest overnight |
| Day 2 | |
| 8 am | Dump out dough and shape into log; place in loaf pan for a second rise |
| 11 am | Preheat oven |
| 11:30 am | Bake |
| 2:15 pm | Enjoy! |
Suggested Supplies
This recipe is so simple that you don’t need hardly any specialized equipment. However, since posting this on my Instagram stories, I got a lot of messages asking me about the loaf pans I use, so here’s a quick list of my supplies (these are affiliate links):
- 7-Quart KitchenAid Stand Mixer: You can do up to 3 loaves at a time in a 7-quart KitchenAid stand mixer. The stand mixer is optional but a massive relief for your arms. I’ve kneaded by hand and gotten the same result. I’ll include more tips in the FAQ section.
- 9×5 Stainless Steel Loaf Pans: I’m doing my best to remove all Teflon-coated products from my home, which is why I bought these pans. A big bonus is they’re extremely durable. We’ll have these for generations. Be sure to spray with oil or line with parchment, though – dough will stick.
Update: I’m a die-hard fan now of USA Pan items. Their 1 lb. loaf pans are incredible. They are nonstick but do not use Teflon – it’s a silicone coating that works like magic.
- OXO scale: I finally got rid of my sad scale from college, and this is my new favorite sourdough tool. I use it daily, and all of its bells and whistles make my life so much easier.
- Shower cap bowl covers: These are the least expensive bowl covers I could find and they’re perfect. They’re very stretchy and fit all of my bowls and bannetons. You can also pinch them up so the dough has plenty of room to rise in the loaf pans without touching the cover.
- Rolling pin: The rolling pin is entirely optional, but you will get a more evenly-shaped loaf if you use it during the shaping process.
That’s really it! You probably have these items – or close-enough variations of them – in your home. It’s just one more thing I love about this simple bread recipe.
FAQs
Here are the most popular questions I get about this recipe. If you have any of your own, please leave them in the comments and I will add them here with an answer!
Can I make this recipe without a stand mixer?
Yes, you can make this sandwich bread recipe without a stand mixer, but it’ll also double as your arm workout for the day. When you mix the ingredients, knead the dough for 5 full minutes. It should be soft and pliable when you’re done. Let it rest for 30 minutes, and knead again for 2 full minutes (more if you can do it).
What do you grease your loaf pans with?
I use an avocado oil spray to grease any loaf pans that aren’t nonstick. I’ve also used Pam because it’s so darn effective, but I am working hard to choose healthier ingredients. If you don’t want to use any oil, I’ve lined the pan with parchment paper, and that worked wonderfully.
Is there a cold proof?
This recipe doesn’t call for a cold proof. Instead, we do a second rise before baking. As the recipe is written, this bread does have a slightly sour flavor. If you want an even more sour flavor, you can incorporate a cold-proof. After you shape your dough and put it in the loaf pan, cover it with plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge. Let it rest in the fridge for 12-18 hours (I don’t advise going more than 3 days). At that point, pull it out of the fridge and let it finish rising on the counter until the dough is about an inch higher than the loaf pan. Then, bake.
How much does the bread rise in the oven?
This bread doesn’t rise much in the oven, so make sure you let it rise sufficiently before you bake it. You want the dough to be higher than the top of the loaf pan, like so:
Why don’t you cover the loaf pan in the oven?
I’ve tested covering the loaf pan in the oven for the first 20 minutes of the bake. I hoped it would give the loaf a little more rise. However, that wasn’t the case. The only result was the top of the loaf had a much lighter color. So, if you prefer a very light-colored crust, you might consider covering your loaf pan with a second loaf pan for the first 20 minutes.
Why don’t you score this loaf?
I don’t see a need to score this particular sourdough bread. My goal is to have a sandwich-style loaf that I can use primarily in my kid’s lunches. I want uniform slices that come together well. A scored loaf would give a more irregular shape to the bread, which I want to avoid. This bread also doesn’t expand or rise much more in the oven, so it’s not necessary.
How do I make this bread less sour?
For a sourdough sandwich bread that isn’t sour, use a stiff, sweet starter instead of your regular sourdough starter. The account Healing Slice on Instagram has a fabulous tutorial that I followed. It’s so easy, too. Here’s my post explaining the tweaks I made to her recipe, plus what I found interesting about this sweet starter versus a regular one.
Easy, Soft Sourdough Sandwich Bread Recipe (1 Day)
Equipment
- Loaf pan, 1 lb. (8.5 x 4.5)
Ingredients
- 240 g room temperature water
- 100 g active sourdough starter 100% hydration
- 10 g honey can substitute sugar or maple syrup; this is also optional
- 450 g King Arthur all-purpose flour 11.7% protein*
- 50 g King Arthur whole wheat flour 13.2% protein
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 10 g sea salt
Instructions
- Combine Ingredients: Add 240 g room temperature water, 100 g active sourdough starter, 10 g honey, 450 g King Arthur all-purpose flour, 50 g King Arthur whole wheat flour, 6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened, and 10 g sea salt to your stand mixer bowl. Mix on low speed for about 3 minutes until everything is combined.Note: You can do this without a stand mixer. See the FAQs section for tips.
- Knead the Dough: Increase the speed to 2-3 and let the dough hook knead the dough for 5-10 minutes.
- Rest the Dough: Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 30-60 minutes.
- Second Kneading: Turn the stand mixer back on to speed 2-3 and knead the dough for another 5-10 minutes. Alternatively, you can do stretch and folds until the dough resists being stretched any longer. When finished, the dough should be soft, supple, and not sticky at all.
- Overnight Rise:** Cover the bowl again and let the dough rest overnight on the counter. It should double or more in size. **DO NOT PUT IN THE FRIDGE.**
- Shape the Dough: In the morning, grease or line a 1 lb. loaf pan with parchment paper. Dump the dough onto a clean surface. The dough should be puffy and not sticky. Pat or roll your dough into a long rectangle, about 6"x12", ensuring the width is a little smaller than your loaf pan. Roll the dough up tightly and place it into the loaf pan.
- Second Rise: Cover the loaf pan with plastic wrap or a shower cap bowl cover and let it rise in a warm place. This can take 2-6 hours depending on the temperature in your home. Don’t go off time, though – look at the height of the dough. Ensure it’s super puffy when you gently poke it, and it’s 1-2 inches higher than the loaf pan.Note: This sandwich bread doesn’t rise much in the oven. Make sure you get all the height you want in the bread BEFORE baking. Baking too early will result in a dense, short loaf.
- Bake: Toward the end of the second rise, preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Bake the loaf for 45 minutes. Your final dough temperature should be between 204-206°F (95-96°C). If it’s low, pop it back in the oven until you reach the desired temperature.
- Cool and Enjoy: When finished, let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning it out onto a cooling rack. Let the loaf cool for about 1 hour before slicing.Note: I also like to turn these upside down to let them dry out a bit. If you oiled the pan to keep the dough from sticking, the bottoms of the loaves can be a little moist and soggy. A quick air dry will fix that within about 30 minutes.
Video
Notes
- There is wiggle room in this recipe for substituting flours. Feel free to substitute bread flour for the all-purpose flour. I like having a little whole wheat flour in the recipe to give more nutrition to the sourdough starter, but you could omit that and add more bread or all-purpose flour in its place.
- My home is typically 70-75°F, and the overnight proof (about 10 hours) works perfectly every time. The way this dough is shaped also makes it very forgiving – you don’t have to nail the bulk fermentation timing as much as you do with artisan bread. That said, please experiment! If your house is warmer than mine, try to put the bowl in a cool area, or consider mixing the dough with cold water. If your house is cooler than mine, you may need to let it proof for longer, or mix the dough with even warmer water (not to exceed 110°F).
- You can follow the process and see tutorials of this recipe in video format by visiting my sandwich loaf Instagram Highlight. I also filmed a YouTube tutorial (I messed it up but redeemed myself in the end – watch that to avoid my mistake!).
Conclusion
This simple sourdough sandwich bread recipe is so easy. And it’s so much faster than artisan sourdough.
My family loves it and it makes the best sandwiches. It’s even soft enough to make homemade Uncrustables!
Let me know if you try this recipe in the comment section below.
More recipes:
The recipe calls for:
100g active starter (100% hydration)
In your recipe you specifically state to use a 1:5:5 starter ratio. Your recipe then states 100% hydration. Does this mean you need to equalize your starter with water and flour to achieve a 1:1:1 before incorporation into the bowl or is your recipe already rationed for water and flour to account for that? Am I overthinking it?
Hey! So 100% hydration just means equal parts water and flour. I always feed my starter equal parts water and flour, so it’s a 100% hydration starter. This is still the case if I use a 1:5:5 feeding ratio, because it’s 1 part starter (that has always been fed equal parts water and flour) and 5 parts flour, 5 parts water (the flour and water are in equal parts). So even if I feed a 1:1:1 feeding ratio or a 1:5:5 or a 1:10:10… all of these are 100% hydration because they are simply made up of equal parts water and flour. I do not think you’re overthinking it – your confusion makes sense. But I hope this clears it up.
The only reason I clarify in the recipe that I’m using a 100% hydration starter is because many bakers prefer a “stiff” starter which is usually something like 50-60% water in relation to the flour. That consistency s not liquid – it’s more like a dough. If you had that type of starter, you’d need more water in this recipe, so I made sure to clarify that mine is a liquid starter.
You are just so dang awesome! I was wondering if I was correct about what 100% hydration means and you cleared it right up! Your work is fantastic and I so appreciate the kind way you share your knowledge. Thankful for you as I start this journey!
Aw so happy to hear that!! Good luck on your journey Allie!!
Hi Rebekah,
I tried the hand knead method and had to sub butter for oil since I forgot to stock up. The dough doubled up on first rise. But it’s been over 4 hours but there is not much rise in the pan. And there is a stretch of crack too 😢. Any idea on what I must have done wrong?
Is it in a warm place? Covered?
Could I use 12×14 loaf pans and if so would the recipe and instructions be the same? thanks
That’s a bit larger than this recipe – I use 8.5 x 4.5 or 9 x 5 pans, so yours sounds like it would need more dough.
I am not sure what went wrong for me. I saw almost no rise over night. My starter had been fed hours before and seemed to be very active. It did rise some during the second rise, in my oven with the light on. I am new to sourdough baking, having only made one other artisan loaf. However, my starter is close to a month old and more than doubles in size after every feeding (1:1:1). I am going to keep trying for sure!
It could be an issue with the starter but is your home very cold?
Just wanted to tell you how amazing your video’s are, thank you for teaching me so much. Also, would a glass loaf pan work for this?
Thanks Betsy! Yes, a glass loaf pan should be just fine.
Help! I am trying your sandwich loaf recipe right now and it’s been rising in the loaf pan for over 12 hours and it’s not really doing anything. I doubled the recipe, could that have messed it up? Why isn’t it rising? I also didn’t use wheat flour i used all KA bread flour. What am I doing wrong? (I’m just starting my sourdough journey and this is harder than I thought it was going to be!). On another note- I love your content! You are very relatable and I’ve learned a lot from you. Thanks for the inspiration!
Hi Lisa! Not rising after 12 hours is super abnormal. Did the dough itself rise overnight before you shaped it and put it in the loaf pans?
Love this recipe! So easy and such great results! Question though—have you frozen the loaf after baking with good results? Slice and freeze and take out a couple of slices? Thank you!
Absolutely. We often slice up our loaves and pop a frozen slice in the toaster. Sourdough bread freezes really well!
I’ve made this recipe many times and absolutely love it! Wondering if I’m crunch for time, can I put it in the fridge after the second rise and then bake later that day?
Yes!
Hola gracias por la receta, me gustaría saber a cuántos gramos equivale la mantequilla por favor, gracias de antemano
I made your recipe today for the first time. I love it and I believe it is going to become my go to sandwich bread. Thank you for sharing and for your thorough instructions. My loaf is beautiful and tasty. I am already looking forward to making another!
I am so glad to hear that!
I followed this recipe to a tee, two days in a row. I could not achieve the second rise and even tried to facilitate it by putting in the oven with light on, putting in lower oven and putting top oven on warm, etc. I baked it anyways just to see but it came out like a brick and was very strong tasting. Any thoughts?
What is the temperature in your environment? You definitely want the dough to rise to 1-2 inches above the height of the loaf pan before baking as this dough doesn’t rise much more in the oven. If your environment is very cold, it may take all day to rise up that high.
I am going to try this recipe! Question….how many loaves and what size pans?? I don’t see that explained anywhere in the recipe! Some pictures show 3 loaves but no explanation in recipe for qty. or size loaves it will make!
Sorry about that. I’m working on updating this recipe and I’ll ensure the photos are more clear. The recipe makes 1 loaf. I tripled it when I took the photos, which is why you see three loaves there.
I love your content and how you make everything easy to understand. Thank you! My question is, can I use butter to grease the pans?
Yes! Butter and then a dusting of flour works great.
How do you store it to keep it fresh?
I have been putting it in a glass cake stand recently and enjoy it.
My grandchildren thought it tasted too sour. I used a proofing box and completed it in one day. Do you have a suggestion for making it taste less sour? Love your site!
My friend Samantha has a great recipe for this: https://healingslice.com/soft-sourdough-sandwich-bread-not-too-tangy
The recipe and instructions were amazing!! We had a mishap and ended up in the er and I didn’t get to put the bread in the fridge before we left. Even after the bread sat 2nd proofed a little too long it still tastes like amazing bread it is just a little flat. Thank you so much for all your detailed videos and instructions!
Hi – I love your videos and info – found you on IG – very easy to follow! My daughter is DF – have you tried this with oil instead of butter? What would the conversion be?
I haven’t but I often swap avocado oil for butter (same measurements) and it works great in other recipes. I haven’t tested it with this one in particular but it would be my best suggestion, outside of just using vegan butter.