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!).
