Soft Sourdough Sandwich Bread
Servings: 1 loaf
This viral soft sourdough sandwich bread is easy to make and perfect for beginners!
Print Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Medium/Large bowl
- 1 Bowl cover (I like plastic shower caps for holding in moisture)
- 2 Bread Pans or 1 pan and a sheet of foil
- 1 Long sandwich bag for storing
Ingredients
- 150 g Active sourdough starter
- 325 g Warm filtered water
- 20 g Avocado oil can sub for olive oil or cooled melted butter
- 25 g Honey
- 500 g Unbleached Flour bread or all purpose work here
- 10 g salt
Instructions
- Combine Ingredients: Mix 150g starter, 325g water, 20g avocado oil, and 25g honey until milky. Add 500g unbleached flour and 10g salt, mix until you get a shaggy dough. Cover with a damp cloth or plastic cover and rest 1 hour.
- Stretch & Fold: Do 4 sets of stretch and folds, 30 minutes apart. Spray or wet your hands with water to prevent the dough from sticking.
- Bulk Ferment: Cover and let rise an additional 4-8 hours or overnight if your house is cooler. You’ll know your dough is done when it’s just about doubled in size, bubbly, jiggly, and airy.
- Shape: Dump the dough from the bowl onto a clean surface. Spray or wet your hands with water to prevent the dough from sticking to them. Gently shape the dough into a loaf by stretching it into a rectangle, folding in the right side to the middle, then the left side into the middle, and rolling upward into a log. I also show this technique in my video below. Place it seam-side down in a well greased loaf pan.
- Second Rise/Proof:Same day option: Let it proof at room temperature for 2 more hours before baking. Overnight cold proof: Let it cold proof in the refrigerator overnight or up to 24hrs.
- Bake: Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Score dough, spray with water, cover with an inverted second loaf pan or greased foil loosely, and bake: 400°F for 30 minutes (covered) then 375°F for 15 minutes (uncovered)
- Temp bread: Use a digital thermometer to check for doneness. Bread should be 205°F.
- Cool: Remove from pan immediately and let cool before slicing.
Video
Notes
You can swap avocado oil for olive oil or cooled melted butter. I use avocado oil for its neutral flavor and high heat tolerance. In my experience, melted butter yielded a more dense loaf that needed some extra bulk fermentation time.
You can also add small inclusions like cheese, herbs, or other ingredients—mix them into the dough during stretch and folds or sprinkle them on top before baking for extra flavor.
