Sourdough Sandwich Bread

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5 from 59 votes

Indulge in the delectable flavors of homemade sourdough sandwich bread with this tried and tested recipe.

Prep Time1

Cook Time30

Fermentation Time1

Total Time1 1 30

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: All

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: slices or 2 loaves

Calories: 159kcal

Author: Shilpa Kerur

Equipment

Ingredients

450 grams sourdough starter active
700 grams all-purpose flour
480 mL whole milk 2 cup
60 grams butter unsalted
3 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Make the initial dough:

Make sure your sourdough starter is active and bubbly.
Combine milk and butter in a saucepan and warm it up. The milk should be just lukewarm, around 90-100 F, which is sufficient to melt the butter. Don’t overheat the milk.
To the warm milk, add the active sourdough starter, salt, and sugar.
Slowly add the flour and combine well making sure there are no dry flour bits. Knead it gently for 4-5 minutes. Add 1-2 tablespoon flour if needed.
Let the dough sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Bulk fermentation:

Perform 3-4 sets of stretch and fold at an interval of 30 minutes. With wet hands, grab a portion of the dough and slowly stretch it taking care not to break it, and fold it towards the center over the dough. Keep turning the bowl and repeat the process until all parts of the dough is covered. Carefully flip the dough and round it up. This completes one set of stretch and fold.
Repeat this process 3-4 times at an interval of 30 minutes. The dough should develop strength and structure at the end of the stretch and fold cycle.
Let the dough sit for bulk fermentation until it is almost double and has bubbles on the top. This may take 3-4 hours depending on the ambient temperature.

Shaping and second proof:

Once the bulk fermentation is done, shape the dough. Line two loaf tins with parchment paper or baking paper.
Dust the bench or work surface lightly with the flour and flip the dough onto it. Divide the dough into two equal parts.
Shape each part of the dough into a 9-inch rectangle taking care not to push the air out. Gently roll it to form a log and place it in the prepared loaf pan.
Place it in the refrigerator overnight for cold fermentation. At this stage, you can choose to bake directly without placing the dough in the fridge.
If you are planning to bake the sandwich bread on the same day, let them sit in a warm spot for second proofing.

Bake sourdough sandwich bread:

Next morning, remove the shaped dough from the fridge and let it sit in a warm spot for 1-2 hours (until it comes to room temperature).
Preheat the oven to 360 F (180 C) for 15 minutes.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until the top is golden.
Cool it in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to let them cool down slightly before serving.

Notes

Get the milk to the right temperature: Make sure the milk is just lukewarm - not cold and definitely not hot. If the milk is too hot, it will kill the yeast in the starter.

Active and bubbly sourdough starter: Ensure that your sourdough starter is active and healthy before using it. A vigorous starter will contribute to better fermentation and a more pronounced tangy flavor.

See the tips section above for more useful tips to make this sandwich bread.

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