Homestead on Lakeside

This sourdough sandwich bread is very similar to my fast sourdough bread recipe that I use several times a week. The two main differences are that this is an enriched sourdough,  giving it a soft sandwich bread texture, and it has the traditional sandwich loaf shape. This fast sourdough sandwich bread is ready in just a few hours and will be ready for lunchtime sandwiches.

Enriched breads mean that they have added fat or sweeteners. Making the texture softer, lighter, and fluffier. The added fat for this sandwich loaf is milk and butter.

A traditional sourdough is just flour, water, and salt and is my favorite. Here is my recipe for a quick sourdough loaf. 

This sandwich bread is great for kids wanting softer breads with the traditional sandwich bread look and feel.

If you’re new to sourdough and are interested in creating your own sourdough starter, click here for my step by step guide. Adding sourdough to our kitchen many years ago is the best food decision we ever made.

Sourdough is not just for bread. We use sourdough for waffles, pizza crust, pancakes, and more. 

Sourdough Sandwich Bread Ingredients:

3 cups of all-purpose flour

1 cup of active sourdough starter. Active starter is bubbly and not too watery about the consistency of pancake batter.

1/2 cup of whole milk

4 ounces melted butter

1/2 tsp salt

Sourdough Sandwich Bread Recipe:

On the stove top,  melt your butter and mix in the milk so that the milk and butter are the same temperature.  This keeps the melted butter from seizing if the butter and milk were added separately to the dough.

7:00am

Mix together the flour,  sourdough starter,  and warm (not hot) butter and milk liquid. If your butter and milk are too got, they will cook and kill your starter.

Make sure the sourdough starter is active. Active starter will be bubbly and about the thinness of pancake batter.

I like to use a standard mixer with a dough hook to mix the dough in the first step. It keeps my hands from being a big, doughy mess. Here is the kitchen aid mixer I use and have had for 15 years. I also use a glass kitchen aid bowl with a lid. The snug fitting lid on the mixing bowl makes it easy for overnight fermenting when needed.

After you have mixed all of the ingredients, cover the bowl and let it sit for one hour.

8:00 am

Then add your salt and incorporate the salt with your hand through a series of stretch and folds. I do these stretch and folds right in the mixing bowl. You will stretch and fold appropriately 10 times or until the salt is well mixed in. Cover and wait one hour.

9:00 am

9:0Do another series of stretch and folds, approximately 5 or 6. These stretch and folds are done right in the mixing bowl. Cover and let sit for another hour.

10:00 am

Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and place it on a clean counter. Form the dough onto an oval or loaf shape. Place the dough in a parchment lined bread loaf pan. Cover the bread and let it rise in a warm spot for an hour.

While the bread is rising. Place your loaf shaped  Dutch oven in the oven. Then, preheat to 450F.  I like to use this loaf shaped clay roaster with the lid.

11:00 am

Take the dutch oven out of the oven. Pick up the parchment paper with the dough in it and place it into the Dutch oven. Put the lid on and place it in the oven for 25 minutes. After the bread has been baking for 25 minutes.  Remove the lid and continue to bake for an additional 5 minutes or until the desired browned crust.

11:30 am

Your sourdough sandwich bread is ready! Let cool and slice for sandwiches!

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