You probably envision sourdough bread as a crusty, chewy boule, but this version is a richly flavored, soft-textured loaf. It’s the perfect bread for your ultimate grilled cheese. Another option is to rub fresh garlic on a slice of toasted sourdough and top it with perfectly ripe tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and fresh basil. Or enjoy the most wonderful slice of toast simply slathered with butter and sprinkled with flaked salt.
Sourdough Sandwich Loaf
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (190 grams) bread flour
- 1 1/2 cups (195 grams) whole wheat flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons (7.5 grams) kosher salt
- 1 1/4 cups (300 grams) warm water (80°F/27°C to 90°F/32°C)
- 1/2 cup (113 grams) Sourdough Starter
- 2 tablespoons (28 grams) olive oil
- All-purpose flour, for dusting
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together bread flour, whole wheat flour, and salt. Add 1 1/4 cups (300 grams) warm water, Sourdough Starter, and oil; stir together until a shaggy dough forms and no dry spots remain.
- Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place (75°F/24°C) for 4 hours, folding dough in bowl every 1 hour. (To fold, carefully pull and stretch one side of dough, and fold it over on itself. Repeat for all four sides.) After final fold, cover and refrigerate dough for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.
- Lightly dust work surface with all-purpose flour. Turn out dough onto surface. Cover and let stand for 20 minutes. Pat dough into a 9x7-inch rectangle, with one short side closest to you. Fold bottom third of dough up; starting at short side where dough is folded, roll up dough into a log. Pull log, seam side down, toward you to create tension on surface.
- Lightly spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan with baking spray with flour. Place dough, seam side down, in prepared pan. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place (75°F/24°C) until doubled in size and risen just above sides of pan, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
- Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C).
- Lightly dust top of dough with all-purpose flour. Place in oven. Immediately reduce oven temperature to 425°F(220°C).
- Bake until golden and an instant-read thermometer inserted in center registers 190°F (88°C), about 30 minutes, covering with foil during final 10 minutes of baking to prevent excess browning. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pan, and let cool completely on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Notes
Making the Dough
- In a large bowl, whisk together flours and salt. Add 1 1/4 cups (33 grams) warm water, Sourdough Starter, and oil; stir together until a shaggy dough forms and no dry spots remain. cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place (75°F/24°C) for 1 hour.
Allowing the dough to rest after a quick, gentle mix like this will start gluten development without the risk of overworking the dough and allows for the flour to hydrate. This simple pause in making the bread dough is called autolyse.
Fluff & Fold
- Give the dough the first of 4 folds. Carefully pull and stretch one side of the dough and fold it over on itself; repeat on remaining 3 sides. Cover and let stand for another hour. Repeat the process 3 more times, for a total for 4 folds over the course of 4 hours. After the final fold, cover and refrigerate the dough to let rest for at least 8 hours or up to 24.
At this time, the starter is beginning to feed on the new flour in the dough. Folding the dough builds strength through the bulk fermentation process by doing a series of folds. Keep a small bowl of water next to you; wetting your hands periodically will keep the dough from sticking to your hands.
Shape & Rise
- Lightly dust work surface with all-purpose flour. Turn out dough onto surface. Cover and let stand for 20 minutes. Pat dough into a 9×7-inch rectangle, with one short side closest to you. Fold bottom third of dough up; starting at short side where dough is folded, roll up dough into a log. Pull log, seam side down toward you to create tension on surface.
- Lightly spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with baking spray with flour. Place dough, seam side down, in prepared pan. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place (75°F/24°C) until doubled in size and risen just above sides of pan, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
Folding and rolling up the dough creates tension, and that tension helps the loaf rise up and out. After its final rise, you can tell the dough has been proofed by seeing if the dough is relaxed. Test this by pushing your finger into the dough gently. If the indentation springs back slowly, it’s ready to bake.
Preheat & Bake
- Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C).
- Lightly dust top of dough with all-purpose flour. Place in oven. Immediately reduce oven temperature to 425°F (220°C).
- Bake until golden and an instant-read thermometer inserted in center registers 190°F (88°C), about 30 minutes, covering with foil during final 10 minutes of baking to prevent excess browning. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pan, and let cool completely on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
As tempting as it is to tear into warm freshly baked bread, resist the temptation. There is steam inside the bread that you don’t want to release by cutting into it, and that will dry out the loaf.
Thanks for the recipe & sharing some helpful instructions.
I’ve been baking with sour dough for more than 30 years. This is the first sandwich loaf that really works and tastes great. I baked the loaf in a Pullman pan to make smaller slices. Great recipe, thank you.
Just curious- did you put the lid on the Pullman pan? My dough is on a 24 hour rise right now, and I plan on using mine with the lid on tomorrow.
I just tasted my first slice and it is delicious! Soft crust, chewy interior with the whole wheat flour…wonderful recipe. It was hard to keep my hubby from digging in right after taking it out of the oven but we waited and it was worth it! I baked it in my Breville smart oven to keep the kitchen cooler and it worked perfectly.
This is currently my “go to” sandwich bread! My granddaughter gave me some of her sourdough starter that has rye flour with bread flour in it. I found this recipe from the 2023 magazine and used it for the first bread I did with the starter…….love this as toast as well as sandwiches. I have a bread proof box that helps keep the rise temperature consistent. The first time I made it I thought the batter too liquid, I added a bit of flour and that was a mistake unless you need a bread doorstop! Now I just go with the recipe, so tasty!