The Best Sourdough Sandwich Bread Recipe

The Best Sourdough Sandwich Bread in 6 Steps

This method is designed to maximize flavor while ensuring the resulting bread loaf is soft, tall, and perfectly sliceable. Unlike traditional recipes that require constant kneading, we rely on a slightly higher hydration percentage and multiple folds during the bulk fermentation to develop strength.

Paying close attention to the bread dough, rather than the clock, is the secret to avoiding an over-proofed loaf. This results in fantastic oven spring and that characteristic, slightly tangy flavor that makes soft sourdough sandwich bread so unique.

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups hard white or red wheat berries
• 340 grams freshly ground whole wheat flour
• 100 grams active sourdough starter
• 265 grams lukewarm water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt, adjust to taste
• 1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter

Equipment

• Blendtec blender
• Kitchen scale (essential for accurate sourdough baking)
• Large mixing bowl
• 9 x 5-inch loaf pan
• Plastic wrap or a reusable bowl cover

Step 1: Grinding the Wheat Berries

1. Prep: Ensure your blender jar is completely dry. Moisture will turn the wheat berries into a paste.
2. Grind: Add the 340g of wheat flour to the blender. Start blending on a low speed and quickly increase to the highest speed.
3. Process: Blend until the berries are a fine flour. This usually takes 30-60 seconds. Stop once the flour is evenly fine to avoid overheating it.
4. Sift (Optional but recommended): While technically a whole wheat flour, you can lightly sift it through a coarse mesh sieve to remove any large, sharp pieces of bran that might damage the gluten network.

Step 2: Mixing the Dough

1. Autolyse: In your large mixing bowl, combine the 340g freshly ground flour and 250g of water. Mix until no dry flour remains. Cover the bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes. This process, called autolyse, allows the flour to fully hydrate before the starter is added, which helps develop a better crumb.
2. Add Starter: Add the 100g active sourdough starter to the dough. Mix thoroughly, either by hand or with a Danish whisk, until the starter is fully incorporated.
3. Rest: Cover and rest the dough for 30 minutes.

Step 3: Adding Salt and Fat

1. Add Salt/Fat: Sprinkle the salt and drizzle the melted butter or oil of choice.
2. Kneading/Mixing: Mix and knead the dough in the bowl for 5-8 minutes. This is where you work the salt and fat in and begin to develop gluten structure. The dough will be shaggy at first, but should become smoother.
3. Adjust If Needed: If the dough feels too stiff and unworkable, add the remaining 15g of water, a few drops at a time, until the dough is manageable.

Step 4: Bulk Fermentation (The Rise)

The duration of this step is highly dependent on your kitchen temperature. 72−78°F is ideal.

1. First Set of Folds (Stretch & Fold): Immediately after mixing, perform your first set of stretch and folds. With wet hands, gently grab a side of the dough, stretch it up, and fold it over the center. Rotate the bowl and repeat this 3-4 times.
2. Repeat Folds: Perform 3 more sets of stretch and folds, spaced 30 minutes apart. This is crucial for strengthening the whole wheat dough.
3. Final Rest: After the last set of folds, cover the bowl and let the dough rise undisturbed. The bulk fermentation is complete when the dough has visibly increased by about 30-50% in volume, and the surface shows small bubbles. This can take 4-8 hours, depending on conditions.

Step 5: Shaping and Final Proof

1. Pre-Shape: Gently turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Fold the sides in to create a rough rectangle or round. Cover and let it rest for 20 minutes (called the bench rest).
2. Final Shape: Lightly grease your loaf pan. Shape the dough into a tight log, ensuring you create surface tension and seal the seam on the bottom.
3. Pan Proof: Place the shaped dough seam-down into the loaf pan. Cover the pan loosely.
4. Cold Proof (Recommended for best results): Place the pan in the refrigerator for 10-14 hours (overnight). This slows down fermentation, enhancing flavor and making it easier to slice.
5. Alternatively (Room Temp): If you are not cold-proofing, let the loaf rise at room temperature until it has reached about 1 inch from the rim of the pan. This usually takes 2-4 hours.

Step 6: Baking

1. Preheat: 1 hour before baking, preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
2. Bake: Place the loaf pan in the preheated oven.
3. Steam (Optional): For a better crust, pour a cup of boiling water into a broiler pan on the bottom rack of the oven immediately before putting the bread in.
4. Initial Bake: Bake for 20 minutes.
5. Reduce Heat: Lower the oven temperature to 375°F (190°C).
6. Final Bake: Bake for an additional 30-40 minutes. The loaf is done when the crust is a deep golden brown and the internal temperature registers 205−210°F (96−99°C).
7. Cool: Remove the loaf from the pan immediately and let it cool completely on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before slicing. Slicing too early will result in a gummy texture.

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