Soft Sourdough Sandwich Bread
If you’ve been searching for a soft, reliable sourdough sandwich bread that’s easy enough for everyday baking, you’re in the right place. This recipe creates a fluffy, tender loaf that’s perfect for everything from a simple breakfast toast to a hearty cold beef sandwich recipe piled high with your favorite fixings.
One of the best things about this soft sourdough sandwich bread is its versatility. It slices beautifully, holds up well to spreads and fillings, and makes an incredible base for both classic and creative meals—whether you’re making a comforting chicken patty melt, a melty caprese grilled cheese with fresh tomatoes and basil, or even learning how to make sourdough French toast for a cozy weekend breakfast.
Whether you’re new to sourdough or just want a no-fuss sandwich loaf your whole family will love, this recipe delivers consistent, delicious results every time.
Quick Look: Soft Sourdough Sandwich Bread
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 15 hours
- 🍳 Cook Time: 30 minutes (plus 15 minutes to rest)
- 🕒 Total Time: 15 hrs, 45 minutes
- 👥 Servings: 24
- 📊 Calories: ~38 kcal per serving (based on nutrition panel)
- 🔥 Cook Method: Oven-baked in bread pans.
- 👩🍳 Flavor Profile: Slightly tangy, not super-sweet, not sour.
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy, making it great for making weekly.
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This bread is made without commercial yeast, and depends on the wild yeast from an active bubbly sourdough starter to raise the bread. The recipe is very flexible, and you can adjust the amount of sweetener in it, and substitute eggs, melted beef tallow, or oil for the butter, depending on what you have readily available. You can also freeze it the same day you bake it, and it will taste nice and fresh. Once you try this sandwich recipe, it will be your go-to sourdough sandwich bread.
Jump to:
- Quick Look: Soft Sourdough Sandwich Bread
- Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Why Make Sourdough Sandwich Bread
- Key Ingredients
- Example of Timing For Making Sourdough Sandwich Bread
- How To Make Soft Sourdough Sandwich Bread (Step by Step)
- Helpul Tips
- Soft Sourdough Sandwich Bread FAQ
- Other Recommended Sourdough Bakes
- Soft Sourdough Sandwich Bread - Easy Recipe
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Simple and Easy - this entire process takes about 24 hours from start to finish, but it takes less than 10 minutes of active time, as most of the time it is just fermenting or raising. The timing of this is also flexible and can be adjusted to almost any schedule.
No Scale Needed - this recipe can easily be made without a scale as everything is measured in cups. You can switch the recipe card to grams if you prefer to measure that way.
Why Make Sourdough Sandwich Bread
- It’s wise to know how to make bread without having to purchase yeast at the grocery store in case it is ever not available for some reason.
- The taste and texture of this sourdough sandwich bread will be unlike any other sandwich bread you will make. It’s soft, not crumbly, and will stay soft and moist for several days.
- It will stay fresh longer on your counter without molding because it is already inoculated with the beneficial bacteria from the sourdough making it harder for mold to grow.
- The addition of fat, sweetener, and milk to this sandwich bread make it an enriched dough that makes a soft and pliable bread.
Key Ingredients
- Flour - I recommend using all or mostly white flour in this sourdough sandwich bread as it will make a softer and more beautiful dough. Bleached or unbleached all-purpose flour or bread flour works the best. Unbleached flour is obviously healthier for you and bread flour will make a more beautiful loaf than just all-purpose flour because it has a higher protein content, but any of these flours will work. If you use whole grain or whole wheat flour, I suggest using at least half all-purpose or bread flour when making your bread for best results. A loaf made with 100% whole grain flour will be more dense than you will like for sandwiches. I like to get my high-protein bread flour in bulk from Azure Standard. You can check it out here.
- Milk - You can use any kind of milk in this recipe. I like to use raw milk or buttermilk from my Jersey cows, but you can use any kind of milk that you like, including coconut or almond milk to make it dairy-free. The milk helps to give the bread a softer texture.
- Fat - Here’s where it gets fun because this recipe is so flexible. If you’re making this bread in the summer, it’s a good idea to keep the dough close to room temperature so it doesn’t ferment too quickly and possibly overferment. I like to use room temperature eggs or butter for my fat during the summer. In the winter, it’s a good idea to keep your dough a little warmer so it doesn’t take quite so long to rise. In this case, I like to use melted butter, coconut oil, or beef tallow as my fat. The warmth from melting the fat helps the bread to rise faster. Any of these fats will work at anytime, and you can adjust it based on what you have on hand and the amount of time you have to make the bread.
- Sweetener - You can use honey, sugar, or anything similar in this recipe. I like to make it with a small amount of sweetener, but you can certainly increase the amount of sweetener if you’d like the bread to be sweeter. If you add more sweetener, the bread will taste less sour, which is more appealing to some people.
- Salt - I like to use redmond real salt, but you can use whatever salt you have on hand. Salt is what gives the bread its flavor, and it’s really important not to leave it out.
Example of Timing For Making Sourdough Sandwich Bread
How To Make Soft Sourdough Sandwich Bread (Step by Step)
**PLEASE NOTE: After many requests, I updated this recipe to only make two loaves instead of four, as many people wanted to make less than four loaves. If you want to make more loaves, you can scale the recipe up in the recipe card as needed.
- Feed the starter: to a small amount of starter (no more than ½ cup), you’ll want to add at least 2 cups of flour, and about 1 ⅓ cups of warm water. I like to complete this step before noon so the starter has plenty of time to rise before evening.
- Happy bubbly starter: allow the fed starter to become active while sitting out at room temperature. When the starter has risen to the top of the container and is happy and active, proceed to the next step.
- Mix up the preferment: in the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 2 cups liquid (this can be water, milk or buttermilk - and it should be warm if it’s winter), 2 cups active sourdough starter, and 3 cups all purpose or bread flour. Mix on low speed for a minute or so using the dough hook attachment. Cover and allow to ferment in the bowl of the stand mixer overnight. I like to complete this step in the evening before going to bed.
- Add more ingredients: The next morning, add your fat of choice, sweetener, salt, and milk (warm in winter and cold in summer). Turn on the mixer and allow to partially combine.
- Mix up the bread: then add 9-11 cups of all-purpose or bread flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Mix on medium speed for 8 to 10 minutes to fully develop the gluten in the dough. Turn off the mixer and check to make sure the dough isn’t too sticky. You want it to be a little sticky, but not so sticky that you can’t handle it. If the dough is really sticky, add more flour ¼ cup at a time until it's less sticky. I like to stretch the dough upwards to see if I can see through it without tearing it; this is sometimes called the windowpane test.
- First rise: Put dough into a large oiled mixing bowl, or leave it in the bowl of your stand mixer, cover, and let the dough rise in a warm place for 2-3 hours or until close to double in size. If it’s winter and your house is cold, it may take longer to rise. That’s okay, let it rise as long as it needs to until it gets close to doubling in size.
- Shape the bread: Once the dough has risen, punch it down and dump it out onto a lightly floured surface. Shape into loaves by dividing the dough using a bench scraper. Flatten each piece of dough into a rectangle. Take each corner of dough that is closest to you and place it in the middle of the rectangle forming a triangle. Take tip of the triangle that is closest to you and roll away from you until the dough has formed into a loaf. Tuck the edges under if needed and place in greased loaf pans.
- Second rise and score: Allow the dough to do its second rise until just above the edges of the loaf pans. This usually takes another 2-3 hours, but watch them closely if your house is warm, so they don’t rise too far and over-ferment. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Using a bread lame or razor blade, slash the tops of the loaves to allow more room for the loaf to expand while baking. Place the loaves into the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the bread is 190 degrees.
- Remove from the oven and cool: Remove the bread from the oven. Immediately take it out of the bread pans, and place it on a cooling rack. Brush the golden brown crust with butter to keep it nice and soft, and allow bread to cool.
- Enjoy and store: Be sure to enjoy a couple of slices with fresh butter and strawberry jam.
Helpul Tips
- Don’t over-ferment the dough. Watch it closely in the summertime, as it will rise a lot faster than in the winter.
- Be sure to use an active sourdough starter to ensure that your bread will rise properly.
- Use a stand mixer if possible, as it will make this bread fast and easy to make. The Bosch stand mixer is my favorite heavy-duty mixer
- This bread can be frozen for up to 3 months. It can be sliced and frozen in smaller portions if necessary.
Soft Sourdough Sandwich Bread FAQ
Soft sourdough sandwich bread is perfect for everyday meals. You can use it for toast, sandwiches, grilled cheese, or even breakfast recipes. It works especially well for a cold beef sandwich recipe, chicken patty melt, or a caprese grilled cheese, thanks to its soft texture and sturdy crumb.
To make sourdough French toast, whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla, and a pinch of cinnamon. Dip slices of sourdough sandwich bread into the mixture, then cook on a buttered skillet over medium heat until golden brown on both sides. The slight tang of sourdough adds incredible flavor.
Yes! Sourdough sandwich bread is excellent for grilled cheese because it crisps up beautifully while staying soft inside. It’s especially delicious in recipes like a caprese grilled cheese or even a savory chicken patty melt.
You can make a wide variety of sandwiches, from a simple turkey sandwich to a loaded cold beef sandwich recipe. This bread is sturdy enough for layered deli sandwiches and soft enough for warm melts.
Store your bread in an airtight container or bag at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also freeze slices and thaw as needed to maintain freshness and softness. Whole loaves of sourdough sandwich bread can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Yes, leftover sourdough bread makes great croutons because it has a tangy flavor and can easily be tossed with some beef tallow and seasonings and toasted in the oven for deliciously crunchy homemade sourdough croutons.
Other Recommended Sourdough Bakes
If you try this recipe and love it, please come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @wagonwheelhomestead21. I can’t wait to see what all you make!
Soft Sourdough Sandwich Bread - Easy Recipe
Ingredients
Preferment Ingredients
- 1 cup active sourdough starter
- 1 cup water milk or buttermilk
- 1 ½ cup flour
Dough Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon fat butter, oil, melted coconut oil or beef tallow (warm is best if your house is cool), or 1 egg
- 2 tablespoon sweetener honey or sugar
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups milk or buttermilk any kind of milk - warm is best if your house is cool
- 4 ½ - 5 ½ cups all purpose or bread flour
Instructions
- **PLEASE NOTE: After many requests, I updated this recipe to only make two loaves instead of four, as many people wanted to make less than four loaves. If you want to make more loaves, you can scale the recipe up in the recipe card as needed.
Feed Sourdough Starter
- To a small amount of starter (about ¼ cup), you’ll want to add about 1 cup of flour, and about ⅔ cups warm water. I like to feed my starter lots of flour and water when I prepare to make bread, and then I save the extra starter in my refrigerator to use in all my favorite sourdough discard recipes. Feel free to add more flour and water to your starter if desired, but you’ll want to feed it at least 1 cup of flour, as you’ll need 1 cup of starter for the bread recipe. I like to complete this step in the morning.
- Allow fed starter to become active while sitting out at room temperature. When starter has risen all the way to the top and is happy and active, proceed to the next step.
Combine Pre-ferment Ingredients
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the pre-ferment ingredients. Mix on low speed for a minute or so using the dough hook attachment. Cover and allow to ferment in the bowl of the stand mixer overnight. I like the Bosch mixer because it is so heavy duty, and also because it has a lid that can easily be put on while the bowl is on the stand mixer. I like to complete this step in the evening before going to bed.
Mix Up The Bread
- The next morning, add your fat of choice (I prefer butter or an egg), sweetener, salt, milk (warm in winter and cold in summer). Turn on the mixer and allow to partially combine.
- Then add the flour until the dough pulls away from the bowl and mix on medium speed for about 5-10 minutes. This will help to develop the gluten and make the bread soft and pliable. Turn off mixer and check to make sure dough isn’t really sticky. You want it to be a little sticky, but not so sticky that you can’t handle it. (See video below).
First Rise
- Let the dough rise in a warm place for 2-3 hours or until close to double. If it’s winter and your house is cold, it may take longer to raise. That’s okay, let it raise as long as it needs to until it gets close to doubling in size. If you're making several loaves, it's best to take it out of the bowl of the stand mixer, and put it into a bigger bowl to raise.
- Once dough has risen, punch it down and dump it out onto a lightly floured surface. Shape into loaves by dividing dough into two pieces using a bench scraper. Flatten each piece of dough into a rectangle. Take each corner of dough that is closest to you and place in the middle of the rectangle forming a triangle. Take tip of triangle that is closest to you and roll away from you until the dough has formed into a loaf. Tuck the edges under if needed and place in greased loaf pans. (See video below).
Second Rise
- Allow dough to do it's second rise until its just above the edges of the loaf pans. This usually takes another 2-3 hours, but watch them closely if your house is warm so they don’t raise too far and over ferment.
Bake
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Using a bread lame or razor blade, slash the tops of the loaves to allow more room for the loaf to expand.
- Place loaves into oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the bread is 190 degrees.
- Remove from the oven and bread pans, and place on cooling rack. Brush the golden brown crust with butter to keep it nice and soft, and allow bread to cool.
Enjoy
- Slice and enjoy a couple of slices with fresh butter and strawberry jam. There's nothing better!
- Can be stored in a beeswax wrap on counter or in refrigerator for up to a week, or frozen for up to three months. You can even slice and freeze a few slices in separate bags so you only have to take out a little bit of bread at a time. It’s best to freeze bread the same day that it is baked for the freshest taste.
Video
Notes
- Be sure to use an active sourdough starter to ensure that your bread will rise properly.
- Don’t over-ferment the dough. Watch it closely in the summertime, as it will rise a lot faster than in the winter.
- Use a stand mixer if possible, as it will make this bread so fast and easy to make. The Bosch stand mixer is my favorite heavy-duty mixer
- This bread can be frozen for up to 3 months. It can be sliced and frozen in smaller portions if necessary.
- Make a DIY beeswax wrap for storing your bread in on the counter. This will help to inhibit any mold growth on the bread.
How many lives does this make?
4 loaves, but you can cut it in half if need be.
Does this make 4 loaves??
Yes, but you can cut it in half if need be.
I am diabetic and looking for a good soft sourdough sandwich recipe. This one looks interesting, but I have a couple questions before I start. First I do not have any type of mixer, does that mean I will need to mix it all by hand? (no problem) Could I substitute some of the white flour for wheat? And what happens if I eliminate the sweetener?
Thank you
Hi Jennifer, you can certainly mix this all by hand, no problem. You can just do some stretch and folds, similar to what you would do for my artisan sourdough bread, instead of doing all that kneading by hand. It's totally up to you. The purpose of the kneading or the stretch and folds is to develop the gluten, so either one will work. You can substitute some whole wheat flour, but I wouldn't do more than 50% to start with until you figure out how you like it. You can absolutely eliminate the sweetener, however, keep in mind that there's only 1 Tablespoon of sweetener per loaf of bread in this recipe, which isn't very much. And all the phytic acid and most of the gluten will be broken down by the sourdough, which will lower the glycemic index of this bread immensely. I know a diabetic that eats this regularly, and since doing so has actually seen his #'s drop and be much more regulated. Sourdough is amazing stuff, especially for people that are diabetics. Let me know if you have other questions 🙂
New to baking. I’ve tried my hand at a couple different recipes for artisan sourdough & sourdough sandwich bread that people seem to have success with and they’ve all been failures for me. Want to give your recipe a try but I don’t ever have milk in the house. Could I substitute part half & half and part water instead of milk?
Yes you can certainly substitute part half and half and part water. Let me know if you have any other questions.
A relative sourdough newbie here. For the soft sandwich bread, after your starter is ready and active, and you add the flour, milk and salt, and mix with the dough hook, do you let it sit I. Your counter overnight for the first raise, or do you have to refrigerate it overnight. I’m thinking counter, but don’t want to ruin it!!
So I like to mix the levain which includes active starter, milk and flour and let that sit out overnight. Then I add the rest of the ingredients like the salt, more flour, more milk, etc. let it knead for several minutes and either put it in the refrigerator for overnight or out on your counter for a couple of hours. So if you're to the second step, which it sounds like you are, and you've added all the rest of the ingredients and you have dough, then I would suggest letting it slowly rise in the refrigerator if you need to leave it overnight. It's fine on the counter if it's not to hot in your kitchen, or if you don't leave it as long as overnight. I hope that makes sense. The reason for putting it in the refrigerator if you're leaving it overnight is because you don't want it to over ferment and become a sticky sloppy mess. You might be able to get away with it out on the counter in the winter, but in the summer I always put it in the refrigerator if I mix the dough up at night. Hope this helps.
On the nutritional values is each serving really 1319 calories and 260 carbs ?
That information is estimated and automatically figured by Nutritionix based on the ingredient list. It doesn't take into account the fact that it's made with sourdough and long fermented, which breaks down a lot of the gluten and sugars. So no, I don't believe one slice of this bread contains that many calories.
What would be the measurements for 1/2 this (to make only 2 loaves)?
Leaven
1 cup active sourdough starter
1 cup water, milk or buttermilk
1 1/2 cups flour
Combine together and let sit out at room temperature overnight.
2 Tbl. fat
1/4 cup sweetener
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups milk
4 1/2 to 5 1/2 cups flour
Add to the leaven mixture and mix for 10 minutes. Allow to rise. Shape and rise again. Bake for 30 minutes.
Is the dough like a hard ball after sitting over night before I add the other ingredients? Mine is very stiff.
If you're talking about the leaven that sits on the counter overnight, it should be like the consistency of a thick sourdough starter. If you mixed up the dough last night, and let it raise on your counter overnight, it should be soft and fluffy. If your dough is too hard you either added way to much flour, or your starter isn't strong enough to raise it.
I’m new to sourdough! After mixing the pre-ferment ingredients and covering the bowl… Should this be left to ferment in the refrigerator overnight or just on the counter? I suppose it can’t ferment in the fridge… haha. I’m new and learning. Thank you
Hi and welcome to making sourdough! You are correct, it needs to sit out at room temperature in order to ferment. Let me know if you have any other questions as you go 🙂
Thank you for this wonderful recipe! So you keep it on your counter overnight and not in fridge right?
You're welcome. Yes, I leave the leaven out on the counter overnight, and then mix up the dough in the morning
My daughter loves making bread with me. This recipe is amazing! We will definitely have to do it again 😁
I'm so glad, and how fun that you can make bread together. It's a great way to pass on these valuable skills to the next generation.
Hi LaRee,
I'm so excited! I'm making this bread right now. We are in need of hamburger buns....you mentioned using this recipe for that.....in the YouTube video?? How exactly would I do that? I'm going to divide my dough into 4 and with one sections I thought I could just make bun shapes and put them in a 9X13 pan to rise.....what do you think?
Also, I followed the link for the Bosch mixer.....I did the 2nd half of the recipe by hand, whew! LOL! Anyway, Amazon doesn't carry the one that you linked to anymore. If I'm going to buy it, I'd rather you get some income from my purchase....so, fix that link!
Have a blessed day!
Hi Tonia,
Yes, just divide a loaf into 6 or 8 balls, and shape into buns. Put them on a baking sheet or 9 x 13 pan and bake for 15-20 minutes. Thanks for telling me about the link, I am an affiliate for Bosch and you'll get $20 off your order using this link: https://nutrimill.com/wagonwheel. I'll definitely fix that link, thanks.
I replaced the buttermilk with kefir, and also increased the 2nd waiting/rising time to 24 hrs in the fridge in loaf pans, to get an extra long ferment. They turned out soft and delicious. Thank you!!!
Awesome! I use clabber all the time, and I'm sure kefir is delicious too! Thanks for letting me know, I'm glad you're enjoying the bread.
I am a total sourdough beginner. I have been experimenting with different recipes, focusing on long-fermented sandwich bread. I just made your recipe today (cut in half) and they are definitely my best loaves yet!! Granted, I may be getting better at it, but it also may be the way you explain the steps...easier for me to understand, maybe. But, I am totally happy with this recipe and will be using it alot! Thank you!
Oh good, you are so welcome! Let me know if I can help you in anyway on your sourdough journey.
I appreciate that! I do have a question... would you be able to give me more specifics such as:
1. In the first step, feeding the active starter, you say to let it rise to the "top." To the top of what? Are you letting it rise in your Bosch mixer? How many hours does it take usually? Right now, it's winter and 20 degrees out, so I mix it in my mixing bowl with a loose lid in the oven with the light on.
2. Can you put more exact(ish) hours between each step so that I can create my own "schedule"?
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe and wonderful blog 🙂 🙂 🙂
Sure!
1. So when I was referring to feeding the starter, that is the very first step, which is before I mix up the leaven in the bowl. So I feed the starter in a jar, and let it rise until "double", which is usually the top of the jar for me because the jar is usually half full to start with.
2. Feed starter - let rise until double (probably about 6-8 hours in the winter). I feed mine in the sometime between morning and mid-day.
3. Mix leaven - in the bowl of your stand mixer, or a regular bowl, mix up your leaven using some of your active starter you fed earlier. I do this in the evening before bed.
4. Mix bread dough - I do this the following morning usually around 8 a.m. Allow to rise until at least 1 1/2 times or even double it's size. (This usually takes 2 hours for me, but could take a little longer if you kitchen is cold).
5. Shape the bread into loaves (usually around 11 a.m.). Let it rise until double etc.
6. Bake the bread (usually around 1 p.m.)
Let me know if you have any questions, LaRee.
Is there a good way to tell when it's ready to move on after "combining pre-fermented ingredients"?
Yes! When it's nice and bubbly, like a happy sourdough starter, then it's ready to mix up into dough.
Thank you for sharing this recipe! Made a half recipe today with whole milk and butter. We have been making sourdough since start of COVID and I love trying new SD recipes. Now that I have made it once, I look forward to trying some options you mention!
Oh good! Isn't sourdough fun? I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Will gluten free flour work?
No, baking with gluten free flour is very different. I'll be sharing more on that soon. Keep in mind though, that if you long ferment sourdough made with regular flour, that most of the gluten will be out of it by the time you bake it. So if you are gluten intolerant, long fermented sourdough might work for you. If you are celiac, then you will need to bake bread with gluten free flour.
How do I go about a long ferment? I'd like a 48 hour ferment.
I would put the dough in the refrigerator right after you mix it up. It will slowly rise and ferment in the refrigerator. Then shape, rise on the counter and bake after the 48 hours.
Hi! So I am super new to sourdough! I have done several discard recipes and love them. But with this I have let my dough sit for 12 hours. But now I don’t know if I have the motivation to whip up multiple loaves of bread at 8 in the evening. Can it sit for a period of time? Or will this ruin my bread
Hi Emily, great question, so you mixed up your dough in the morning? Or the levain? Or the starter? I'm not sure which you mean. The starter and levain can wait, but the dough would need to be shaped and refrigerated to wait until morning. 12 hours is a long time to let the dough sit, it would probably be overfermented if left that long. Let me know and I'm happy to help you.
LaRee you are awesome. I’ve learned so much about sourdough from you. I’m proof you can teach an ole lady new tricks. I make this wonderful sandwich bread at least once a month. I freeze 3 and we use one at least once a week. My husband and I love it and it has proven to improve our heath and well being. I’ma retired RN 5 years now and I’ve taught myself to quilt. I paint and craft more often and now a sourdough lover. My starter is awesome. I call her Audrey. 😊 Happy as ever on a river in the woods in our dream home in the Bitterroot, Montana. Thank you
Dolly
You are so welcome, and I'm SO glad you're enjoying the bread! I loved hearing more about you and all the things you enjoy doing. Montana is beautiful also! One of my favorite states!
How many loaves does this make? 2?
Thanks
Judy Logue
Hi Judy, it makes 4 loaves, but you can certainly cut it in half if you'd like.