This 4-ingredient sourdough sandwich bread requires no complicated shaping, no scoring, and no preheated heavy Dutch oven. Grab your mixing bowl, pull out a spatula, and butter your loaf pan. This one is simple and delicious!

Crumb shot of sourdough sandwich (or toasting) bread.

As its name suggests, this sourdough sandwich bread recipe is easy, a simple mix of flour, water, salt, and sourdough starter. In sum, it’s an adaptation of my mother’s peasant bread recipe with the sugar and yeast omitted and sourdough starter added. Like this sourdough focaccia, the dough is high-hydration, which yields a soft crumb, perfect for sandwiches when freshly baked and excellent for toast, too.

In the world of sourdough bread baking, crusty boules, open-crumbed rolls, and pillowy focaccia get all the glory. But I would argue a simple sandwich loaf deserves just as much praise, if not more, not only for its ease in assembly, but also its utility.

Find step-by-step instructions as well as video guidance below.

PS: How to Build a Sourdough Strater from Scratch

PPS: How to Activate, Feed, and Maintain A Sourdough Starter

How to Make Sourdough Sandwich Bread, Step by Step

First, place 100 grams of starter in a large bowl. As always, for best results, please use a digital scale to measure.

weighing the starter: 100g

Add 10 grams of salt.

adding the salt

Add 430 grams of water. (You may need to use less water: see recipe box for notes.)

adding the water

Stir to combine.

stirring the starter, salt, and water together

Then add 512 grams of bread flour.

adding the flour

Stir to form a sticky dough ball.

mixed dough

Cover with a towel or cloth bowl cover or, preferably, a lidded vessel, and let rest for 30 minutes.

dough rising, Dot and Army cloth bowl cover

Then, perform a series of stretches and folds. See video for guidance (skip ahead to 1:13). Repeat this 3 more times for a total of 4 sets of stretches and folds during the first two hours. Then, let rise for 6 to 18 hours* (see recipe notes) at room temperature:

sourdough focaccia after 18 hour rise

Drizzle the surface of the dough with a little bit of olive oil; then fold the dough inwards from the sides to deflate.

Sourdough sandwich bread dough, punched down, ready to be transferred to loaf pan.

Transfer the dough to a large, buttered loaf pan. I use this 10 x 5-inch loaf pan but a 9×5-inch loaf pan will also work.

Sourdough sandwich bread dough, transferred to loaf pan, ready to make second rise.

Let the dough rise just until it begins to crown the rim of the pan, about 6 hours.

Sourdough sandwich bread dough in loaf pan, ready for the oven.

Bake for about 45 minutes or until golden brown all around.

Sourdough sandwich bread, just baked, still cooling in loaf pan.
Sideview of sourdough sandwich bread.
A loaf of sourdough sandwich bread.

Let cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

A halved loaf of sourdough sandwich (or toasting) bread.

It makes excellent toast, too.

A slice of sourdough toasting bread.
Avocado-egg salad toasts.

I love this tall-sided pullman loaf pan, too:

Sourdough Toasting Bread on a board.
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Crumb shot of sourdough sandwich (or toasting) bread.

Easy Sourdough Sandwich Bread

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Description

This easy sourdough sandwich bread requires no complicated shaping, no scoring, and no preheated heavy Dutch oven. Grab your mixing bowl, pull out a spatula, and butter your loaf pan. This one is simple and delicious!

Notes: 

Pan: You’ll need either a 10 x 5-inch loaf pan or a 9×5-inch loaf pan.

Plan ahead: This dough rises first for 6 to 18 hours  (or less if it is super hot out or if you live in a humid area) or until the dough doubles in volume; then again for about 4 to 6 hours or until the dough crowns the rim of the baking vessel.

Troubleshooting: If you have issues with your dough being too sticky, please read this post: Why is my sourdough so sticky? The 4 common mistakes.

If you’re just getting started with sourdough, check out this post first. You’ll find tips there on procuring a starter as well as how to feed it and maintain it. If you’re up for making your starter from scratch, you can do so in just about 1 week. 

Water: Chlorine in water can adversely affect sourdough. Leaving water at room temperature for 24 hours will allow most of the chlorine to escape. When I am in the habit of making sourdough bread, I fill a large pitcher with water and leave it out at room temperature. I use this for my sourdough breads and starter. Truth be told, I’ve used water straight from the tap and have not noticed a difference.

Water quantity: Also, depending on where you live and the time of year, you may need to cut the water back. If you live in a humid environment, for instance, I would suggest starting with 400 g or 420 g water. If you are not using bread flour, you also may need to cut the water back a bit. So much success with sourdough relies on getting the water quantity right. 

Starter: I use a 100% hydration starter, meaning it is equal parts by weight flour and water. If you need guidance on how to maintain a starter, see this post.

Ingredients

  • 100 grams (about 1/2 cup) active starter, see notes above
  • 10 grams (about 2.5 teaspoons) kosher salt
  • 430 grams water (or less, see notes above), room temperature
  • 512 grams (4 cups) bread flour, such as King Arthur Flour
  • a few tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • room temperature butter, for greasing

Instructions

  1. Mix the dough: Place the starter, salt, and water in a large bowl. Stir with a spatula to combine — it doesn’t have to be uniformly mixed. Add the flour. Mix again until the flour is completely incorporated. If you have a straight-sided vessel, transfer the dough to it — it really helps monitor the rise and allows you to see the true growth in volume of the dough. 
  2. Perform one (or more) “stretches and folds”: 30 minutes after you mix the dough, reach into the bowl and pull the dough up and into the center. Turn the bowl quarter turns and continue this pulling 8 to 10 times. See video for guidance. If time permits, repeat this “folding” step every 30 minutes for the first two hours. (Note: even if you perform just 1 fold, your dough will be in good shape.)
  3. Let it rise. Drizzle with a splash of olive oil and rub to coat. Cover bowl with a tea towel, bowl cover, or a lidded vessel, and set aside to rise at room temperature (70ºF/21ºC) for 4 to 18 hours — if it is super hot out or if you live in a humid environment, it may only take 4-6 hours. When the dough has nearly doubled in volume (or UPDATE: increased in volume by 50%, which is when I now end the bulk fermentation), it is ready. (Note: Do not use an oven with the light on for the bulk fermentation — it will be too warm. It is best to rely on visual cues (increasing in volume by 50% or doubling if you’ve had success with doubling) as opposed to time to determine when the bulk fermentation is done. A straight-sided vessel makes monitoring the bulk fermentation especially easy.)
  4. Prepare the pan. When the dough has nearly doubled, grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan or 10 x 5-inch loaf pan with butter (or nonstick spray).
  5. Let it proof. Drizzle dough with a few tablespoons of olive oil. Rub your hands with a little bit of oil to coat. Use your hand to release the dough from the sides of the vessel, being careful not to completely deflate the dough. Video guidance here. Turn the dough out onto a work surface. Quickly, shape the dough into a rectangle — fold the dough envelope-style first; then use a bench scraper to shape the dough into a rough rectangle. Transfer dough, seam-side down to prepared loaf pan and gently stretch into an oblong shape. (At this point, you can transfer the pan to the fridge if it makes sense with your schedule: rub the dough with oil and cover with plastic wrap, or tuck the whole pan into a 2-gallon ziptop bag. Transfer to the fridge till the next day. Then proceed with the recipe.) Leave the pan alone for 5 to 6 hours, or until the dough reaches the rim of the pan — this may take less time when it is very warm out. Do be patient with this second rise: to get good height, the dough should be near the rim of the pan before you transfer it to the oven. 
  6. Bake it. Heat oven to 425ºF. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for about 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 375ºF. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes more or until golden all around. If you have an instant read thermometer, it should register 206-210ºF or so before removing. Remove the pan from the oven and turn the bread out onto a cooling rack. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
  • Prep Time: 24 hours
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Category: Bread
  • Method: Sourdough/Natural Leavening
  • Cuisine: American