Sourdough Sandwich Bread (2024)

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This sourdough sandwich bread recipe makes an amazingly super-soft sandwich bread that kids absolutely love. It includes a no-knead method for an easy overnight rise and makes the softest, fluffiest sandwich bread with all the health benefits of sourdough.

This sourdough recipe is vegan-friendly and there are no eggs or milk in this recipe. The sourdough starter needed to make it contains live and active cultures that help the bread naturally rise. That means that you don’t need any yeast or other artificial rising agents.

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Why This Recipe Works

It’s super soft inside and out – so everyone loves it!
Sourdough loaves typically have a crunchy, chewy exterior that some people (and kids) dislike. However, this recipe is baked in a bread pan for a wonderfully light crust and soft interior.
There is no kneading required!
Since this is a no-knead bread recipe, there’s no worry about “Have I kneaded the dough enough?” The recipe is literally fail-proof.
It tastes like “regular” sandwich bread – without the “sour” taste.
Even if your kids aren’t sourdough fans, they’ll love it! They probably won’t even notice the difference between it and store-bought bread.

Learn more about how sourdough is fermented in my Overnight Artisan Sourdough Bread post.

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

Make this yummy soft loaf with just a handful of simple ingredients. As I mentioned, here’s no yeast, eggs, or milk required!

Sourdough starter – active and bubbly and fed 12-24 hours before starting the recipe.
Bread flour – I prefer King Arthur Flour for this recipe.
Sugar – either granulated sugar. You can substitute the sugar with 2 rounded tablespoons of honey.

No sourdough starter? My quick and easy sourdough starter recipe can make a fast starter in just five days. You can also make a loaf of our classic sandwich bread or whole wheat sandwich bread recipe, which uses yeast instead.

Here are my favorite sourdough tools for this recipe

How to Make the Best Sourdough Sandwich Bread

This sourdough bread recipe requires just a few basic steps. Spoiler alert: the overnight rise makes a soft sandwich loaf that’s far better than anything you’ll find at the grocery store.

Start the recipe on a relaxing Saturday or Sunday evening, and then bake the next day. It will be ready to slice and stack with your favorite sandwich ingredients during the week.

🎯 TFN Pro Tip

I recommend using a clear glass mixing bowl. This allows you to see the activity on the dough’s top and bottom. Often, the bottom of the dough will show a lot of activity, reassuring you that it’s properly fermented.

Follow these easy steps:

Feed your starter 12-24 hours before starting the recipe.
In a medium bowl, combine the starter with warm water, and then add bread flour, sugar, oil, and salt. I like using a dough whisk for mixing. Mix well to form a shaggy, sticky dough.

Flour or wet your clean hands and use them to mix the dough. Then, cover the bowl with a damp towel and allow it to rise for 30-45 minutes.
Coax the dough from the bowl, place it on a clean and lightly floured surface, then stretch and fold it a few times.
Recover with a damp towel, and now allow the sourdough to rise at room temperature overnight, approximately 8-10 hours.

In the morning, lightly flour your countertop. Remove the dough from the bowl and roll up the dough into a log shape (as shown below). Cover with a damp towel and let the dough rest for about 10 minutes.

How to Bake the Bread

Lightly spray a 9” x 5” loaf pan with nonstick spray. Then tighten the loaf by gently rolling and pulling the dough, and transfer it to the prepared loaf pan seam side down.
Cover with a towel and let the loaf rise for another hour or two.

When you’re ready to bake your loaf, preheat the oven to 375ºF. Then bake the bread for 40 minutes, until the crust is a lovely golden brown color.
Remove the pan from the oven and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before carefully tipping it out of the pan onto a cooling rack.

Let the sourdough sandwich bread cool for at least one hour before it is stored whole, or sliced and enjoyed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will this recipe work with all-purpose flour?

Yes you can use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour, using the same amount of flour.

My dough did not double in size overnight.

The dough needs a warm area for the bulk (overnight) fermented rise. Find a warm place (75º – 85º F) like an oven with the light on, a warm window, or above the dryer to set the bread for 2 more hours.

How will I know if my sourdough bread is done baking?

When the baking time is up, I check to see if the top of the loaf is golden and it sounds hollow when tapped on. If you are unsure, check the internal temperature which should be around 195º – 200ºF.

How do I store and freeze it?

If stored in a plastic bag at room temperature, it will stay fresh for up to 5 days. For the softest crust, we recommend leaving it out of the fridge. However, you can seal it in an airtight plastic bag and keep it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Allow the bread to defrost at room temperature before slicing and using.

For storing options, read our article on how to store sourdough bread.

More Recipes to Make With Your Sourdough Starter

Chocolate Sourdough Bread
Jalapeno Cheddar Sourdough Bread
Sourdough Bread Bowl
Sourdough Garlic Bread + Garlic Toast

If you tried thisSourdough recipeor any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟star ratingand let me know how it went in the 📝commentsbelow. Thanks for visiting!

Soft Sourdough Sandwich Bread (No-Knead Recipe)

Renae

4.80 from 423 votes

Make the best soft crust sourdough sandwich bread with our easy no-knead recipe. You'll love our step-by-step instructions and pro-tips for success!

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Equipment

▢
Bread pan, 9" x 5" - See notes for a 12' x 4.5" pan

Ingredients

▢ ⅓ cup (65 grams) sourdough starter, bubbly and active fed within 12-24 hours
▢ 1⅓ cups (300 grams) warm water, filtered 95º to 100º F
▢ ¼ cup (56 grams) granulated sugar can substitute with 2 rounded tablespoons of honey
▢ 3½ -4 cups (500 grams) bread flour I recommend weighing your flour, see notes for using measuring cups
▢ 1½ tablespoons (20 grams) extra-virgin olive oil
▢ 2 teaspoons (9 grams) salt

Instructions

Add the starter to a large bowl. Mix in warm water and sugar, stirring until dissolved. Add bread flour, oil, and salt. Stir with a dough whisk or wooden spoon until a thick, shaggy dough forms.
Flour your hands or wet your hands, and finish mixing dough by hand until most of the flour has been absorbed. Don't worry if there is flour on the sides or bottom of the bowl.
Cover with a clean, damp kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 30 to 45 minutes.
Coax the dough from the bowl and stretch and fold the dough by stretching 4 inches then pushing it down the middle and turning 1/4 until you make a circle (see video below for how to do this).
Return the dough to the bowl, cover with a damp towel, and let rise at room temperature overnight (at least 8-10 hours) until double in size. Do not refrigerate dough.
In the morning, lightly flour your counter top. Remove the dough from the bowl, gently stretching it into a rectangle, then your fingers to dimple the rough to release the air from the dough (as shown in photo).
Roll up dough into a log shape. Cover and let the dough rest 10 minutes.
Spray bread pan with cooking spray. Tighten the dough log by gently pulling it towards you along the countertop for 5-8". Place it in your loaf pan, seam side down. Cover and let rise for 1-2 hours, until the dough is about double in size.
Press the corner edge of the dough in 1/2" and if the indentation remains, it's ready to bake.
Preheat your oven to 375ºF.
Bake in the center of the oven for 40 minutes. The top of the loaf should be golden in color. Remove from oven.
After 10 minutes, tilt the pan to remove the bread to cool on a cooling rack.
Wait at least 1 hour before cutting (to prevent the loaf from deflating).

Video

Notes

Measuring the flour
The recipe ingredients call for 3 1/2 to 4 cups of flour because cup measuring is less reliable than using a food scale to weigh the flour.

Be sure to stir the flour, then use a spoon to add it into the measuring cup, and level it with a knife.

Start with the lower amount of flour and add up to 4 cups, but only if needed.

Troubleshooting (Updated 6/26/2023)

If your bread “blows out on one side,” we recommend using a larger bread pan, like 12″ x 4.5″ in size, or labeled at a 1.5-pound bread pan. Then bake at 375ºF for 30 minutes.

How will I know if my bread is done baking?

When the baking time is up, I check to see if the top of the loaf is golden and if it sounds hollow when tapped on. If you are unsure, check the internal temperature, which should be around 195º – 200ºF.

How do I store and freeze this?

Homemade sourdough bread stays fresh for up to 5 days if stored in a plastic bag at room temperature. For the softest crust, we recommend leaving it out of the fridge. However, you can seal it in an airtight plastic bag and keep it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Allow the bread to defrost at room temperature before slicing and using.

Nutrition

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