The Best Sourdough Sandwich Bread

Many home bakers have wondered “Can you bake sourdough in a loaf pan?” The answer is yes! Learn how to bake this super soft sourdough sandwich bread with a beautiful crust in a loaf pan. This recipe is not only delicious, but it also gives you consistent results. A sourdough bread recipe that will be a favorite for the whole family!

Did this happen to you?

A week was spent (or more) developing the perfect sourdough starter. Now it is active and bubbly and you are antsy to FINALLY bake some bread.

All your ingredients are laid out on the counter ready to make the perfect loaf. You have your favorite sourdough bread recipe pulled up on your phone…ahem…maybe mine?! You take a final glance over the instructions until you see this – “Bake in a large Dutch Oven.”

And the disappointment sets in when you realize you don’t have one.

The good news is that not all is lost! Though you might not be able to bake that signature crusty sourdough loaf today, you still can bake a delicious sourdough sandwich bread with a loaf pan.

Praise! Bread will still be baked today.

This super simple recipe creates a tender crumb, with a soft and gold brown crust, perfect for your everyday bread, but with a sourdough tang!

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What is Sourdough?

Sourdough is a slow-fermented food that uses a natural leaven – a sourdough starter.

Don’t have your own sourdough starter? Let me be your guide on how to create your very own sourdough starter from scratch! All you need is flour, water, and one week! Here you will find simple step-by-step directions, plus a sourdough starter schedule free printable.

A sourdough starter is what creates that light and fluffy texture we all love about bread and baked goods. Give your sourdough starter enough time to ferment, and it will break down the phytic acid naturally found in wheat.

Not only is sourdough full of rich flavor, but its fermented dough is easier for our bodies to digest.

Why Do I Need a Dutch Oven to Bake Sourdough Bread?

Baking a sourdough loaf in a Dutch oven is the best practice in order to achieve a perfect rise (what bakers refer to as the best oven spring) and for even cooking throughout the loaf.

This is due to the fact the Dutch oven captures all the steam while the bread bakes. The steam keeps the loaf soft so it can rise fully until the very end of the baking time before it becomes golden brown with a crispy crust.

Can You Bake Sourdough Bread in a Loaf Pan?

What if you don’t have a Dutch oven? Can you bake sourdough bread in a loaf pan?

Let me cut to the chase and tell you – YES, you can!

Too often bread bakers stall their sourdough bread baking journey when they find out that they need a large Dutch Oven to cook an artisan bread loaf. But let the relief set in when you hear that you can still bake sourdough bread without a cast iron Dutch oven!

This basic sourdough recipe will give you the most delicious sourdough sandwich bread and all you need is a loaf pan – you don’t even need a banneton!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe:

No Fancy Equipment Required:

As I revealed above, for the best results all you need is a tin loaf pan to bake a delicious loaf of bread. No fancy Challenger bread pan or Le Creuset Dutch Oven is needed here.

Delicious and Soft Sourdough Bread the Whole Family Will Love:

Say goodbye to Sarah Lee and all of her sliced sandwich bread buddies! This sourdough sandwich bread recipe gives you soft and incredibly delicious bread without all the additives. It will be the easiest swap, no one will notice the difference between this homemade bread and store-bought!

Bare Minimum Kneading:

Only 20 seconds of kneading is required, that’s all! Can this recipe get simpler than that?

Can Be Made and Baked in 1 Day:

I’ve included two baker’s schedules with step-by-step instructions. One schedule will even give your fresh bread all in one day. How about that for sourdough?

Ingredients:

Active Sourdough Starter – No commercial yeast is needed for this recipe! Your active starter will do all the work to give you that soft and chewy slice of sandwich bread.

Warm Water – Make sure that the water isn’t boiling. This can kill your sourdough starter, causing the dough not to rise and instead be dense.

Unsalted Butter, melted – Adding butter to this recipe makes this everyday bread so soft. You can substitute for a 1:1 ratio with olive oil if preferred.

Sugar – For some sweetness and color! While the bread bakes, the crust will turn golden brown due to the Maillard reaction.

Bread Flour – Bread flour has a higher gluten count, which helps this homemade sourdough bread keep its shape.

All-Purpose Flour – Incorporating some white flour keeps the bread nice and soft.

Salt – To enhance the overall flavor of the bread.

Supplies:

Large Bowl

Kitchen Scale – Baking is about precision and this help tremendously.

Dutch Dough Whisk – Great for mixing bread dough and pancake batter!

Bench Knife

8.5 inch x 4.5 inch Loaf Pan

Wire Rack

Baker’s Schedule:

Bake the Same Day:

9 am: Make the Dough

10 am: Knead the Dough

10 am: First Rise

7 pm: Shape

7 pm: Second Rise

9 pm: Bake

Bake the Next Day:

9 pm: Make the Dough

10 pm: Knead the Dough

10 pm: First Rise

Next Morning:

7 am: Shape

7 am: Second Rise

9 am: Bake

How to Make Sourdough Sandwich Bread in a Loaf Pan:

Make the Dough

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the starter, warm water, melted butter, and sugar. Add the flour and salt to the wet ingredients and mix with a Danish dough whisk until all the flour has been incorporated. The bread dough will be shaggy and a little sticky.

Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel, a tied plastic bag, or plastic wrap. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes to an hour to allow the gluten to relax a little bit.

Knead the Dough

First, wet your fingers so the dough doesn’t stick to them.

Then, take a piece of the bread dough, pull it upwards, and fold it towards the center of the dough. Push the heel of your hand into the dough.

Turn the bowl clockwise a quarter turn and repeat the same motion. Continue to knead the dough for about 20 seconds. The dough should become more stiff and smooth looking.

Grease another bowl with butter and place the dough with the seam side down.

Bulk Fermentation

Cover the bowl again and let the dough rise till doubled in size. In my 70 degree F kitchen, the bulk rise will take anywhere from 8-10 hours. If your kitchen is cooler, then this will take longer. If your kitchen is warmer, then it will take less time.

Shape the Dough

Once the dough has doubled in size, remove the bowl cover and punch the dough. Do so by placing your fist in the center of the dough and pushing it downwards. Punching the dough helps to release all the gas. This creates a tighter crumb that you want for sandwich bread.

Remove the dough onto a non-floured surface. Stretch the bread dough into a large rectangle on your work surface. Roll the bread dough into a log, like you would a cinnamon roll. Curl the ends of the sourdough sandwich bread under itself and pinch the seams together.

Second Rise

Using a bench scraper, gently lift the sourdough bread dough and place it into a greased 8.5 x 4.5 inch loaf pan with the seam side down. Cover the dough for the final rise. In my 70 degree F kitchen, this typically takes 1-2 hours before the dough is 1″ above the rim of the pan.

DO NOT rush this step. If you bake your loaf before it has properly risen, it will bake up dense and gummy. Continue to check on the loaf often.

Bake

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

Place the pan in the hot oven on the middle rack and bake for 40-50 minutes.

To prevent the sourdough sandwich bread crust from tearing, I like to place a cast iron skillet or baking sheet on the oven rack below the bread with a cup of ice cubes. This creates extra steam in the oven while the bread bakes, which keeps the surface of the dough soft allowing the bread to expand and rise without tearing.

If you notice the top of your loaf is browning to quickly, cover it with a piece of aluminum foil and continue to bake.

A baked sourdough sandwich loaf will have the internal temperature of 190-200 degrees F.

Remove from the oven and place the bread pan on a wire rack. Keep the pan loaf in the tin pan for an extra 5 minutes before removing it to cool.

While it is still warm, spread butter all over the top of the bread for a super soft crust.

Cool for at least 1 hour before slicing.

How to Serve

This sourdough sandwich bread is your everyday kind of bread. Slice and toast it up for some morning eggs and toast or stack it high with your favorite meat, cheese, and veggies for today’s lunch.

Even when the bread gets a bit stale, I love transforming it into either crunchy croutons or convenient bread crumbs.

The options are endless with this versatile sourdough bread!

How to Store/Freeze:

Sourdough sandwich bread will stay fresh for 3-5 days when stored in a plastic bag.

My favorite way of storing this bread is actually by freezing it. Once the bread has cooled completely, I will slice it up and store the pieces in a gallon-sized ziplock bag. I also like to place small pieces of parchment paper in between the slices so they don’t freeze together.

To refresh, I will either pull out some slices and bring them to room temperature or pop them straight into the toaster. Super simple, but still super tasty!

Happy Baking!

More Sourdough Recipes Like This:

Soft Whole Wheat Sourdough Sandwich Bread

Easy Sourdough Bread for Beginners

Roasted Garlic, Rosemary, and Cheese Sourdough Bread

Homemade Sourdough Bagels

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