The Best Sourdough Sandwich Bread Recipe (Soft & Fluffy)
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This Sourdough Sandwich Bread is the kind of everyday loaf I make again and again because it’s incredibly soft, fluffy, and completely naturally leavened with 100% sourdough starter. It has that perfect balance of flavor and texture that works for everything from toast in the morning to sandwiches packed for lunch.
Even though it’s fully fermented, the dough is simple to work with and bakes up beautifully every time. And if you’re short on time, my Easy Sourdough Discard Sandwich Bread Recipe is a great quicker option that’s ready to bake in just 2 hours.
Quick Look: Sourdough Sandwich Bread
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Rise Time: 12 hours
- Bake Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 12 hours 50 minutes
- Servings: 1 loaf
- Calories: ~ kcal per serving (based on nutrition panel)
- Cook Method: Baked
- Flavor Profile: Soft, fluffy, and lightly sweet with a subtle sourdough tang. Perfect for toasting at breakfast or building your favorite sandwich.
- Difficulty: Intermediate — A 100% sourdough loaf with a long bulk fermentation and two rises, but mostly hands-off and very beginner-friendly!
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Why You’ll Love This Sourdough Sandwich Bread Recipe
- No Fancy Equipment Required: 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. This makes it incredibly accessible, just like my Sourdough Discard Focaccia Recipe which bakes right in a 9×13 pan.
- Delicious and Soft Sourdough Bread: This sourdough sandwich bread recipe gives you soft and incredibly delicious bread with a beautiful crust. It will be the easiest swap, no one will notice the difference between this homemade bread and store-bought! It’s perfect for making a Crispy Sourdough Grilled Cheese Sandwich.
- Bare Minimum of Kneading: Only 20 seconds of kneading is required, that’s all! Can this recipe get simpler than that? Plus, I’ve included two baker’s schedules with step-by-step instructions. One schedule will even give your fresh bread all in one day. If you love simple kneading, you’ll also enjoy my Soft Whole Wheat Sourdough Sandwich Bread Recipe.
Ingredients & Substitutions
* To find precise measurements, scroll to the bottom of this post to find the recipe card*
- 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, no hotter than 120 degrees F. 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.
Bake the Same Day
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Time |
Process |
|---|---|
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9:00 AM |
Make the Dough |
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10:00 AM |
Knead the Dough |
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10:00 AM |
First Rise |
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7:00 PM |
Shape |
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7:00 PM |
Second Rise |
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9:00 PM |
Bake |
Bake the Next Day
|
Time |
Process |
|---|---|
|
9:00 PM |
Make the Dough |
|
10:00 PM |
Knead the Dough |
|
10:00 PM |
First Rise |
|
NEXT DAY |
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|
7:00 AM |
Shape |
|
7:00 AM |
Second Rise |
|
9:00 AM |
Bake |
How to Make Sourdough Sandwich Bread in a Loaf Pan:
- 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.
- First, wet your fingers so the dough doesn’t stick to them. Then, take a piece of the bread dough and pull it upwards.
- Then 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
- Cover the bowl again and let the dough rise till doubled in size. The bulk rise will take anywhere from 8-10 hours.
- 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 air bubbles. This creates a tighter crumb that you want for sandwich bread.
- Using a bench scraper, gently lift the sourdough bread dough and place it into a greased 9 x 5-inch (23 x 13 cm) loaf pan with the seam side down. Cover the dough for the final rise. This should only take 1-2 hours, or until the dough is 1″ above the rim of the pan.
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Place the pan in the hot oven on the middle rack and bake for 50-55mins.
- 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, melt butter all over the top of the bread for a super soft crust.
Cool for at least 1 hour before slicing.
McKenna’s Helpful Tips
- Create extra steam for a soft crust: To prevent the crust from tearing, place a cast iron skillet or baking sheet on the bottom rack with a cup of ice cubes while the bread bakes. This steam keeps the surface soft, allowing the bread to expand fully.
- Butter the top while warm: For an extra soft and delicious crust, melt butter all over the top of the bread immediately after removing it from the oven.
- Let it cool completely: Always cool your loaf for at least 1 hour on a wire rack before slicing. Cutting into hot bread can make the crumb gummy. If you’re new to sourdough baking, check out my Sourdough for Beginners guide for more essential tips.
- Freeze for later: This bread freezes beautifully! Once completely cooled, slice it up and store the pieces in a gallon-sized ziplock bag with small pieces of parchment paper between the slices so they don’t freeze together. Then you can just pop a slice in the toaster for The Best Easy Sourdough French Toast anytime!
How to Store
This 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 into the toaster. Super simple, but still super tasty!
The Best Sourdough Sandwich Bread FAQs
Why is there a gummy line at the bottom of my sourdough sandwich bread?
A gummy line at the bottom of sourdough sandwich bread is usually caused by slight underproofing or underbaking. To prevent this, make sure the dough is fully risen and puffy before baking and allow the loaf to bake until the internal temperature reaches 200–205°F.
Why did the side of my sourdough sandwich loaf explode?
If the side of your sourdough sandwich bread exploded during baking, the dough was likely slightly underproofed. As the loaf rapidly rose in the oven, it burst through a weaker area of the dough instead.
Do I have to add sugar this sourdough sandwich bread?
Though you can skip the sugar in this sourdough sandwich bread, if recommend keeping it because it helps keep the loaf stay soft, tender, and fresh for longer while also encouraging better browning during baking. If you prefer, you can substitute the sugar with the same amount (by grams) of honey! If you’re looking for an even sweet loaf, check out my Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Sourdough Sandwich Bread recipe!
If you tried this Sourdough Sandwich Bread recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
FULL RECIPE TUTORIAL
Sourdough Sandwich Bread Recipe
Yield: 1 Loaf
A sourdough sandwich bread recipe that will be a favorite for the whole family! This loaf is 100% sourdough and 100% soft and fluffy. Perfect for toasting for breakfast or sandwiches.
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Ingredients
- 65 grams active sourdough starter heaping 1/4 cup
- 300 grams warm water 1 1/3 cups
- 57 grams unsalted butter, melted 4 Tablespoons
- 25 grams white sugar 2 Tablespoons see notes*
- 400 grams bread flour 2 3/4 cups + 1 Tablespoon
- 100 grams all-purpose flour 3/4 cup
- 9 grams salt 1 1/2 teaspoons
Instructions
Make the Dough
- In a large mixing, whisk together the starter, warm water, melted butter, and sugar. The water and butter shouldn't be hotter than 110 degrees F, otherwise this can kill the starter. For the best results, use a kitchen scale and measure ingredients by grams.65 grams active sourdough starter, 300 grams warm water, 57 grams unsalted butter, melted, 25 grams white sugar
- Add the flour and salt to the wet ingredients and mix with a Danish dough whisk or your hand until all the flour has been incorporated. The bread dough will be shaggy and a little sticky.400 grams bread flour, 100 grams all-purpose flour, 9 grams salt
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a reusable shower cap. 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 and feel tacky to the touch.
- Grease a straight edge mixing bowl with butter and place the dough with the seam side down.I love using this straight-edge bowl because it allows me to clearly see when the dough has doubled in size.
Bulk Fermentation
- Cover the bowl again and let the dough rise till doubled in size. In my kitchen at 70 degrees F, the bulk rise will takes anywhere from 8-10 hours. If your kitchen is warmer, it will take less time. Check often and look for signs that your dough is done, rather than the time. The dough will have doubled in size, be domed on top, remove easily from the bowl and if you are using a glass bowl, you'll see bubbles all throughout the bottom of the dough.
Shape the Dough
- Once the dough has doubled in size, remove the 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 air bubbles.
- Remove and stretch the bread dough into a large rectangle on your work surface, then 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 will typically take 3-4 hours. To speed this step, I like to place the dough in my proofing box at 90 degrees F or in an OFF oven with just the light on. This creates a toasty environment for the dough to rise quickly, about 1-2 hours. Don't rush this step, allow the dough to rise until it is 1″ above the rim of the pan. Otherwise, the loaf will bake up dense and gummy.
Bake
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
- Place the loaf pan in the hot oven on the middle rack and bake for 40-45 mins, or until golden brown on top and the internal is 190-200 degrees F. If you notice that the top is browning too much before the loaf has finished baking, place a piece of aluminum foil on top of the loaf. for the rest of the baking time.
- Keep the loaf in the tin pan for an extra 5 minutes before removing it to cool on a wire rack.
- While the loaf is still warm, spread butter all over the top of the bread for a super soft and shiny crust.
- Place the loaf on a cooling rack for at least one hour before slicing. Enjoy!
Notes
This recipe card was updated on February 17th, 2026.
Recipe Tips
- 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.
- Sourdough sandwich bread will stay fresh for 3-5 days when stored in a plastic bag.
- Sourdough sandwich bread freezes exceptionally well. Once the bread has cooled completely, slice and store the pieces in a gallon-sized ziplock bag. Place small pieces of parchment paper in between the slices so they don’t freeze together.
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 10 pm: BakeBAKE THE NEXT DAY:
9 pm: Make the Dough 10 pm: Knead the Dough 10 pm: First Rise Following Morning: 7 am: Shape 7 am: Second Rise 10 am: BakeNutrition
Calories: 2372kcal | Carbohydrates: 404g | Protein: 60g | Fat: 54g | Saturated Fat: 30g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 123mg | Sodium: 3521mg | Potassium: 522mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 1432IU | Calcium: 100mg | Iron: 8mg
Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram!
Excellent flavor, density, moist, and soft as can be. The recipe was easy to follow and exactly as shown and written. I am recommending this to my friends, and they all want the recipe, but your website is a bit hard to navigate to send a link.
I’m so glad you love this recipe and I really appreciate you recommending it to your friends! Thank you as well for the feedback on the website. I’m always working to improve it! You can copy the link here – https://simplicityandastarter.com/can-you-bake-sourdough-in-a-loaf-pan/
I don’t normally write reviews, BUT this bread was amazing! With how warm my kitchen was I managed to mix, bulk ferment and bake all within 7ish hours. It came out so beautifully, it was so soft. I thought I was making bread for the week, it ended up being finished practically in one day. Recipe is so easy to follow.
This is the best kind of review — thank you so much for taking the time to write it! I’m so glad you found the recipe easy to follow and had such a great result!
Can I use honey instead of sugar?
Absolutely! Just use the same amount in grams.
This is the first sourdough sandwhich loaf I’ve been able to execute perfectly. I did a cold proof overnight after shaping and this turned out so divine! Softest bread I’ve ever made and so incredibly simple. This will 100% be a new staple for our household.
This makes me so happy to read! I love that you tried the overnight cold proof and it turned out soft and just right for you. It means a lot that it’s becoming a staple in your home—thank you for sharing!
Very encouraging! The loaf turned out great. My only issue is that it does not have the sourdough taste. Any ideas to fix this?
I’m so glad your loaf turned out well—that’s a great win! If you’re looking for a stronger sourdough flavor, you could do an overnight cold proof after shaping the loaf! This will help develop more tang. Pull it out the following morning to complete the second rise before baking.
Hi! Could you use a glass loaf pan of the same size, and does it change the process at all? Thank you!
Great question! Yes, you can absolutely use a glass loaf pan of the same size. The process stays the same, but glass tends to retain heat more, so the loaf may bake a bit faster and the bottom/sides can brown more quickly. I’d recommend keeping an eye on it toward the end of baking and possibly lowering the oven temp by about 10–15°F if you notice it browning too fast.
Loved this bread recipe. It was my first almost perfect loaf of sourdough sandwhich bread. Taste was great. My only issue was at the bottom crust it had a small area that looked gummy. Did I need to bulk ferment longer?
Thank you so much! I’m so glad you loved the flavor — that’s a big win! If the dough was very puffy and fragile before baking and didn’t get much oven spring, it may have been slightly overproofed and compressed at the bottom. But most of the time a gummy line is from being just slightly underproofed or underbaked. A small adjustment either way should fix it — you’re very close!
Such an easy and delicious recipe. This was my first “soft sandwich” try and it came out perfect! I was so impressed with myself. I love how there is no mixer, minimal kneading, no multiple stretch and folds. The easiest sandwich bread recipe out there. I sliced then froze and it tastes freshly baked. Your YouTube video on this is so helpful!
Thank you so much for sharing this! I’m really glad you found the process simple and approachable, and that the YouTube video helped along the way. I appreciate you taking the time to leave such a thoughtful comment.
I love this recipe! It can easily be doubled or tripled!
I am so glad to hear you love the recipe, and you are absolutely right—it scales really well when doubled or tripled. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment!
When you double or triple do you do it all in the same bowl or separate bowls?
You can do it all in the same bowl as long as your bowl is large enough to handle the dough as it rises. If it feels tight on space, it’s better to split it into two/three bowls so it has room to properly ferment.
Made this for the second time today. Not sure what I did differently, but wow! The design dough more than doubled then the second rise it actually made it above the pan this time! In the oven now.
Question- I doubled the recipe and after the second rise I was going to put one loaf in the fridge overnight to cold proof. Could I have and then just tossed it in the oven in the morning? Wish I could share pics!
Thank you so much for making it again! It sounds like the fermentation really lined up perfectly this time!
IF you want to refrigerate one of the loaves, I would do so just after shaping the loaf! That way the dough doesn’t over proof. Cover the pan well and place it in the fridge overnight. In the morning, let it sit at room temperature until it rises above the pan, then bake as usual. I wish I could see the photos too. It sounds like it turned out beautifully!
Tried this today and it was fantastic! Started yesterday and was in the middle of the second rise at 11:00 PM. Too tired to bake, I put it in the fridge overnight, let it rise a bit more this morning and then baked. Still came out perfect and husband said it was his favorite of all the sourdough things I’ve made.
Thanks for the great recipes and tips!
This makes me so happy to hear — thank you! And husband-favorite is always the best compliment. So glad you both enjoyed it!
Excited to start my Sourdough Bread making and still waiting on my Dutch Oven to deliver!!
Would you be able to make this loaf with all the same flour? I don’t have access to bread flour just normal all purpose flour, so would that change anything?
How exciting — welcome to sourdough baking!
Yes, you can absolutely make this loaf with all-purpose flour instead of bread flour. Just keep an eye on the dough — it may feel a touch softer, but no major changes are needed. Happy baking (and I hope your Dutch oven arrives soon!)
Love this recipe! Can you put the dough in the fridge at any point during the process?
I’m so glad you love it — thank you! Yes, you can use the fridge to help fit it into your schedule. The best time is after shaping — place the dough in the loaf pan, cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. Pull it out the following day, allow it to rise at room temperature and bake!
My house is very cold in the winter months (65-68). My initial rise can take about 10-12 hours. I would probably do a 2 day bake. Should I refrigerate the dough overnight?
Yes — a longer first rise is expected at those temperatures! You can absolutely do this as a 2-day bake, and refrigerating overnight works well. Two options that tend to work best:
Let the dough bulk rise during the day, shape in the evening, then refrigerate overnight. The next day, let it finish its second rise at room temperature before baking.
Or, if timing allows, you can also let it rise overnight on the counter, then shape and proof the next day.
The fridge step is mainly there to slow things down and make the schedule more flexible — go by how the dough looks and feels rather than the clock. Great question!
I made this recipe today and it came out DELICIOUS! This will definitely be my new go to sandwich loaf recipe!! Thank you so much.
So thrilled to hear that you loved it, Heather! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this thoughtful comment.