Learn how to make soft, flavorful Sourdough Sandwich Bread with simple ingredients like flour, yeast, butter, and sourdough discard. Perfect for sandwiches and toast!
Just like many others, I began making sourdough bread in 2020. It’s not something I’ve stuck with consistently since then but I do still love to dabble in it from time to time. One issue I often ran into was what to do with my sourdough discard. I didn’t want to just toss it all of the time…which is how I came up with this sourdough sandwich bread using sourdough discard. It’s easy enough that anyone can make it!
If you have an active sourdough starter you’d like to use, try my sourdough rolls. They’re so light and fluffy!
Why I Love Making This Bread Recipe
- Perfect Use for Discard: This recipe transforms your unfed sourdough starter from waste into a delicious homemade bread, making it an economical and sustainable choice.
- Reliable Results: By combining commercial yeast with sourdough discard, you get the best of both worlds – consistent rise and subtle sourdough flavor without the long fermentation time of traditional sourdough
- Super Soft Texture: The combination of all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour, along with butter, creates a perfectly soft sandwich bread that’s ideal for everything from sandwiches to French toast.
- Time-Efficient: Unlike traditional sourdough bread that requires multiple days of preparation, this recipe can be completed in about 3 1/2 – 4 1/2 hours.
What You’ll Need
Heres a rundown of the ingredients needed to make this sourdough discard bread. You can find the exact measurements in the recipe card below.
- All-Purpose Flour: Creates a soft, tender crumb that’s ideal for sandwich bread. Its moderate protein content provides structure without making the loaf too dense, resulting in a perfect texture for sandwiches and toast. You can use bread flour for a chewier texture.
- Whole Wheat Flour: Adds flavor complexity and a slight nuttiness to the bread. It can be partially substituted with all-purpose or bread flour for a lighter loaf.
- Salt: Kosher salt enhances flavor and controls yeast growth. Fine sea salt can be used as well.
- Sugar: Feeds the yeast and helps give the bread a soft texture and golden crust. Honey or maple syrup can be used as substitutes.
- Butter: Adds tenderness and richness to the crumb. You can substitute it with oil, though butter provides better flavor. For a dairy-free version, plant-based butter or neutral oil works well.
- Instant Yeast: The primary leavening agent that ensures less time and a reliable rise. Active dry yeast or fresh yeast can also be used. For fresh yeast, triple the amount.
- Water: Hydrates the flour and activates the yeast. The water temperature should be warm (105-110°F) to activate the yeast effectively.
- Sourdough Discard: Adds complex flavor to the bread. You can use discard straight from the fridge or at room temperature.
Can I Use An Active Sourdough Starter?
Yes, you can make sourdough sandwich bread with an active starter. However, the flavor of your active starter will be stronger, and the rise time may increase. I recommend reducing your commercial yeast by half if you’re using an active starter.
How To Make Sourdough Sandwich Bread
This bread is a great option for new bread makers as it’s quite simple and straightforward. You can find the printable version of the instructions in the recipe card below.
- Combine the ingredients. Combine the flour, salt, sugar, butter, yeast, sourdough discard, and water in a large bowl.
- Knead the dough. Knead the dough for 12-15 minutes, until smooth elastic, and slightly sticky.
- Rest. Cover the dough with a damp cloth. Let rest for 30 minutes.
- Stretch and fold. Gently lift one side of the dough and fold it over to the other side. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat with each side. Rest for 30 minutes then repeat the process 2-3 more times.
- Bulk rise. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel. Let rise for 60-90 minutes in a warm place, until it doubles in size.
- Shape the dough. Punch down any air bubbles then divide the bread into two portions. Press each one into a rectangle then roll it up from the short end to form a log.
- Second rise. Place each loaf in a bread tin. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise for 30-45 minutes, until they’ve risen about an inch above the pan.
- Bake. Preheat the oven to 350F. Bake the sourdough loaves for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown with an internal temperature of 190F.
- Cool. Cool the loaves in the pans for 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Why Didn’t My Bread Rise As Expected?
Common causes for bread not rising as high as expected include using old yeast, having an environment that’s too cool, or not doing enough stretch and folds.
Be sure to check the date on your yeast packet, let the bread rise somewhere warm (if your kitchen is cool, preheat the oven to the lowest temperature then turn it off and let the bread rise in there), and repeat the stretch and fold process 2-3 times.
Tips & Tricks
Here are a few important things I’ve learned while making this sourdough discard sandwich bread.
- Use room temperature ingredients. Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature for optimal dough development.
- Grease the pans. Grease each loaf pan thoroughly and dust them with flour to prevent the bread from sticking.
- Shape the dough evenly. Take the time to shape your loaves evenly for a consistent rise and consistent baking.
- Cover with foil. For a softer crust, cover loaves with foil during the last 10 minutes of baking.
- How do I know when the bread is done? The sides of the baked loaf should pull away slightly from the pan and the bottom crust should sound hollow when tapped. Small blisters may appear on the surface of the loaf- this is good. You can also use an internal thermometer to check and make sure the temperature has reached 190F.
- Use a stand mixer. While I enjoy the process of kneading bread by hand, you can also make this recipe in the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment.
- Halve the recipe. If you only need a single loaf of bread, just halve the ingredients of the recipe. The baking time remains the same.
Ways To Use Sourdough Discard Sandwich Bread
This sourdough discard bread makes the perfect sandwich bread. Load it up with your favorite lunch meat and toppings, make an epic PB&J or fluffernutter sandwich, or use it for grilled cheese. I love using this bread for hot sandwiches and grilled cheese in particular. A few of my favorites are brisket grilled cheese, hot ham and cheese, Monte Cristo sandwiches, and bacon grilled cheese.
It’s also great for toast with butter or jam in the mornings!
Proper Storage
- Room Temperature: Store your sourdough discard sandwich bread in plastic bread bags, bread box, or an airtight container. They will keep for 5–7 days at room temperature.
- Refrigerator: I don’t recommend refrigerating bread because it will become stale faster. If you have to, store it for up to 1 week.
- Freezer: Slice the bread before freezing. I like to double-wrap the bread slices in plastic and foil. Your frozen bread will keep up to 3 months. I recommend thawing the bread at room temperature.
More Bread Recipes
- Italian Herbs and Cheese Bread
- Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread
- Crock Pot Bread
- Naan Bread
- Japanese Milk Bread
- French Bread
Sourdough Sandwich Bread
Ingredients
- 6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (800 grams)
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (200 grams)
- 1 Tablespoon kosher salt (15 grams)
- 3 Tablespoons sugar (40 grams)
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature (40 grams)
- 2 1/4 teaspoons Instant yeast (7 grams)
- 2 1/2 cups warm water 105–110°F (600 grams)
- 1/2 cup sourdough discard (100 grams)
Instructions
Prepare the Dough
- In a large bowl, add the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, salt, sugar, room-temperature butter, yeast, sourdough discard, and warm water(105-110°F).
Knead the Dough
- Combine the ingredients until the dough is smooth, elastic, and slightly sticky this should take 12-15 minutes.
- For best results, perform the windowpane test to ensure proper gluten development. If the dough feels too sticky, add a little more flour, a tablespoon at a time, as needed. Cover the dough with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and let it rest for about 30 minutes.
Do Stretch and Folds
- To perform a stretch and fold, gently lift one side of the dough and fold it over to the other side. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat the process until you’ve folded each side (4 times in total). Rest the dough for 30 minutes, then repeat the stretch and fold process. Perform a total of 2–3 sets of stretch and folds, with 30 minutes of rest in between each set.
First Rise (Bulk Rise)
- Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place for about 1–1.5 hours, or until it doubles in size.
Shape the Dough
- After the dough has doubled, punch it down so that air bubbles are released, then divide it into two equal portions. Shape each portion into a log shape by gently pressing it into a rectangle and rolling it up from the short end.
Second Rise
- Place each rolled-up loaf into a non-stick bread tin (9×5-inch). Cover them with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap, and let the dough rise again for about 30–45 minutes, or until they both rise about 1 inch above the rim of the pan.
Preheat and Bake
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). After the loaves have risen, bake them for 30–35 minutes, or until they turn golden brown and their internal temperature reaches 190°F (88°C).
Cool and Store
- Remove the loaves from the oven and let them cool in the pans for about 10 minutes. Then, transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely. For storage, keep them in plastic bread bags or an airtight container for 5–7 days.
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4 comments on “Sourdough Sandwich Bread”
Can you sub olive oil for the butter? If so what would the conversion be?
Hi Winona. Yes, olive oil will work well as a substitute. I would substitute 1:1.
What is sourdough discard? How do you make/get it?
Hi Susan. Sourdough discard is a by-product in making sourdough starter. I am working on a post for sourdough starter but we also have that info in our Amish Friendship Bread recipe.