Sourdough Sandwich Loaf
Soft and perfectly textured…
This sourdough sandwich loaf is a staple in our house. It is great for all your sandwich needs from tuna, to grilled cheese, to peanut butter and jellies. It also makes great toast! It is an easy, mix it all in one bowl type of recipe and it comes together quickly. The hands-on portion of this recipe is only about 20 minutes. This recipe makes 2 small loaves or 1 large loaf. Additional time for this recipe is 10 hours of fermenting and 2-6 hours rise time.
YOU WILL NEED:
Bread Pans: I use this size of Small Pans if I am doing two small loaves, but I also love using this Large Bread Pan if I am making one large loaf.
Bread Flour: you can use All Purpose Flour for this recipe as well, but I prefer Bread Flour as I feel it gives it a little more bounce. This is my favored brand for this recipe: King Arthur Bread Flour. I have also used Azure Bread Flour for this recipe if I have it on hand. Azure is a Christian based company devoted to delivering high quality products at a reasonable price to their customers. If you want to know more about it, you can check out their website here: Azure Standard.
Maple Syrup: I like using maple syrup in my baking as it is a natural sweetener. I get asked a lot about honey in place of maple syrup: I do not use honey in my baking because once honey is heated past a certain point it becomes toxic for the body.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 6-12 hours before you intend to begin, feed your starter to get it nice and bubbly. This will guarantee a good rise.
- In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, add all ingredients. Knead with dough hook or by hand for 10 minutes until dough becomes smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl. It should pass the windowpane test.
- Cover dough with beeswax wrap or damp cloth and let ferment/rest for 10 hours at room temperature. I do not recommend letting this particular dough ferment past 12 hours as it becomes too hard to shape.
- After dough has fermented, roll out to a large rectangle then roll up into a log and pinch the seams closed. If you are making two small loaves simply cut the log in half and pinch the ends shut. I find this easier than trying to divide the dough equally before rolling and shaping. Place your log of shaped dough into a greased or oiled bread pan and allow to rise 2-6 hours or until doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Once your oven is preheated and your loaves have doubled in size, bake for 45 minutes. I recommend letting the bread cool completely before cutting into it otherwise you will ruin the texture. Remember, bread continues to bake even after it has been removed from the oven. Once your bread is cooled, slice and enjoy however you desire!
Notes
- Make sure your starter is nice and bubbly before making this recipe. A good active starter will result in a healthy rise.
- My dough is too wet, help! If your dough is too wet this is likely due to humidity or the hydration of your starter. Everyone lives in a different climate and this matters as bread baking is a science. No worries. simply add a little extra flour 1/4 cup at a time until your dough becomes workable and smooth.
- What flour works best for this recipe? I like using Bread Flour and All Purpose Flour for this recipe.
