Description
There’s something truly comforting about the smell of fresh bread baking in your kitchen. This sourdough sandwich bread delivers all the rustic charm of traditional sourdough but in a shape that’s perfect for everyday use. Whether you’re making morning toast, a hearty lunch sandwich, or a slice with butter for a cozy snack, this loaf has you covered.
The texture is soft and tender with just the right chew. The honey adds a subtle sweetness, while the oil gives the crumb a lovely richness. Best of all? It bakes in a loaf pan — no special baskets or complicated scoring required.
Ingredients
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300 grams active sourdough starter (about 1 ¼ cups)
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650 grams warm water (about 2 ¾ cups)
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50 grams honey (about 2 ½ tablespoons)
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40 grams avocado oil (about 3 tablespoons)
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20 grams salt (about 1 tablespoon)
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1000 grams bread flour (about 7 ½ cups)
Instructions
Start by adding your sourdough starter, water, honey, and oil to a large mixing bowl. Stir everything together until combined. Then add the salt and flour. The dough will look rough and uneven — that’s exactly what we want at this stage.
Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let it rest for 1 hour. This rest period, also called autolyse, helps the flour hydrate and starts gluten development without any kneading.
Over the next two hours, perform four sets of stretch and folds — one every 30 minutes. To do this, wet your hands, grab one side of the dough, gently stretch it upward, and fold it over the middle. Rotate the bowl and repeat until you’ve done all four sides.
These folds strengthen the dough and help it trap air for a better rise.
After the final stretch and fold, cover the bowl again and leave it on your countertop overnight, ideally for 8–10 hours. The slow fermentation gives this bread its classic sourdough tang and improves texture and digestibility.
In the morning, lightly flour your counter. Gently deflate the dough and divide it into two equal portions. Flatten each into a rectangle. Fold the long edges toward the center, then roll the dough tightly into a log, like you’re making cinnamon rolls.
Place each loaf seam-side down into a lightly greased loaf pan.
Cover the pans with a clean towel and let them rest at room temperature for about 1 hour. During this time, preheat your oven to 400°F.
Once risen, lightly score the tops of each loaf with a sharp knife. Cover the pans loosely with foil — this allows for a good oven spring while protecting the crust.
Bake for 35 minutes with the foil on, then remove the foil and bake an additional 15 minutes until the tops are golden brown.
Transfer the loaves to a cooling rack and let them cool completely before slicing.
Notes
This sourdough sandwich bread is soft, slightly tangy, and ideal for daily use. It’s a practical twist on rustic sourdough that bakes beautifully in loaf pans and makes excellent toast, sandwiches, or French toast. The overnight rise deepens the flavor and improves texture, and it freezes well for long-term storage.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Rest + Fermentation Time:: 10–12 hours (overnight rise + proofing)
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Bread, Sourdough, Baking
- Method: Stretch and Fold, Oven-Baked, Overnight Fermentation
- Cuisine: American, Homestyle
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 160 kcal
- Sugar: 1.5 g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Fat: 2.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.1 g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 0mg