Now that we’ve covered how to make your own sourdough starter, the fun can really begin!
Though sourdough starter can be used in many different kinds of recipes, mastering a good loaf of sourdough bread is one of the best steps in learning to use sourdough.
I’ve been making sourdough sandwich bread for years and have found this recipe to be reliable, easy, and just right for sandwiches, snacks, French toast, and anywhere else that calls for basic sliced bread.
Though making a basic sourdough sandwich bread isn’t difficult, it is different than making yeasted bread. The dough behaves differently and needs to be mixed with a different texture in mind.
Keeping those differences in mind while mixing up your sourdough bread will go a long way in ensuring that you end up with something soft, delicious, and perfectly crusted, and not a hard brick that could break your teeth!
It might take a little bit of practice, but learning to make this basic sourdough sandwich bread will be well worth your efforts!
The Big Difference Between Yeasted and Sourdough Bread Doughs
The main difference between sourdough bread dough and yeasted bread dough is the difference in texture. With yeasted dough, you end up with a dough that doesn’t stick to your hands and is smooth.
Sourdough bread dough is smooth, too, but it needs a lot more moisture than yeasted breads. When I first started baking sourdough bread, that was my biggest mistake, and I think it’s a pretty common one. Sourdough bread dough that doesn’t have enough moisture bakes into dense, hard loaves.
The dough will be almost sticky after it mixes. You’ll probably think that it needs more flour, but resist the temptation! Let it rise, and you’ll be amazed at how much the dough will firm. If it’s still too sticky after rising, then you can add a bit more flour as you shape the loaves.
Basic Sourdough Sandwich Bread Recipe
Disclosure: There are affiliate links in this post. That means that if you purchase through one of my links, your cost is the same, but this site and my family are supported by a commission. Thanks!
Ingredients
- 7-9 cups whole wheat flour (though I like to use 2 cups whole oat flour and 5-7 cups whole wheat flour, ground in my WonderMill)
- 1 tablespoon quality salt (I like Real Salt)
- 1/2 cup ground flax
- 2 cups active sourdough starter
- 2 cups water
- 1-2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses
Instructions
1. Place 7 cups flour, salt, and flax in the bowl of a large, heavy duty mixer. I love using my WonderMix for this because it handles all of the ingredients like a champ. Be sure to read to the bottom of this post for your chance to WIN a WonderMix!
2. Combine starter, water, and molasses in a very large measuring cup (I use this one) or mixing bowl.
3. Start mixing the dough. With my WonderMix, I pour the liquid ingredients into the mixing bowl before turning on. When I used a different stand mixer, I slowly poured this in while the mixer was running. You’ll want to mix the dough according to your machine’s directions.
4. At this point, the dough will be very sticky. Add additional flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until the dough is still moist, slightly sticky, but holding together well. When in doubt, err on the side of a wetter dough. You should also be able to see it stretching as the mixer kneads it.
See how the dough isn’t sticking to the sides much anymore? Perfect!
5. Place the dough in a lightly oiled large bowl to rise for about 6-10 hours (I usually just leave mine to rise overnight) and cover with either a wet towel or plastic wrap to hold in moisture. The rising time will depend on how warm the room is and the nature of your sourdough starter.
6. Punch down the dough and divide it into two equal sections. If the dough feels stiff at this point, gradually kneed in more water until it feels smooth, moist, but not really sticky. Shape into loaves.
7. Butter 2 large loaf pans and place the loaves in the pans. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let rise until doubled. This may take 4-8 hours.
8. Preheat the oven to 400. When the dough has doubled and the oven is hot, bake the loaves for 50 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on a wire rack before slicing, buttering, and enjoying.
Of course, you could mix this up by hand (and by very strong arms) in a large bowl with a wooden spoon. If you do that, my hat’s off to you!
I typically store our bread in a loose plastic bag on the counter, though sometimes I just wrap it in a kitchen towel. Sourdough bread will go stale before it molds, so refrigeration isn’t needed.
And really, bread like this doesn’t end up on the counter long no matter how it’s stored! It disappears rather quickly.
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This mixer also can be used as a blender and has three different mixing attachments for perfectly mixed doughs and batters, along with a really strong motor and limited lifetime warranty.
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What is your favorite sandwich bread like?
I was provided a WonderMix Deluxe Kitchen Mixer for this post but was not monetarily compensated. And I really like this mixer!
Hi Kristen,
I’ve halved this recipe to make one loaf and not used the flax meal just all wholemeal bread flour, using the smaller quantity. The dough seems very dry compared to my other recipes and not sticky. Perhaps it is just a different flour and I need more water or starter perhaps? Do you use wholemeal bread flour or all-purpose wholemeal flour? Is your wholemeal bread the equivalent of the french T110 or T80?
I’ll see how it goes tomorrow. I’m keen to find a more sandwich style sourdough recipe that my fussier children will also eat.
Thank you for posting this recipe. .
Simone 🙂
Hello Simone. I’m sorry I can’t help you with the flour types. I’m not familiar with them. I grind my own wheat berries at home with a grain mill, so it’s whole meal (or whole grain, as we call it) wheat. I use Prairie Gold hard white spring wheat berries, if that helps.
So much can go into a dough’s texture, including the air humidity and how thick or thin your sourdough starter is. When my dough feels too dry and stiff, I knead in more water. I’ve done this after the first rise, even, and it helps prevent it from being too dense.
I hope your next batch turns out better!
I love this recipe. I’ve had to adjust temperature and baking time slightly for my oven. It is delicious and turns out beautiful each time. Thank you for the wonderful instructions on here and the starter pages.
I’m so glad you enjoy this recipe! I just made a batch of three loaves yesterday and I’m down to one. It’s still a favorite here, even after a few years!
Can the ground flax be omitted ?
Hi Sara! Yes, you can omit the ground flax without trouble. You might need to add a small bit of extra flour, but depending on room humidity, it may not make a difference at all. Happy baking!
I have a hand mixer or just arm strength. Will that work. Also will regular flour work??
Hi Donna! You can use plain white flour if you don’t have whole grain, but you’ll likely need to add more since whole grain flour absorbs more moisture. Your hand mixer will probably struggle to manage this much dough, but you can definitely use arm strength and elbow grease to mix it! That’s what our great grandmothers did, right? 🙂 I’d love to hear how your bread turns out!
Hi, Kristen, I’ve recently discovered your blog through your ebook on essential oil myths. I’m looking forward to reading more from you!
Just a quick question about this recipe—what is the molasses for? Just for colour, or is it necessary for the dough to rise? Because I like this recipe, but have no access to molasses or anything of the sort, I’m afraid, so I’d have to substitute something else in or just omit it altogether. I don’t use any sort of sugar in any of my sourdough breads, but then they are coarse rustic loaves and I’d like a more sandwichy alternative to have on hand!
Cheers! =)
Hello Lara, delighted to have you here! The molasses in this recipe is for a few things, but none are essential. It adds a deep color and a bit more flavor, provides extra iron, and helps keep the bread moist for slicing. Your dough will absolutely rise without it, though. And in fact, when I happen to run out at home I will just add a little honey, maybe a spoonful of brown sugar, or I’ll just skip it entirely. I hope that helps!
Thanks, Kristen—just one more thing: what is the size of the loaf tins you use?
Cheers!
Sure, Lara. My pans are 9×5″ glass loaf pans. Enjoy!
Thanks for the tips:) may I please have the recipe of the bread pictured in the post..Why Bake with Sourdough?
Hey Rachel! Actually, the pictures I used for that post were just stock photos. Since I wasn’t sharing a recipe of mine, I didn’t take my own pictures for that one. It looks to me like it could be a similar recipe, maybe with some nuts or seeds added in and then baked on a flat sheet and not a loaf pan. But that’s a total guess!