The Best Sourdough Sandwich Bread
My easy sourdough sandwich bread recipe is light and fluffy because of my secret ingredient, avocado oil. It’s perfect for toast in the mornings, sandwiches at lunch, and garlic bread at supper. It’s a staple in our home, and I know it will quickly become the same in yours.
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Easy Sourdough Sandwich Bread Recipe Inspiration
Lately, there’s been a viral trend on social media for sourdough sandwich bread, so I thought I better develop my own version for the blog! I wanted my recipe to be easier, fluffier, and more wholesome than the others. So I began researching, testing, and developing, and ended up using avocado oil as my secret to the fluffy texture.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s one of the easiest sourdough sandwich loaf recipes you’ll find.
- Each ingredient is wholesome and contains no seed oils.
- The avocado oil is my secret to making this bread so soft and fluffy.
Tips for the Best Sourdough Sandwich Bread
- Feed your sourdough starter a 2:1 (flour to water) ratio for 4–12 hours before making this recipe.
- Don’t skip the stretch and fold/kneading process.
- Use pure avocado oil for the fluffiest bread. Butter or other oils will make it a bit more dense.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- fed sourdough starter (fed 4-12 hours before using)
- unbleached all-purpose flour
- water
- sea salt
- avocado oil (or melted butter)
- raw honey
Kitchen Tools You’ll Need
- Large Glass Bowl
- Bread Whisk
- 9×5″ loaf pan— this is the perfect loaf pan size; stainless steel is best.
How to Make Sourdough Sandwich Bread
In a mixing bowl, combine the starter, water, honey, avocado oil, and salt until combined.
Add in the flour and mix until combined. It will be shaggy, so use your hands to finish combining it into a dough ball until all the flour is incorporated. (If your dough isn’t coming together, add in 1-3 tablespoons of water to help).
Turn the dough out on the counter and knead for 5 minutes by hand or with a bread hook on an electric mixer. If you need, add a little flour if the dough is sticky. Place dough back in bowl and cover loosely with a towel or lid.
Let the dough bulk ferment on the counter for 10–12 hours.
When the bulk fermentation is finished, turn the dough out on the counter (no flour needed), stretch it into a small rectangle, roll it up into a log loaf, and pinch the seam together with your hands.
Place the shaped loaf in a lightly greased 9×5″ loaf pan and cover with a tea towel.
Let it rise in the pan for 2-3 hours on the counter.
(Optional: if you don’t have time, place the loaf pan in the fridge after the 2–3 hours are finished until you’re ready to bake. It can sit in the fridge for up to 24 hours.)
Bake at 375 for 45 minutes.
Immediately after baking, place the bread pan on a wire rack and brush with butter to ensure a soft crust. After 10–15 minutes, remove the loaf from the pan and let it cool the rest of the way.
Sample Baking Schedule
- Friday 7:00 PM: Start mixing ingredients & knead.
- Friday 7:15 PM: Start bulk fermentation.
- Saturday 7:15 AM: Shape the dough after fermentation.
- Saturday 7:20 AM: Start second rise.
- Saturday 9:20 AM: Preheat oven ( or optionally refrigerate if you don’t have time).
- Saturday 9:30 AM: Bake the bread.
- Saturday 10:15 AM: Cool the bread.
How to Store Sourdough Sandwich Bread
My favorite way to store this bread is to place it in a large 4 qt. glass, airtight bowl at room temperature for 3–4 days. Then I pop the bowl in the fridge to keep it fresh for the rest of the week.
How to Freeze Sourdough Sandwich Bread
The best way to freeze sourdough bread is to place it in a glass, freezer-safe bowl so it doesn’t get freezer-burnt or absorb any plastic odors.
Thawing Frozen Sourdough Sandwich Bread
The easiest way to thaw frozen sourdough bread is to place the frozen loaf in the fridge overnight.
Recipe FAQ
Is sourdough bread good for sandwiches?
Oh yes! Sourdough bread is my favorite bread for sandwiches. It adds a delicious, gut-healthy tang that makes digestion easier.
How to make sourdough sandwich bread less dense?
The avocado oil in this recipe is what does the trick. If you’re still ending up with a dense loaf, make sure you’re letting the dough bulk ferment for a full 10–12 hours, and don’t skip the full kneading process.
Why didn’t my sandwich loaf rise?
The loaf didn’t rise for three possible reasons. The first could be that your starter isn’t strong and active enough. You’ll want to feed it a 2:1 (flour to water) ratio for 4–12 hours before making this recipe.
The second possible reason could be that it didn’t bulk ferment long enough. If your house is around 70 degrees Fahrenheit, give or take 2 degrees, you’ll want to let the dough sit on the counter for 10–12 hours.
The third possible reason could be that you didn’t strengthen the gluten enough, meaning you didn’t knead the dough long enough. Make sure it’s kneaded for the full 5 minutes.
More Sourdough Bread Recipes To Try
- Artisan Sourdough Bread Recipe (a beginner’s loaf)
- Easy Sourdough Banana Bread From Scratch
- Best Sourdough Beer Bread From Scratch
- Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Bread From Scratch
Recipe
Easy Sourdough Sandwich Bread Recipe (light and fluffy)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup fed sourdough starter (fed 4-12 hours before using)
- 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup avocado oil (or 4 Tbsp melted butter)
- 2 tsp raw honey
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine the starter, water, honey, avocado oil, and salt until combined.
- Add in the flour and mix until combined. It will be shaggy, so use your hands to finish combining it into a dough ball until all the flour is incorporated. (If your dough isn't coming together, add in 1-3 tablespoons of water to help).
- Turn the dough out on the counter and knead for 5 minutes by hand or with a bread hook on an electric mixer. If you need, add a little flour if the dough is sticky. Place dough back in bowl and cover loosely with a towel or lid.
- Let the dough bulk ferment on the counter for 10–12 hours.
- When the bulk fermentation is finished, turn the dough out on the counter (no flour needed), stretch it into a small rectangle, roll it up into a log loaf, and pinch the seam together with your hands.
- Place the shaped loaf in a lightly greased 9×5″ loaf pan and cover with a tea towel.
- Let it rise in the pan for 2-3 hours on the counter.
- (Optional: if you don’t have time, place the loaf pan in the fridge after the 2–3 hours are finished until you’re ready to bake. It can sit in the fridge for up to 24 hours.)
- Bake at 375 for 45 minutes.
- Immediately after baking, place the bread pan on a wire rack and brush with butter to ensure a soft crust. After 10–15 minutes, remove the loaf from the pan and let it cool the rest of the way.
Notes
How to Store Sourdough Sandwich Bread
My favorite way to store this bread is to place it in a large 4 qt. glass, airtight bowl at room temperature for 3–4 days. Then I pop the bowl in the fridge to keep it fresh for the rest of the week.How to Freeze Sourdough Sandwich Bread
The best way to freeze sourdough bread is to place it in a glass, freezer-safe bowl so it doesn’t get freezer-burnt or absorb any plastic odors.Thawing Frozen Sourdough Sandwich Bread
The easiest way to thaw frozen sourdough bread is to place the frozen loaf in the fridge overnight.Did you make this recipe?
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This recipe came out so good! The bread was super soft. I used butter instead of avocado oil and bread flour instead of all purpose. Thank you!
I’m so happy to hear you loved this bread recipe!! Thank you so much for the 5 star rating!