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This sourdough sandwich bread recipe makes an amazingly super soft sandwich bread that kids absolutely love. It includes a no-knead method that’s perfect for an easy overnight rise and makes the softest, fluffiest sandwich bread with all the health benefits of sourdough.
Sourdough bread is vegan-friendly, there are no eggs or milk in this recipe. The sourdough starter needed to make it contains live and active cultures that help the bread naturally rise. That means that you don’t need any yeast or other artificial rising agents.
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Why This Recipe Works
- It’s super soft inside and out – so everyone loves it!
Homemade loaves of sourdough typically have a crunchy, chewy exterior that everyone isn’t a fan of. However, this sourdough sandwich bread recipe is baked in a bread pan for a wonderfully light crust and soft bread. - There is no kneading required!
Since this is a no-knead bread recipe, there’s no worry about “have I kneaded the dough enough?” The recipe is literally fail-proof. - It tastes like “regular” sandwich bread – without the “sour” taste!
If your kids aren’t fans of sourdough bread, they’ll love this. And only you’ll know they’re getting all the fermentation benefits that come from sourdough.
Learn more about how sourdough is fermented in my Overnight Artisan Sourdough Bread post.
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
Make this yummy soft bread with just a handful of simple ingredients. As I mentioned, here’s no yeast, eggs, or milk required!
- Sourdough starter – active and bubbly and fed 12-24 hours prior to starting the recipe
- Bread flour – I prefer King Arthur Flour for this soft crust sourdough bread recipe
- Sugar – either granulated sugar. You can substitute the sugar with 2 rounded tablespoons of honey.
No sourdough starter? Learn how to make a fast sourdough starter with my quick and easy sourdough starter recipe. Or make a loaf of our classic sandwich bread or whole wheat sandwich bread recipe which use yeast, instead.
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This soft crust sourdough bread recipe requires just a few basic steps. Spoiler alert: the overnight rise makes a soft bread that’s far better than anything you’ll find at the grocery store.
Start it on a relaxing Saturday or Sunday evening, and then bake the next day. In no time, the sourdough bread will be ready to slice and stack with your favorite sandwich ingredients.
Follow these steps to make the best no-knead sourdough sandwich bread dough:
- Feed your sourdough starter 12-24 hours before starting this bread recipe.
- In a medium bowl, combine the sourdough starter with warm water, and then add King Arthur bread flour, sugar, oil, and salt. I like using a dough whisk for mixing. Mix well to form a shaggy, sticky dough.
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Flour or wet your hands and use them to finish mixing the dough. Then cover the bowl with a damp towel and allow it to rise for 30-45 minutes.
- Coax the dough from the bowl, place on a clean and lightly floured surface, then stretch and fold the dough a few times.
Recover with a damp towel, and now allow the sourdough to rise at room temperature overnight, approximately 8-10 hours.
- In the morning, lightly flour your countertop. Remove the dough from the bowl and gently stretch it to form a rectangle. Use your fingers to dimple the dough to release the air from the dough (as shown in the photo above).
Then roll up the sourdough dough into a log shape (shown below). Cover with a damp towel and let the dough rest for about 10 minutes.
How to Bake the Bread
- Lightly spray a 9” x 5” loaf pan with nonstick spray. Then tighten the loaf by gently rolling and pulling the dough, and transfer to the prepared loaf pan with the seam side down.
Cover with a towel and let the loaf rise for another hour or two, until it has doubled in size.
- When you’re ready to bake your sourdough loaf, preheat the oven to 375ºF. Then bake the bread for 40 minutes, until the crust is a lovely golden brown color.
Remove from the oven and allow the bread to rest for 10 minutes before carefully tipping it out of the pan onto a cooling rack.
Let the sourdough sandwich soft bread cool for at least one hour before it is either stored whole or sliced and enjoyed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will this sourdough sandwich recipe work with all-purpose flour?
Yes you can use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour for this recipe.
My sourdough bread did not double in size overnight.
The sourdough needs a warm area for the bulk (overnight) fermented rise. Find a warm place (75º – 85º F) like an oven with the light on, a warm window, or above the dryer to set the bread for 2 more hours.
How will I know if my sourdough bread is done baking?
I usually go by baking time, if the top of the loaf is golden, and it if sounds hollow if I tap on it. If you are unsure, if the sourdough bread is fully baked, the internal temperature should be around 195º – 200ºF.
How do I store and freeze baked sourdough bread?
Homemade sourdough bread stays fresh for up to 5 days if stored in a plastic bag at room temperature.
For the softest crust, we recommend leaving it out of the fridge. However, you can seal it in an airtight plastic bag and keep it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Allow the bread to defrost at room temperature before slicing and using.
For other storing options, read our article on “How to Store Sourdough Bread“.
More Bread Ideas to Make With Your Sourdough Starter
- Chocolate Sourdough Bread
- Jalapeno Cheddar Sourdough Bread
- Sourdough Bread Bowl
- Sourdough Garlic Bread + Garlic Toast
If you tried thisSourdough Sandwich Bread recipeor any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟star ratingand let me know how it went in the 📝commentsbelow. Thanks for visiting!
Soft Sourdough Sandwich Bread (No-Knead)
Renae
4.80 from 416 votes
Make the best soft crust sourdough sandwich bread with our easy no-knead recipe. You'll love our step-by-step instructions and pro-tips for success!
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Course: Bread
Cuisine: American
Servings: 16 slices
Prep Time: 1 hour hour
Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes
Combined Rise Times: 12 hours hours
Total Time: 13 hours hours 45 minutes minutes
Calories: 215
Equipment
Bread pan, 9" x 5" - See notes for a 12' x 4.5" pan
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup (65 grams) sourdough starter, bubbly and active fed within 12-24 hours
- 1⅓ cups (300 grams) warm water, filtered 95º to 100º F
- ¼ cup (56 grams) granulated sugar can substitute with 2 rounded tablespoons of honey
- 3½ -4 cups (500 grams) bread flour I recommend weighing your flour, see notes for using measuring cups
- 1½ tablespoons (20 grams) extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons (9 grams) salt
Instructions
Add the starter to a large bowl. Mix in warm water and sugar, stirring until dissolved. Add bread flour, oil, and salt. Stir with a dough whisk or wooden spoon until a thick, shaggy dough forms.
Flour your hands or wet your hands, and finish mixing dough by hand until most of the flour has been absorbed. Don't worry if there is flour on the sides or bottom of the bowl.
Cover with a clean, damp kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 30 to 45 minutes.
Coax the dough from the bowl and stretch and fold the dough by stretching 4 inches then pushing it down the middle and turning 1/4 until you make a circle (see video below for how to do this).
Return the dough to the bowl, cover with a damp towel, and let rise at room temperature overnight (at least 8-10 hours) until double in size. Do not refrigerate dough.
In the morning, lightly flour your counter top. Remove the dough from the bowl, gently stretching it into a rectangle, then your fingers to dimple the rough to release the air from the dough (as shown in photo).
Roll up dough into a log shape. Cover and let the dough rest 10 minutes.
Spray bread pan with cooking spray. Tighten the dough log by gently pulling it towards you along the counter top for 5-8". Place it in your loaf pan, seam side down. Cover and let rise for 1-2 hours, until dough has doubled in size.
Press the corner edge of the dough in 1/2" and if the indentation remains, it's ready to bake.
Preheat your oven to 375º. Bake in the center of the oven for 40 minutes. The top of the loaf should be golden in color. Remove from oven.
After 10 minutes, tilt the pan to remove the bread to cool on a cooling rack.
Wait at least 1 hour before cutting (to prevent the loaf from deflating).
Notes
Measuring the flour
The recipe ingredients call for 3 1/2 to 4 cups of flour because cup measuring is not as reliable as using a food scale to weigh the flour.
Be sure to stir the flour, then use a spoon to add it into the measuring cup, and level it with a knife.
Start with the lower amount of flour and add up to 4 cups, but only if needed.
Troubleshooting (Updated 6/26/2023)
If your bread “blows out on one side,” we recommend using a larger bread pan, like 12″ x 4.5″ in size or labeled at a 1.5 pound bread pan. Then bake at 375ºF for 30 minutes.
Storing
Let bread cool for at least one hour before cutting.
Store bread in a bag at room temperature for up to 5 days. See our post ‘How to Store Sourdough Bread‘ for other options.
Nutrition
Serving: 2slices | Calories: 215kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 181mg | Potassium: 52mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg
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