If you’ve been wanting to make sourdough bread, but feel overwhelmed by the process, this post is for you. This is my process for the easy way to make sourdough sandwich bread.
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First, feed your sourdough starter
To start this bread process, I typically take my sourdough starter out of the fridge around lunchtime and feed it. I say I do 1:1:1 ratio (starter to flour to water) but I honestly just eyeball it all. I’m usually looking for thicker than pancake batter consistency and just keep adjusting until I get that result. I don’t use a scale or even measuring cups. I just add and mix until I get it how I want it.
I leave it on the counter once I feed it, for 4-6 hours typically. Leave the lid off and put a tea towel or plate over the top of the jar. (shown below)
You want a bubbly sourdough starter
Typically my starter takes a few hours (3, 4, 5…) to grow and be very bubbly. My starter was bubblier than this picture below when I used it, but to give you an example. You want your starter to have grown (some people say doubled but I’m not sure mine ever fully doubles) and for their to be a lot of bubbles, which tells you it’s active.
Mix up your ingredients
Around 8 pm, I use my KitchenAid mixer to mix up the dough. I start by adding 2 cups starter, 3 cups water and 4 teaspoons of salt to the bowl. I mix that up for a minute or so. Once that’s mixed, I add in flour. I typically need 7-8 cups of flour. I typically aim for a dough that isn’t sticky to the touch. If it’s too sticky, I always find it too difficult to work with when I begin rolling it into loaves.
Oil a bowl for the dough and let it rise
Next, I like to put a little olive oil in a big bowl (make sure it’s 2-3x the size of the current dough so there’s room for rising) and transfer the dough over to that. I cover it with plastic wrap to avoid any sort of crust forming from the air.
I leave it on the counter overnight to rise.
Typically when I wake up in the morning, the dough looks like this. It has typically risen quite a bit and is usually spilling out of the bowl, sometimes even onto the counter. This is good! It means your starter was active and your dough is rising and doing the right thing.
Separate into 2-3 sections and form the loaves
Next, I take the dough out and put it on a slightly oiled or floured surface. I typically separate into 3 sections, but you could also do 2 for two bigger loaves.
Next you’re going to roll the dough tightly into a loaf, and then switch directions and roll it again. You want to make sure you have a tight loaf shape.
Grease pans or use Parchment paper and bake
I typically use parchment paper for easy clean up, but I was out. You can also butter or grease the loaf pans.
I like to bake the bread at 375 degrees for 48 minutes. You’ll have to figure out the exact number that gets your bread to the right place. To be sure it’s done, take the internal temperature. You’re looking for the inside of the bread to be 200-210 degrees when it’s done.
Let it cool, slice and enjoy!
I know it’s sooo tempting to slice the bread right away, but it’s essential you let it cool in order to be able to cut nice sandwich slices. If you’re willing to risk the rest of the loaf in order to enjoy bread right out of the oven, go for it. It’s completely up to you! Just know the slices won’t be very pretty if it’s hot.
Easy Sourdough Sandwich Bread
This bread recipe ignores the majority of the Sourdough "rules" and skips a few steps in the typical process, still creating a great end product. If you've been wanting to learn sourdough but find yourself completely overwhelmed, try this recipe.
Ingredients
- 3 cups water
- 2 cups sourdough starter must be active
- 4 tsp salt
- 7-8 cups flour bread or all-purpose
- 1 tbsp butter optional
- 1 tbsp olive oil optional
Instructions
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Feed your starter and let it sit for 4-6 hours (until grown and bubbly)
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Once your starter is fully active, mix together 2 cups starter, 3 cups water, 4 tsp salt. Then add in 7-8 cups of flour, mixing it together as you go. Continue adding the flour until your dough is just barely sticky.
You can add a tablespoon of butter or olive oil (or both) to the dough if you'd like to add some extra softness.
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Use butter or olive oil to grease a large bowl. Transfer the dough to the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rest on the counter overnight (8-10 hours).
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees
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Line loaf pans with parchment paper (or grease them).
Separate your risen dough into 2-3 sections. Two sections for larger loaves, 3 for smaller loaves.
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Roll each loaf tightly one way and then turn and roll tightly the other way.
Place loaf in the parchment lined (or greased) pan, and place in the preheated oven for 48 minutes (or until the internal temperature reaches 200-210).
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Once it's fully baked, let it cool completely before slicing in order to achieve the best sandwich slices.
Thanks for reading “The Easy Way to Make Sourdough Sandwich Bread”! I hope you enjoyed it.
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