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Sweet Sourdough Sandwich Bread

Amber Flinton

To me there is nothing better than a rustic, crusty loaf of naturally leavened bread, which is why I am always baking my classic sourdough. However, my children crave the soft crust and sweeter, less aerated crumb of a pan loaf. And I enjoy packing them school and summer camp lunches made with slow fermented, organic, bread! So this recipe has become a household staple.

In all truthfulness, this bread really is so delicious slathered with butter and jam or filled with all sorts of savory sandwich fixings. It also makes the most amazing french toasts and one eyed jacks. And don’t even get me started about bread pudding with this baby!

I’ve been developing it for awhile and meaning to post the recipe for even longer. The bones come from a recipe published by Homemade Food Junkie, but I’ve adapted the ingredients a bit and the method quite a bit (their recipe calls for much longer fermentation times than I feel is necessary). If you’ve made my classic sourdough, the process is very similar, so you should have no problems. It relies on the same process of building starter and leaven and then gentle handling through the bulk fermentation to develop the gluten without classical kneading. If you haven’t baked my classic sourdough, I would recommend starting there first.

For those of you who are eager to try a pan loaf, there’s two key differences in this recipe from my classic sourdough boules. The first difference is that this dough is enriched with milk, honey, butter, and eggs, so the baked bread has a rich, brioche-like flavor and texture. YUM!

The second difference is in the shaping. For the tighter crumb structure we all desire in a sandwich bread, you need to degas the dough. This basically means you use a rolling pin to press out the air bubbles and form the dough into a relatively deflated rectangle. Then you fold the dough up into a neat rectangle, flip it on its seam, and plop it into a loaf pan to complete its second rise. No bread baskets required with these sandwich loaves.

Sweet Sourdough Sandwich Bread - Makes 2 Loaves

Equipment:

  • Food scale

  • Food thermometer

  • Bench knife

  • Dough scraper

  • 2 9 X 5in metal loaf pans (I use these from Wilton)

  • Sharp knife or Bread lame (I use this one Wire Monkey Shop)

  • 1 Large lidded container for bulk fermentation (I use Rubbermaid 12 Qt. and lid)

  • 1 oven safe casserole dish

  • 1 rolling pin

Ingredients:

*I’m not paid to advertise any products or brands. However, I love these products, and I think they’re the best for this recipe.

Method:

Day 1: Between 8-9 PM (this step is optional but recommended if you’re not baking daily)

  1. Feed your starter. In a small, glass container (be sure to use one with a lid) combine 86g of warm (between 75-86ºF) water, 46g cold, mature sourdough starter, 46g of whole wheat flour, and 46g of bread flour. Stir to mix completely, close the lid, and rest on the counter overnight. I put a dish cloth under the container to keep the starter warm.

Day 2: Between 6:45-7:30 AM

  1. Make the Leaven. Combine 200g of warm (75-85ºF) water with 100g of whole wheat flour, 100g of bread flour, and 1 heaping TBS. of the renewed starter from the night before. Mix well, cover with a lid, and rest on the counter for about 6 1/2 hours.

Day 2: Between 1:30-2:00 PM (or when the leaven passes the float test*)

  1. Mix the dough: Get your wet ingredients to 75-85ºF. Melt the butter and set aside to cool slightly before adding the honey. Stir the honey and butter together until fully incorporated. Then warm 380g of milk to about 85ºF in a separate container before adding 200g of (75-85ºF) water. Add the beaten eggs to the milk and water mixture, mix, and the finally add the butter-honey mixture. This whole process will ensure that your liquids are the right temperature without curdling your eggs.

  2. In a large lidded container, combine your wet ingredients with 300g of leaven, 100g whole wheat flour, and 1000g bread flour. Mix until well combined but do not knead. There should be no remaining clumps of flour, but the dough will look like a large shaggy mass. Top the dough with 20g of kosher salt, cover with the lid, and let rest for 25-30 min. This is called the autolyse.

  3. After the autolyse, Add 50g of warm (75-85ºF) water to the dough. Squeeze the dough several times like you’re squeezing a lemon to incorporate the salt and water. Then pull the corners of the dough up and over to continue mixing. Do this until all the water and salt are mixed in and the dough is a uniform consistency (about 3-4 minutes). Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.

  4. Bulk Fermentation: Turn the dough. Wet your hand to prevent sticking, and then grab a handful of the dough from a corner of your container. Pull the dough up and press it down near the opposite corner of the container as if you were wrapping up a small gift in the middle of the dough. Do this 4-6 times until all sides of the dough have been “turned.” Close the lid and let rest for 30 minutes.

  5. Continue turning the bread every 30 minutes for 3-5 hours or until the dough has increased in size by about 25%, it feels airy and light, the surface is smooth and shiny, and it holds the shape of the last turn.

  6. First shaping: Gently pour the dough out onto a floured surface using the dough scraper. Flour the outsides and the center line of your dough. Use your bench knife to cut your dough into two roughly equal portions. Fold each onto itself and shape into a ball using your bench knife. Douse each boule in a little more flour and allow to sit for 15-30 minutes. This is the bench rest, and the dough will relax and spread during this time.

  7. After the bench rest, prepare your loaf pans. Pour a tablespoon of canola oil into each pan and rub it around the bottom and up the sides to fully coat the pans.

  8. Second shaping: Lightly coat the top and sides of each boule with more bread flour. Use your bench knife to flip the dough over. Sprinkle flour on the surface and use your rolling pin to degas the dough. Roll into a rough rectangle about 2 inches thick and approximately as wide your loaf pan is long (9 in.). It doesn’t need to be perfect, but try to pop as many air bubbles as possible.

  9. Using your bench knife to release the dough from the countertop, gently pull the bottom of the dough down and then fold it up towards the middle of the rectangle. Then gently pull the top up and fold it down to the bottom of the dough, as if you were folding a letter to fit in an envelope. Use your fingers to gently pinch the right and left sides together. Then flour the top of the dough, and use your bench knife to flip the dough onto the seam you just created, and transfer it one of your prepared loaf pans. If needed adjust the dough so it sits neatly in the pan by gently folding the sides under. Repeat this shaping process with the other portion of dough.

  10. Allow the dough to rise in the pans at room temperature for 1 hour. Then cover the baskets with a tea towel, and retard the dough in the refrigerator over night.

Day 3: Between 5:30-9:30AM (Or really whenever you’re ready to bake)

  1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF with the oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Fill the casserole dish filled with several inches of tap water and place it on the bottom rack while preheating. Allow the oven to reach 400 for 20-30 minutes before baking bread for the best results.

  2. Once the oven is fully preheated, remove your bread from the refrigerator. Score your loaf with a sharp knife or bread lame by making a deep cut down the center for your bread from one end all the way to the next. Place your loaves on a baking sheet and transfer them to the oven. Bake for 15 minutes. Then lower the oven temperature to 375ºF and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

  3. After 15 minutes, check the bread to make sure it’s not browning too much. If it’s darkening quickly, gently tent the loaves with aluminum foil and continue baking for another 20-30 minutes. The bread should bake for a total of 50-60 minutes and reach an internal temperature of 210ºF. Remove the bread from the oven, gently flip it out of the loaf pans, and then set it on the stove or a cooling rack for at least 15 minutes before cutting.

  4. Store bread in an airtight container or plastic ziploc bag at room temperature. Best eaten within 3 days of baking (but will keep longer).

Note: My house is usually about 72ºF, with little humidity. If you are finding that your dough is not rising or developing over the course of 5 hours of bulk fermentation, try putting the dough in the oven with the light turned on. You can also put a pan of boiling hot water in the oven with the dough to increase fermentation rates. However, I do not recommend keeping your dough too warm. A rapid fermentation will prevent your dough from developing enough tension, and you will end up with a flatter and chewier bread. I’ve had the best results with 3-5 hours of bulk fermentation.

*To test your leaven using the float test, drop a tablespoon of leaven into water. If the leaven floats at the surface of the water completely, it’s ready to mix into dough. If not allow the leaven to mature for an hour or two longer before mixing the dough. Once you’re familiar with you’re leaven, you’ll be able to skip this test, but your entire leaven should float in the

Recipe adapted from Homemade Food Junkie