No one loves my sourdough sandwich bread recipe as much as my dog, Mr Bailey. He knows that it smells heavenly coming out of the oven and soon will have ham, lettuce, and tomatoes in the middle for the perfect bite!
In 1762, John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich®, invented the perfect hand-held meal. The story goes, he was playing cards and did not want to leave the gaming table to eat.
He asked for a serving of roast beef to be placed between two slices of bread so he could eat with his hands while still playing cards. There you have it a sandwich was invented that changed the way the world would eat their food! Now let's get started with how to make soft sourdough sandwich bread.
Picking Bread Flour
Before embarking on the journey of making sourdough sandwich bread verse regular bread, Even though sourdough recipes have simple ingredients, it's essential to choose the right type of all-purpose flour. What flour you buy matters and they are very different from one another which is why I do not use bleached flour. Now I'm not going to mill my own flour, as of right now but maybe in the future. For now, I am buying flour at the grocery store, to make my sourdough bread recipes, and here is what I buy and why.
All 3 are from real grain that grew from the soil in the grown. To think all it takes is to read the label and my health improves. I get very sick from eating flour that contains additives and so do a lot of people.
Climate Matters
Not everyone talks about this crucial issue of temperature in the home matters with making homemade bread in Florida. The humidity here can be overwhelming at times and getting the bread to rise right can be a challenge for making a loaf of bread. Here is what I learned to do living in Florida verse in Rhode Island.
- My bread comes out better in Fall and Winter weather.
- A humidity of above 76% is not a good day for bread making.
- Cold AC makes my bread take forever to rise.
- My garage is perfect for room temperature for bread rise in the morning and night but not during the day during the summer months. My kitchen oven when it is off is where my bread goes to rise. It takes forever due to the AC!
Timeline for Making Soft Sourdough Sandwich Loaf
Today's temperature was 89º degrees and the humidity was 74%
- 7:00 am - I have my own starter that I feed ½ cup of water and ½ cup of flour.
- 9:00 am - Leave the salt to the end for better results. I place my ingredients in a bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment then together, then I place the dough in a bowl cover it with plastic wrap, and put it in a warm place which for me is the garage.
- 1:00 pm - My first rise is completed, best to wet my hands to remove the dough from the bowl. I lightly floured the surface to place the dough and roll it into a ball and stretch it to fit the oiled loaf pan. I place a damp tea towel over the bread pan and let it rise to the rim of the pan.
- 5:30 pm - Once the second rise is done and the dough is almost double in size, the fermentation process is done. I now warm my oven to 375º degrees which is about 30 minutes to cook the bread. I will butter the top once it starts to brown on top to make it nice and soft along with beautiful golden brown on top.
- 6:00 pm - I removed the white bread from the pan and placed on a cooling rack so it does not get moist at the bottom.
A Few Things to Keep in Mind
Active Sourdough Starter
The foundation of all sourdough bread is the culture, a mixture of flour and water that has been fermenting for a time. To start your culture, mix equal parts of flour and water in a clean container, Mixing with a wooden spoon is important because the wood will not kill the culture, unlike metal. then cover it with a loose lid so it can eat. If you do not have a starter, you can make your own > make your sourdough starter or buy from a local baker.
Mix & Knead Bread Dough
I always mix my sourdough in a stand mixer because the dough tends to be wet to the touch and sticky. The kneading is usually a stretch and folds a few times after the second rise. I will pull the dough and fold it over about 3 to 4 times and done, into the pan it goes.
Baking Homemade Sourdough Bread
I've made this mistake a few times while cooking and that is one side of my oven is hotter so halfway, I will rotate so the bread is not dark on one side. This tends to be the case with most ovens that are electric. The other thing that I do is check my temperature with a thermometer inside my oven which I leave inside. This is why I always check halfway to see how things are cooking because you don't want to overcook the bread.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Even with the best of intentions, sourdough bread can sometimes be unpredictable. Here are some common issues that might arise and how to troubleshoot them.
1. Uneven Texture: If your bread turns out dense and heavy, it could be due to over-proofing or not letting the dough rest long enough. On the flip side, an overly wet dough can also cause an uneven texture. To fix this, try adjusting your fermentation time, or reducing the amount of water in the recipe.
2. Cracked Crust: While a cracked crust isn't necessarily a bad thing, it can be a sign of overbaking or not enough steam in the oven during baking. Try lowering your oven temperature slightly or adding more steam during the baking process to keep the crust supple and intact.
3. Dough Not Rising: If your dough doesn't rise, it's likely due to inactive or expired yeast. Make sure your yeast is fresh and alive, or try adding a bit more to the recipe. Additionally, an overly cold or hot environment can also affect fermentation.
4. Soggy Bottom: A soggy bottom is often caused by not baking the bread long enough or not giving it enough time to cool before slicing. Make sure to follow the instructions for baking and cooling to ensure a crispy crust and fully baked bread.
By addressing these common issues, you'll be well-equipped to troubleshoot any problems that may arise during the sourdough bread-making process. Happy baking!
More Bread Recipes from Around the World
The first time I made this delicious bread I was a little nervous about getting it right. Even though it was not perfect, it was still delicious. I continued 3 more times to make an easy recipe to follow.
Now it is simple to make and I have never had store-bought bread again. Baking sourdough sandwich bread is a regular thing in my home where Mr. Bailey will wait by the oven until it cools off for a bite. As the saying goes, bread is the staff of life - and sourdough bread is the most flavorful staff you'll ever taste. Till next time my beautiful friends, as my quest continues for the perfect bite!
Sourdough Sandwich Bread
Ingredients
- ¼ cup soft butter
- 2 tablespoon honey
- ½ cup starter active and bubbly
- 1 cups water plus 2 tablespoon
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Feed the starter ½ cup of water and ½ cup and set aside until all bubbled up.
- Mix ingredients together expect the salt in a bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment or bread machine. Once it is half mix add the salt. The dough should be smooth and elastic which takes about about 10 minutes in the mixer.
- Place the dough in a bowl cover it with plastic wrap and a tea towel and put it in a warm place for the first rise.
- Once the first rise is completed, it is best to wet hands slightly to remove the dough from the bowl. I lightly floured the surface to place the dough and roll it into a ball and stretch it to fit the oiled loaf pan. I place a damp tea towel over the bread pan and let it rise to the rim of the pan for the second rise.
- Once the second rise is done and the dough is almost double in size, the fermentation process is done. I now warm my oven to 375º degrees yo cook the bread for about 30 minutes depending on the oven. I will butter the top once it starts to brown on top and rotate the pan at this time so the bread cooks evenly.
- I removed the white bread from the pan and place on a cooling rack so it does not get moist at the bottom. Once cool to the touch slice the bread to make a sandwich that you love for the perfect bite.
Notes
- Use soft butter for a better mix.
- The salt affects the starter so I like to mix it at the end.
- The dough can be kneaded by hand but it takes a while. A mixer with a hook or bread machine is the fastest that I have found to make this recipe.
Tina says
Great bread, was so easy and delicious
Lizzy says
Thank you, so glad you enjoyed!xoxo Lizzy