When white soft crust sourdough bread is fresh and soft, it's a real treat. Am I right? This sourdough sandwich recipe takes some of the best sourdough starter qualities and turns them into a delicious, easy-to-make sourdough sandwich loaf with a soft crust!
This soft crust sourdough sandwich bread, with its mild-tangy taste and ultra-soft crust, makes it perfect for gourmet grilled cheese and many more recipes. It's one of those sourdough recipes that works well for families because everyone loves it, and it tastes better than store-bought bread in a lot of recipes.
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Try This Soft Crust Sourdough Bread
If you're looking for a loaf that works for everything from sandwiches to French toast, this is it. You will fall in love with this bread in just one bite. I especially love making it on the weekend and enjoying slices the next day, when the flavor has become even more bold. The soft crust and tender crumb make it one of my favorite homemade breads.
Why You'll Love It
- Soft crust: Unlike traditional artisan loaves, this bread stays soft.
- Perfect for sandwiches: This soft sourdough sandwich bread slices really well.
- Mild sourdough flavor: It has just enough sourdough flavor and isn’t overpowering.
- Great make-ahead recipe: The dough can be left in the fridge until you are ready to make it.
Ingredients
- Bread flour: This gives the bread structure and helps the loaf rise.
- Sourdough starter: You need this for the rise and the classic sourdough flavor.
- Butter: Gives you richness and contributes to the soft texture.
- Sugar: Balances out the sourdough flavor and is what makes the tender crumb.
- Warm Water: You need this for hydrating the dough, and it also supports fermentation.
How to Make Soft Crust Sourdough Bread
1. In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar, salt, water, and sourdough starter, and knead on low speed until it comes together, about 3-4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl halfway through. Let it rest for 20-30 minutes.
2. Knead on low speed and gradually add the butter until it is completely incorporated.
3. Once all of the butter is incorporated, increase the speed to high and knead for about 5-6 minutes until the dough is smooth, releases from the sides of the bowl, and passes the windowpane test.
4. It's a soft, smooth, and satiny dough that is slightly tacky to the touch.
5. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled container and lightly oil the top of the dough as well. Cover and let rest at room temperature for 12-15 hours until it has at least doubled, is full of small bubbles, and wobbles when you gently shake the container.
6. Remove the dough from the container with a dough scraper, place it on a floured work counter surface, and flour the top of the dough. Roughly shape the dough into a square and deflate the dough with your fingers to pop the medium and large bubbles. If needed, use more flour to prevent the dough from sticking, but be careful not to work more flour into the dough than necessary.
7. Then shape the deflated dough into a rectangle that is about 8-inch (20cm) wide and 10-inch (25cm) long.
8. Starting from a short side, roll up the dough tightly and deflate it even further as you roll it up.
9. Transfer the dough to the prepared loaf pan and let it rise in a warm place (between 75-80°F / 24-27°C is ideal) for about 1.5-2 hours or until it has grown by about 50-75%.
10. Brush the dough with egg wash and bake at 400°F (204°C) for 30-35 minutes until golden brown. Then, remove from the oven, brush immediately with the melted butter, and cover with a clean and dry kitchen towel for 20 minutes. Then uncover, remove the sandwich from the bread pan, and transfer to a cooling wire rack to cool completely before slicing. Serve the same day or the next morning with your preferred toppings.
Recipe Tips
- Let the loaf cool completely before slicing.
- Brushing with butter after baking helps create the soft crust.
- A healthy starter is important to have for a perfect loaf.
- Stick to organic white bread flour. All-purpose flour just doesn't deliver the same results. With all-purpose flour, you need a different hydration level, the fermentation time changes, and ultimately, the loaf won't rise as high as with bread flour. For a tall and gorgeous sourdough sandwich bread with a soft and light texture, you need a strong organic flour with a high protein (=gluten) content. I use organic bread flour with a protein content of 13.4%. For best results, anything above 12.5% is great.
- Depending on which climate or environment you live in, the absorption rate of flours can be different. It can be that you need to hydrate your dough more or less, depending on humidity, temperature, or altitude.
- The wild yeast cultures in sourdough are sensitive to chlorine, so it is best to use bottled water or filtered tap water.
- Watch your bread, not the time. Look at the signs (airy, bubbly, wobbly) to determine when it is ready for baking.
Note: Please see my ingredient notes in the recipe card for baker's percentages and more helpful tips.
What Can You Serve With This?
- Butter and jam
- Grilled cheese sandwiches
- Avocado toast
- French toast
- Soup
- Salad sandwiches with eggs
- Tuna sandwiches
- Toasted with tablespoons of honey
FAQs
Yes, the dough can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days before shaping.
This usually happens from under-fermentation or over-fermentation.
It's possible that the starter leaven had already exceeded its peak activity and was exhausted by the time you added it to the bread dough. Make sure the leaven has risen by at least 50% but not more than 100%.
Sometimes it can happen that a loaf ends up sourer as desired due to a long fermentation time, a sour and overripe starter leaven, or a high proofing temperature. This sourdough sandwich bread recipe was specifically developed to make a very mild loaf that is perfect for savory and sweet toppings.
Recipe
Soft Crust Sourdough Bread
Ingredients
Leaven* (see note)
- 10 g sourdough starter
- 50 g bottled or filtered water
- 50 g organic white bread flour
Sourdough Sandwich
- 438 g organic white bread flour
- 25 g sugar
- 8 g salt
- 285 g bottled or filtered water
- 88 g leaven
- 56 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- egg wash (1 large egg yolk + 1-2 tablespoon milk)
- 14 g unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
Prepare the leaven
- Combine the sourdough starter, water, and flour and stir until no lumps remain. Let sit in a warm spot (68-75°F / 20-24°C) until it has risen by about 75% and passes the float test, about 6 hours.
Prepare the dough
- In a large bowl, using an electric mixer fitted with a hook attachment, add the flour, sugar, salt, water, and leaven, and knead on low speed until it comes together about 3-4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl halfway through. Let rest for 20-30 minutes.
- Knead on low speed and gradually add the butter until it is completely incorporated. Once all of the butter is incorporated, increase the speed to high and knead for about 5-6 minutes until the dough is smooth, releases from the sides of the bowl, and passes the windowpane test. It's a soft, smooth, and satiny dough that is slightly tacky to the touch.
- Lightly spray a straight-sided container with oil and transfer the dough to the container; lightly oil the top of the dough as well. Cover and let rest at room temperature for 12-15 hours until it has at least doubled, is full of small bubbles and wobbles like jellyfish when you gently shake the container.
- Spray an 8x4-inch (20x10cm) loaf pan lightly with oil or grease with butter and set aside. Also, turn on the light in the oven to create a warm environment for the dough to rise a second time. Between 75-80°F (24-27°C) is ideal.
- Remove the dough from the container with a dough scraper, place it on a floured work surface, and flour the top of the dough. Roughly shape the dough into a square and deflate the dough with your fingers to pop the medium and large bubbles. That is important to create a fine and soft bread crumb. If needed, use more flour to prevent the dough from sticking, but be careful not to work more flour into the dough as necessary.
- Then shape the deflated dough into a rectangle that is about 8-inch (20cm) wide and 10-inch (25cm) long. Starting from a short side, roll up the dough tightly and deflate it even further as you roll it up.
- Transfer the dough to the prepared loaf pan and let rise in the warm oven for about 1.5-2 hours or until it has grown by about 50-75%.
- Remove the dough from the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C) for 15-20 minutes.
- Brush the dough with egg wash and bake for 30-35 minutes until the top is golden brown and it sounds hollow when you knock on the bottom of the sandwich.
- Remove from the oven, brush immediately with the melted butter and cover with a clean and dry kitchen towel for 20 minutes. Then uncover, remove the sandwich from the pan and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Notes
Cooking Time and Temperature
Bake at 400°F (204°C) for 30-35 minutes until golden brown.Taste & Texture
This soft crust sourdough bread has a light, fluffy crumb with a mild, tangy flavor. The crust stays soft and tender while the inside remains airy and perfect for sandwiches and toast.Storage, Freezing & Reheating
- Room Temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Freeze for up to 2 months.
- Reheat: Toast slices or warm briefly in the oven before serving.
Serving Recommendations
I love using this bread for grilled cheese, breakfast toast, and sandwiches. It's also fantastic for French toast because the soft crumb absorbs custard beautifully.Recipe Variations and Substitutions
- Replace some bread flour with whole wheat flour.
- Add honey instead of sugar.
- Mix in seeds for extra texture.
- Use milk in place of some water for a richer loaf.
- Add herbs for a savory variation.
Proper Storage Tips
- Store in an airtight container once cooled.
- Avoid refrigerating the bread as it can dry out faster.
- Slice only what you need to maintain freshness.
- Freeze extra slices for easy future use.
Pro Tips
- Use bread flour with at least 12.5% protein for the best rise.
- Don't rush fermentation.
- Let the loaf cool completely before slicing.
- Brush with butter immediately after baking for the softest crust.
- This loaf often tastes even better the next day after the flavors have settled.
Baker's Percentages
For this sourdough sandwich recipe, I decided on a medium-wet dough with a hydration level of 65%. If you consider the water and flour content of the sourdough starter, it's 68% hydration. You may have heard that wet dough is better for sourdough bread because wet dough has a mild taste, but I can tell you that this is not necessarily the case. The sourness of sourdough is determined by many more factors, such as water, dough, and proofing temperature, time, how much sourdough starter discard is used, and how sour the starter leaven is. This white sourdough sandwich bread is mildly tangy and is perfect for a wide variety of uses and dishes from savory to sweet.| Ingredient | Weight | Percentage |
| Bread Flour | 438g | 100% |
| Sugar | 25g | 5.7% |
| Salt | 8g | 1.8% |
| Water | 285g | 65.1% |
| Leaven | 88g | 20.1% |
| Unsalted Butter | 56g | 12.8% |
How to do the windowpane test?
To do the windowpane test, let the dough rest for about 1 minute after mixing. Then take a small portion of the dough between your fingers and slowly stretch it until the center is very thin and light can shine through without tearing. This means that you have kneaded and developed the dough sufficiently. If it doesn't pass the windowpane test and it tears, knead for 1-2 minutes longer.Video
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Shelley Koogle
I have tried many recipes for soft crust sourdough bread. This is the one that I will make from now on!
Jennifer H
Hi. I was wondering if could leave the sugar out? Would I need to change anything if I did?
Sabine
You can leave the sugar out or replace it with honey. I hope that helps!