The Tastiest Sourdough Sandwich Bread

I love sourdough recipes (well, all bread really) so I wanted to have a go at making sourdough sandwich bread.

Sourdough is the oldest form of leavened bread. 

The consensus is that this bread came about by accident. 

As wild yeasts in the air settled on a mixture of flour and water that was left out for a period of time. 

This yeast began to feed on the flour and water mixture.  

This would cause it to ferment. 

Creating gases as a byproduct that allowed the dough to rise. 

Sourdough was born! 

All that was necessary was to keep some of the fermented dough alive by feeding it fresh flour. 

And this is simply what sourdough starter is. 

What Is Sourdough Sandwich Bread?

Sourdough sandwich bread is a form of bread that relies on a starter for it to rise. 

It usually has a tangy flavor characteristic that ranges from hardly noticeable to quite sour. 

The taste will depend a lot on the recipe, and what the starter tastes like. 

A true sourdough will also  have a strong and crispy crust. 

Sourdough can be bread that is leavened only by the starter or more commonly these days as a combination of a starter and yeast. 

The starter is used mainly to give the bread more body and taste. 

True sourdough tends to keep longer due to the lactic acid from the natural occurring lactobacilli.   

As you can imagine once yeast became available for bread baking it would be used because of the quick rising time. 

This meant that bread could be baked that much more quickly.

Sourdough also became a well known bread among the gold miners in California during the gold rush. 

The miners were often referred to as sourdoughs. 

It was said they would keep their starters on their bodies to prevent it from freezing in the winter. 

Starters can be dried which is what many miners did when they first set out. 

Later reconstituting it when they would keep it alive by adding flour intermittently. 

My father grew up in a peasant village in Palestine. 

He told me how when he was little, neighbors would borrow bread starters from each other. 

When they didn’t have enough starter, or enough time to start their own. 

This would allow them to make bread right away.

How To Make Sourdough Starter

It’s really simple to make a sourdough starter for your sourdough sandwich bread.

The main component is just time.

Making a sourdough starter takes about five days in total.

Quite a lengthy process but one that is worth it!

DAY ONE

In a bowl, mix together a cup of whole wheat flour and ½ cup of room temperature water. 

Transfer this into a glass container, cover loosely with plastic and leave it for 24 hours on your kitchen counter.

DAY TWO

You want to dispose of all but 4 oz of your starter. 

Add and stir in a cup of all purpose flour and ½ cup of room temperature water. 

Cover loosely with plastic and leave it for 24 hours on your kitchen counter.

DAY THREE

On day three, you’ll start to see some action with your starter!

Bubbles will start to form and you’ll start to notice a smell.

It will also appear more stretchy.

Again, you want to dispose of all but 4 oz of your starter.

Add and stir in a cup of all purpose flour and ½ cup of room temperature water. 

Cover loosely with plastic and leave it for 12 hours on your kitchen counter.

DAY FOUR

On day four and five, you’ll feed your starter twice a day.

Again, get rid of all but 4 oz.

Add and stir in a cup of all purpose flour and ½ cup of room temperature water. 

Cover loosely with plastic and leave it for 12 hours on your kitchen counter.

Repeat the same process again.

DAY FIVE

Repeat the two feeds from the previous day.

This is when you’ll really see it shape into a decent starter.

For one last time, add and stir in a cup of all purpose flour and ½ cup of room temperature water. 

And that’s it!

Just make sure to repeat the discard and feed method above once a week.

Which Flour To Use

The simple answer is bread flour; which is the type of flour that will give you the best results.

With that said you can use just about any kind of flour to make a starter, from rye to wheat, and even rice flour will work.

For new bakers the best thing to stick to is white flour as it happens to be the most forgiving.

For example there are some starters out there made with other types of flours that will demand being fed three times a day.

In other cases you can use gluten free flours such as buckwheat flour to create a starter good enough to make gluten free bread.

My flour of choice has always been the King Arthur brand, I find their flour to be of the highest quality.

This isn’t a sponsored post, but I find the consistency and condition of their products above much of the rest

How To Make Sourdough Sandwich Bread

The key with making sourdough sandwich bread is time. 

It can take many hours to make this type of bread. 

But it is well worth it. 

You will definitely see the difference. 

You will need to have prepared or purchased a sourdough starter. 

The starter will be the basis for your bread. 

An especially good one is made using wheat flour at the beginning. 

Once the starter is ready you can decide if you are going to make a starter only bread or if you are going to use yeast in addition. 

Place your starter in the bowl of a stand mixer. 

Add bread flour, water, salt and yeast if you are using it. 

Attach the dough hook and mix the ingredients.

Slowly add the water until a dough forms that stretch and folds. 

Allow the machine to knead the dough for 7 or 8 minutes.  

Remove the bowl from the mixer, cover and put in a warm place.

Allow the dough to double in size. 

This will happen faster if using yeast. 

If not it could take many hours. 

I’ve heard of people taking up to 24 hours to make their sourdough bread. 

Everytime your dough rises, punch it down to remove the air and leave to rise again.

Once your dough has risen a couple of times, place it in a loaf pan lightly oiled with olive oil, and allow to rise one more time. 

Bread pans will give you that perfect sandwich bread shape.

Place on a baking pan. 

Once the top of the loaf has risen above the pan it is time to bake bread. 

Cooking time for a sandwich loaf will be about 30 minutes. 

Once done, place on a cooling rack, and allow it to come to room temperature before slicing. 

FAQS

Can You Freeze It?

Absolutely!

Pre-slice your loaf and place a couple of slices in a freezer bag.

Squeeze out all the air so to prevent freezer burn.

It should keep for about 3 months in the freezer.

The only thing to note is that if you defrost your bread and don’t toast it, it may be a little soggier than when you froze it.

But if you’re very careful about not letting in condensation or air into your bag, then you will minimise this risk.

Is Sourdough Bread Gluten Free?

It is true that sourdough partially breaks down the protein in the gluten due to its long fermentation process. 

However, sourdough normally made from wheat, rye, or barley is not gluten free. 

There are ways to make a gluten free sourdough using some gluten free flour mixes. 

Of course the flavor will not be quite the same, and nor will be the consistency of the dough and bread. 

At the end of the day it is the gluten that gives bread its chewy consistency.

Is Sourdough Bread Healthy?

A true sourdough bread relies on a starter for its fermentation. 

This is said to be a much healthier bread. 

Because of the long fermentation process, sourdough is supposed to be easier to digest, and less likely to spike your blood sugar. 

The lower phylate levels mean that sourdough can be more nutritious than regular store bought bread. 

I strongly encourage you to make your own bread as often as possible. 

It’s easy, and can be very tasty. 

Just remember, a sourdough starter will take five days to make.