Sourdough Sandwich Bread

     There are so many different ways to implement sourdough into your baked goods! When you think about sourdough, the first thing that probably comes to your mind is probably one of those fancy artisan loaves that has beautiful scoring on top and often has tasty inclusions. That is what most people call a boule. It is called that because it is round and isn't usually made in a loaf pan. They are also characterized by a fluffy inside and crunchy crust. This was the first thing I learned to make with my starter and definitely one of my favorites (find my sourdough boule recipe here). However, it can be pretty daunting and not always successful. The more I make sourdough the more I find myself leaning towards a sandwich loaf rather than a traditional loaf for a few reasons.

    The main reason I like to make a sandwich loaf over an artisan boule is a sandwich loaf is much easier. Because it is baked in a loaf pan it isn't as necessary for it to hold its shape as it is for a boule so if you dough over proofs for a bit its no big deal. It is also a wetter dough so if you cut your proof or ferment a little short you will still get an amazing loaf. Another reason I prefer a sandwich loaf is the shape. A boule is cool and all but it is a harder shape to cut and make sandwiches out of. On top of it all, sandwich loaves can also do all of the things normal loaves can. You can still add inclusions, do cool scoring on top, and get all the benefits of a good gut healthy sourdough. 

    After reading this are you convinced to try making sourdough sandwich bread yet? If you are (and even if you aren't) keep reading! This recipe is one of the easiest sourdough recipes I have made to date (except for discard recipes) and I am confident that you can make it too!

    The first step in making your sandwich bread is feeding your starter equal weights of unbleached flour and water. You should only use whole wheat or unbleached bread flour (additions like barley or rye are also options but can complicate things some) to feed your starter because they have higher protein content and if you use something like all purpose flour, your starter might not get enough food to have a good peak. 

    After 6-12 hours (depending on how hot or cold your house is) your starter will reach peak and it is ready to use. When my starter has peaked I measure it out and mix it with water and honey. Once my starter is mostly dissolved, I add in salt and flour and mix it until it is mostly combined. From there, I cut my soft butter into chunks and add it into my dough. I knead my dough in the bowl until the butter is dispersed and it has gained a little bit of structure. At this point the dough should be a little on the shaggy side and have chunks of butter dispersed throughout.

    When I am done kneading my dough I cover it with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm spot for 20-30 minutes. When the time is up I do 3-4 rounds of stretch and folds to help develop the gluten. For the first round of stretch and folds, I use a scraper to detach the dough from the bowl as well as I can on all sides. Then, I take one side of the dough and stretch it up as far as I can without breaking it. Once it is stretched I fold it in half over itself and rotate the bowl 90 degrees before I perform the same action again. I go all around the bowl a few times until I start to feel some resistance coming from the dough. Since this is a wetter dough, it doesn't give as much resistance as a cinnamon roll or artisan boule dough would. I do about 18-20 stretch and folds my first round before I cover my dough and wait 20 minutes to start my next round. 

    My second and third rounds of stretch and folds decrease each time with only 16-18 in the second round and 8-12 in the third. There should be 20 minutes between each round but if you are a few minutes early or late it is no big deal. If you are really feeling like your dough is gaining zero structure, you can do more stretch and folds in each round, do an extra round of stretch and folds, or even do something called slapping and folding. This is where, instead of slowly stretching your dough up and folding it, you take your dough out of the bowl, grab one side to pick up the dough, and slap it down on the table before folding it over on itself. I rarely do this because it can make a mess and simple stretch and folds do the trick just fine!

    Something you should pay attention to during your stretch and folds is your butter. I like to add my butter into my dough once it has already been mixed because I feel it makes a softer dough so that just means you have to make sure it is getting incorporated during the stretch and folds. Usually while I am doing my stretch and folds, my hands melt the butter super well, and it slowly incorporates into the dough. However, every once in a while, there is a larger chunk that I have to use my fingers to break up and smush a bit. Once I do that though, the chunk has no problem incorporating itself. By the third stretch and fold you shouldn't be seeing anymore noticeable chunks of butter. 

    When I am done with my stretch and folds, I cover my dough with a damp towel or plastic wrap, and I let it sit in a warm spot for 8-12 hours or until it has doubled in size. The time really depends on how warm your house is. I like to just finish my stretch and folds right before I go to bed so my dough is ready when I get up in the morning. That is called a bulk ferment. You can add your inclusions during your stretch and folds or later while you're shaping. Although I find that inclusions added during stretch and folds are a little better distributed. 

    Once my dough has doubled, I take it out of my bowl and dump it onto a lightly floured surface where I try to get some tension into the dough. This can be hard because this is a wetter dough so all I do is take the edges, pinch them together, and then place it pinched side down into my loaf pan. Once it is in my loaf pan, I cover it again and let it sit for another 2-5 hours until it has puffed a bit. You can wait until it doubles or you can wait until its just puffy. If it hasn't doubled though, your final loaf can be a little on the dense side. 

    Once my dough has proofed, I spray the top with a little bit of water and cover it with a second loaf pan. I bake my bread at 550 degrees Fahrenheit for about 5 minutes before I pull it out and score the top. This allows the top to puff up and also allow some steam to release and cook the middle. After scoring the top, I spray it with a little more water, replace the top loaf pan, and quickly put it back in the oven for another 15 minutes with the top loaf pan covering, then 10-15 without the loaf pan covering.

    When my loaf is done baking I pull it out of the oven and let it cool for about an hour before removing it from the loaf pan and cutting it. This allows the inside to finish baking and prevents you from burning your fingers and/or mouth. 

    After the hour is up you can cut your loaf and enjoy! My family likes to eat eggs and toast in the morning or eat it with homemade butter and marmalade, or crabapple jam.  This sourdough sandwich bread is hard to mess up and is the perfect staple to replace storebought. 

    What did you think of this recipe? Questions? Comments? Concerns?