Overnight Sourdough Sandwich Bread: Simple and No Scale

Sharing is caring!

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

If you’ve been baking sourdough for a while, you might already love the rustic artisan loaves with crusty exteriors and open crumb. But sometimes, you just need a soft, fluffy sourdough sandwich bread loaf that slices like a dream—perfect for sandwiches, toast, or your kid’s lunchbox. That’s where sourdough sandwich bread shines.

This recipe delivers all the tangy flavor and health benefits of traditional sourdough, but with a tender crumb and pillowy texture that rivals store-bought bread. Whether you’re trying to ditch commercial loaves or simply looking for a more versatile bake, this sourdough sandwich bread will quickly become a staple in your kitchen.

In this post, I’ll walk you through my go-to recipe and share some tips to help you have success baking your loaf!

Ingredients:

• Water
• Active Starter (make your own starter here)
• Salt (favorite mineral salt)
• Honey
• Olive (or avocado oil)
• All purpose Flour (favorite heritage grain flour)

Instructions for sourdough sandwich bread:

• Whisk water, starter, salt, honey, oil together.
• Mix in the Flour until well incorporated. Mixture should be very sticky and wet.
• Cover with a damp towel and let sit 30 minutes to an hour.
• D0 four sets of stretch and folds 30 min apart, covering with the damp towel between sets.
• After stretch and folds are done, cover with plastic wrap or a lid and place in the fridge overnight for a bulk ferment (8-12 hours, up to two days). The longer you ferment, the more sour flavor your bread will have and the easier it is for your body to digest.
• When ready to bake, remove the dough from the fridge and shape on a lightly floured surface, building tension as you tuck the sides under. You can shape it cold or let it warm up on the counter first. Either way will work.
• Shape dough, tucking edges under until it is tight on the top (like an artisan sourdough loaf). Try getting the loaf in more of an oval shape to the best you can.
• Place loaf in an oiled bread loaf pan. If you have a small loaf pan, you can divide the dough into two small loaves to prevent the loaf from breaking on one side when it rises.
• Lightly cover with a dry towel and let it rise at room temp for about 2 hours for the final proof. If it is winter/cold you may need to let it rise longer, until you can poke it and the indent has a little bit of a delay in bouncing back.
• Bake at 375 degrees F for 40-43 minutes.
• Rub butter on top right out of the oven (be generous with the butter). Top will be hard and hollow sounding with little color to it. It will soften and the buttered top will darken as it cools.
• Let cool completely before cutting.
• Lay sideways to cut easily

The following video shows our weekly baking:

Emily Fuentes

Overnight Sourdough Sandwich Bread

This is an active starter recipe, so you will need to scoop your starter at it's peak rise.

Print Recipe

Prep Time 1 day d

Cook Time 43 minutes mins

Servings: 1 loaf

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

• 1 1/2 cup Water
• 1/2 cup Active Starter
• 1 Tsp Salt
• 1 Tbsp Honey
• 2 tsp olive or avocado oil
• 3 1/2 cups all purpose Flour

Equipment

• 1 medium bowl
• 1 loaf pan any size loaf pan will do, a smaller pan will have more of a goofy top, a larger or taller pan will have more of a rectangular shape
• measuring cups

Method

 

1. Whisk water, starter, salt, honey, and oil together.
2. Mix in the Flour until well incorporated. Mixture should be very sticky and wet.
3. Cover with a damp towel and let sit 30 minutes to an hour.
4. Do four sets of stretch and folds 30 min apart, covering with the damp towel between sets.
5. After stretch and folds are done, cover with plastic wrap or a lid and place in the fridge overnight for a bulk ferment (8-12 hours, up to two days). The longer you ferment, the more sour flavor your bread will have and the easier it is for your body to digest.
6. When ready to bake, remove the dough from the fridge and shape on a lightly floured surface, building tension as you tuck the sides under. You can shape it cold or let it warm up on the counter first. Either way will work.
7. Shape dough, tucking edges under until it is tight on the top (like an artisan sourdough loaf). Try getting the loaf in more of an oval shape to the best you can.
8. Place loaf in an oiled bread loaf pan. If you have a small loaf pan, you can divide the dough into two small loaves to prevent the loaf from breaking on one side when it rises.
9. Lightly cover with a dry towel and let it rise at room temp for about 2 hours for the final proof. If it is winter/cold you may need to let it rise longer, until you can poke it and the indent has a little bit of a delay in bouncing back.
10. Bake at 375 degrees F for 40-43 minutes.
11. Rub butter on top right out of the oven (be generous with the butter). Top will be hard and hollow sounding with little color to it. It will soften and the buttered top will darken as it cools.
12. Let cool completely before cutting.
13. Lay sideways to cut easily

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!

Sourdough Sandwich Bread Baking Tips

1. If you are wanting a lower gluten bread that is easier to digest (for those who are gluten sensitive), ferment for 18 hours or more in the fridge.
2. Scooping your starter at the peak rise, will ensure a nice rise on your bread. If you are having trouble with rise or density, it is likely due to your starter.
3. Getting a good proofing before baking will help it to have a nice crumb and texture.
4. Be sure to butter generously right out of the oven to ensure a soft and delicious crust.
5. When you first take it out of the oven it will be hard on top and hollow sounding. The top will soften with butter and cooling.

Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family does!

Xo, Emily