Soft Sourdough Sandwich Bread

Before you start

Most sourdough recipes aim for a crackling crust and an open, holey crumb, which is not what you want for a sandwich. This loaf goes the other way. Milk, a little honey and soft butter tenderize the dough and give a thin, soft, golden crust. Baking it in a loaf pan gives straight sides and even slices, and a lower hydration gives a fine, close crumb that holds mayonnaise and peanut butter without leaking through.

The flavor is mild because the dough ferments at room temperature in a few hours instead of a long cold retard, and the enrichments soften the sourness. Your starter must be active: fed 4 to 12 hours ahead and at or near its peak, bubbly and roughly doubled. A sluggish starter is the most common reason pan loaves stay squat.

Ingredients

• 100 g (scant ½ cup) active sourdough starter — 100% hydration, at its peak
• 280 ml (1 cup plus 3 tbsp) whole milk — lukewarm
• 30 g (1½ tbsp) honey
• 450 g (3¾ cups) bread flour
• 9 g (1½ tsp) fine salt
• 40 g (3 tbsp) unsalted butter — very soft
• 1 tbsp melted butter or milk — for brushing

Method

1. Whisk the starter, milk and honey in a large bowl until the starter is dissolved. Add the flour and salt and mix until no dry flour remains. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
2. Add the soft butter and knead it in, either by hand for 8 to 10 minutes or with a dough hook on medium-low for 6 to 8 minutes. The dough will look greasy at first, then come together smooth and supple. It is ready when a small piece stretches thin enough to see light through before tearing.
3. Shape the dough into a ball, return it to the bowl, cover and let it ferment at about 24°C (75°F) for 4 to 6 hours, until it has grown by 50 to 75 percent, feels airy and shows a few bubbles on the sides.
4. Grease the loaf pan. Turn the dough out, press it into a rectangle about as wide as the pan is long, and roll it up tightly from the short side, pressing each turn to seal. Pinch the seam closed and set the loaf seam side down in the pan.
5. Cover and proof for 3 to 5 hours at room temperature, until the dough has domed about 2 cm (¾ in) above the rim and a fingertip pressed in leaves a dent that springs back slowly. For an overnight option, refrigerate the shaped loaf for 8 to 12 hours, then let it finish rising at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours.
6. Heat the oven to 190°C (375°F) with a rack in the lower third. Brush the top with melted butter or milk.
7. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until deep golden and the center reads 88 to 93°C (190 to 200°F). If the top browns too fast, tent with foil after 25 minutes.
8. Turn the loaf out onto a rack right away and brush with more butter for a soft crust. Cool for at least 2 hours before slicing; the crumb finishes setting as it cools.

Tips for success

• Proof in a warm spot, such as the oven with only the light on. Enriched dough rises slowly with wild yeast, and warmth speeds it noticeably.
• For an even sandwich crumb, roll the dough up tightly and pinch out large air pockets as you shape.
• Slice with a serrated knife once fully cooled. Warm sourdough tears and compresses.

Substitutions

Bread flour

All-purpose flour gives a slightly softer, lower loaf. Reduce the milk by about 20 ml because it absorbs less.

Whole milk

Water plus 2 tbsp dry milk powder gives a similar soft crumb. Plain water works too, with a firmer crust and a chewier slice.

Honey

Granulated sugar or maple syrup at the same weight. Sugar gives a slightly paler crust.

Variations

Honey whole wheat sandwich loaf

Replace 150 g of the bread flour with whole wheat flour and add 20 ml extra milk.

Pullman-style loaf

Bake in a 23 cm (9 in) pullman pan with the lid on for 35 minutes, then remove the lid and bake 10 minutes more for a square slice.

Troubleshooting

Dense, short loaf

The starter was not active, or bulk and proof were cut short. Use starter at its peak and judge rises by volume and feel, not the clock.

Top split along one side

The loaf was underproofed, so it burst in the oven. Let it rise until it domes well above the rim and the dent springs back slowly.

Large holes under the crust

Air was trapped during shaping, or the dough overproofed. Roll it up tightly and bake as soon as the poke test shows a slow spring.

Very sour flavor

The dough fermented too long or too warm, or the starter was past its peak. Use starter right at its peak and shorten the bulk slightly.

Storage

Keep the cooled loaf wrapped in a bag at room temperature for up to 4 days. Slice before freezing and freeze for up to 3 months; toast slices straight from frozen.

Safety notes

Do not taste the raw dough; uncooked flour can carry harmful bacteria. Contains wheat and milk.