The perfect sandwich bread can be hard to find, let alone make. However, this sourdough discard sandwich bread will make you never want to get store bought bread again, seriously! One of the things that I love about this bread is that it can be thrown together in a day and easily stored for short term or long term use.
Perhaps you are a beginner with sourdough and are a little intimidated by it? Well whether you’re just starting out your sourdough baking journey or a seasoned veteran, I am sure you’ll appreciate this recipe!
What is sourdough discard sandwich bread?
Sourdough discard sandwich bread is a type of bread that uses the discard from a sourdough starter. This recipe uses active dry yeast which allows for faster rise times and an overall quicker recipe to make.
What does sourdough discard sandwich bread taste like?
Since this recipe calls for honey, it’s a bit sweet but also slightly tangy because of the sourdough discard. Also, it is light and fluffy making it perfect for any type of sandwich!
Is sourdough discard sandwich bread good for you?
Sourdough is known for being easier to digest and having prebiotic properties. In fact, sourdough can be linked to helping achieve lower blood pressure and preventing certain diseases. Check out WebMD for more information!
Also, please note, I am not a doctor or healthcare provider. Please, talk to a healthcare professional if you have further questions or any concerns eating sourdough.
Why I know you’ll appreciate this recipe
It’s quick and simple: This recipe can be made in an afternoon, and it has simple ingredients that you probably already have such as butter, honey, salt, and flour.
Versatile: Also, this bread can be used for everyday sandwiches, making French Toast, having with soup, and more!
Clean ingredients: This recipe calls for clean ingredients and is better then any store bought sandwich bread.
Uses up discard: I don’t know about you, but I often find myself trying to think about what I could do with sourdough discard to use it up. Well the recipe is the perfect fix for that. You can even freeze the bread for longer storage.
What type of loaf tin should you use?
You could use any type of standard loaf tin that’s about 9×5.” I have a pullman tin, but I bake the bread without the lid.
I have used a Dutch oven and even a glass rectangular casserole dish. You won’t get the perfect rectangular shape, but you will still get delicious, sourdough sandwich bread!
How do I get perfect sandwich bread slices?
It can be tricky achieving perfectly even slices of your sourdough discard sandwich bread, however, there are slotted bread cutters that can help guide the knife.
Otherwise, if you don’t mind slicing the bread yourself, slices that are a little uneven are fine. 🙂
Equipment Needed
Mixing Bowl(s)
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Kitchen Scale– optional but I recommend
Rubber Spatula- optional
Rolling Pin- optional
Bread Loaf Tin
Bread Knife
Slotted Bread Cutter– optional
Drying Rack- optional
Ingredients for sourdough discard sandwich bread
450 grams all purpose flour- (3 3/4 cups)
8 grams of salt- (1 1/2 teaspoons)
100 grams of sourdough discard- (1/2 cup)
40 grams of honey- (2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons)
30 grams of melted butter- (2 tablespoons)
170 grams of water- (3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon) + 60 grams (about 1/4 cup) to activate yeast
7 grams of active instant yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons) + dash of sugar to help activate yeast
How to make sourdough discard sandwich bread
First, start by adding active dry yeast to a small bowl. Add a pinch of sugar and 1/4 cup of warm water, make sure that the water isn’t too hot. If you can dip your figure in and it’s comfortably warm, then the water is a good temperature! Then, stir the active dry yeast mixture and set aside for about 15 minutes.
While yeast is activating, measure out the flour and salt into the stand mixer bowl and set aside.
Next, add honey, the rest of the water, and melted butter to a medium mixing bowl. Stir everything together then add the sourdough discard and stir that in as well. Finally, the yeast should look frothy and bubbly at this point. Add the yeast mixture to the sourdough discard mixture and stir it all together, but be careful not to overmix.
Then, attach the stand mixer bowl to the stand mixer and attach the dough hook as well. Pour about 1/3 of the sourdough mixture into the stand mixer bowl and set the mixer to a low speed for a minute or so. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and repeat the process two more times.
At this point, you should notice a ball of dough forming and pulling away from the sides of the bowl when the stand mixer is running. So, spread a little flour out on a clean, flat work surface and turn ball of dough out onto the work surface.
Knead the dough for about 8 minutes. You’ll know you’ve kneaded enough when the dough is smooth, you poke the dough and the indent slowly rises back into place, and the dough passes the window pane test.
First Rise
Add a little bit of grease or oil to either the stand mixer bowl or a medium mixing bowl and place the dough ball into it to rise. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and let rise for 1-1.5 hours or until dough has doubled in size.
Dough Shaping
Next, punch the dough down to release any of the excess gas.
Lightly flour a flat work surface and turn dough out onto it. Use a rolling pin or a non-textured bottle or glass to roll the dough into a rectangle. The dimensions of the dough should be about 8×4” or an inch or so less then the dimension measurements of your loaf pan or Dutch oven.
Then, fold one of the long sides of the dough into the middle of the rectangle. Repeat on the other side so that both sides touch in the middle of the dough. Pinch the both sides together to create a seem.
Next, tightly roll the dough into a log shape from one of the shorter sides.
Place the loaf seem side down into a greased loaf pan. Let sit for about an hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
Baking
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (or 190 degrees Celsius.)
Bake the sourdough discard sandwich bread until its golden-brown on top and sounds hollow when you tap on the bottom of it. I usually have my loaf in the oven for about 33 minutes.
After the bread has been taken out of the oven, you can brush the loaf with some melted butter- this is optional.
Let the bread cool for about an hour before cutting and serving it.
Tips for making sourdough discard sandwich bread
Instead of kneading the bread by hand for about 8 minutes, you can use the dough hook attachment on your stand mixer to knead the bread.
Use a meat thermometer to check to see if the dough is done/ fully cooked through (about 195 degrees Fahrenheit, about 90 degrees Celsius).
Sourdough Discard Sandwich Bread
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Mixing Bowls
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Kitchen Scale- optional but I recommend
- Rubber Spatula (optional)
- Rolling Pin- optional
- Bread Loaf Tin
- Bread Knife
- Slotted Bread Cutter- optional
- Drying Rack- optional
Ingredients
- 450 grams all purpose flour- 3 3/4 cups
- 8 grams of salt- 1 1/2 teaspoons
- 100 grams of sourdough discard- 1/2 cup
- 40 grams of honey- 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons
- 30 grams of melted butter- 2 tablespoons
- 170 grams of water- 3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon + 60 grams (about 1/4 cup) to activate yeast
- 7 grams of active instant yeast 2 1/4 teaspoons + dash of sugar to help activate yeast
Instructions
- First, start by adding active dry yeast to a small bowl. Add a pinch of sugar and 1/4 cup of warm water, make sure that the water isn’t too hot. If you can dip your figure in and it’s comfortably warm, then the water is a good temperature! Then, stir the active dry yeast mixture and set aside for about 15 minutes.
- While yeast is activating, measure out the flour and salt into the stand mixer bowl and set aside.
- Next, add honey, the rest of the water, and melted butter to a medium mixing bowl. Stir everything together then add the sourdough discard and stir that in as well. Finally, the yeast should look frothy and bubbly at this point. Add the yeast mixture to the sourdough discard mixture and stir it all together, but be careful not to overmix.
- Then, attach the stand mixer bowl to the stand mixer and attach the dough hook as well. Pour about 1/3 of the sourdough mixture into the stand mixer bowl and set the mixer to a low speed for a minute or so. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and repeat the process two more times.
- At this point, you should notice a ball of dough forming and pulling away from the sides of the bowl when the stand mixer is running. So, spread a little flour out on a clean, flat work surface and turn ball of dough out onto the work surface.
- Knead the dough for about 8 minutes. You’ll know you’ve kneaded enough when the dough is smooth, you poke the dough and the indent slowly rises back into place, and the dough passes the window pane test.
- First Rise
- Add a little bit of grease or oil to either the stand mixer bowl or a medium mixing bowl and place the dough ball into it to rise. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and let rise for 1-1.5 hours or until dough has doubled in size.
- Dough Shaping
- Next, punch the dough down to release any of the excess gas.
- Lightly flour a flat work surface and turn dough out onto it. Use a rolling pin or a non-textured bottle or glass to roll the dough into a rectangle. The dimensions of the dough should be about 8×4” or an inch or so less then the dimension measurements of your loaf pan or Dutch oven.
- Then, fold one of the long sides of the dough into the middle of the rectangle. Repeat on the other side so that both sides touch in the middle of the dough. Pinch the both sides together to create a seem.
- Next, tightly roll the dough into a log shape from one of the shorter sides.
- Place the loaf seem side down into a greased loaf pan. Let sit for about an hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
- Baking
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (or 190 degrees Celsius.)
- Bake the sourdough discard sandwich bread until its golden-brown on top and sounds hollow when you tap on the bottom of it. I usually have my loaf in the oven for about 33 minutes.After the bread has been taken out of the oven, you can brush the loaf with some melted butter- this is optional.
- Let the bread cool for about an hour before cutting and serving it.
Notes
How to store sourdough discard sandwich bread
Short term storage: Slice up the bread and store in an air tight container or Ziplock bag for 2 to 4 days.
Long term storage: Wrap the loaf of bread in foil or in plastic wrap and keep in the freezer for up to 6 months. To thaw, leave out at room temperature until completely thawed out.
This sounds so easy to make and looks super delicious. I’m sure it would be great for so many uses. I’ll save the recipe!
Thank you for the detailed instructions! I’m new to sourdough and need all the help I can get!!
I really want to try making bread this year and this is a great first recipe to try.
I love sourdough bread in baguette 🥖 style. I have never tried the loaf/sliced ones. Might try your recipe with my son.