This sourdough sandwich loaf is a twist on a traditional sourdough loaf with less flour, a softer crust and smaller bubbles. I make this in a loaf pan so it makes for perfect little sandwich slices.
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This softer loaf uses about half the amount of flour as my regular loaf so this one is super moist! The little bubbles rather than giant holes hold up as sandwich bread much easier. It also makes for a really great side with soups. I love this with the Half Baked Harvest Cream of Mushroom Soup! *drool*
I bake some kind of sourdough loaf every weekend so my routine is to take Sergio (my sourdough starter) out of the fridge Friday morning so he gets all warmed up and bubbly. Then I feed him Friday evening and leave him covered with a tea towel overnight. By Saturday morning he is all active and ready to use. Depending on my recipe, I either make the dough early Saturday morning, let it rise all day and then bake at night, or I make the dough Saturday afternoon, proof in the evening and do my second proof overnight in the fridge, pull out the dough Sunday morning for several hours and then bake Sunday afternoon.
Don't have a sourdough starter yet? Learn How to Make Sourdough Starter from Scratch.
SOURDOUGH SANDWICH LOAF
Yields: 1 loaf
Bake Time: 45-50 min.
Instructions:
Remove starter from fridge the morning before making dough. Feed your starter that evening and leave on the counter overnight covered by a tea towel.
The next morning, make the dough by mixing the starter and water in a glass bowl. Once whisked together, add salt and flour.
Mix until all the flour is off the walls of the bowl and all ingredients are incorporated into the dough.
Cover bowl with damp tea towel and place in a warm place to rise. (On warm sunny days, I place mine on the back porch in the sun. If it's chilly outside, I place in a sun-soaked window sill)
After one hour, perform the first round of lift and tucks. Lift one edge of the dough and pull it across the top, tucking on the opposite side. Turn bowl 90° and repeat until all 4 sides have been lifted and tucked. Re-cover with damp tea towel and place back in warm place for another hour. This process helps add volume to the dough.
Repeat two more rounds of lift and tucks each after another hour of proofing in a warm spot covered by the tea towel.
After the third round of lift and tucks, place the dough, covered in the tea towel, in fridge to proof overnight.
The next morning, pull the dough out and place again in a warm spot for at least 3 hours.
Preheat oven to 450°F and place large pyrex container of water in the oven. This will help to steam the loaf in the oven.
Spray or grease your loaf pan with oil and coat with corn meal. This will keep the bread from sticking to the pan. You could also use parchment paper, but I always use cornmeal :)
Pour the dough into the greased and cornmeal sprinkled loaf pan.
Slice about an inch deep line in the center of the dough to score.
Once oven is preheated, bake loaf for 45-50 minutes. Leave the pyrex of water in the oven with the loaf for the duration of baking.
After 45-50 minutes, remove the loaf from the oven, pull the bread out of the loaf pan and let cool on a grate.
Wait at least 1 hour before slicing into your loaf.
What are your favorite sourdough recipes? Tell me in the comments.