Sourdough starter can be used to bake not only a wonderful wheat and rye bread or my favorite seeded bread, where there is a relatively high amount of whole wheat flour. But you can also use it to make the best-smelling fluffy breads or pastries with just regular wheat flour.
When I dated my husband now, he always made me a toasted sandwich bread with ham and cheese in the evening. From this, I assumed he just loves sandwich bread and when we started living together, I tried to find the best sandwich bread recipe.
Little did I know how long this trip would take me! At that time, still unfamiliar with sourdough, I tried all the yeast breads I could. With a tiny pinch of yeast and a long rise, with a regular amount of yeast and the addition of sour cream, milk or whipping cream, with or without an egg, but I was never completely satisfied with the results. The breads looked great and were very tasty, but they just didn't meet my definition of the perfect sandwich bread.
My perfect sandwich bread has to meet several criteria. In addition to a great taste and a light crumb, it has to slice and toast well! And that's where all those breads failed! They toasted unevenly, crumbled and broke into pieces in the toaster and in the pan. So I was quite unhappy about it (I know, the priorities in life!), but when I found out that my assumptions were wrong and that my lovely husband prefers other types of bread, only then did I discover a sourdough starter that literally just changed my life.
Well if you have similar troubles as me, I present to you my PERFECT sourdough sandwich bread! Because not only does it taste delicious fresh, but when you toast it, you get exactly what you want from a toasted bread: a crispy edge and a supple soft crumb in the middle! Yummy!
What flour is best for making fluffy sourdough sandwich bread?
If you want really fluffy sandwich bread, the only way to do that is with plain white flour . Wheat flour is perfect, but spelt flour also makes fluffy bread. But I usually mix in at least 50g of wholemeal flour. I just love my new grain mill! So now I enrich almost all my baked goods with healthy whole grain freshly milled flours, whether wheat, einkorn,, spelt, kamut, buckwheat, etc.
Can I add whole wheat flour and seeds into sourdough sandwich bread?
If your priority isn't a nice fluffy bread, but you prefer a healthier sandwich bread, there's nothing easier than simply throwing in a handful of seeds. They're great with ground flax seeds, hemp or chia seeds, or small sunflower seeds.
With whole wheat flour it is more difficult, if you want to add more whole wheat flour than just 50g, you will have to slightly adjust the amount of water and I strongly recommend adding more honey to balance the heaviness and sometimes bitterness of the whole wheat flour. Expect a longer rise time and also the dough will tear more when it is stretched and folded.
How long does this sourdough sandwich bread stay fresh?
This sourdough sandwich bread will keep fresh for up to a week if kept in optimal conditions. I usually leave the bread on the counter for three days and if it hasn't been eaten by then, I move it to the fridge where it will last for a long time. It's great to have a piece of bread in the fridge as a backup because it's perfect to use for fresh breadcrumbs, for croutons or chopped up for meatloaf or meatballs. Simply no piece of bread goes to waste.
Does sourdough sandwich bread taste the same as an ordinary sandwich bread from the store?
This buttery sourdough sandwich bread has a slightly different taste than an ordinary pre-sliced sandwich bread from the store. When it's fresh it's beautifully fluffy, buttery and has just a slightly sweetness. When the bread is older (second or third day), it starts to get slightly more sour and also becomes PERFECT for toasting! When toasted, the sour taste almost disappears and you get a perfectly toasted slice of bread with crispy edges and a smooth center. And I have to say, it toasts just as well as the one from the store
Is it difficult to bake sourdough sandwich bread at home?
I highly recommend trying this bread if you are just starting out with sourdough, as it is actually very simple. Even if you forget about any set of stretching and folding, it always comes out great. You don't have to knead the dough for a long time, as it is with yeast dough. Just mix it all with a wooden spoon and, if you have time, make some stretches and folds. After fermenting, roll the dough out into a rectangle, roll up and bake right in the loaf pan so you don't have to worry about the final shape of the bread.
How to make sourdough sandwich bread at home?
First day: In the morning or afternoon, check the sourdough starter to see if it is active (forming bubbles) and feed it with flour and water if necessary. Alternatively, you can start a levain from 1 tsp of sourdough starter, 20 g of flour and 20 g of water.
In the evening, prepare the dough. It is best to start around 7 pm. In a large bowl, mix 380 g of sifted plain spelt flour, 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp honey, 50 g melted butter, 40 g active wheat sourdough starter and 200 g lukewarm water.
Mix everything with a wooden spoon so that there are no dry spots and let it rest for 30 minutes. After half an hour, do 2-4 sets of stretches and folds. Pull out a piece of dough and fold over the dough. Turn the bowl a little bit, pull out a piece of dough again and fold over. Do this approximately 4-7 times. Cover with a plastic bag to prevent the dough from drying out and let rest for another 30-45 minutes. Then make another set, let rest and repeat.
You can find a more detailed guide to STRETCH & FOLDS in my article Wheat-rye sourdough bread baked in a pot.
Once all the sets are complete, let the covered dough in a bowl ferment overnight for approximately 10-12 hours (that's the first rise).
The next day: In the morning, we can notice that the fermented dough has increased in volume and there are bubbles of various sizes on the surface.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and fold it into an envelope so that there is no sticky dough on the surface. Carefully roll out a rectangle and roll up. Transfer the rolled dough to the prepared greased baking loaf pan with baking paper (size approx. 8x18x8 cm). Cover with a plastic bag and let the dough rise for a second time. This can take different lengths of time, in the summer when it is warm it can take 2 hours but in the winter when it is cold it can take 6 hours.
You can tell when the dough has risen because it has approximately doubled in volume and when you press it lightly with your finger, the dough does not come back, or only a bit.
Then brush the surface of the bread with milk and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for approximately 45 minutes. After baking, let the bread cool on a wire rack and slice when cool.
The time schedule for the making a sourdough sandwich bread
- Day 1 in the morning or afternoon: check the sourdough starter to see if it is active (forming bubbles) and feed it with flour and water if necessary
- In the evening: around 19:00 mix the dough
- stretch and folds: between 20:00 and 22:00 make several sets of stretch and folds and let the covered dough ferment overnight
- 2. day in the morning: around 7:00 a.m., roll out the dough, roll it up and transfer it to the prepared loaf pan, cover it and let it rise
- around midday: between 11:00 and 12:00 the dough is usually already risen, brush the surface with milk and put it in the oven
- around 15:00 the bread is cool enough to cut and eat
How to make Sourdough sandwich bread VIDEO:
TIPS:
– instead of butter , you can also use melted coconut oil without scent, or regular sunflower or rapeseed oil, but it won't smell as good as butter
- instead of sandwich bread, you can also divide the dough into several parts (8-10), roll them into balls and bake as- dinner rolls in a greased baking dish„
- if you prefer a sweeter sandwich bread, add more honey
- it's also great with different flavorings : try crushed pumpkin seeds and a spoonful of pumpkin puree, chopped walnuts and sun-dried tomatoes in oil, chopped mixed olives with fresh basil or chopped pecans and pieces of sweet dates
Recipe
Recipe for 1 loaf
Sourdough sandwich bread
Ingredients:
- 380 g plain wheat or spelt flour
- 1 tsp (7 g) salt
- 2 tsp (15 g) honey
- 50 g melted butter
- 40 g active sourdough starter
- 200 g lukewarm water
Instructions:
- First day: In the morning or afternoon, check the sourdough starter to see if it is active (forming bubbles) and feed it with flour and water if necessary. Alternatively, you can start a levain from 1 tsp of sourdough starter, 20 g of flour and 20 g of water.
- Make the dough in the evening. In a large bowl, mix together the sifted flour, salt, honey and melted butter, the active wheat sourdough starter and lukewarm water.
- Mix everything with a wooden spoon so that there are no dry spots and let it rest for 30 minutes. After half an hour, do 2-4 sets of stretches and folds. Pull out a piece of dough and fold over the dough. Turn the bowl a little bit, pull out a piece of dough again and fold over. Do this approximately 4-7 times.
- Cover with a plastic bag to prevent the dough from drying and let rest for another 30-45 minutes. After all sets of stretch and folds , let the covered dough ferment overnight for approximately 10-12 hours (first rise).
- The next day: Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and fold it into an envelope so that there is no sticky dough on the surface. Carefully roll out a rectangle and roll up.
- Transfer the rolled dough to the prepared greased baking loaf pan with baking paper (size approx. 8x18x8 cm). Cover with a plastic bag and let the dough rise for a second time.
- Brush the risen dough with milk and bake in an oven preheated to 180°C for approximately 45 minutes. After baking, let the bread cool on a wire rack and slice when cool.
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Zdravím paní Radko! Toustový chléb se mi hned napoprvé podařil a dnes patří v naší kuchyni mezi stálice. Hlavně u návštěv má velký ohlas. Nejčastěji však peču kváskový celozrnný chléb z žitné, špaldové a ovesných vloček. V obchodě už chléb nekupuji, protože mi přestal chutnat. Vaše stránky jsou pro mě velkou inspirací. Díky za ně! Akorát mám dotaz, troubu uvádíte horkovzdušnou nebo horní/dolní ohřev?
Krásný den paní Vlasto, jsem moc ráda, že se vám chléb daří a že má takový úspěch! Děkuji za hezký komentář. 🙂 V troubě peču většinou na horkovzduch, ale pokud není uvedeno jinak, lze použít i horní-dolní ohřev. Ono je to s těma troubama takové nejasné, každá peče jinak! Tak se hlavně řiďte vašimi zkušenostmi s troubou a poprvé recepty raději pořádně hlídejte.