There’s something about the rhythm of baking bread that feels like home. Every time I pull a loaf of this soft sourdough from the oven, I’m reminded that good things — the best things — take time.
This recipe isn’t fancy or fussy. It’s made with simple all-purpose flour, a bubbly starter, and a little patience. It’s the kind of bread that makes the whole house smell like comfort. Around here, we slice it thick for sandwiches, toast it golden in the mornings, and turn the leftovers into the best French toast ever — especially when we use fresh eggs from our backyard hens.
Baking sourdough has taught me more than just how to make bread. It’s reminded me to slow down, to tend to small things faithfully, and to trust the quiet work happening beneath the surface — whether it’s in the dough, the garden, or my heart.
If you’ve ever been intimidated by sourdough, this is the recipe to start with. It’s soft, simple, and reliable — the kind of bread that brings everyone to the kitchen just to ask, “Is it ready yet?” I got my original starter from a sweet baker who taught a class – I’ve never started my own – but I’ve seen many posts about buying a starter locally on Facebook marketplace, don’t be scared to ask someone to share, I’ve found sourdough folks to be super friendly!
Sourdough Sandwich Loaf
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup active sourdough starter
- 1/2 stick melted and slightly cooled butter
- 1.5 cups warm water
- 1 tbsp honey (I use local)
- 1.5 tsp salt (I use Redmond's)
- 4 cups all purpose flour (I used AP from Azure Standard)
Instructions
- Start the recipe by feeding your starter and waiting for it to rise. You will need 1/2 cup of active starter for this recipe. I make two 9×5 loaves with this recipe, but you can make 1 big loaf if you prefer, or 1 loaf baked in a long sandwich pan!
- Melt butter and set aside to cool a little.
- Put sourdough starter, water, butter, salt and honey in a large bowl and mix well.
- Add 3.5 of the 4 cups of flour, and mix well. if still sticky, I add up to the 4 cups and finish mixing by hand to incorporate it all. The dough should be tacky but should not stick to your hands.
- Once flour is incorporated, cover bowl and let rest for 30 minutes and then fold dough in half, rotating bowl four times until the whole dough bowl has been kneaded. Do this every 30 minutes for 2 hours (four times total) and cover with a damp towel to double in size. I start this process about 5pm and cover it overnight before continuing to the next step.
- When the dough is doubled, punch down and divide in two if you are going to make 2 loaves. I line my bread pans with parchment paper and re cover with a damp towel until it doubles again, usually a couple of hours depending on how warm your house is.
- When the loaves have doubled in size, preheat oven to 375 degree and bake for 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Cool in pan for 10 minutes and then allow to cool completely before storing.
