Baking Chart.

Guide

Sourdough Sandwich Loaf Recipe

By Baking Chart editors · Updated 2026-07-18 · ~3 min read

A soft, square-shouldered pan loaf enriched with milk, butter and a little honey - sourdough tang with a tender crumb that slices thin for toast and sandwiches. It is far more forgiving than an open-crumb boule because the pan does the shaping for you. A good first sourdough if free-form loaves have been going flat.

Sourdough Sandwich Loaf

Prep35 min
Cook40 min
Total time1 tim 15 min
Servings1 loaf (about 14 slices)
DifficultyMedium

Ingredients

  • 100 g active sourdough starter (fed 4-8 hours earlier)
  • 300 g whole milk (about 1 1/4 cups), lukewarm
  • 30 g honey (about 1 1/2 tbsp)
  • 500 g bread flour (about 4 cups)
  • 10 g fine salt (about 1 3/4 tsp)
  • 50 g unsalted butter, softened, plus more for the pan

Instructions

  1. Feed the starter 4-8 hours ahead so it is doubled and bubbly when you mix.
  2. Mix the starter, lukewarm milk, honey, flour and salt to a shaggy dough, then rest 20 minutes.
  3. Knead 8-10 minutes by hand or 6 minutes in a stand mixer, adding the softened butter a piece at a time, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
  4. Cover and bulk ferment 4-6 hours at room temperature, until risen by about half.
  5. Shape into a tight log and place in a buttered 9x5-inch (23x13 cm) loaf pan.
  6. Proof 2-3 hours, until the dough crowns about 1 inch (2.5 cm) above the rim. Alternatively refrigerate overnight and bake straight from the fridge.
  7. Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and bake 35-40 minutes. If the top is dark by 25 minutes, tent it loosely with foil.
  8. Check for 200°F (93°C) in the centre, then turn out onto a rack and cool completely before slicing.

This loaf is done at 200°F (93°C), lower than a lean crusty loaf - the milk and butter mean it does not need to be driven to 210°F (99°C), and pushing it there dries it out.

Tips

  • Add the butter after the dough has come together, not at the start - fat added early coats the flour and slows gluten development.
  • Enriched dough ferments more slowly than a lean dough, so expect the bulk to run at the longer end of the range.
  • The finger-dent test works well here: press the side gently, and if the dent springs back slowly and partly, it is ready to bake.
  • An overnight fridge proof gives you a better-flavoured loaf and lets you bake first thing in the morning.

FAQ

What usually goes wrong?

Slicing while warm. Enriched crumb is fragile until fully cool and the knife will compress it into a dense streak down the middle of every slice.

How do I store it?

Cool completely, then keep in a bread bag at room temperature 4 days. Slice before freezing and it toasts straight from frozen for up to 3 months.

What core temperature should it reach?

Cook to a core temperature of 93 °C, measured at the thickest point.

Why do my times differ?

Ovens differ. Use the times as a guide and judge by how it looks and feels.

Related guides

Classic Sourdough Boule RecipeGuideClassic Sourdough Boule RecipeA round, crusty naturally leavened loaf with an open crumb, baked in a Dutch oven. It uses only flour, water, salt and an active starter, and the timeline Read more →GuideSourdough Discard Focaccia RecipeA thick, dimpled, olive-oil-rich focaccia that puts unfed sourdough discard to work instead of throwing it away. The discard brings flavour and a little acRead more →GuideWhat can you bake with what you have?Tick what's in your pantry and we'll match recipes you can bake right now – and show which ones you're an ingredient away from.Read more →Yeast Conversion Chart (Active Dry, Instant, Fresh)GuideYeast Conversion Chart (Active Dry, Instant, Fresh)Convert active dry, instant, and fresh yeast with exact ratios and gram weights. 1 packet = 2 1/4 tsp = 7g. When to bloom, substitutions, and FAQ.Read more →