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This quick and easy sourdough discard sandwich bread is a great sourdough recipe to have in your repertoire for when you need to use up some discard or you need a loaf of sourdough bread in a hurry. This bread takes around 2 to 3 hours from start to finish, depending on how warm your house is. It utilises 100g of sourdough discard and is perfect with homemade butter! You’ll get a super soft, light and airy crumb with a soft crust that’s easy to eat. It’s egg free and can be made without butter if you prefer.
Why you’ll love this family favorite recipe!
Tested thousands of times – this is one of the first recipes I posted on my site back in 2019 and it has been made by thousands of people in my sourdough community. It has been shared over 130,000 times and has hundreds of 5 star reviews! It’s a well tested recipe that guarantees great results.
It’s so easy! – Pop the ingredients in your stand mixer and let the dough hook attachment do the work for you! If you have a warm place to make the dough rise more quickly, you’ll have this loaf done in around 3 hours or less. There’s not need for fridge time!
Easy to slice, freezes perfectly – Perfect for making a double batch, eat one, freeze one.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Sourdough Discard – I developed this recipe using unfed sourdough starter, however, as with all sourdough discard recipes, you can use active starter if you prefer.
- Water – if you want a super fast rise, warm water is best here. It always gives the yeast a boost and gets this loaf on the table much faster!
- Bread Flour (or All Purpose Flour)
- Salt
- Sugar – this adds to the soft texture of the crumb of this loaf. You can substitute the same weight of honey if you prefer.
- Butter – salted butter softened at room temperature. If you don’t want to use butter, you can use swap this out for vegan butter or olive oil.
- Instant Yeast – using a little commercial yeast gives your bread rise since we are using sourdough discard, rather than active sourdough starter. I use instant yeast because unlike active dry yeast, it doesn’t need to be bloomed in water first and can be added straight to the dough.
How To Make Sourdough Discard Sandwich Bread
This loaf comes together really easily, particulary if you use a stand mixer to knead the dough. Combine the sourdough discard, water and flour into the bowl of your stand mixer and mix until it forms a shaggy dough (around 30 seconds will do it). Leave the dough to rest for 30 minutes. No matter what machine I’m using, I usually just use a spatula to get the dough to this stage, and then add the dough hook attachment for the next stage.
Next you’ll need to add the salt, sugar, butter and yeast to the bowl and knead the dough for around 3 to 6 minutes. The time it takes to knead the dough will depend on what you’re using (you can see my recommendations on stand mixers further down the post).
You want the dough to be elastic, silky and slapping the sides of the bowl. Just keep the mixer going at a low speed until you achieve this. If you’re using a Kitchenaid, I recommend giving your machine a break from kneading every few minutes.
Now you need to let your dough rise. You are using instant yeast as the leavening agent in this recipe, rather than sourdough/wild yeast, so it will rise very quickly, particularly if your home is warm. Leave it for around an hour (it will take longer if your house is cooler). You want it to double.
Shaping The Dough
Shaping sandwich bread is so so easy. Of course, like anything, there are a million ways to complicate it, however I like to stick to this simple method – it’s so easy my kids can do it!
Remember that this dough will feel different to traditional sourdough sandwich bread because it has been leavened with instant yeast. You won’t need extra flour for shaping, the dough won’t need it.
You need to pop your fermented dough out onto the kitchen counter so that the smooth side is underneath and the sticky side is on the top. Gently ease the dough out into a rough rectangle, with the short edge closest to you.
Then roll the dough up into a log and tuck the ends under. Try and create as much tension as you can on the top of the loaf. This will help it to develop a lovely shape when it’s baked.
Kate’s Pro Tip
Easier Shaping Technique
If you want an even easier shaping technique, divide the dough into 3 or 4 equally weighted pieces and roll them into balls. Place the balls into your chosen loaf pan, making sure they’re touching.
Once the dough is shaped, gently place it into a well greased bread pan with the seam underneath. Leave the dough to rise until it’s just above the rim of the tin (I usually cover the dough with plastic wrap lightly coated in olive oil or an elastic dough cover for this step). This second rise will take around an hour, depending on the temperature of your home. You really want to make sure the dough has time to proof, even though you want this to be ready in just a few hours. If it’s not soft and puffy, you’ll end up with a dense loaf.
Let’s Bake It
Once the dough has risen, you’ll need to bake your loaf.
Preheat your oven to 180ºC/350ºF and allow it to warm for around 10 to 15 minutes. Spray the top of your dough with some water mist and place into the oven. Bake for around 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top of the loaf is golden brown and the loaf feels hollow when you tap the base.
Remove from the loaf pan once done and place on a cooling rack to cool before slicing. You can brush the baked loaf with melted butter if you want to. This keeps the crust really soft, however this is totally optional.
If you’d like a more artisan style sourdough discard bread, you could try this crusty sourdough discard loaf made in a Dutch Oven, or these sourdough discard hamburger rolls might be more your style. I’ve also created a sourdough discard sandwich bread recipe in a bread machine and a whole wheat sourdough discard sandwich bread recipe.
Equipment for Making Sourdough Discard Sandwich Bread
Stand Mixer – I highly recommend mixing this dough in a stand mixer as its much easier and faster knead mechanically than by hand. I have tested this loaf in a Kitchenaid, Thermomix TM31, TM5 and TM6, Ankarsrum Assistent and the Ooni Halo Pro Spiral Mixer. The Kitchenaid and Thermomixes can handle one batch of dough at a time without becoming overwhelmed. The Ankarsrum Assistent can comfortably handle 3 to 4 batches, however I don’t love the way it kneads this dough (I use the dough roller). I make a triple batch of this dough in the Ooni Halo Pro Spiral Mixer very often (at least once a week). I LOVE the way the dough comes out of this machine and it kneads it very quickly and effectively. The crumb turns out super soft and supple when I knead it with the Ooni Halo Pro Spiral Mixer. I get a much nicer crumb than when I knead it with the Kitchenaid or even by hand.
Sandwich Loaf Pans – I have made this recipe literally hundreds of times and tested more loaf pans than I’d like to admit! After years of testing, I almost always make this loaf in a USA Pan 1.5 pound loaf pan. The pan measures 5 x 10 x 3-inches and makes a lovely family sized loaf. If you prefer a more uniform loaf, placing a second 1.5 pound pan on top while its baking will give you this.
I also like to use the USA Pan Pullman Pan measuring 9 x 4 x 4-inches (it comes with a lid, however I never use it). This gives a very high, lofty loaf. If you prefer a loaf that is a little less lofty, split the dough in two at shaping and put half in each pan (you could even use the lid if you want to when splitting the dough in two). Let the dough rise until it’s level with the rim of the pan and then bake.
Ziplock Bags – this sourdough discard sandwich loaf is best stored in a ziplock bag after it’s cooled to room temperature. This will keep the crumb and crust soft and supple.
Mercer Bread Knife – I always use this Mercer Bread Knife to slice my sourdough discard sandwich bread evenly. You can also use a bread slicing guide if you want to, however I find as long as the loaf is cool, it’s pretty easy to create even slices.
Flavor Variations and Inclusions
There are lots of ways to jazz up this easy sourdough discard sandwich bread. Here are a few suggestions:
- Honey & Oat Sandwich Loaf – Add 20g of honey and 50g of oats to the mixture when you add the butter, sugar and salt. If you’d like to add oats to the top you should do so when you put the dough into the tin – spray the loaf lightly with water so the oats stick to the top.
- Multigrain Sandwich Loaf – Add 50 to 100g of your favorite seeds to the mixture when you add the butter, sugar and salt. Seeds like sesame, sunflower, pumpkin and flax work really well.
- Wholemeal Sandwich Loaf – Replace half the Bread Flour with whole wheat flour for a more hearty country style sandwich loaf. You could top with sesame seeds when you place it into the tin.
- You could also turn this loaf into sourdough discard rolls.
How to Store + Freeze
Room Temperature – this loaf stays soft at room temperature for around 24 to 48 hours if stored in a plastic ziplock bag. This keeps the moisture in the crumb and ensures it stays soft and supple. For the best storage results, don’t slice the loaf until you need to. This helps further retain the moisture in the crumb.
Freezing – This loaf freezes so well! I almost always make a triple batch, one to eat today and 2 for the freezer. For best results freeze the whole loaf, uncut. Place uncut, cooled sourdough discard sandwich loaves into large ziplock bags and place into the freezer for up to 3 months.
Sourdough Discard Sandwich Loaf Recipe
Equipment
- Stand Mixer (easiest kneading option)
- Digital Scales
- Loaf Pan (I use USA Pan 1.5 pound loaf pan measuring 5 x 10 x 3-inches)
Ingredients
- 100 g Sourdough Discard , (unfed sourdough starter)
- 250 g Water
- 500 g Bread Flour, (or All Purpose Flour)
- 10 g Salt
- 20 g Sugar
- 60 g Butter, (salted, room temperature)
- 7 g Instant Yeast
Instructions
- Combine the sourdough discard, water and flour into the bowl of your stand mixer or Thermomix and mix until it forms a shaggy dough (around 30 seconds will do it). Leave the dough to rest for 30 minutes.
- Now add the salt, sugar, butter and yeast to the bowl and knead the dough for around 3 to 6 minutes. You want the dough to be elastic, silky and slapping the sides of the bowl. Just keep the mixer going until you achieve this. If you are using a stand mixer you'll need to use your dough hook attachment for this step.
- Now you need to let your dough rise. You are using instant yeast as the leavening agent in this recipe, rather than sourdough/wild yeast, so it will rise very quickly, particularly if your home is warm. Leave it for around an hour (it will take longer if your house is cooler). You want it to double.
- While you're waiting for the dough to double, lightly butter a sandwich loaf or pullman pan so it's ready to go when the dough is shaped.
- Once the dough has doubled, tip it out onto the counter top with the smooth side underneath and the sticky side on the top. Gently ease the dough out into a rectangle. It should be quite easy to do this as the dough is very elastic.
- Now you want to shape your dough into a sandwich loaf. This is fairly easy. Make sure that the short side of the rectangle is in front of you. Fold each side of the dough into the middle, then roll the dough into a tight log with the seam underneath. Tighten the top of the dough by putting your hands at the base and pulling the dough towards you, without lifting if off the countertop.
- Once the dough is shaped, gently place it into the buttered loaf tin. Leave the dough to rise until it's just above the rim of the tin. This will take around an hour, depending on the temperature of your home.
- Once the dough has risen, you'll need to bake your loaf. Turn your oven on and set the temperature to around 180C/350F. Let it warm for around 10 minutes. Spray the top of your dough with some water mist and place into the oven. Make sure that there's plenty of room for it to grow in the oven as it will generally keep rising.
- Bake your bread at 180C/350F for around 40 to 45 minutes or until the loaf is golden brown.
- Remove from the loaf tin and allow to cool on a wire rack.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Rate and comment below!
Hi Kate! Love this recipe and make it often. Can I replace the water with acid whey (from yogurt)? Will I need to make any changes to the recipe besides swapping water for whey?
You can definitely do this! It will bake a little quicker, so just watch the top that it doesn’t start to burn due to the extra sugar from the acid whey 🙂
Can you put the dough in the fridge (after shaping) over night to cold proof?
Thank you
Not really with this recipe, it’s more of a fast recipe. If you want to cold ferment the dough overnight, you should try this true sourdough recipe.
Hello:)
I have used new flour and new yeast but for some reason my dough is not rising at all?
I have a good bit of discard so I definitely want to try again!
Just wondering if you have an idea what I might be doing wrong?
It is 68 degrees in my house, so not the warmest but I don’t think too cold.
Thanks for your help!
Are you using instant yeast? This is important in this recipe as you don’t bloom the yeast before you add it. If you aren’t using instant yeast this can cause an issue. I would also try to keep the dough a little warmer, that will definitely help xx
Ok so this recipes says 1 loaf and I doubled it, my loaves are HUGE! They more than tripled out of the loaf pan in the oven. Maybe I should have let the dough more than double on first prove. Definitely a surprise. We will see how the crumb turns out.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I’ve made this spread before and it’s delicious. So when I made it today, I had to go to the store. It was longer Then I thought I would be going and Rose pretty high out the pan. Do you think it’ll be still good ?
I would re-shape it and put it back in the tin. Because you’re using commercial yeast, it will rise again.
The exterior is gorgeous but the inside is dense, almost doughy. If I baked it longer I’m afraid the top would be too brown. Followed recipe exactly. What happened?
This indicates under fermentation, or in this case, under proofing. You need to let the dough proof for longer before baking 🙂
Amazing! Fail proof. I love the different variations you have. This is a recipe I will keep forever. I make it weekly! Thank you so much.
Could you do an overnight or all day ferment with this? I know it uses yeast but to acquire a little more of the fermentation benefits I was wondering if anyone had ever done it.
I don’t recommend this as the commercial yeast will over ferment. If you are wanting a true sourdough loaf, then check out this sourdough sandwich loaf that uses active starter 🙂
Hey, sorry if I’ve just not spotted this in the recipe notes but do you cover the loaf once it is shaped and into the bread tin? If so, what are you using as whatever I use gets stuck to the top of my dough…so just wondering if you have to cover it 🙈!! Thank you X p.s. amazing recipie!!
I’m so glad you love the recipe. We use an elastic food cover (it’s a bit like a shower cap). I put it on the tin and then pull it up like a tent so that the dough doesn’t touch it. You can also rub the top of the loaf with a little olive oil to make sure that it doesn’t stick if the cover collapses.
What kind of instant yeast do you use?
Kate uses a brand called Lowan Whole Food’s Instant Yeast.
How many sandwich slices do you get from one loaf using this recipe?
It really depends on the loaf pan you use and how thickly you slice them 🙂 But around 12 I would say – I’ve honestly never counted!
I started to knead the dough in my kitchen aide but don’t think it is powerful enough so I kneaded it by hand for quite a while but I never got that smooth silky look. I am letting it rise now. Can someone tell me what I may have done wrong? I followed recipe exactly as posted. Thanks
I have been a baking Xmas bonanza! Thanks to your recipe, I have made SO much bread that actually my kids say is better than the store stuff! Thank you!
I absolutely love this recipe! A friend gave it to me, and it’s been our favorite since! I made enough for four loaves, not realizing the time. Is it ok to put the unused dough in the fridge and use it in the morning?
We love to hear that! Yes, you should be able to bake unused dough in the morning. Just bring to room temperature first. 🙂
Love this recipe! Was wondering if anyone had ever doubled the recipe and frozen the dough?
Surely adding instant yeast defeats the purpose as it’s no longer sourdough??
This is a sourdough discard recipe so adding yeast is perfectly fine. If you don’t want to add yeast, you could use active starter instead 🙂
Love this recipe! Do you have a discard honey wheat recipe?
You can use this whole wheat discard recipe and sub honey for the sugar.
I just made your sourdough discard sandwich bread and it is wonderful – large loaf that JUST fits in my bread slicer and my toaster. Great flavor and great crust.
I am just starting sourdough baking in a dutch oven and working on perfecting the technique. I am a bread baker from way back (decades and decades actually) and am enjoying experimenting with this. Love your website, Donna
I made this today and it is so good! I left mine in the oven for 50 minutes and it worked perfect for me. It’s a perfect neutral-tasting sandwich bread and the first recipe I’ve tried that MIGHT just replace store bought bread!
This is my family absolute favorite sandwich bread. Make it weekly.
Recipe worked perfectly for me today!
As a relatively new sourdough baker (will I ever become proficient enough to think in anything other than a newbie!) I an grateful to you for all your wonderful instructions and tips.
I prefer not to add sugar in my cooking (honey on occasion). Can I omit the sugar in this recipe?
Yes you can omit the sugar if you prefer 🙂
My dough is still runny and not taking shape. What is wrong with it?
This is a lower hydration dough so it definitely shouldn’t be runny at all. Are you sure you measured the flour and water correctly?
Thank you for your recipe
Just tasted it, my favorite. Do you have the Thermomix version, please?
So glad you love it! Would you like me to adapt the recipe for the Thermomix?
So excited about this recipe! I’m new to sourdough and bread baking. My first attempt at this recipe turned out great!
I mistakenly used active yeast instead of instant. Is the bread salvageable? It’s not rising and the yeast is visible in the dough. Thanks !
This recipe is written for instant yeast because active yeast needs to be bloomed first 🙂 You could try and leave it to see if the yeast activates 🙂
Would this recipe work in a bread machine?
You can use this sourdough discard sandwich bread recipe designed for a bread machine instead if you like 🙂
Is there a recipe somewhere for this bread with conversion amounts? I struggled😆
I only bake in grams – you can read about why this is the best way to bake here 🙂
A scale is one of the best tools in your kitchen. You can buy one for under $20 either from Walmart or Amazon. It’s actually easier to use grams rather than ounces. Not only is it easier if you wantto divide measurements but also it’s extremely precise measuring ingredients with a scale.