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A close up of a loaf of whole wheat sourdough sandwich bread sitting on a wire cooling rack. You can see a light blue dish towel in the background of the image.
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Whole Wheat Sourdough Sandwich Bread Recipe

Easy whole wheat sourdough sandwich bread perfect for the whole family - a light airy crumb with a soft crust, perfect for your favorite sandwich fillings.
Course Bread
Cuisine American
Keyword Sourdough Bread
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 40 minutes
Fermentation Time 12 hours
Total Time 13 hours 40 minutes
Servings 1 Loaf
Calories 2312kcal

Equipment

  • Stand Mixer (optional)
  • Bread Pan (I've used a 1.5 pound pan measuring 5"D x 10"W x 3"H)

Ingredients

  • 500 g Whole Wheat Flour
  • 100 g Sourdough Starter (fed and bubbly)
  • 300 g Water
  • 60 g Butter (cubed, softened at room temperature)
  • 15 g Salt
  • 30 g Honey

Instructions

  • Premix & Autolyse:
    Add your sourdough starter, whole wheat flour, water and honey into the bowl of your stand mixer. Mix the ingredients for around 30 seconds until they are just combined into a shaggy dough. I use the dough hook attachment on my stand mixer.
    Leave to autolyse for around 30 minutes.
  • Now add the salt and butter.
    Mix the ingredients for around 1 minute or until they are combined together. Now leave to rest for around 30 minutes.
  • Kneading Your Whole Wheat Sourdough Sandwich Dough:
    Using your stand mixer with hook attachment, knead the dough for around 3 minutes.
    The dough should become very elastic. You won't be able to see the butter as it will be well combined into the dough. If the dough is getting a little warm from being mixed in the mixer, give it a 10 minute rest. If it seems ok, knead for the full 3 minutes.
    Now give your dough a 30 minute rest.
  • Knead your dough in the mixer for another 2-3 minutes.
    You'll know it's ready when it is slapping the sides of the stand mixer bowl.
    The dough will be very elastic and smooth (a little bumpy from the wheat germ). It shouldn't be sticking to the sides of the bowl at all. If it's not quite there, it's ok to knead for a few more minutes to develop the gluten and get it to where it needs to be.
  • Bulk Ferment:
    Once your dough is kneaded sufficiently, you need to bulk ferment it at room temperature. If you're using a stand mixer, it's fine to leave it in the mixing bowl. Just cover it with a plastic food cover or lid.
    As with any sourdough bread, the bulk ferment time will depend on the temperature in your kitchen and of course the strength of your starter.
    You're looking for your dough to be just UNDER double.
  • Shaping:
    Once your dough has finished its bulk ferment you can shape your dough.
    Before you start shaping, lightly oil your loaf pan.
    Ease your dough out of the bowl using a silicone dough scraper, remembering to have the smooth side on the counter and the sticky side facing up. You shouldn't need any flour for this as your dough shouldn't stick (it's such a beautiful silky, enriched dough).
    Gently ease your dough out into a rough rectangle, with the shortest side in front of you.
    Pop any large bubbles and gently flatten the dough using your fingertips.
    Then roll the dough up into a log (using the short side) and tuck the ends under. Tighten up the log by pulling the dough a little, using the sticky underside to create tension. Then simply plop the dough into your loaf pan.
  • Second Rise:
    Once your bread has been shaped and is in the pan, you'll need to let it rise again so that it fills up the shape of the tin.
    This should only take a few hours, but like the bulk ferment, this will depend on the strength of your starter and the temperature of your kitchen.
    You'll know it's done when it's risen just above the lip of the pan. It will be rounded on the top. When you poke it it will leave a slight indent but spring back nice and slowly.
    If you shaped it quite tight, you'll see some tension on the top of the dough as it's risen.
  • Baking Your Sandwich Bread:
    Preheat your oven to around 180C/350F.
    Let your oven warm for around 10 minutes and then place your sandwich loaf in the oven and bake for approximately 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
    It may take a little longer depending on your oven. Once the loaf is baked, carefully place it on a rack to cool. Try to leave it at least one hour before you slice into it.

Notes

Bread Pan - I've used a 1.5 pound USA pan measuring 5"D x 10"W x 3"H.

Nutrition

Serving: 100g | Calories: 2312kcal | Carbohydrates: 404g | Protein: 69g | Fat: 61g | Saturated Fat: 33g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 129mg | Sodium: 6227mg | Potassium: 1846mg | Fiber: 54g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 1544IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 199mg | Iron: 18mg
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