Soft Sourdough Sandwich Bread

Soft sourdough sandwich bread is a fantastic recipe for making a tender loaf of deliciousness. In my perusing the social media world’s wackiness, I ran across a YouTube video for a sourdough sandwich bread using malt syrup and almond milk that caught my attention. I have used barley malt syrup in a couple of recipes, including sourdough bagels. I have loved the flavor and texture that the syrup encourages. But, I had never thought about using almond milk in a sourdough recipe before.  The idea is brilliant, as the almond milk will add some fat to the dough and give it a soft crumb while not adding any dairy, which is fabulous for many people I know. Culinary Exploration’s recipe called for a bit low in salt, in my opinion. He made his own almond milk, which I didn’t want to take the time here to do, and the oven temperature was too high for a sandwich loaf. But it was a good start.

This is the time of year when I start thinking about BLTs and tomatoes actually start tasting like tomatoes. They are especially good if you are lucky to have some growing in your yard or find some at a local farmers’ market. This sourdough bread combined with juicy tomatoes, some delicious smoky bacon, crisp lettuce, and some avocado slices (not traditional but for me a necessity!) makes the ultimate summer sandwich. This bread is perfect for a BLT. It is soft but still has some heft to it and the tang of sourdough.

Making this bread recipe takes some planning out. There are several steps: making a sponge from some almond milk and your regular starter, and several resting periods. Though the actual work involved is not all that much, you need to time when to do each step. I have tried to give a reasonable timeline in the notes for the recipe. They are just a guide. Your starter will act differently depending on room temperature and how active your starter is. But I have made this several times and had success using this timing scenario.

For this recipe, I tweaked the original slightly to improve on success. I kept the measurements in weights it would be more accurate for the small amounts needed for one loaf. I highly recommend buying a digital cooking scale, as it is invaluable for baking and especially sourdough. You want to find one that will measure enough for large amounts of flour like this one from Amazon. Measuring by weight is much more reliable than measuring in volume. You can add each ingredient for this recipe and then tare the scale for the next measurement, eliminating all the added measuring cups and spoons. I use this one almost every time I bake anything. It is fantastic (I get a small commission from any affiliate links on this blog at no cost to you, please consider helping fund this journey I am on). The bread pan is slightly different than the regular loaf pan, but I absolutely adore it, and it even comes with a lid to make a pullman loaf. You can use a 9×5, but this pan will give you higher sides, and it is awesome. Barley malt syrup can be found in many gourmet grocery stores or here on amazon. And finally, I have had this amazing Japanese bread knife for about 5 years now and it is incredible and worth every penny. For slicing bread this cannot be beat.

This soft Sourdough Sandwich Bread recipe is so easy (sourdough wise!) I hope you try it and make some amazing sandwiches. Let me know in the comments below what you have made with a loaf of this delicious bread.

Well, that’s all for this week. I hope everyone is staying safe, healthy, and well. Please think of others in your choices. We can all get through this if we think of more than ourselves. There is still a light out there for the world to find.

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Soft Sourdough Sandwich bread

Soft sourdough sandwich bread is a dairy free fantastic recipe for making a tender loaf of delicious sourdough. Makes amazing sandwiches.

Course: Sourdough

Cuisine: American

Keyword: BLT sandwiches, sourdough, sourdough bread, sourdough starter

Servings: 1 Loaf

Ingredients

Almond milk starter

• 100 grams active sourdough starter
• 100 grams unsweetened almond milk
• 100 grams bread flour

Final dough

• 240 grams unsweetened almond milk
• 25 grams barley malt syrup
• 250 grams of the almond milk starter
• 400 grams bread flour
• 15 grams salt

Instructions

1. For the almond milk starter.
2. Mix together the active sourdough starter, the almond milk, and the bread flour in a nonreactive container or bowl.
3. Cover and let sit for 6 hours or until the starter is very active and bubbly and has increased in volume by twice or more.
4. To make the main dough.
5. Add the almond milk and the barley malt syrup to a large bowl, stir to combine briefly. It doesn't have to be thoroughly mixed.
6. Measure out 250 grams of the almond milk starter (you will have a little extra, which is normal) and add it to the almond milk mixture.
7. Add the bread flour and then the salt.
8. Stir to combine into a rough dough, cover, and let rest for 20-45 minutes.
9. On a floured surface, knead the dough for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and comes together. There is no need to knead until it is springy, just till it has some structure. It will develop as it rests, and as it is baked in a bread pan, it doesn't need as much structure.
10. Place the dough into a nonreactive container big enough for the dough to more than double and cover tightly.
11. Let proof only until the dough has started to puff up for about 1-2 hours, depending on your kitchen temperature. Then, it will continue to rise in the fridge and in the morning before baking.
12. In the morning, pull out the container and let it come to room temperature and proof for around 3 hours until the dough has risen double or more.
13. Once the dough has risen, punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.
14. Let rest for 10 minutes.
15. While the dough is resting slightly, oil with a little vegetable oil an 8x4½ or 9x5 loaf pan.
16. Gently stretch and pat out the dough into a rough rectangular shape around the width of your loaf pan. Next, gently roll the dough into a cylinder sealing the seam. Since it is being baked in a pan, you don't have to be perfect with the sealing.
17. Place the dough seam side down into the prepared loaf pan.
18. Cover and let proof for 3-4 hours until the dough has risen double, or a bit more and only springs back slightly.
19. About 30-45 minutes before the bread has finished rising, pre-heat the oven to 375°
20. If you want to be fancy, you can sprinkle some flour or seeds on top of the risen dough before baking.
21. Bake for 40 minutes. I like to dump a little water onto the oven floor as I close the oven door to create some steam.
22. Take the bread out of the loaf pan and place directly on the oven rack and bake for an additional 5 minutes or so to brown the bottom.
23. Take the loaf out and let cool on a cooling rack for an hour or so before slicing.

Recipe Notes

Sample timing schedule

8:00 am mix the almond milk sourdough starter. Let sit for about 6 hours.

2:00 pm mix together the main dough, let sit for 20 minutes. Then knead.

2:30 pm cover the dough and let rise for 1-2 hours until the dough has started to puff up.

4:30 pm place the puffed-up dough in the fridge overnight.

8:00 am, take the dough out of the fridge, let it come to room temperature, and finish proofing for about 3 hours.

11:00 am, shape the dough and place in pan. Cover and let proof for about 4 hours.

3:00 pm Bake