Use a Levain to Bake Soft, Delicious Sourdough Sandwich Bread
How to do it? Mix the Levain from existing sourdough starter the night before, then bake the next day. Read on if you want to experience the satisfaction of baking this soft, delicious Sourdough Sandwich Bread from a Levain that your family and friends will love!
Breaking Bread Baking Habits
😆 say that 5 times fast😆
Usually, I bake rustic, no-knead style recipes like the no-knead Oatmeal Sourdough Bread, one of my personal favorites. Recently, though, I have been baking sandwich breads using commercial yeast, which was a refreshing change from the crusty no knead loaves. Since starting a blog, I find myself breaking out of my habitual recipes and trying new things to share here. It’s fun. My family and friends certainly do not mind, as they are loving all the practice loaves I am busting out of my kitchen, not a bad day’s work when you get to share with those you love, right? One thing I wanted to try was a sourdough sandwich bread.
What is a Levain and How to Use it to Make Sourdough Sandwich Bread?
A Levain is a “child” pre-ferment from a “mother” rye sourdough starter and has no commercial yeast. It is solely risen off wild yeast. Follow recipe instructions below carefully. You need a sourdough starter to make the Levain. No starter? Click this link to access the recipe to my Rye Sourdough Starter.
Recently, I had one of those aha moments when I saw my rye starter bubbling happily away on the counter and asked myself, “What else can I make with that?” Then, I started a Levain using a small amount of rye sourdough starter and added a 50/50 ratio of bread flour and water (instructions in recipe) and rested it overnight. Subsequently, I used the Levain to make a soft sandwich bread. I rate the recipe as being moderately difficult because it uses a Levain. However, beginners can do it too, just follow the step-by-step instructions in the recipe.
King Arthur is reliable flour and is readily available at grocery marts in the US or online.
Powdered milk or milk powder is widely available at grocery stores, I used a Non-fat Dry Milk Powder.
Regional varieties of honey available for purchase from Local Hive. I often buy their Rocky Mountain honey, so delicious!
Timing For this Recipe
The Levain was mixed the day prior and allowed to rest overnight to develop carbon dioxide and flavor. The Levain is ready when you see many tiny bubbles. The following morning at 7:30 a.m., I scaled the rest of my ingredients. Then, I mixed everything in my electric mixer. I allowed it to rise throughout the day until doubled. Next, I formed it about 3 p.m. and baked it about 4:30 p.m. It was ready just in time for dinner, now that’s what I call perfect timing. 🙂
What Was the Result?
The result? Lo and behold, this newly created bread recipe worked out so deliciously well! I am pleased to give the results to you. My family was singing praises (cue warm and tingly feeling, as this is why I bake – to share great bread with my family and friends). How about you, post a comment below and tell me what motivates you to bake!?
I use a hinge top jar to make the levain and to keep my sourdough starter. It is fine to close the lid tight, it does not inhibit yeast growth.
Having two equally sized loaf pans from the same manufacturer ensures even baking, make them good ones, as loaf pans can easily rust if not made from high quality materials.
This is delicious bread. It is soft with a tender crumb that holds its shape and is well suited for sandwiches. Using All Purpose Flour gives tenderness, plus inclusion of dry milk powder, honey, and butter give this sandwich bread a pleasing, slightly sweetened taste and soft mouth feel (fat adds that soft mouth feel).
Sharing is Caring
So, give it a go, let me know in the comments below what you think, were you successful? What did you do differently from my recipe for Sourdough Sandwich Bread? As always, Bake One Share One, Great Bread for All. Bake extra and give one to a neighbor, friend or coworker, then rate this recipe. I am always grateful to hear and learn from my readers! Happy baking, Bread Bakers!
Sourdough Sandwich Bread
Equipment
- Digital Metric Scale
- Electric Mixer with Dough Hook
- 4 Liter food container (or bowl)
- Cover for container (or plastic wrap)
- Bowl scraper
- Bread pans (2 each)
Ingredients
Levain (12-24 hours before making up final dough)
- 30 grams Rye Sourdough Starter
- 130 grams Warm Water (75-85 F degrees)
- 130 grams Bread Flour
Bread Ingredients
- 50 grams Rye Sourdough Starter
- 287 grams Levain
- 340 grams Warm Water (75-85 F degrees)
- 50 grams Honey
- 57 grams Unsalted Butter, softened at room temperature
- 35 grams Non-Fat Milk Powder
- 10 grams Salt
- 600 grams All Purpose Flour
Topping
- 2 tsp Egg Whites
- 1 Tbsp Sesame Seeds
Instructions
Levain (Pre-Ferment)
- 12-24 hours ahead of the time you intend to mix the final dough, make this "child" starter from the "mother" rye sourdough stater.
- In a clean jar, mix 30 grams of Rye Sourdough Starter with 130 grams warm water until the sourdough starter is broken up and you have a slurry. Add 130 grams of Bread Flour, mix until thoroughly combined and no dry flour remains.
- Set aside at room temperature for 12-24 hours until you see small carbon dioxide bubbles form. Once this has happened you are ready to move on to the final mix. You can see the levain with tiny bubbles in the photo below in the upper left hand corner of the ingredients.
Scaling
- Using a digital scale set to metric, measure all ingredients.
Mixing
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix together the water, Rye Sourdough Starter and the Levain.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the mixing bowl.
- Using the dough hook, mix the ingredients on Level 1 for two minutes until all dry ingredients are incorporated.
- Switch to Level 2 and mix for another 6 minutes until a smooth soft dough is formed. The dough is somewhat wet, so it will stick to the lower sides and bottom of the bowl and begin to crawl up the dough hook – see image.
Bulk Fermentation (first rise)
- Prepare your container with spray oil.
- Scrape the dough with a bowl scraper onto a floured work surface. Pull the sides of the dough into the center. Flip it over so folds are at the bottom and form a loose dough ball as best as you can (it is a wet dough and is okay if it is not perfect).
- Place the loose ball of dough into the prepared container.
- Cover the container and allow to rise until doubled in size, 6-8 hours depending on the warmth of your kitchen. (Mine was quite warm (77F degrees) and my bread doubled in size in about 7 hours).
Folding (sometimes called punching)
- Once doubled in size, gently dump dough out on to a floured work surface.
- Form dough into a loose log, about 12" in length.
Dividing
- Divide dough into two equal halves.
Pre-shaping or Rounding
- Flatten the first half of the dough into an 8" square.
- Roll dough up tightly into a log, tucking the ends under. Pinch together and flip over so the seam is facing down.
- Repeat with the second half of dough.
Makeup and Panning
- Prepare your bread pans with a light spray of oil.
- Gently lift your shaped dough and place into the prepared pans. Ensure the seam is facing down (the bottom of the pan) and the ends are neatly tucked under.
Proofing (second rise)
- Cover with oiled plastic wrap and set aside to rise in a warm location for 1-2 hours.
- Once they have doubled in size, you are ready to move on to the next step.
Baking
- Preheat oven to 375 F degrees.
- While oven is preheating, remove plastic wrap from dough, cut a parallel line in the top of the dough to allow steam to escape while baking.
- Brush the top of the dough with egg white and sprinkle with desired topping, I used sesame seeds.
- Place in preheated oven and bake 35-40 minutes until golden brown and hollow sounding. Check half-way and turn pans around if they are browning unevenly.
Cooling
- Once bake is complete, remove these from the oven, and remove baked loaves from the pans.
- Place on cooling rack for one hour or until completely cool to the touch.
Storing
- When completely cool, store in plastic bag. Thanks to the addition of sourdough, milk powder, honey, and butter, this bread remains fresh for three days.
I am fairly new at making sourdough bread but love the process and the bread! This loaf is absolutely delicious but I have a question. My dough doubled in size very fast (4 hours), it was pretty sticky and wouldn’t hold it shape. What did I do wrong?
Hi Becky – Your sourdough starter was very active if it doubled in 4 hours. If your dough was sticky and didn’t hold shape, it’s because it was overproofed. Check out this article about feeding and maintaining a healthy sourdough starter. Secondly, if it is very hot where you are, the dough will rise very quickly in which case, you will need to keep a close eye on it so it does not over proof or you can allow it to rise in the refrigerator to slow the process.
I love the idea of the Levian and the picture of the mother bubbling is amazing! Last year I made apple cider vinegar and was so excited at seeing the ‘mother’ forming in the bottles! I have always wanted to try bake a sourdough bread. Your post has inspired me to actually try now. Thanks!
Hi Jacq – Thanks for visiting. Check out my post on cultivating a rye starter and then you can bake your first sourdough, it’s so rewarding!
This bread looks amazing. If you were my neighbor I would totally buy bread from you atleast 3 times a week. You can tell that you pour your heart and soul into these bread recipes it transpires through the pictures. Thank you so much.
Hi Gabriela – Thank you! Such a sweet comment, I’m speechless. 🙂
So glad to have found this! I make an amazing rustic sourdough bowl but need a good sandwich bread recipe. Can’t wait to try it!
Hi Melinda – Glad you like the recipe, tag me when you make it, I’d love to see your yummy result!
I love making sourdough sandwich bread.This looks fantastic. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Hi Arica – It’s quite delicious, right?! Far superior to a store bought sandwich bread. 😉
Your sourdough bread looks fantastic. This is one kind of bread I’ve always been intimidated to try making.
Hi Cindy – Thank you very much! No need to be intimidated, just like anything else after a bit of trial & error, sourdough efforts eventually reward you with a beautiful & yummy loaf of bread.
Something that I want to start making is bread. But sometimes it feels intimidating. I have in the past using a bread machine but I would love to make it wihtou it.
Hi Gregory, I totally understand, 8 years ago when I started my bread making journey, I was just like you, so intimidated! Try my easy to make no-knead whole wheat bread, it’s a great starter recipe and no mixer or kneading involved.
Sourdough is my favourite bread! I love to use it when making grilled cheese sandwiches. I’m a bit intimidated by the starter process, but I want to give it a try!
Hi Julianne! Thanks for visiting my site! I never tried making grilled cheese out of this sourdough but think that’s a great idea! You can get a starter going by using my easy to follow instructions found here: https://breadbakes.com/cultivate-a-sourdough-starter/. Enjoy learning!
I have recently let started making breads but this one looks amazing!
Thanks Katherine! Let me know by using the comment form if you have any questions while baking bread and since you’re just starting out, I recommend reading 12 Steps of Producing Yeast Breads. Happy Baking!
Thank you Katherine, I hope you try it, it’s a wonderful sandwich bread, toast bread, or use for grilled cheese as another reader suggested! Yum.