Can You Bake Sourdough In A Loaf Pan?

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If you've ever wanted to bake sourdough in a loaf pan, then you've come to the right place. I'm going to show you how to bake a basic sourdough bread recipe in a loaf pan so that it's perfect for sandwiches and toast.

Baking sourdough in a loaf pan gives you a sandwich shaped loaf with all the flavor and goodness of a regular sourdough loaf. It's a great everyday bread and is really easy to slice.

After bulk fermentation, you need to shape your dough into an oval or batard and place it seam side down into your chosen loaf pan. There's no need for a banneton or Dutch Oven for this simple sourdough loaf pan recipe.

This is a lean sourdough recipe, meaning it has no fats, oils or sugar. If you're looking for a sourdough sandwich bread recipe with an enriched dough, you might like to try this sourdough sandwich loaf with a soft crust or this sourdough discard sandwich loaf. You might also love this golden sourdough cheese bread baked in a loaf pan. This sourdough bread recipe is made using an active sourdough starter.

This lean sourdough bread is the perfect shape for sandwiches and toast!

Benefits of Baking Sourdough In A Loaf Pan

The main benefits of baking sourdough in a loaf pan are:

  • shaping technique isn't as important
  • can bake at lower temperatures
  • gives you a softer crust
  • perfect shape for sandwiches and toast
  • no need for heavy Dutch Oven
  • better for over fermented dough as the loaf tin supports the dough
  • easier to cut than a boule or batard

Let's look at the benefits of baking sourdough in a loaf pan in more detail.

Shaping Technique Isn't As Important

When baking sourdough bread, the shaping technique you use can affect the oven spring of the loaf and of course the overall look of the loaf once it's baked.

Using a loaf pan to bake sourdough bread means that the shaping technique becomes less important as the dough will take on the shape of the pan during proofing.

As you aren't removing it from the loaf pan to bake, the dough is also supported during baking, meaning it often rises higher and gives you better oven spring overall.

You can see in this photo that the dough isn't perfectly shaped, however it doesn't matter as the loaf pan will support the dough through proofing and baking.

Bake Sourdough At Lower Temperatures

Using a loaf pan means that you can bake your sourdough at lower temperatures, since it is not having any time covered in a Dutch Oven or baking pot.

When baking traditional sourdough bread, you steam the loaf in a piping hot Dutch Oven, generally baking above 230C/446F. When using a loaf pan, the dough is uncovered for the whole bake so you need to lower the temperature to prevent the crust burning or becoming to hard and tough. I recommend 200C/392F for the whole bake, rather than a higher temp first and then dropping down.

Using a lower temperature can be a benefit, particularly if your oven doesn't reach super high temperatures or you're baking sourdough during the summer months.

Softer Crust Sourdough Sandwich Bread

Baking sourdough in a loaf pan will give you a softer outside crust, particularly around the sides and base of the loaf.

Before putting the sourdough bread dough into the loaf pan, you generally butter the pan. The butter helps to soften the loaf during baking time.

If you prefer a softer top crust, you can also brush this with butter when it comes out of the oven.

Perfect Shape for Sandwiches and Toast

One of the biggest benefits of baking sourdough in a loaf pan is that it makes it gives you a traditional loaf of sourdough bread ... just in the perfect shape to make a sandwich and fit your toaster!

If you love the flavor of sandwiches made from a batard or boule, you're going to absolutely love the convenient shape of sourdough bread made in a loaf tin - it makes life so much easier! No more trying to jam that big slice into your little toaster!

A loaf of sourdough bread baked in a loaf pan sitting on a wooden baord. There is a chicken and lettuce sandwich in the foreground and a butter dish in the background.
Baking sourdough bread in a loaf pan makes the bread much easier to use for the perfect sandwich!

No Heavy Dutch Oven

If you have trouble lifting a Dutch Oven in and out of the oven, then using a loaf pan might be just the solution you're looking for. Of course, if you like the idea of covering you sandwich loaf, you could place a loaf tin of the same size on the top of your dough to trap the steam in. This is a popular method to emulate the conditions of a Dutch Oven, but without the weight.

Better for Over Fermented Dough

Using a loaf pan to shape your sourdough bread into a sandwich loaf can also help to support the dough - both during proofing and baking.

If your dough is a little over fermented, using a loaf pan can help to support the dough and allow it to bake up better than it would if you used a banneton and then tipped it out to bake it, where the dough would be unsupported.

A loaf pan can be a good alternative to a banneton for proofing if you want to experiment with allowing your dough to proof more than you normally would as you bake it in the tin, you're not tipping it out where it has to support itself.

Easier To Cut

If you've ever tried to cut through a crusty sourdough ear or an odd shaped loaf, you'll know that it can be quite a challenge - even with the best bread knife for sourdough bread!

Sourdough baked in a loaf tin can be much easier to cut because the crust is softer and the shape is easier to hold. A loaf pan sourdough also fits into a slicing guide much easier than a boule or batard.

How to Bake Sourdough In A Loaf Pan (step by step guide)

Baking sourdough in a loaf pan follows the same basic steps as making my basic sourdough loaf. The main difference comes when it's time for shaping and proofing. The baking temperature for this sourdough recipe is also lower than what you may be used to.

The photographs featured in this section of the post are made using a double batch of dough (you can easily double the dough using the buttons in the recipe card). The dough is baked in a large farmhouse loaf pan (24cm x 16cm) - details of the pan are after the instructions.

Premix the Dough

Weigh out your sourdough starter and water into a large mixing bowl and mix together briefly.

Now add your flour and salt and mix whole lot together to form a dry, shaggy dough.

Cover your bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let it sit for around 1 hour.

This process is called the "autolyse" and allows your flour to soak in all the water and become hydrated.

Shaggy dough that has just been mixed together using a white silicon spatula.

Forming Up The Dough

Bring the dough together into a ball. Pull the edges of the dough into the centre until it's smoother and more formed.

You'll notice that the dough is fully hydrated after soaking all the water up. It will be fairly sticky but as you bring it into a ball, it will become smoother and shinier.

Once the dough has formed into a smooth ball, pop the cling film back on and let it rest for 30 minutes.

sourdough that has gone through autolyse and is now being pulled together into a ball.

Stretches and Folds

Over the next few hours you need to create some structure for your dough by "stretching and folding".

Aim to do around 4-6 sets of stretches and folds.

For each set, stretch the dough up and over itself 4 times. Leave around 15 minutes in between each set. Again you do not have to be exact with time, but you need to do at least 4 sets over 2 hours.

sourdough that is being stretched and folded.

Bulk Fermentation

Once you've finished your stretch and folds, place the cling film or damp tea towel back over your dough and let it rest and ferment (a plastic cover is a better option for this stage). I let it rise to just under double for this recipe because you want it to rise a bit in the pan afterwards.

sourdough that has come to the end of bulk fermentation. You can see the dough is doubled and domed up in the bowl. There is a jar of semolina and large loaf pan in the background.

Shaping the Dough

Once your dough has finished it's first ferment, it's time to shape it so that it will fit into your loaf tin. Shaping your dough into a batard is the best for proofing and baking in a loaf tin.

You'll need to flour your counter top with rice flour for this (we use rice flour because it has no gluten). Try to be quite sparing with the rice flour, you only need a very light dusting. Semolina is also a good choice (and is what I have used in these photos).

Use a silicone dough scraper to gently ease the dough out of the bowl. You want it to land upside down on your counter so that the smooth top of the dough is on the countertop and the sticky underside is facing up. This will make it easier to shape.

sourdough that has been flipped onto the counter from the bowl with the sticky side facing upwards.
You can see that this dough has been flipped out of the bowl with the sticky side facing upwards to make shaping easier.

Shape the dough into a batard or loaf shape (you can see instructions for this here).

sourdough that is being shaped into a loaf shape ready to be placed into a loaf pan.
The dough can be spread into a rectangle and then gently folded before being rolled into a loaf shape.
You can see the dough here gently being rolled into a loaf shape.
A loaf of sourdough that has been shaped into a loaf or batard shape sitting in front of a large loaf tin.

Putting The Sourdough Into the Loaf Pan

Lightly coat the inside of your loaf tin with butter. Dust it with semolina or rice flour.

Once the dough is shaped, you need to gently lift it into the loaf pan. You need to place it into the loaf tin with the seam on the bottom (opposite to how you would place it into a banneton).

Proofing

Now the dough is in the loaf tin, you need to let it proof. For this sourdough loaf I like to proof it a little on the counter first and then put it in the fridge until I'm ready to bake.

As long as it didn't over ferment during bulk fermentation, allow the dough to puff up a bit before you put it in the fridge for cold fermentation. Don't let it go too far though or you won't have any oven spring.

Preparing To Bake

Once you're ready to bake your sourdough, you'll need to preheat your oven to 200C/392F.

Bake Your Sourdough Bread In A Loaf Pan

Now it's time to bake!

When the oven is at temperature, take your loaf of sourdough out of the fridge and score it (you don't have to score it if you don't want to). Lightly spray the top of the dough with water. Place it into the hot oven.

BAKE TIME:

45 Minutes at 200C/392F

Let Your Bread Cool

When your sourdough is done, remove it from the oven. Let it sit for a few minutes and then carefully remove it from the tin. Place onto a wire rack to cool.

If you wish to soften the crust a little, you can brush the top of the loaf with melted butter if you wish.

Loaf of sourdough bread that has been baked in a loaf pan sitting on a black and white dish towel in front of a white tiled wall.

What Size Loaf Tin To Use for Sourdough Bread?

The large loaf photographed in this recipe is a double batch of dough baked in a Farmhouse Loaf Pan measuring 24cm x 16cm x 12cm or 9.5" x 6" x 4.7". This pan was purchased here, but you can find a similar size here and here

For a single batch of dough I recommend a loaf pan measuring 22cm x 10cm x 11cm or 8.5" x 4" x 4.25" (this is the size of the pan used to make the loaf photographed below).

You can easily double or even triple the recipe for this loaf pan sourdough by using the buttons on the recipe card.

You can bake this simple sourdough recipe in either a metal or glass loaf pan. I prefer metal, however use whatever you have on hand.

Loaf of sourdough bread baked in a loaf pan sliced and laid out in front of the rest of the loaf. There is a silver butter knife in the foreground and a butter dish in the background.
This loaf of sourdough bread was made using a single batch of dough and baked in a loaf tin measuring 22cm x 10cm x 11cm or 8.5" x 4" x 4.25".

How Do You Adjust Baking Time for Sourdough In Loaf Pan?

It's fairly simple to adjust the timing for baking sourdough in a loaf pan. Unlike using a Dutch Oven to bake sourdough bread, using a loaf pan means that the loaf is uncovered for the entire time it is in the oven.

This means that you need to reduce the temperature to ensure that the top of the loaf doesn't burn. As a basic rule, I bake sourdough bread in a loaf pan for around 45 minutes at 200C/392F or until the crust is baked to my liking.

As you experiment more with baking sourdough in a loaf pan, you'll find a time that works for your perfect loaf.

Do You Score Sourdough Sandwich Bread?

If you are baking sourdough bread in a loaf pan, you can choose to bake it as a rounded loaf, with no score or you can score it so that it forms one or even two sourdough ears. The choice is really yours.

If you prefer a domed top to your loaves, you can leave it un scored and allow it to ballon up. The only problem with this is that if your loaf is under fermented, it may naturally tear open while it bakes.

I prefer to score the loaf down the centre and allow it to form an ear. This gives the sourdough in a loaf pan a more rustic look and feel.

Loaf of sourdough bread in a loaf tin that has been scored down the centre. There is a wooden handled lame sitting on the edge of the bread tin.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to cover my loaf pan sourdough bread when baking it?

No you don't need to cover your loaf pan sourdough bread, you can bake it uncovered in your oven at 200C/392F for 45 minutes. A spritz of water before you place it into the oven is a good idea and provides a little steam but it's not essential. You can place a loaf pan of the same size as you're using to hold your dough on the top to create a mini Dutch Oven, but it's definitely not essential.

Why does my sourdough tear at the sides when I bake it in a loaf pan?

If your sourdough bread tears at the sides of your sandwich loaf it generally indicates that your loaf is under fermented and or under proofed. Extend out the rise time and make sure that your dough is nice a puffy before you bake it.

Can I shape sourdough into smaller balls of dough and place them into a loaf pan?

Absolutely. Shaping your sourdough into 2 or 3 smaller balls and placing them side by side in a loaf pan makes a lovely shaped bread that can be torn or sliced into smaller loaves for freezing or sharing. Using this method of shaping with smaller balls of dough also makes the dough easier to handle than one big batch.

Can you bake sourdough in a cake pan?

You could bake sourdough bread in a cake pan if you don't have a bread tin available. Cake loaf pans are generally smaller than bread pans so you will need to adjust your dough to suit this.

HOW TO BAKE SOURDOUGH IN A LOAF PAN - RECIPE FEATURE IMAGE

How To Bake Sourdough In A Loaf Pan

This sourdough bread baked in a loaf pan is the perfect size for toast and sandwiches. You can choose to bake it with a domed top or slashed like a rustic loaf.
4.26 from 122 votes
Prep Time 4 hours
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 16 hours 45 minutes
Servings 1 Loaf
Calories 1851 kcal

Equipment

  • Mixing Bowl
  • Digital Scales
  • Loaf Tin (see notes below for size options)

Ingredients  

  • 500 g Bread Flour
  • 350 g Water
  • 100 g Sourdough Starter
  • 10 g Salt

Instructions 

PREMIX THE DOUGH

  • Weigh out your sourdough starter and water into a large mixing bowl and mix together briefly.
  • Now add your flour and salt and mix whole lot together to form a dry dough.
  • Cover your bowl with cling film or a damp tea towel and let it sit for around 1 hour.
    This process is called the "autolyse" and allows your flour to soak in all the water and become hydrated. You can see how the dough has changed in this photo.

FORMING UP THE DOUGH

  • Bring the dough together into a ball. Pull the edges of the dough into the centre until it's smoother and more formed.
    You'll notice that the dough is fully hydrated after soaking all the water up. It will be fairly sticky but as you bring it into a ball, it will become smoother and shinier.
  • Once the dough has formed into a smooth ball, pop the cling film back on and let it rest for 30 minutes.

STRETCH & FOLD PHASE (STRENGTHENING PHASE)

  • Over the next few hours you need to create some structure for your dough by "stretching and folding".
    Aim to do around 4-6 sets of stretches and folds.
    For each set, stretch the dough up and over itself 4 times. Leave around 15 minutes in between each set. Again you do not have to be exact with time, but you need to do at least 4 sets over 2 hours.

BULK FERMENTATION (RISE PHASE)

  • Once you've finished your stretch and folds, place the cling film or damp tea towel back over your dough and let it rest and ferment (a plastic cover is a better option for this stage).

SHAPE THE DOUGH

  • Once your dough has finished its first ferment, it's time to shape it so that it will fit into your loaf tin. Shaping your dough into a batard is the best for proofing and baking in a loaf tin.
    You'll need to flour your counter top with rice flour for this (we use rice flour because it has no gluten). Try to be quite sparing with the rice flour, you only need a very light dusting. Semolina is also ok for this.
    Use a silicone dough scraper to gently ease the dough out of the bowl. You want it to land upside down on your counter so that the smooth top of the dough is on the countertop and the sticky underside is facing up. This will make it easier to shape.
    Shape the dough into a batard or loaf shape (you can see instructions for this here).

PUT DOUGH INTO THE LOAF TIN

  • Lightly coat the inside of your loaf tin with butter. Dust it with semolina or rice flour.
    Once the dough is shaped, you need to gently lift it into the loaf pan. You need to place it into the loaf tin with the seam on the bottom (opposite to how you would place it into a banneton).

PROOFING

  • Now the dough is in the loaf tin, you need to let it proof. For this sourdough loaf I like to proof it a little on the counter first and then put it in the fridge until I'm ready to bake.
    As long as it didn't over ferment during bulk fermentation, allow the dough to puff up a bit before you put it in the fridge for cold fermentation. Don't let it go too far though or you won't have any oven spring.

PREPARE TO BAKE YOUR DOUGH

  • Once you're ready to bake your sourdough, you'll need to preheat your oven to 200C/392F.

BAKE YOUR SOURDOUGH BREAD!

  • Now it's time to bake!
    When the oven is at temperature, take your loaf of sourdough out of the fridge and score it (you don't have to score it if you don't want to). Lightly spray the top of the dough with water. Place it into the hot oven.
    BAKE TIME:
    45 Minutes at 200C/392F

LET YOUR BREAD COOL

  • When your sourdough is done, remove it from the oven. Let it sit for a few minutes and then carefully remove it from the tin. Place onto a wire rack to cool.
    If you wish to soften the crust a little, you can brush the top of the loaf with melted butter if you wish.

Notes

  • Notes on Flour:  This recipe is written using strong Bread Flour. Bread flour has a higher protein content than All Purpose flour. If you choose to use All Purpose flour you may have a different result because of this. You can read more about the differences between All Purpose Flour and Bread Flour here.
 
 
  • Notes on Stretch & Folds:  If you are going to do the stretch & folds on your bench top, spray your surface with water mist rather than using flour. You can leave the dough in the bowl if you want to. Wet your hands to stop the dough sticking - although it shouldn't be too sticky. It will get less sticky as you do your stretches and folds. For more information on how to do stretch and folds, go here.
 
  • Notes on Bulk Fermentation:  If your home is warm then your dough will ferment a lot faster and could be done in as little as a few hours. If it's colder, it will take longer. You will know your dough is ready to move to the next stage when it has *just* doubled in size. It will be fairly wobbly and full of bubbles. You should be able to see large air bubbles under the surface of the dough. You don't want to let it go any further than doubled as it will be over fermented.
    You'll find more information on these topics here:


    When is my bulk ferment finished?
    What is the difference between cold ferment and bulk ferment?
    Why does the amount of starter matter?

 
  • Notes on Loaf Pan:  The large loaf photographed in this recipe is a double batch of dough baked in a Farmhouse Loaf Pan measuring 24cm x 16cm x 12cm or 9.5" x 6" x 4.7". This pan was purchased here, but you can find a similar size here and hereFor a single batch of dough I recommend a loaf pan measuring 22cm x 10cm x 11cm or 8.5" x 4" x 4.25"

Nutrition

Serving: 100g Calories: 1851kcal Carbohydrates: 372g Protein: 61g Fat: 8g Saturated Fat: 1g Sodium: 3904mg Potassium: 501mg Fiber: 12g Sugar: 2g Vitamin A: 10IU Calcium: 88mg Iron: 5mg
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31 Comments

    1. It's really up to you. I like to do an overnight cold ferment in the fridge, so 8 to 12 hours, but you can do longer if you prefer.

      1. Do you cover it in the fridge, and with what? Mine forms a 'crust' overnight and doesn't rise in the oven as much.

        1. Yes I always use a plastic "shower cap" in the fridge. This stops it forming a crust during the cold proof.

    1. I just tried 1 1/2 of this recipe in a 13"x4"x4" Pullman with the lid on. 400 degrees F 50 minutes. Worked great. I have not found any other Pullman recipes that do not use butter, sugar, milk or potato flakes. They turn out very wet and heavy.
      Pantry Mama Rocks!

  1. 5 stars
    Your instructions are absolutely the best and clearest I have found! I have baked yeast breads for years, but during the pandemic, I thought I'd join the sourdough bandwagon. The two types of bread are like night and day! My sourdough bread has been just awful! I hope with your help, I can improve my techniques.

  2. I nay have overlooked it, but American stoves don't have a setting for that temperature, so what setting should I do?

    1. The temperature is shown in both celcius and farenheit ... this is a lower temp cook (only 200C) so I'd be surprised if your oven doesn't go that high - most go to at least 250C 🙂

    2. I’ve done it both at 390 F and 400 F and have found it to work well, but from what I’ve read online 400 is the typical conversion American bakers use for bread.

  3. I just wanted to thank you for all your sourdough recipes. For the first time, I am making successful loaves, rolls, and my invention Waffnuts. Waffle mixture baked in doughnut moulds. The waffle mix is less sweet, but has a good texture. I don't recommend cinnamon sugar for them though, just ice them. Your website has transformed my bread making, and my friends and family thank you as well. Everyone wins! 🤗😍

  4. I'm making my first sourdough bread, at the end of the 2 hours. My dough is still really sticky. I measured everything with a scale.Is there something I missed? What do I do when it's still really sticky?

    1. Sometimes it can be because your flour can't quite handle that amount of water. Sometimes it's just that it's a bit warm. You might just need to do a few more stretch and folds 🙂 The good news is that sticky dough is easy to bake in a loaf pan. If that happens again, just leave it to bulk ferment and then place into the loaf pan. This may help too - Why Is My Sourdough So Wet & Sticky?

    1. You don't have to do a cold ferment, but you would need to let the dough proof for a bit of time before baking.

  5. Do I need to have it cold ferment? Or do you have a recipe I can follow that is no wait.. waiting is the hard part 🥵

  6. 5 stars
    I've been using your recipe for clay baker in my 4"x4"x13" bread pan. But, this change in temperature and "uncovered" made soo much difference. GREAT!!!
    Wish I could add picture here....

  7. 5 stars
    How long to leave out for the BULK FERMENTATION (RISE PHASE)?
    How long does it need to proof on the counter? Do I need to cover it while proofing on counter? Am I just watching for it to double in size? What would skipping the cold fermentation stage do to the bread? Thank you

  8. 5 stars
    Doubled the recipe to make 2 loaves, just baked them this morning and they are amazing! So excited to have a recipe to make regular loaves, thank you!

  9. 5 stars
    How would a whole grain sourdough loaf work in a metal loaf pan? Is there any difference in the process from how you do the sandwich loaf?

  10. 5 stars
    Thank you so much for the recipe! Just successfully baked my very first sourdough loaf, I used spelt flour instead of bread flour and was a bit sceptical whether it will work just as well, but everything turned out great.

  11. 4 stars
    Yes the clay baker is great for any weight of sourdough. Tried a half, the a three-quarter recipe in my oddly shaped clay baker (narrow at 1 end, wider at the other end). Both were good, although the smaller one was the best....soaked overnight rather than 30 minutes gave great crust. Cheers.

  12. 5 stars
    This is now the only way I bake my sourdough! It has never failed and the crust is only slightly crunchy. I usually slice it the day after it was baked, and wrap 3 slices up together. Then, I freeze it all in a big gallon bag. I date it, then only take out one packet at a time to eat. That way it doesn’t get old and it is usually only me eating it. I no longer even buy regular bread as this is so much healthier. Thanks for this great recipe!