Easy Sourdough Discard Sandwich Bread Recipe
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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 bread in a hurry. You'll get a super soft, light and airy crumb with a soft crust that's easy to eat.
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!
If you'd like a more artisan style sourdough discard bread, you could try this recipe.
Which Loaf Pan Should You Choose?
Sandwich bread needs to be baked in a laof pan. You can use an open tin or a tin with a lid or “Pullman Bread Tin“. If you use an open tin, you’ll achieve a rounded top to your sandwich loaf. This is what I prefer to bake in.
You can however also use a Pullman Tin. This has a lid that slides on top and will yield you a square sandwich loaf, more like the bread you would buy in the supermarket.
No matter what type of tin you use, this loaf is best in a tin around 4 x 8 x 4 inches. This is the one I use (I just leave the lid off as I think it is nicer with the rounded top).
Sometimes my sourdough sandwich discard bread comes out looking like a mushroom ... it makes my kids love it even more because they think it's hilarious! Spot the squishy toddler fingers!
Shaping Sandwich Bread
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. It may feel stickier than traditional sourdough, but if it is, you just need to flour your hands a little.
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 and crust when it's baked.
Then simply plop the log into your buttered tin.
Freezing A Sourdough Discard Sandwich Loaf
You can easily double or even triple this recipe (when you look at the recipe below, you can easily click the button and it will automatically calculate the measurements for you). Doubling the recipe means you can use one loaf and freeze the other.
These plastic bread bags are perfect for freezing your sandwich bread in.
This yeasted version of sandwich bread is super handy to have in your recipe collection when you realise you have to pack school lunches ... and there's no bread!!
It also freezes really well - as a whole loaf or even sliced and made into sandwiches.
To store frozen sandwiches, you can place each sandwich in a plastic ziploc bag. This makes them easy to place in lunchboxes in the morning. You could also wrap them in parchment paper and store in an airtight plastic container in the freezer if you don’t want to use ziploc bags.
Slicing Sourdough Discard Sandwich Loaf
Slicing a sandwich loaf can be tricky, especially if you want perfect slices. However, you can purchase a bread slicing guide which makes things much easier. You could even use an electric knife or electric food slicer.
Making Sourdough Discard Sandwich Bread in the Thermomix
I use a Thermomix to make this discard bread, however you could use any stand mixer. I find that using a mixer creates a super soft crumb - and makes this a quick easy recipe to use.
I use the dough function on the Thermomix (any version will work TM31, TM5 or TM6).
As with the traditional sourdough method in your Thermomix, clean up is easy - just add some water to the jug afterwards and run at speed 10 to clean the blades.
For the all the best sourdough recipes to make in your Thermomix, check out this guide.
Sourdough Discard Sandwich Bread Variations & Substitutions
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 or Wholemeal Flour for a more hearty country style sandwich loaf. You could top with sesame seeds when you place it into the tin.
- Make this loaf into sourdough discard rolls by following these instructions.
Equipment for Making Sourdough Discard Sandwich Bread
Sandwich Loaf Pans – you’ll need a selection of sandwich loaf tins to bake your bread. Having 2 or even 4 is a great idea if you want to bake several loaves at once (and this bread freezes really well).
Plastic Bread Bags – these are a great way to store and freeze your bread and fantastic if you’re making multiple loaves at once.
Bread Slicing Guide – these are super handy if you’re wanting perfectly sliced sandwich bread.
Further Reading
If you love this recipe, you might enjoy these:
- Check out this guide to making sourdough discard sandwich bread in a bread machine.
- Prefer baking with whole wheat flour? You might prefer this whole wheat sourdough discard sandwich loaf.
- These super fast sourdough discard hamburger buns are delicious - soft, buttery and everything a burger bun should be!
- Want to make a sourdough version of pane di casa? This sourdough pane di casa is perfect (it uses discard too!).
Sourdough Discard Sandwich Loaf Recipe
Video
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Digital Scales
- Bread Tin
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
Love this recipe! My kids love it too!!!
Can I bake this with a lid on it at a slightly higher temperature ? Thanks
I love this recipe. Any suggestions of what I could use instead of discard? My family prefers this to the sourdough bread that I make, and so my need for discard is exceeding my normal production.
This recipe is a keeper. Thanks!!!
Hi
Just thought I'd let you know made this and liked it very much. Substituted olive oil for the butter because can't do animal fats, and seemed OK to do that. A couple of questions if that's ok?
1. Do you think it needs the sugar? I put it in because I thought maybe necessary for the yeast, but would prefer not to be eating sugar.
2. I subbed in about 40% wholemeal flour and the mix was very dry so I added water but I didn't get the silky texture you mention even after about 8 minutes kneading in a stand mixer. Was it just the wholemeal making it dry? Or is it meant to be dry? Any chance you could show us a quick video of what you mean by "silky"?
Thanks
I've been looking for a good sandwich loaf recipe when I stumbled on your post. I tried it and it definitely is a keeper. Now, I don't have to throw away my sourdough discards. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
How long should I let the bread cool before placing it into a plastic bread bag? I would like to cool it overnight. If I do that, would it dry the bread out?
Do you use a dough hook with your stand mixer in step one? Or am I better off using my handheld dough whisk?
Do you think I can use a bread machine for this bread?
Love this recipe! Make multiple loaves, slice and freeze them so I’m not baking every day. (Also easier to share)
I have a question…after all the proofing, as I make it into the rectangle…could I add cinnamon and maybe raisins or chocolate chips to make a sweet loaf? If yes…same baking instructions?
I have been baking for years and this is easily one of the best bread recipes I have come across! Thank you for sharing. This will be my go to recipe!
I made this recipe a few weeks ago and it was delicious. I kneaded by hand for about 20minutes.
I do have a question though - has anyone doubles this recipe to make 2 loaves? At what point do you split the dough into 2?
Thanks!
Can I omit the butter?
Very happy to find a recipe to make bread with discard. Replaced 30% bread flour with spelt. Reduced sugar to 3% (may remove more after tasting the final product) and replaced the 60 gr butter with 44 gr olive oil. Also used the grain variation and added 56 gr (what I had) mixed pumpkin, sunflower, sesame and flax seed. The bread looks fabulous out of the oven.
I made this bread today. I wanted to make four loaves. It was amazing but did it raise!! All four of my loaves look like mushrooms!! So much fun! I added several cups of seeds for extra texture. Best bread ever!
Best sandwich bread recipe ever!!!!!
Question: how do you store it? Wrap? Leave out? I don’t want to lose the moisture! It’s so good!!!
Yes!!! What is the best way to store??
It was a busy day the first time I made this bread, but despite all the distractions (that I blame for misreading the recipe ingredients and starting the initial mixture with double the water!!) The clue was the soupy mixture that, according to the recipe, should have been a shaggy dough. It turned out marvellously when I doubled the other ingredients as well! Two beautiful loaves! Today I intentionally doubled up - thank goodness for my KitchenAid that can handle that much - and there are two more loaves in the oven right now filling the house with the most glorious aroma. Thank you, thank you. I have been baking with sourdough for more than 50 years and this is the best bread of its type I have ever tried and a very welcome way to use up discard.
Hi Kate,
I was wondering the same thing. I started with the dough, but don't have time to bake now. Did you try? Did it work?
Thanks for your post! I have and JUST started out on sourdough, having gotten a sample of a sourdough starter from a friend. Can I ask, if I only have a square loaf pan (about 4x4x4) can I just half the recipe? And can I just use levain if I don't have enough discard? Same amount? Many thanks!
This is such a simple and tasty recipe. I've made it twice in a week now and the whole family loves it. The bread is fluffy but sturdy, and so delicious.
Can you use olive oil rather than butter to keep non dairy?
yes 🙂
New fave go-to easy bread recipe for my discard... lots of kids to feed and we also feed two jars of sourdough daily... my small humans say this is the best bread ever! Our best recipes get posted on the inside of our kitchen cabinets for easy reference - this got voted in!
I have never seen bread add the yeast in without any liquids - and at the end. I was skeptical but oh boy did i eat crow when that bread came out of the oven. I made two loaves and they were gone lickety split. Wonderful recipe!!
I have tried this recipe several times, my end result s being a brick. I can’t seem to get my dough to be silky and stretchy. I am using gluten free flour. Please help!
This recipe is made for regular bread flour - gluten free flour is very different 🙂
I’ve made this so many times, and it’s always perfect! Just curious what you would do to make it a rye sandwich bread? I thought about subbing half the regular flour with rye…just checking to see if you have a recommendation first
I make your bread every week but I no longer do the 30 minute rest step and just combine all ingredients at once. No appreciable difference and it saves the difficulty of combining in the yeast. Wonderful bread, thank you!
Can I still bake this recipe using a larger loaf pan? I don’t want to buy the smaller 4x8 until I know I can successfully bake the loaf. Thank yoiu
Was wondering if you have tried oil rather than butter or milk rather than water.
Love this recipe. I want to cut back on it a little and wondered if you have percentages for the ingredients? I’m using a 9x5 tin and I’m at 5600 ft and the bread is about 2-1/2 to 3 inches above the tin.
Wondering why the yeast and sugar is not added with the flour, water and starter like other similar discard recipes; then the butter comes in after 30 mins standing. Is there a reason the yeast and sugar is added only after the rest time ?
I've just baked a second loaf within three days - what a great recipe! This time around I used oil instead of butter, and only added a pinch of sugar, it turned so amazingly well!! Thank you for this recipe, I'm sure it will be appear regularly in our kitchen!
I don’t have anything to mist the bread. Any other suggestion?
I made this yesterday. I made the dough in the bread machine and baked it in a pain de mie. I cooled it on a rack. It turned out beautifully.
This has become a regular in our house. My husband says it tastes as good as the bread his Grandma made and for him that is saying a lot! She never used sourdough but this bread has a texture that is soft and squishy and delicious.