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
I made this bread and "I love it!" This bread is so delicious. I have eaten it plain as well as made grilled cheese sandwiches with it. It's easy and so good. I will make it again.
I made as instructed but used 100g whole wheat and 400g white flour. My mixer was a failure with dough so I ended up mixing by hand and kneading it in bowl about 10 min until it looked silky. Let it rise in bowl 1 1/2 hours and then in a Pyrex bread pan for an hour. Rise was beautiful and texture spot on IMO. I was glad to use some of my discard and will attempt other discard recipes.
Just began my sourdough adventures a couple weeks ago. I’ve made yeast bread for over 30 years and said it was time to learn! Having a ball with new recipes! I made this over the weekend and my husband flipped… he loved it! So easy!!
If I want to try the honey and oat version do I still add the 20 grams of sugar along with 20 grams of honey or just the honey? Thank you!
Hi.
I am new at sourdough, but have used your recipes the most so far. Thank you!
Question for you.
When you do your nutritional information for your recipes, especially this one, what is the serving size? Or, am I missing it?
Thank you!
Fantastic bread! Started making this and stopped buying store-bought sandwich bread. My picky eaters LOVE it.
Just made 4 loaves and MY GOSH. my kiddos and I loved it! I hadn't found a good discard recipe for bread yet, or the ones I had saved were not that great but I didn't care to change it up haha.
THANK YOU!!
I see we can use regular yeast. To proof it would we just take some of the water from the recipe to proof it. What about the sugar?
Fantastic recipe! No more store bought bread for us! Thank you for this wonderful recipe! Question: Can it be sliced and enjoyed while still hot from the oven? Or does it need to cool completely like most sourdough so that it doesn't become gummy?
You'll want to let it cool first 🙂
This came out so I delicious, I think it's even better than the one from my local bakery! How do I get out to taste more sour though?
This is my first try at an actual loaf. I’m so excited that it came out! How should the bread be stored once it’s baked?
You use an 8 in pan without a lid and get the big mushroom top. I have a 14 in pan and want to use the lid for square loaves- should I keep the recipe the same or double it?
I think this is probably more of a two loaf recipe. When I made it, there’s as much coming out of the top as there was actually in the pan. 😂
I’ve make this recipe every week and it turns out great every time. Thank you so much!
I think this is my 6th loaf so far for this recipe. Loving this recipe and a good way to use my discard. Thank you and oh yeah I’ve tried few other of your recipe. Always a success. Thank you and much love from Malaysia 🇲🇾
Do I have to add the instant or regular yeast to the recipe for using your discard bread recipe? Would it just not raise enough? It seems like adding in yeast defeats the purpose of doing sourdough even discard. Thanks!
Hi there! Could this recipe be made with oil instead of butter? My son has a dairy allergy. Also, could honey be used in place of the sugar? Thanks!
Yes and yes. 🙂 You can sub oil for butter (equal amounts) and honey for the sugar (equal amounts, or to your preferred sweetness).
Made a loaf of the spread yesterday and sliced into it this morning. Was amazing! I followed the instructions, but when it came to adding the butter and the yeast and the salt, I found that it did not incorporate very easily or well. The butter was room temperature as stated in the recipe, so I was kind of on the struggle bus with this, I ended up needing it by hand to get all the butter incorporated and disperse of the yeast and salt. Wonder if you have any tips to make this easier? Would love to get to the point of making this more frequently without all my extra time to get it to pull together , thank you in advance
Have you made this bread loaf using a pullman pan with lid?
Thanks
My SIL loved this bread when I made it for them. She wants to make it but no starter. How much yeast should be used to replace the sourdough starter?
Can I let this do its final proofing in the refrigerator overnight and bake in the morning?
This bread is amazing! The only problem I have with it is it splits on the side so I don’t get a beautiful fully rounded top. I even bought the exact pans you use. It does make a hugely impressive loaf. I did add cinnamon and some raisins. Could that be the problem. Surely didn’t affect the taste!
I don’t have time or the desire to babysit artisan sourdough loaves. I make this recipe at least twice a week and my family loaves it. 😬We’ve stopped buying regular sandwich bread, and I call that a win.
It's easy to make and it is delicious! I made the Oats variation! A recipe to keep!!! So Yummy!
Made exactly as directed and this has turned out perfectly every time. My go-to sandwich loaf recipe. Thank you!
Made this bread today, followed recipe exactly and came out DELICIOUS! Definitely will be making this again and again! I thought it was a little weird to add the yeast the way the recipe calls for. I thought yeast was supposed to dissolve in a liquid first, but I decided to trust the process and I’m glad I did!
If I use active dried yeast, I understand that I will have to bloom the yeast. Recipe calls for 7 g instant yeast. Would I use 7 g of active dried yeast?
Yes, You'll use the same amount. 🙂
I'd like to make this recipe using honey rather than sugar. Would it still be the same amount for honey?
Yes, you can replace the sugar 1 for 1 with honey.
I made this last night and was really good, but the salt, sugar, and/or yeast didn’t dissolve well? It rose and had a lovely texture, other than we were crunching granular stuff. My daughter thought somebody got dirt on her slice. Recommendations?
Did you use a coarse sugar and/or salt, like cane sugar and/or sea salt?
Love this recipe! So easy to make and easy to modify. Make at least a loaf or two a week!
I am curious though if anyone's tried mini loaves? Either 1/2 or 1/4 of this recipe? Would love to make little personal loaves with it but not sure how to adjust baking time and such.