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
How long to knead Thermomix?
I would knead for around 3 to 4 minutes in the Thermomix but use your judgement on this as each dough will be a little different 🙂
Making this loaf for the 2d time this week. It’s just an incredibly easy and straightforward recipe!
Thank you for making it easy!
Have you ever exchanged oil for the butter?
You can absolutely do that 🙂
Do I need to cover the dough while it rises?
Yes it's best if you cover it to stop the dough drying out.
Absolutely amazing. My husband is picky and he said this is THE best bread he’s ever had - and he grew up in Europe with his mom making homemade bread. Chefs kiss!
Great bread both plain and toasted. Open, soft, moist crumb. Nice thin crust. Phenomenal oven spring of over 4". I'll use a 9x5-inch pan the next time. The only change I made to the recipe was to use 200 grams of discard, reducing the flour and water measure by 50 grams each. The dough is smooth, satiny and easy to handle.
I used cold cubed butter and Normal Active yeast in my recipe ,I just make sure to give it an extra hour during the prove and i added stretch and folds during the first hour…(4 folds at a time every 20 mins for the first hour of the prove so ((4 times)) love this bread it come out great every time.
This is an outstanding white sandwich bread. It's pillowy soft and moist with a slightly open crumb. It has phenomenal oven spring. I've made it a few times and the oven spring has been over 3" each time. The only change I make to the recipe is to use 200 grams discard, adjusting the flour and water measures accordingly. The dough weighs over 900 grams which is a lot of dough for an 8x4 pan. I now bake it in a 9x5 pan, or portion off about 130 grams for a bun when using an 8x4 pan.
This is a really great recipe. I've made it quite a few times and it's always come out beautifully. If you don't have a stand mixer, the dough can be easily made by hand (it's seem too buttery for a few minutes and then it smooths out). I do always extend the first rise by quite a but - I've never had it double in an hour, so I plan for it to take a little longer. I really appreciate this fantastic recipe, so thank you!!
Giving it a 3 so far. My bread is coming out pretty dense - great for toast, but meh for sandwiches. I'm using Active dry yeast instead of instant. I'm getting a rise, but perhaps the yeast is old (still before the expiration date). Any thoughts? Longer rise time in bowl?
If you're not using instant yeast, you might need to add the active dry yeast to the water first and allow it to bloom 🙂 This is what would be causing the issue here 🙂
Can you do this without a standup mixer?
Yes you can knead the dough by hand 🙂
I am interested in making this dairy free. What kind of oil would you suggest supplementing? At what point would you add it and how much would you add? Thank you <3
You can add the same amount of oil as you would butter (60g). You'll add it at the same time as you would add the butter (in step 2). Any oil should work. 🙂
Could you add cheese to this bread when mixing to make it a softer cheese bread instead of the golden cheese bread recipe yo have?
If you're looking for a cheese loaf, I recommend this golden sourdough cheese loaf 🙂
This is my favorite sandwich bread recipe! But does anyone have a way of adding potatoes to make it a potato bread with discard? My starter is going great, but I don’t want to make a second potato starter.
I don’t know how many times I w used this recipe. It always turns out so well. We have tried the multigrain version and love it! I make a couple of loaves of bread a week. We have used it for sandwiches, Texas Toast, French toast, breakfast casseroles, you name it. So good and so easy!
Thanks for this fantastic discard recipe. It comes out perfectly each time. This is my discard go-to recipe! I do have a question though. Might this recipe be used for making hamburger buns? I know about splitting the dough and forming the buns and rising..... Thanks for an informative web site!!!
Turned out great!
I followed the instructions to the letter. Baked in Pullman with the lid off and it turned our beautifully. It's BLT and tomato sammy season for us and this makes fantastic toast.
I doubled this recipe and used the larger full-loaf size Pullman pan (no top) and the loaf is HUGE! The mushroom top easily dwarfs the bottom that’s in the pan. How would I prevent that in the future? The recipe was super easy to follow and make, but I’d like something more uniform.
This is a great no fail recipe! I swapped the butter for olive oil and it’s amazing 🤩
Thank you for all the details! I used fresh soft white wheat and hard white wheat berries - milled and half of it sifted. Based on my 65% humidity kitchen I altered amount of flour. Looking forward to trying with fresh milled einkorn and spelt berries. Thanks so much! Angie in Alabama
Made this today and it turned out perfectly! I enjoy all of your recipes. Thank you so much!!
I've been making this bread weekly (or more!) for months now. I searched and tried a lot of bread recipes that would stay soft to replace storebought sandwich bread and this is it! Delicious plain with butter, or as sandwich bread...or anything else. I usually put some oats and honey in it, bake 35-40 minutes, and if not using within a day I'll slice and freeze it and take out slices as needed. Thanks for such a delicious and easy recipe!
Has anyone been adventurist enough to add inclusions or seasonings to this recipe?
This recipe is amazing. I make it every week for lunches. Has anyone ever tried adding inclusions or seasoning when shaping?
Does anyone know what size Pullman Pan to use for this recipe???
This recipe works best in a tin around 4 x 8 x 4 inches. This is the one Kate uses.
If kept in the fridge, how old can the discard be?
Sourdough Discard Sandwich Bread
KATE,
I LOVE this recipe. Make it all the time for a quick fix. BUT then I tried to be creative by making it a cinnamon raison bread and, while it tasted great, the consistency, well, it breaks apart. I milled Hard Red berries (added more water because it was drier and to compensate for unsoaked raisons), and made a cinnamon sugar paste that I added in blobs on top of the dough before just before I shaped/rolled it for the pan. I did not soak the raisons (another reason for adding more water) and added them during the kneading.
I know I don't know quite enough to identify what I didn't add. Can you help me?
Hi Shannon, Try this recipe instead:
https://www.pantrymama.com/sourdough-discard-cinnamon-raisin-bread/
This is the easiest bread recipe! It’s a great way to get that sourdough flavor on the table in a few hours. Husband-and-granddaughter-approved!
I accidentally used active dry yeast instead of instant yeast. Will that make any difference in this loaf?
No it won't, the only difference is that instant yeast doesn't have to be bloomed first.
Hi! Love your discard recipes I make the Dutch oven discard bread every time I make soup. With that I sub almost 1/3 of the bread flour for whole wheat and add 40-50g honey into the warm water before mixing. Can I do that here also? I also would like to do this as an overnight rise as I have most free time late evenings and early mornings. Could I add just a pinch of instant yeast instead if the 7g and rise overnight on counter instead of in the 2 hours?
I'm so glad you love all the recipes 🙂 If you're looking for a whole wheat option for this recipe you should try this whole wheat sourdough sandwich loaf 🙂