Sourdough Sandwich Loaf

by mmmelroy

932154

Intro: Sourdough Sandwich Loaf

this is my attempt to make a fluffy, sourdough based sandwitch bread that would slice nicely, and last on the counter for a week. the original recipe was found on king Arthur Flour and i adulterated it to fit my own requirements.

STEP 1: Generate the Levian

I have been using the "discard" from my sourdough starter feedings to make this. I take half of my starter and put it into a quart size wide mouth mason jar (~1cup starter discard) and mix in equal parts water and flour in the evening before the day i want to make my sandwitch loaves

so mixed together into a widemouth mason jar we have:

  • 1 cup sourdough starter discard
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup warm water

cover with plastic wrap and put into the fridge overnight.

when you wake up take it out of the fridge and put it into a warm part of the house. I use my gas stovetop since the pilot light burns just warm enough to keep it ~85deg F on my stovetop without a breeze

after ~3 hours it should have risen to completely fill the mason jar, you are now ready to make the dough

STEP 2: Mix the Dough

i like to start mixing all the liquids first, then start adding the dry ingredients.

in mixer bowl with a paddle attachment i add the following:

  • Levian
  • 1 cup evaporated milk
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 4 tsp salt
  • 1 cup room temp butter
  • 3 cups warm water

then i slowly add flour ~1/2 cup at a time. when the dough starts to get stiff i stop, switch to the dough hook attachment, and then finish adding the flour. if the dough is still overly sticky and not pulling away from the bowl sides, add alittle flour at a time until the dough pulls away from the bowl while the dough hook is kneading in the mixer bowl. pictures for detail here

STEP 3: Final Knead and First Rise

I like using a canvas cloth dusted with flour for the final knead. really helps keep the cleanup less painful.

Pull the dough out of the mixer and put on the floured surface of your choosing. knead the dough by flattening it then folding it onto itself a few times.

grease a large mixing bowl, and put the dough in there to rise covered with a towel in a warm spot in the house. Again I use the grates of my stovetop because the pilot lights keep it a very stable warm temperature.

allow the dough to rise for ~2 hours or until it nearly doubles in size.

STEP 4: Final Rise

once your dough has risen it's time to split it up into 4 equal parts and put into 9"x5" greased baking trays. Again cover and let rise in a warm part of the house. this may take up to 2 hrs, and is totally worth the wait.

once the dough has risen ~1in above the top of the pans, pre-heat the oven to 375deg F

STEP 5: Bake the Bread

bake your loaves of bread for 30-35min and aim for the tops to be browned.

remove from oven, remove from pans and let rest on cooling racks.

Don't cut into it till it's room temperature!

STEP 6: Side Quest

if you have some extra dough (i had enough extra for about half of a loaf) cut up pre-cooked sausage into 1in lengths and make sausage stuffed buns.

  1. divide remaining dough into 3oz pieces
  2. flatten ball of dough, place sausage piece in the middle, fold and pinch the dough around the sausage and set to rest on greased baking tray seam facing down.
  3. allow to rest while you pre-heat the oven to 375
  4. bake for 25minutes
  5. allow to cool for 10min after removal from oven
  6. enjoy with spicy mustard or sauce of preference

3 Comments

MLadyWench 4 years ago

Hello! I have never made sourdough starter before. How do you make yours? I would like to get back to making bread for my family. Thank you and take care!