Soft Wheat Sourdough Sandwich Bread

Made with a combination of whole wheat flour and bread flour and enriched with butter and molasses, this Soft Wheat Sourdough Sandwich Bread has a tender crumb and delicious wholesome flavor.

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While I love the chewy texture and classic flavor of a traditional sourdough boule, sometimes it’s nice to change it up with a wheat sandwich-style bread.

This Soft Wheat Sourdough Sandwich Bread is perfect for PB&Js, grilled cheese, cold cut sandwiches, or even just plain toast. But if I had to choose, my favorite way to enjoy this bread is with a classic grilled cheese sandwich.

There’s something about the whole wheat flavor in combination with the slight sweetness from the molasses and the soft texture that make this sandwich bread hard to beat. This bread has become a staple in my sourdough collection, and I hope it will be for you too!

Find more delicious sourdough bread recipes from Quail Creek Homestead:

• Favorite Sourdough Boule
• Sourdough Buttermilk Sandwich Bread
• Cheesy Garlic Sourdough French Bread
• Sourdough Slider Buns
• Brown Sugar Cinnamon Sourdough Bread
• 6 Favorite Sourdough Bread Variations You Need to Try!

Tools to Make Soft Wheat Sourdough Sandwich Bread

Large mixing bowl

Kitchen scale

Wooden spoon

Loaf pans (2)

Bench scraper

Danish dough whisk (optional)

Wire rack

Ingredients for Soft Wheat Sourdough Sandwich Bread

Water – non-chlorinated, room temp

Sourdough leaven – see below for how to make a leaven for this recipe

Molasses – organic, unsulphured if possible

Butter, melted

Whole wheat flour – organic if possible

Bread flour – organic if possible. Aim for a bread flour with at least 11-13% protein content. I like King Arthur Organic Bread Flour

Salt – my favorite salt is Redmond Real Salt

How to Make a Leaven for This Recipe

New to sourdough? For a complete overview of sourdough starter, please visit my How to Feed a Sourdough Starter post.

To make Soft Wheat Sourdough Sandwich Bread, you’ll need 200 grams of active leaven. A leaven is basically just active starter kept in a separate container that was made specifically for a recipe. You’ll basically use the entire leaven in the recipe, besides a few grams extra (which is nice since some of it sticks to the sides of the jar).

To make 200 grams of leaven, in a clean jar, mix:

• 100 grams non-chlorinated water, room temp
• 100 grams bread flour
• 20 grams active starter (starter that has been fed within the last 4-12 hours)

Combine this mixture well, cover, and place in a warm spot to become active. Sourdough activity really depends on the temperature of your home and the vitality of your starter, but your leaven should be ready within the next 4-12 hours.

Your leaven is ready when it has doubled in size and has a puffy top with lots of bubbles throughout. When you use a spoon to gently pull the leaven away from the sides of your jar, there should be long strands visible.

Method

In a large mixing bowl, measure 650 grams of water. Whisk in 200 grams of leaven. You can use a Danish dough whisk for this, but a fork will work fine too.

Add the molasses and melted butter and whisk to combine. Stir in the bread flour and whole wheat flour until a shaggy dough forms.

Cover and let the dough rest 20-30 minutes (autolyse).

Add the salt and 10 grams of water. Using a wet hand, work the mixture until a cohesive dough forms. Cover and let rest another 20-30 minutes.

Perform 2 rounds of stretch and folds over the next 30 minutes, 15 minutes apart. To do a round of stretch and folds, with a wet hand, pull up on one side of the dough and fold over itself. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat. Repeat this process four times total.

Cover the dough and place in a warm spot to rise for the next 6-8 hours (bulk rise). When complete, the dough should be nearly doubled in size.

Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and divide in half using a bench scraper. Let the dough rest while you grease two loaf pans or line with parchment paper.

Shape the dough into a loaf by gently stretch it out and folding it up, pinching the seams. Place in the prepared loaf pans, cover, and let rise in a warm spot for 2-4 hours.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake the loaves for 40-42 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool 30 minutes, then run a butter knife around the edge of the loaves and turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before cutting.

FAQ

What is the difference between a leaven and active starter? They are basically the same thing – active sourdough starter that is ready to bake with. However, a leaven is like a separate starter made specifically for a recipe. If you keep a large starter and feed directly into it, you can use active starter for this recipe. If you keep a small starter, then making a separate leaven is the way to go.

Can you freeze Soft Wheat Sourdough Sandwich Bread? Yes, this bread can freeze in an airtight bag or container for at least a month. When thawing, just make sure there is no condensation left in the bag as this might encourage mold growth more quickly.

Can this recipe be kneaded in the stand mixer instead of the stretch and fold method? I find that the stretch and fold method, although a bit slower, produces a much more developed gluten structure than just kneading in the stand mixer. However, since this is an enriched sandwich bread, you won’t notice much difference in the crumb structure of the final product between the two methods, so do whatever works best for you.