Sourdough Discard Sandwich Bread

Soft, fluffy sandwich bread with a hint of sourdough flavor

This sourdough discard sandwich bread is one of my favorite everyday loaves. It uses sourdough discard for flavor but relies on a small amount of yeast for a reliable rise, giving you soft, fluffy sandwich bread without the long wait of fully sourdough-fermented loaves.

The dough is enriched with butter and honey, creating a tender crumb and light sweetness that works beautifully for toast, sandwiches, or cinnamon swirl bread.

This recipe makes two 1-lb sandwich loaves.

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Ingredients

Dough

540 g bread flour
340 g whole milk
120 g sourdough discard (100% hydration, unfed)
63 g honey
42 g melted butter
11 g salt
6 g active dry yeast

Optional substitute for milk:
Use 340 g water + 25 g skim milk powder instead of milk.

Instructions

1. Mix the Dough

In the bowl of a stand mixer or bread machine pan, combine:

Warm milk (or water + milk powder)
Sourdough discard
Honey
Active dry yeast

Add the flour and salt, then mix until a smooth dough forms.

Knead for about 8–10 minutes until the dough is soft, elastic, and slightly tacky but not sticky. Or speed up the process! I like to add everything into my bread maker on the mix setting and let it do all the hard work at the prefect heat setting to speed up fermentation! [Shop the bread machine].

2. Bulk Fermentation

Transfer the dough to a glass bowl or Cambro container. [Shop 4q Cambro containers]

Cover and let rise at 72–75°F until it has increased in volume by about 75–90%, about 60–90 minutes depending on room temperature.

The dough should look puffy and airy but not overly doubled.

3. Divide and Pre-Shape

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface.

Divide into two equal pieces (about 550–560 g each).

Gently shape each piece into a loose round and let rest 10–15 minutes.
This short bench rest relaxes the gluten and makes final shaping easier.

4. Shape the Loaves

Flatten each piece into a rectangle about 8 x 12 inches.

Roll the dough tightly into a log, sealing the seam and pinching the ends closed.

Place seam-side down into greased loaf pans. I love my durable, USA made one pound loaf pans! [Shop 1-pound loaf pans]

5. Final Proof

Cover the pans and let the dough rise until the top of the loaf is about 1 inch above the rim of the pan. With as much as I bake, I love these convenient plastic hairnet style covers for my pans. [Shop plastic covers]

This usually takes 45–75 minutes, depending on room temperature.

6. Bake

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

Bake for 30–35 minutes, until the loaves are golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 190–195°F.

7. Cool

Remove the loaves from the pans and let them cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Optional: Cinnamon Swirl Variation

For one loaf, stretch the dough roughly 8″x12″ and spread the shaped rectangle with:

30 g softened butter
55–60 g brown sugar
5–6 g cinnamon

Brush the soft dough with the soft butter, then coat with the cinnamon sugar mix. Press the filling lightly into the dough, roll tightly, seal the seam, and continue with the recipe as written.

Storage

Store at room temperature in a bread bag for 2–3 days.
This bread also freezes very well.