After loads of baking sourdough goodies like breads, bagels, pizzas, and everything else under the sun, I've finally found my go-to recipe for a big batch of mouthwatering sourdough sandwich loaves! This recipe yields four loaves, providing enough to satisfy our family of six throughout the week with peanut butter and jellies, grilled cheese, and the delectable accompaniment of toast alongside eggs in the morning.
If you don't need four loaves in a week, freeze them in plastic wrap and they'll thaw on the counter within a few hours. I usually put one loaf out and freeze the other three so they stay fresh for the week.
I trust that you and your loved ones will adore this loaf just as much as we do, not to mention it's a great way to utilize pantry staples like raw milk and a thriving sourdough starter!
Whether you are cooking for a family of two or six, this bulk recipe whips up four sandwich loaves that you can enjoy straight away or wrap and freeze for another day!
The day before you'd like to have this bread baked (or early morning of, if you're a very early riser), prepare your levain by mixing the starter and water until smooth.
Mix in your flour until mixed thoroughly.
Cover, and allow to ferment until very bubbly, 6-10 hours. Once it's fermented, you may put it in the fridge for up to 24 hours before you use it to continue this recipe using the instructions below. Allow it to come to room temperature before proceeding. It will take a bit of pre-planning to get your timing right!
The Morning of Baking Day
Mix beaten eggs, milk, water, honey, and butter into your levain until mixture is smooth.
In another (large) bowl, mix the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, and salt.
Using a spatula, scrape out the liquid mixture into the flour mixture and mix using a dough hook until all of the flour is fully incorporated.
Allow dough to rest, covered, for 15 minutes.
Knead dough on a clean, lightly floured surface until smooth. "Turn" dough one time and return it to the bowl to ferment and rise for 4-6 hours (until doubled in size). The beginning of this video shows what I mean by turning the dough.
Once Loaves Have Risen
Prepare 4 baking pans with a layer of oil or butter.
Scrape dough out onto lightly floured surface and divide into 4 equal parts. I like to use my scale to do this for even loaves.
Gently knead dough until smooth, and shape into a sandwich loaf. About halfway through this video shows how I like to shape my sandwich loaves.
Place each shaped dough seam side down into your prepared baking pans. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until a half an inch over the tops of the pans, roughly 1-2 hours depending on the temperature of your home.
Once Loaves Are Ready to Bake
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Once pre-heated, remove plastic-wrap and place loaves in oven and reduce temperature to 375 degrees F.
Bake for 40 minutes (or until 190-200 degrees internal temp of loaves).
Remove from oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Then, remove loaves from pan and allow to cool for 2 hours on a wire rack.
Wrap and freeze, or cut and enjoy!
Recipe Note
To freeze loaves, simply allow to cool for two hours, and then wrap tightly with freezer plastic wrap. Thaw on counter for a few hours to enjoy another day!
If your oven has a "proof" setting, you may use it to speed up any of these processes. Just be careful not to forget the precious cargo being housed in the process!
Oven temps might vary. For lighter-colored loaves, reduce temperatures by 25 degrees F.
