This soft fresh milled sourdough sandwich bread is light, fluffy, and made with 100% fresh milled whole grain! It’s easy to make, nutritious, and a yummy staple to have in your kitchen!

Fermented fresh milled flour is one of the most nutritious ways to consume grains in your diet. This sourdough sandwich bread is not only delicious, but it is also a nutrient dense way to have grains.

Let me show you how to make this soft fresh milled sourdough sandwich bread!

What is sourdough?

Sourdough is a natural yeast made from fermented flour and water. Feeding the starter regularly keeps the bacteria in the yeast alive and healthy.

Adding sourdough starter to any flour recipe and allow the dough to sit for 12-24 hours will ferment the dough. The bacteria in the sourdough will break down the gluten which makes it easier to digest. The microorganisms in the starter will also feed your gut micro-biome.

Benefits of a Tangzhong

A tangzhong is a simple paste made with flour and water pulled from the recipe (not additional flour and water). This paste quickly comes together on the stove, and when added to the dough, it retains moisture to keep your bread light, fluffy, and moist.

Don’t skip this step if you want the best results!

Ingredients

Melted butter
Honey
Salt
Eggs
Sourdough starter
Hard white wheat

Equipment

Mixing bowl
Grain mill
Loaf pans (2)

How to Make Sourdough Sandwich Bread

Step 1: Weigh and mill the flour.

Measure out 1,050 grams of hard white wheat berries and mill the flour.

Step 2: Measure the water.

In a mixing bowl, measure out the water called for in the recipe.

Step 3: Make the tangzhong.

From the milled flour and the measured water, put 1/3 cup of flour and 1 cup of water into a pan.
Cook the mixture on the stove on medium heat until it becomes a thick paste.
Set aside and allow it to cool.

Step 4: Combine the other ingredients.

In the mixing bowl, add the rest of the milled flour into the remaining water.
Add in the butter, honey, salt, eggs, and starter.
Add the tangzhong to the dough once it has cooled down a little.

Step 5: Mix the dough thoroughly.

Mix the dough with your hands or a dough hook on the mixture until the ingredients are well combined.

Step 6: Cover for the first rise.

Cover the dough with a warm, damp cloth and allow the dough to rise on the counter for 8-12 hours or until doubled in size.

Step 7: Shape the dough.

Once the dough has doubled in size, cut the dough in half and roll and shape the dough into loaves.
Place each shaped loaf into a greased loaf pan.
Cover the loaves with a warm, damp cloth and allow the dough to rise on the counter for 3-6 hours or until doubled in size.

Step 8: Bake the bread.

Preheat the oven to 350 F and bake for 50 minutes or until golden brown.
The internal temp should be 190-200 F.

Step 9: Butter the top.

When the warm bread comes out of the oven, butter the top of the bread with a cold stick of butter to soften the top of the bread.
Allow the bread to rest for 1 hour before cutting.

Baking Tips

Create a proofing box for your dough by setting your oven to preheat for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, shut off your oven, and place your bowl of dough, covered with a damp towel, into the warm oven.

This environment will speed up the rise and fermentation of your dough, especially if your kitchen is cold.

Storage

Store your bread in a sealed plastic bag or an air-tight container at room temperature. Do NOT store your bread in the fridge. The fridge will dry out your sandwich bread quickly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does my starter need to be active? Yes and no. Your starter should be fed and maintained (keep in the fridge and feed once a week for easy maintenance) for best results. However, starter that is fed and past its peak can still be used in the recipe. The bread may just take longer to rise.

Can I use milk in place of water? Yes, you could replace the water with warm milk for both the dough and the tangzhong.

Could this dough be used for other bread items? Yes! This enriched sourdough is GREAT for other purposes such as dinner rolls, hamburger buns, and hot dog buns.

This fresh milled sourdough sandwich bread is soft and fluffy, the perfect bread for toast, sandwiches, or just fresh out of the oven!