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No Knead Sourdough Sandwich Bread from Fresh Milled Flour
Table of Contents
What makes this sourdough sandwich bread recipe different?
This soft sourdough sandwich bread recipe from Sourdough Without Fail is made from 100% whole wheat, or with some changes which I’ll discuss below, it also works with ancient grains such as emmer, Khorasan, spelt, and einkorn.
This recipe has been tested with fresh milled flour from my grain mill and with regular 100% whole grain flours and it works well with either type of flour.
Based on a French style of loaf called Pain De Mie, the generous amounts of milk and butter added to the dough make a beautifully soft crust and crumb. Just the right amount of honey is added to the dough for dash of sweetness that makes this loaf a favourite with children, and perfect for any kind of sandwich or toast.
There are two possible timelines for making this whole grain sourdough sandwich bread: if you want a same-day loaf, you can start the dough in the morning, ferment it for four hours, and then bake it in the afternoon or evening, or if you prefer to mix your bread at night and bake the next day, this dough works really well with an overnight cool fermentation.
You can also do a same-day ferment and then cold-proof the dough overnight.
While many sourdough sandwich bread recipes call for using an electric mixer, or extensive hand kneading, this one works with the more gentle method of resting, stretching, and folding. If you’ve never used the stretch and fold method before, see my whole grain sourdough bread for beginners recipe, which has step-by-step photos of the process.
Instead of using a pullman loaf pan, this recipe uses a normal loaf pan with a cookie sheet on top, to trap steam for a better rise, while protecting the top crust from excessive browning at the same time.
Whole wheat and ancient grain flour choices
Whole wheat, emmer, spelt, and khorasan can be be used in the recipe as-is, with no need to adjust the amount of milk or anything else.
Whole einkorn flour can also be used, but you’ll need to reduce the amount of milk by 34g (around two tablespoons) for every loaf you’re making.
Free fresh milled flour sourdough discard cookbook
How to make sourdough sandwich bread from fresh milled flour
Equipment
Mixing bowl
Loaf pan
Cookie sheet
Timing
Bulk ferment: 4 hours, or overnight
Proof: 2 hours, or overnight
Ingredients for one loaf
90g (6 Tbsp) ripe sourdough starter at 100% hydration
405g whole wheat flour (or khorasan, or emmer)
300g (1 1/4 cups) warm milk
31g (1 1/2 Tbsp) honey
50g (3 Tbsp) butter, melted
8g (2 1/2 tsp) salt
Method
Mix dough
Combine the all the ingredients in a bowl and mix until no traces of flour remain.
Rest, stretch, and fold
Allow to sit for around 20 minutes, then do a series of stretch and folds. The dough will still be very sticky at this point. Rest for another 20 minutes, then do another set of stretch and folds.
Ferment
Cover the bowl with beeswax wrap, a plate, or a tea towel, move it to somewhere below 8ºC (46ºF), and ferment overnight. Alternatively, ferment at room temperature for three to five hours.
Punch down, divide, shape, and proof
Punch the dough down and squash and fold it a few times to reinvigorate the yeasts. Divide if you are making more than one loaf. Squash each piece of dough into a flat rectangle, making it slightly smaller in width than your loaf pans, then roll up as if you were rolling cinnamon rolls. Use your hands to smooth any tears or marks in the dough, then place seam side down in buttered loaf pans.
Allow to proof for around two hours. In a warm room, the bread will rise somewhat during this time. If your room is cold, it probably won’t rise much.
Bake
Preheat the oven to 190ºC (375ºF).
Brush top of the loaves with egg wash or milk.
Place the loaves in the oven and cover them with a cookie sheet. Bake for 45 minutes, then remove the cookie sheet and bake for a further 5 to 15 minutes, or until the top of the loaves is a nice golden brown, the loaves feel light when you pick them up, and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped.
No Knead Sourdough Sandwich Bread from Fresh MIlled Flour
An easy and delicious sandwich bread made from 100% whole grain fresh milled flour
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Mix dough
- Combine the all the ingredients in a bowl and mix until no traces of flour remain.
Rest, stretch, and fold
- Allow to sit for around 20 minutes, then do a series of stretch and folds. The dough will still be very sticky at this point. Rest for another 20 minutes, then do another set of stretch and folds.
Ferment
- Cover the bowl with beeswax wrap, a plate, or a tea towel, move it to somewhere below 8ºC (46ºF), and ferment overnight. Alternatively, ferment at room temperature for three to five hours.
Punch down, divide, shape, and proof
- Punch the dough down and squash and fold it a few times to reinvigorate the yeasts. Divide if you are making more than one loaf.
- Squash each piece of dough into a flat rectangle, making it slightly smaller in width than your loaf pans, then roll up as if you were rolling cinnamon rolls. Use your hands to smooth any tears or marks in the dough, then place seam side down in buttered loaf pans.
- Allow to proof for around two hours. In a warm room, the bread will rise somewhat during this time. If your room is cold, it probably won’t rise much.
Bake
- Preheat the oven to 190ºC (375ºF).
- Brush top of the loaves with egg wash or milk. Place the loaves in the oven and cover them with a cookie sheet. Bake for 45 minutes, then remove the cookie sheet and bake for a further 5 to 15 minutes, or until the top of the loaves is a nice golden brown, the loaves feel light when you pick them up, and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped.
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About Kate Downham
Kate Downham has been growing, preserving, and cooking real food since 2007. She is the author of four books on homestead skills: A Year in an Off-Grid Kitchen, Natural Small Batch Cheesemaking, Backyard Dairy Goats, and Sourdough Without Fail.
Off-grid with her family of nine in the Tasmanian forest, Kate milks her own goats, makes all their cheese, mills all her own grain, and bakes fresh sourdough bread daily.
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