Honey Wheat Sourdough Sandwich Bread
Honey wheat sourdough sandwich bread is made with a combination of whole wheat and bread flour for a soft sandwich bread that stays fresh for days.
Just like our cinnamon raisin sourdough bread, sourdough Hawaiian rolls, and sourdough ciabatta rolls, it can be mixed and baked on the same day!
This is hands down one of the easiest sourdough sandwich breads to make. There’s only a few minutes of hands-on time and the rest is simply waiting for the sourdough to work it’s magic.
This bread is perfect to make a grilled cheese sandwich with because it has a tight, even crumb that ensures that your toppings stay inside the bread. The tight crumb also makes it easy to cut into thick or thin slices.
This sandwich bread is equally delicious as toast covered with homemade Nutella and strawberry jam.
You’re absolutely going to love the flavor, so let’s get started!
What you'll need
- whole wheat flour and bread flour: A combination of flour is used to make sure the loaf is not too dense.
- honey: Adds sweetness to the bread.
- olive oil: Helps to produce a softer loaf that stays fresher longer. Feel free to use any oil of your choice.
- salt: Fine sea salt is recommended because it dissolves more evenly.
Equipment needed
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Sample baking schedule
- 8 PM: Feed sourdough starter.
- 8 AM: Mix dough and let rest 1 hour.
- 9 AM: Stretch and fold dough into a tight ball and let rest 3-4 hours.
- 1 PM: Shape dough, place into loaf pan and let rise 3-4 hours.
- 5 PM: Bake.
Tips for success
Make sure your sourdough starter has been fed and is active and bubbly when you mix the dough. I recommend feeding your starter a 1:4:4 ratio of starter, water and flour 12 hours before mixing the dough.
Kitchen temperature
Temperature is a very important factor when it comes to baking with sourdough.
Please note that the bulk ferment and second rise times in the instructions are for kitchens that are anywhere between 68-72°F.
If your kitchen is warmer than 72°F, you will need to keep an eye on the dough.
Warmer temperatures will cause the dough to rise more quickly so check it around the 2 hour mark to make sure it does not over-prove. Do the same during the second rise.
How do I know when the dough is ready to shape?
During the first rise, the dough should expand by about 50% in the bowl.
How to shape the dough
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently press it into a rectangular shape. Press out any large bubbles. Fold the left and right sides inward and then roll the dough into a log shape.
Place the dough, seam-side down, into a lightly greased 9 x 5” loaf pan.
Allow the dough to rise to the top of the loaf pan. The second rise should take about as long as the first rise, about 3-4 hours.
How to store and freeze
- To store: Store the baked bread in a bread bag, beeswax wrap or kitchen towel at room temperature. This honey wheat sourdough sandwich bread will keep fresh for a few days.
- To freeze: Wrap individual loaves in plastic wrap and insert into a freezer-safe container. Make sure they have cooled completely before wrapping.
Easy sourdough recipes for home bakers
Baking with sourdough is easy when you have the right recipes. Browse through our simplified sourdough recipes and you'll find step-by-step tutorials that will give you confidence in the kitchen!
- soft sourdough dinner rolls
- beginners sourdough bread
- sourdough country loaf bread
- soft sourdough pretzels
Honey Wheat Sourdough Sandwich Bread
EQUIPMENT
INGREDIENTS
Ingredients to make ½ cup Active Sourdough Starter
- 1 tablespoon (15 g) sourdough starter
- ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon (50 g) all-purpose flour
- 3 ½ tablespoons (50 g) water
Dough Ingredients
- ½ cup (100 g) active sourdough starter
- 1 ⅓ cup + 1 teaspoon (325 g) water
- 2 tablespoons (40 g) honey
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) olive oil
- 2 teaspoons (10 g) sea salt
- 1 cup + 1 teaspoon (125 g) whole wheat flour
- 3 cups + 2 tablespoons (375 g) bread flour
INSTRUCTIONS
Feed Your Sourdough Starter
- 12 hours before you plan to mix the dough, add the ingredients to make ½ cup (100 g) of active sourdough starter to a clean jar. Stir until combined, loosely cover the jar and let the starter rise at room temperature. (The ingredients will create a total of 115 g active starter but, because some of it will stick to the sides of the jar during the transfer, we are making a little more than needed.) The sourdough starter is ready to use when it has doubled in size and there are plenty of bubbles on the surface and sides of the jar.
Make the Dough
- 8 AM - Mix the dough: To a large mixing bowl, add ½ cup (100 g) of active sourdough starter, water, honey, olive oil and sea salt. Use a stiff spatula to stir the ingredients. Add the bread flour and whole wheat flour to the bowl and stir with the spatula. Switch to your hands and mix the dough until it resembles a shaggy mess and there are no dry bits in the bowl. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 1 hour.
- 9 AM - First rise: Wet your hand with water and stretch and fold the dough until it tightens up and starts to form a ball. Turn the dough in the bowl until it's slightly smooth on the outside. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rise at room temperature, 68-72°F (20-22°C), for 3-4 hours or until it has risen by about 30-50%.
- 1 PM - Shape and second rise: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently press it into a rectangular shape. Fold the two longest sides inwards about 1 inch. Fold the short side towards the opposite end until the loaf resembles a log shape. Place the dough seam-side down in a lightly greased 9" x 5" loaf pan. Allow the dough to rest at room temperature, uncovered until the dough has risen to the rim of the pan, about 3-4 hours.
- 5 PM - Bake: Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and bake for 45 minutes. Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
NOTES
- To store: Store the bread in a bread bag, beeswax wrap or kitchen towel at room temperature. The loaf will keep fresh for a few days.
- To freeze: Wrap individual loaves in plastic wrap and insert into a freezer-safe container. Make sure they have cooled completely before wrapping.
I have a question about the levain timing. My starter dependably doubles in four hours and triples in six. Wouldn’t the levain be past its peak in 12 hours at room temperature?
Hi Steve, yes it would definitely be past its peak. Do you feed it with a small ratio of starter to flour/water or do you feed it with a 1:1:1 ratio?
I tend to do something between 1:1:1 and 1:2:2. I want Fi-Dough to get a good meal! I know the higher ratio in the recipe will keep the starter a bit younger, but when I make Tartine loaf, the ratio is more like 1:10:10 and in 12 hours at 65 degrees it’s ready for mixing. Just trying to time things well.
I would say just keep doing what works for you. It seems like you've got a really strong sourdough starter! My instructions are designed to help new sourdough bakers and it sounds like you know what you are doing! 🙂
Hey there! Avid sourdough baker and lover of your website. My bread ended up with a hard crust, but still tastes delicious! Is there something I can do differently next time to keep it all soft? Thank you!
Quick question, when I make sourdough, I usually do quite a few stretching folds. I’m perplexed by just one stretch and fold. Can I do more or should I just stick to the one? I am excited to see how the bread turns out. Thank you for sharing.
You can definitely do more. This recipe was developed for beginners and others that want a really simple recipe. 🙂
Hi can I use kamut flour for recipe? Do you know What would work best with kamut ap flour? bread flour/ap/ or whole wheat or just all kamut? Any suggestions?
Thanks
Kindly!!!
Hi Sarah, are you grinding the kamut yourself?
Can white ap kamut flour be used for this recipe?
Yes, but you will need to adjust the liquid as Kamut flour absorbs liquid differently than other flours.
Can I add egg to recipe?
You can but I would hold back about 25-50g of water to compensate for the extra liquid.
Do you ever do a cold fermentation? Just wondering at what point one might do that. I currently shaped mine and put them into bread pans and put them in the fridge because I’m tired lol! But I’m not sure if I should bake cold straight out of the fridge or let them come to room temp and do the second rise before baking. Thoughts?
Yes, put them in the fridge after you shape them. If they have risen enough in the fridge you can bake them straight out of the fridge. If they haven't risen enough, you can take them out to finish rising before you bake. You will need to increase the baking time by about ten minutes if it's straight out of the fridge.
This is it. This is THE sourdough sandwhich bread you've been looking for. It's soft and fluffy, subtly sweet and so, so delicious. Toasted with butter, or slathered with hummus for a delicious savory sandwhich, it so good! It rises beautifully and is so easy to put together.
Didn’t have honey or wholewheat, so I used oatmeal and brown sugar, turned out wonderful!
Made this mostly as written. My fresh ground flour is a mixture of grains, so that is what I used in place of whole wheat. I loved that this was a sour dough, AND it was all done in one day. AND I let it cool overnight on the counter wrapped in a flour sack towel, and covered them with shower caps. Them, as in I made two loaves. AND these are amazing! Hubby and the kids all said it was a keeper.
Update: This is now a repeat offender in our house. The rise is beautiful, and it doesn’t taste sour. I changed my measurements to be two-thirds of the original recipe because the original recipe was too big of a loaf and halving the recipe was too small.
My college kids ask for this bread to take home with them after Sunday dinners. They absolutely love this bread and the country loaf bread.