Name: Sourdough Buttermilk Sandwich Bread
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 2 h 55 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cup buttermilk; 1 cup sourdough starter; 2 1/2 tsp yeast; 1 tbsp honey; 1/4 cup cold, chopped butter; 1 tsp salt; 1 tsp baking soda; 4 to 5 cups flour

This soft, buttery sourdough buttermilk sandwich bread is the best homemade bread for toasts and school lunches.

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Bread is such a staple food here. In fact, it really could have it’s own wedge on the food pyramid in our home! Toast is a breakfast must have, lunch is always a sandwich and a slice of buttered bread next to a bowl of soup or pasta is guaranteed.

We go through a lot.

But as much as I love a rustic, long-fermented, crusty sourdough loaf, there are days when making bread has slipped my mind and I haven’t fed my sourdough starter but lunch lunch is quickly approaching.

For those days, a jar of yeast lives in fridge.

Sourdough Discard and Yeast

For this bread, we will use both sourdough discard and traditional baker’s yeast. We’re busy! We don’t have the time to wait 12 hours until the sourdough has risen and fermented all on it’s own.

That is where yeast comes in to help!

In this recipe the yeast does all the work of rising the bread while the sourdough add additional nutritional benefits and creates a beautiful, tangy flavour.

Should I use milk or buttermilk?

Milk and buttermilk will both work in this recipe. But if you are looking for a more fluffy and buttery texture to your bread, I recommend buttermilk.

Don’t have buttermilk? No problem! Regular whole milk will work just fine.

What you need to make sourdough buttermilk sandwich bread

Buttermilk

Sourdough Starter

Honey

Yeast

Butter

Baking Soda

Salt

Flour

Oil or additional butter for greasing

2 loaf pans

Stand mixer (recommended)

How to make Sourdough Buttermilk Sandwich Bread

Measure the buttermilk and pour it into a small saucepan. Heat the buttermilk until it is warm but not hot. If it is too hot it can kill the yeast and cause the bread no to rise. You can also do this in a microwave using a microwave safe container.

Pour the milk into the base of a stand mixer.

Then add in the sourdough starter, yeast and honey.

Use a fork to mix the ingredients together and set aside for 5 to 10 minutes to allow the yeast to bloom and become bubbly.

When the yeast is ready, add in the baking soda and salt.

Chop the butter into small cubes and then add it into the mixer.

Next, add in two cups of flour and begin to knead the bread together using a dough hook on low speed.

When the flour has been completely incorporated, add in the additional flour, 1/2 cup at a time.

Continue adding flour until the dough is tacky but not sticky. If the dough is sticking to your hands, you will need to add more flour. The dough should work itself into a rough ball.

Remove the dough from the mixer and place it onto a well-floured surface.

Next, use your hands to knead the dough for 4 to 5 minutes, gently working it into a ball.

Use oil or butter to grease a large glass bowl and then place the dough ball into the bowl.

Cover the bowl with a dish towel and set on your counter at room temperature for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.

While you are waiting, grease your loaf pans the same way you did the glass mixing bowl.

After that, empty the bowl onto a floured surface, gently coaxing the dough out.

Use a bench scraper to divide the bread into two halves.

Carefully shape the halves into “loaf form” and place them into the loaf pans.

Cover again with the towel and set aside for an hour or until the loaves have risen above the loaf pan by an inch.

Preheat the oven to 400°F and then bake the bread for 35 minutes.

When the bread has finished baking, remove it from the oven and brush the tops of the loaves with butter to create a lovely golden crust.

Allow the bread to cool before slicing and serving or storing.

How to Store Your Fresh Baked Bread

I use store bought bread bags to store my bread currently. You can find them at most grocery stores or online.

Fresh bread will last on the counter top, at room temperature, for up to a week.

Your bread will last up to 2 weeks in the fridge.

For make-ahead bread, you can place loaves into the freezer! They will last in the freezer for up to 6 months. Just remove and defrost the loaves as needed.

Yield: 2 loaves