Softest Sourdough Sandwich Bread EL Great Bread

Updated at: Sun, 18 Feb 2024 12:19:04 GMT

Step 1

Build the leaven

Step 2

Before bed, build the leaven.

Step 3

weigh out 15g of starter (does not need to be at peak, but needs to have reached peak) into a qt sized jar.

Step 4

feed with 55g filtered water, and 55g of unbleached bread flour.

Step 5

mix until thoroughly combined, then cover and set aside until morning.

Step 6

Final Dough

Step 7

Into the bowl of a stand mixer pour the whole milk. If you remember, bring it to room temp first (if you don’t it will just take longer to rise).

Step 8

Into the milk, crack one egg, add the sugar, and leaven that is active and bubbly. Stir together briefly just to break up the egg and leaven.

Step 9

Into the bowl add all the flour and salt. Mix until well combined then cover and rest for 30 minutes.

Step 10

After resting, knead for 5 minutes on low. Check for windowpane by stretching the dough until you can see light through it. If it tears, it has not reached windowpane. Knead for 5 more minutes.

Step 11

After kneading, add the butter one pat at a time. It will become messy, don’t worry. It will come together. Once it’s a cohesive, soft dough, form it into a ball and cover with a wet towel or plastic wrap.

Step 12

Let rise until double in size, roughly 4 hours.

Step 13

Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and knead it for a moment to fully degas the dough. If you doubled or tripled the recipe separate the dough into even pieces.

Step 14

Use your hands to pull the dough into a rough rectangle that’s the width of your loaf pan.

Step 15

Roll the dough tightly into a log shape, sealing the ends.

Step 16

Place the the dough seam side down in a 1 lbs loaf pan.

Step 17

Cover the dough and rise until doubled or tripled in size (2-4 hours). Use your finger to gently indent the corner of the dough. If the indent stays, its ready to bake. If it springs back, it needs more time.

Step 18

Right before baking you can score the top of the loaf, but this is optional.

Step 19

Bake for 20 minutes, then check the internal temp with an instant read food thermometer. Once the dough has reached 190 F its baked. You can leave it in for few moments to brown, or pull it out.

Step 20

Once out, remove from pan immediately and place on a cooling rack.

Step 21

Brush the top of the loaf with butter and wait a minimum of an hour before cutting. Ideally, wait until the loaf is fully cooled.

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