The Wonder Bread of Sourdough: My Go-To Soft Sandwich Loaf

If you’ve been looking for a soft sourdough sandwich loaf that’s fluffy, versatile, and perfect for everyday sandwiches, this recipe is for you.

This is my go-to soft sandwich loaf—the one I reach for when I want dependable, versatile, family-friendly bread. It’s also one of the best sellers in my microbakery, and for good reason. It has all the flavor of sourdough with a soft crust and light, airy crumb that feels a little nostalgic.

Around here, I call it the Wonder Bread of sourdough because it has that classic soft sandwich bread texture, but with the depth of flavor only sourdough can bring.

It’s perfect for sandwiches, toast, grilled cheese, French toast, and just about anything else you’d use sandwich bread for.

But one of my favorite things about this dough is how versatile it is.

This same dough can be used for:

• Hamburger buns
• Hot dog buns
• Dinner rolls
• Slider buns
• Sandwich rolls

If you’re looking for one soft sourdough dough to keep in your back pocket, this is a great one.

Mixing the Dough

To start, mix together your active sourdough starter, sugar, water, and olive oil until everything is combined. This helps evenly distribute the starter and gives the dough a smoother start.

Don’t worry about the sugar—this bread does not turn out sweet. The sugar plays an important role in feeding the yeast during fermentation and helps create the soft, fluffy texture that makes this loaf so special.

Next, add in your flour and salt and mix until a shaggy dough forms. At this stage, don’t worry about making it smooth. It will look rough and uneven, and that’s exactly what you want.

Cover the bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes. This short rest allows the flour to fully hydrate and gives gluten development a head start.

Stretch and Folds

After the initial rest, perform 3 sets of stretch and folds spaced 30 minutes apart.

This step helps strengthen the dough without intensive kneading. You’ll notice the dough becoming smoother and stronger with each round.

Remember, these stretch and folds are included in your total bulk fermentation time.

Bulk Fermentation

After your stretch and folds are complete, cover the dough and let it continue bulk fermenting until it has at least doubled in size. For me, this usually takes about 7 hours total from the time I first mix the dough.

Timing can vary depending on your starter strength and room temperature, so always watch the dough more than the clock.

You’re looking for:

• noticeable rise
• bubbles throughout
• a soft, airy feel
• a domed surface

Pre-Shaping

Once bulk fermentation is complete, turn the dough out onto your work surface and loosely shape it into a round ball.

Let it rest uncovered for about 15 minutes. This bench rest gives the gluten time to relax, making final shaping much easier.

If you’re making buns or rolls, skip this step. Instead, leave the dough in the bowl after bulk fermentation and transfer it straight to the refrigerator for the overnight cold proof. You’ll divide and shape the dough the next day before the final rise.

Final Shaping

For a Sandwich Loaf

After the 15-minute bench rest, shape your dough into your loaf. I use the same shaping technique for my sandwich loaves that I use for my traditional sourdough loaves, and the video below shows that method.

The main difference is that for a sandwich loaf, you’ll place the dough seam side down in the pan since you won’t be flipping it out of a banneton basket before baking 😉.

This recipe makes one large loaf (about 942g total dough weight), which is ideal for a tall Pullman pan. If you’re using standard loaf pans, you can divide the dough into two smaller loaves at about 471g each.

If you’re looking for a loaf pan like the one I use, I’ve linked a few of my favorite options below. The tall Pullman-style pan below is the exact one I use and works especially well for getting that high sandwich loaf shape.

👉 Pullman loaf pan

👉 Regular smaller loaf pan

Place your shaped loaf into the pan and cover it so the dough doesn’t dry out. I like to use disposable shower caps for this, but a tea towel or cloth works just fine too.

👉 Shower caps

Let it rest at room temperature for 1 to 1½ hours before transferring it to the refrigerator for the overnight cold proof.

At this point, your total room temperature fermentation time will be around 8½ hours.

For Buns or Rolls

If making buns or rolls, there is no shaping at this stage. After bulk fermentation, leave the dough covered in the bowl and transfer it straight to the refrigerator for the overnight cold proof.

You’ll divide, shape, and do the final rise the next day on baking day.

Cold Proof Overnight

The cold proof is where this recipe becomes really flexible and easy to work into your schedule.

For sandwich loaves: after shaping and the 1 to 1½ hour room temperature rest, transfer your loaf pan to the refrigerator for the overnight cold proof.

For buns or rolls: after bulk fermentation, do not pre-shape or turn the dough out onto your work surface. Leave the dough right in the mixing bowl, cover it, and transfer it straight to the refrigerator for the overnight cold proof. You will divide and shape your buns or rolls the next day.

This overnight rest helps develop flavor, improves dough handling, and makes baking much more convenient.

Baking Day

The next day, remove your dough from the refrigerator.

For Sandwich Loaves

If baking a loaf, leave it covered in the pan and allow it to finish rising at room temperature.

Depending on how much it rose overnight, this usually takes anywhere from 2 to 4 hours.

You want the dough to feel light, airy/jiggly, and puffy before baking. It should rise significantly above the edge of the pan.

For Hamburger Buns or Dinner Rolls

If making buns or rolls, remove the cold dough from the bowl and divide it into your desired portions:

• 8 equal portions for hamburger or hot dog buns (about 118g each)
• 9 equal portions for dinner rolls (about 105g each)

Shape your dough and place onto your baking tray or into your prepared 9×9 pan.

Cover lightly with a damp cloth and let rise for 3 to 5 hours, or until soft, puffy, and airy.

Baking

Bake at 375°F.

For Sandwich Loaves

Bake for about 40 minutes:

• 20 minutes
• Rotate 180°
• Another 20 minutes

If your oven bakes evenly, you may not need to rotate.

For Hamburger Buns

Buns usually bake a little quicker.

Bake for:

• 18 minutes
• Rotate 180°
• Another 18 minutes

Keep a close eye on them toward the end, as they can brown quickly.

For Dinner Rolls

Dinner rolls are usually best with the full 40 minutes since they are packed closely together in the pan.

Still, check them a few minutes before the full bake time, as every oven bakes differently.

Baking Notes:

If you’d like deeper browning on any variation, add an extra 1–3 minutes at the end.

If using a tall Pullman loaf pan, lower your oven rack to the second position from the bottom to give the loaf enough room to rise.

Cooling

Once baked, remove the loaf, buns, or rolls from the pan immediately.

This is important because steam will continue collecting in the pan and can make the crust wet or soggy if left too long.

Transfer it to a cooling rack and let it cool completely before slicing.

I know it’s tempting—but letting it cool fully gives you the best texture.

Final Thoughts

This loaf has become one of my favorite staples because it checks every box: soft, fluffy, flavorful, and versatile.

Whether you use it for sandwiches, toast, buns, or rolls, it’s one of those recipes that quickly earns a permanent spot in your kitchen.

If you make it, I’d love to hear how it turns out—drop a comment below! 😉

Continue Your Sourdough Journey

👉My Go-To Micro Bakery Tools (What I Actually Use Daily)
These are the essentials that keep everything moving—from mixing dough to baking bread to getting orders out the door.

👉How to Fix Sticky Sourdough (7 Secrets for Soft, Airy Bread)
These are the exact methods I use to get dough that is strong, airy, and easy to handle—whether I’m making a couple loaves or 60+ loaves a week.

👉Browse All Blog Posts

If you try this recipe, I’d love for you to leave a rating below ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐— it helps others and supports my small bakery.