Beginner's Soft Sourdough Sandwich Loaf

This recipe yields a beautifully soft, milk-enriched loaf that is perfect for toast and sandwiches. The method is designed to be straightforward and forgiving for beginners, relying on visual cues rather than strict timings to guide you through the baking process.

Ingredients

• 100g Active Sourdough Starter (fed within 4–8 hours, at its peak)
• 375g Bread Flour (high protein, 12%+ for better structure)
• 210g Warm Whole Milk (provides a soft, "shokupan-style" crumb)
• 25g Granulated Sugar or Honey (feeds the yeast and softens the crust)
• 30g Unsalted Butter (softened at room temperature)
• 7g Fine Sea Salt (to enhance flavour)

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Mix the Dough:

   In a large mixing bowl, whisk together your active starter, warm milk, and sugar or honey. Add the bread flour and salt. Mix everything together by hand until a rough, shaggy, and dense dough forms. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 30 minutes. This short rest gives the flour time to absorb the liquids, making the dough softer and easier to manage later.

2. Incorporate the Butter:

   After the rest, gently press the softened butter into the dough. Knead the dough in the bowl or on the counter until the butter is fully absorbed. At first, the dough will feel messy and slippery, but as you continue to work it, the texture will become silky, smooth, and slightly shiny.

3. Bulk Fermentation (First Rise):

   Cover the bowl with a damp towel and leave it in a warm spot to rise. When baking sourdough, it is always best to watch the dough, not the clock. You are looking for the dough to roughly double in size, feel soft and pillowy, and show a few bubbles on the surface. Depending on the temperature of your kitchen, this rise can take anywhere from 6 to 10 hours.

4. Shape the Loaf:

   Once the dough has risen, gently tip it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Use your fingertips to gently press the dough flat, releasing any large air bubbles. Roll the dough tightly into a log shape, tucking the ends underneath. Place the shaped dough into a lightly oiled 23x13 cm loaf pan (such as the cast-iron loaf pan shown in the image), ensuring the seam is facing down.

5. Second Rise (Proofing):

   Cover the loaf pan with its lid, a damp towel, or a reusable plastic bag and let the dough rest. The dough is ready to bake when it has puffed up beautifully, feels very soft to the touch, and has risen to just below the rim of the pan. This final rise usually takes about 1 to 2 hours, depending on the temperature of your room.

6. Bake:

   Preheat your oven to 190°C. If you are using a cast-iron loaf pan with a lid, place the lid on to trap the steam—this helps the crust stay soft while the bread expands. Place the pan on the centre rack of the oven and bake covered for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and continue to bake for another 20 to 25 minutes. The bread is finished when it has risen fully and features a deep golden-brown crust.

7. Cool Completely:

   Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully turn the loaf out onto a wire cooling rack and leave it to cool completely before slicing. If you cut into the bread while it is still hot, the warm starches will make the crumb feel gummy.

Beginner Tips

• Check your starter: You will know your starter is ready to use when it has a spongy texture and passes the "float test"—meaning a small dollop of the starter floats when dropped into a glass of room-temperature water.
• Temperature is an ingredient: The temperature of your milk will impact your rise times. Warm milk will boost the yeast activity and speed up the rise, whilst cooler temperatures will slow the fermentation down.
• Handling sticky dough: Enriched doughs contain fats and sugars that can make the dough feel quite sticky at first. Rather than adding excess flour (which can make the bread dense), use a slightly damp bench scraper to help you move and shape the dough effortlessly.