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Simple Sourdough Sandwich Bread

This recipe has easy step by step instructions to help you achieve the perfect sandwich bread loaf. It is a really easy dough to work with and gives good spring in the oven. This recipe will yield enough dough for two full loaves so be sure to have two bread pans available for cold proofing and baking.
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Equipment

  • 1 large mixing bowl
  • 2 bread pans
  • 1 scale
  • 1 large dish cloth

Ingredients
  

  • 475 g. room temp or warm water
  • 170 g. active starter
  • 90 g. warm whole milk (3.25%)
  • 900 g. unbleached all purpose flour
  • 25 g. sea salt
  • 1/2 cup rice flour (can also use AP flour for shaping on the counter)
  • 1 egg yolk to be used as an egg wash
  • 1 tbsp butter to be used to grease baking pans

Instructions
 

  • Once your starter has peaked, add it to a large mixing bowl with your water and whisk until dissolved
  • Add flour and warm milk and mix to create a shaggy dough. Cover the bowl with a damp dish cloth and place somewhere slightly warm (ie. in oven with the light turned on). Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
  • After 30 minutes, add your salt mixed with about 10g. of water to dissolve it into the dough and mix well.
  • Perform your first set of stretch and folds, cover the bowl with the damp kitchen towel and back to resting for 45-60 minutes.
  • Perform 2-3 more sets of stretch and folds every 45-60 minutes allowing the dough to rise between sessions covered with damp kitchen towel. ( Note: Do not allow this process to exceed 6 hours. Somewhere between 4-6 hours is the perfect time for the dough to rise in room temp or warm environment before shaping and cold proofing)
  • After your dough has had some time to rest following its last set of stretch and folds, dust your counter with some rice flour and plop the dough onto the counter.
  • Cut the dough into two even pieces
  • Form and shape your dough into the shape of a rectangle loaves. Ensure you create some tension.
  • Place your shaped loaves into greased baking pans (You can use butter to grease the tins to ensure the bread will remove easier after baking).
  • Cover the baking pans with plastic to keep the loaves safe in the fridge. Place your pans into the fridge overnight for cold proofing. I typically allow them to cold proof for no more than 12-14 hours for the best spring.
  • In the morning, take your loaves out of the fridge and score each loaf. Spread some egg wash (egg yolk) over the top of the loaf before baking.
  • Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and bake each loaf for 45 minutes.