Heritage Farmhouse White Sourdough Bread
This farmhouse white sourdough sandwich loaf is the kind of bread that would make your grandmother proud. But don’t worry, I’ve simplified it for your modern kitchen. And it’ll save you money too. While it does need time to rise (like any sourdough recipe), the actual hands-on work is pretty simple.
Country Farmhouse White Sourdough
Ingredients
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup lukewarm water
- 2 tablespoons butter softened
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ¾ cup active sourdough starter
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Instructions
- Mix. Mix bread flour, water, sugar, and starter in a mixing bowl.
- Rest. Cover with a clean tea towel and allow to rest for 30-60 minutes. (I like to measure out the salt and butter and put them on top of the towel so I don’t forget to add them later!)
- Knead. Add the salt and butter. Knead the dough by machine or hand for ten to fifteen minutes, until it is smooth, soft, and reaches the windowpane stage (meaning that when the dough is stretched, a translucent area appears). If using a stand mixer, allow the machine to rest every five minutes.
- First rise. Shape the dough gently into a ball and place into a clean, lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a clean, damp tea towel and place into a warm place to rise. Let the dough rise 3-4.5 hours, until it is puffy and has doubled in size.
- Shape. Gently stretch the dough into a rectangle, with the short side of the rectangle as long as the long side of the loaf pan you will be using for baking. Tuck in the corners and top of the dough, and roll into a long. Pinch the seams closed and place the loaf, seam side down, into a lightly oiled loaf pan.
- Second rise. Cover with heavily greased plastic wrap and place in a warm place to rise again, until the dough rises to be one inch above the top of the loaf pan, about 2-3 hours. When it is ready, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously flour the top of the loaf with flour.
- Bake. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes, until the dough is 200-210 degrees internally and sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from loaf pan and allow to cool fully on wire rack. Bread stays fresh 2 days at room temperature, or 2 months frozen.
Notes
Key Ingredients and Tools
Sourdough Starter. An active and bubbly starter is a must! This will not work with unfed starter. (If you’d like to make a discard loaf, you’ll love this one.)
Bread Flour or All Purpose Flour. Bread flour gives you a chewier more “rustic bread” texture. All purpose will be softer. Either one is fine! But if you use bread flour you might need a bit more liquid.
Stand Mixer. Using a stand mixer makes kneading so much easier. If you don’t have one, kneading by hand works fine. It will take at least 15 minutes.
Instant-read Thermometer. With a thermometer, you never have to worry if your bread is fully baked. It should read 200-210 degrees Fahrenheit when done.
Loaf Pan. You need a standard sized loaf pan for this recipe. I like USA Gold brand, but that’s up to you.
Troubleshooting and Help
Yes, you can, but the texture and flavor will be different. Whole wheat flour will make the bread denser and give it a nuttier taste. You might also need to add a bit more water since whole wheat flour absorbs more liquid.
No problem! You can knead the dough by hand. It might take a bit more effort, but it’s totally doable. Just make sure to knead until the dough is smooth and reaches the windowpane stage.
Your starter should be bubbly and have doubled in size a few hours after feeding.
A little stickiness is fine. But if it’s too hard to handle and is sticking to your hands, you can add a bit more flour, a tablespoon at a time.
Yes, you can put the dough in the fridge overnight. Just bring it to room temperature before shaping and the second rise. If it’s winter and your kitchen is cool, you can leave it out on the counter overnight too.
With simple ingredients and a classic method that even beginner sourdough bakers will be comfortable with, this loaf is one you’ll turn to over and over. I hope you love it and it becomes a part of your sourdough routine.
By Katie Shaw
Katie lives in Virginia with her husband, three daughters, a chocolate lab, and over thirty chickens. She loves creating simple tutorials for sourdough, bread, and soap. Her recipes, articles, and YouTube videos reach millions of people per year.