Sourdough Milk Bread: A Homemade Family Favorite
This sourdough milk bread recipe is the only one you’ll ever need. It’s soft, fluffy, and perfect for toast, sandwiches, or enjoying on its own. While it requires a bit of time and patience, the end result is well worth the effort. Make sure your starter is bubbly and passes the float test before you begin. This will give you a good rise and that beautiful, airy texture.
Sourdough Milk Bread
Equipment
- Stand mixer
- Bench Scraper
- Pastry brush
Ingredients
For the starter
- 25 grams sourdough starter
- 70 grams all-purpose flour unbleached is recommended
- 70 grams water filtered room temperature
For the roux
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup milk
For the dough
- 1 ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups bread flour
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 medium egg room temperature
- ¼ cup unsalted butter softened
- Active sourdough starter listed above
Egg wash (optional)
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Feed your starter. Feed your sourdough starter the night before by combining the sourdough starter, all-purpose flour, and water. Store at room temperature for about 12 hours or until it has doubled in size.
- Make the roux. Add the ¼ cup all-purpose flour and ½ cup milk in a saucepan. Place over medium heat, using a whisk, stirring constantly, and allow the mixture to thicken and become a paste. This process takes about 3 minutes. Transfer to the bowl of your stand mixer and allow it to cool to about 80-90 degrees F.
- Make milk mixture for dough. To a saucepan, add the milk, salt, and sugar. Place over medium-low heat and bring the milk mixture to 80-90 degrees F. You want the milk to be slightly warm but not hot.
- Combine with roux. Transfer the milk mixture to the bowl of your stand mixer with the roux already added. Using the paddle attachment, stir to combine.
- Add sourdough starter. Next, add the active sourdough starter. Stir to combine.
- Add bread flour. Add 2 cups of the bread flour to the mixture and stir to combine. Slowly add the rest of the bread flour.
- Add egg. The dough will be very wet and sticky. Add the egg and stir to combine fully.
- Slowly add all-purpose flour. Switch the attachment to the dough hook and slowly add the all-purpose flour to the dough by adding ½ cup at a time, incorporating the flour with each addition.
- Add butter. Once the flour is fully incorporated, add the softened butter. Stir to combine.
- Knead. Set your stand mixer to medium speed and knead for 3 minutes. You will notice the dough taking shape. It should still be sticky but holding its shape.
- Cover and rest. Transfer the dough to a greased bowl, cover, and allow to sit for 30 minutes.
- Stretch and folds. After 30 minutes, remove the cover from the bowl, wet your hands, and grab the dough from one side. Stretch the dough up and fold it over, turn the bowl slightly, and repeat this process 2 or 3 more times until the dough has been released from the bowl. Cover and allow the dough to sit for 30 minutes. Repeat this process 1-3 more times. Your dough should be soft and stretch without breaking.
- Bulk rise. Cover and allow the dough to rise for 6-12 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.
- Prepare pans. Grease 2 loaf pans, place a piece of parchment paper inside, and set them aside.
- Divide dough. Turn the dough out onto a clean, dry surface. Using a bench scraper, divide the dough in half. Take each half and divide them into 3 balls.
- Shape dough balls. Lightly flatten each ball into a rectangle, take one end and gently roll it up about halfway, fold in the sides, then finish rolling it up. Transfer the rolled dough to the prepared loaf pan. Repeat this process until all 3 balls have been rolled.
- Second rise. Cover and allow to rise for 2-4 hours or until the loaves have doubled in size.
- Preheat oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Top with egg wash. Make the egg wash in a bowl by adding an egg and water. Stir to combine. Using a pastry brush, brush on the egg wash.
- Bake. Bake at 375 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
- Cool. Remove from the oven, place them on a cooling rack, and allow to cool for 20 minutes before serving.
Notes
- If you notice your sourdough starter is slow to activate, add a tbsp of rye flour to the mix to help increase activity.
- I did two stretch and fold sessions. You may need up to four sessions.
- I used whole milk for this recipe. If you use 1% or nonfat milk, you will want to increase the amount of butter you use to help add in more fat. Reduce the amount of milk you use by 2 tbsp and add 2 tbsp of butter.
My family goes crazy for this bread – toast with jam in the mornings, sandwiches for lunch (my husband loves it for grilled cheese), and a bowl of pressure-canned beef stew. It’s truly an all-purpose loaf, making my kitchen smell amazing while baking!
I was nervous the first time I made this and kept checking on it while it was rising. But once you make it, you get used to the rhythm quickly.
Key Ingredients and Tools
Having the right tools and ingredients on hand will make this recipe even easier. Here are a few key things you’ll need:
- Digital Scale. A digital scale ensures accurate measurements, which is especially important for baking.
- Bread Flour. Bread flour has a higher protein content than all-purpose flour, giving your bread structure and chewiness. You’ll usually find it near the other flours in the baking aisle.
- Active Sourdough Starter. This is the heart of your sourdough bread! A healthy starter will make your bread rise beautifully. If you don’t have a starter, you can find one online or make your own sourdough starter.
- Stand Mixer. While you can knead this dough by hand, a stand mixer makes the process much easier, especially since the dough is quite sticky.
- Bench Scraper. A bench scraper is super handy for dividing and shaping the dough. It also helps keep your work surface clean.
With these tools and ingredients ready to go, you’ll be ready to bake a delicious loaf of sourdough milk bread!
Troubleshooting and Help
That’s normal! This dough is supposed to be on the wetter side. Try wetting your hands with water before handling the dough. It’ll keep the dough from sticking to you as much.
You can, but your bread might not have the same airy texture. Bread flour has more gluten, which gives sourdough its lovely chewiness. If you only have all-purpose flour, go ahead and use it, but keep in mind the texture might be a little different.
Hmm, that’s not good! It sounds like your starter might not be active enough. Make sure you’re feeding it regularly and keeping it at a consistent temperature. You can also try adding a teaspoon of rye flour to the feeding mixture to give it a boost.
Oh no! Well, don’t worry; it happens to the best of us. If it’s slightly overbaked, you can try brushing the top with a little melted butter to soften it. If it’s burnt, you might need to trim off the burnt parts. But hey, even slightly burnt bread can be delicious as croutons or bread crumbs!
If you have any more questions, leave me a comment, and I’ll be happy to help.
I hope you enjoy this sourdough milk bread recipe. While it might seem like there are a lot of steps involved, remember to take your time and enjoy the process. The smell of freshly baked bread filling your home is truly unbeatable.
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.