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Loaves

Same-Day Sandwich Loaf

Not every loaf needs an overnight wait. This one is soft-crumbed, easy to slice, and finished start to finish in one day, no cold retard required. It's the loaf to bake when you're testing whether your starter is strong enough for a same-day bake, or when you just don't want to wait until tomorrow for toast.

Prep
30 min
Bake
45 min
Difficulty
Beginner
Total
75 min

What You'll Need

bread flour500g (about 4 cups)
filtered water, divided350g (about 1Β½ cups)
325g for the autolyse, 25g to dissolve the salt
active sourdough starter120g (about Β½ cup)
fed and bubbly, used a little more heavily here to help the same-day timeline
fine sea salt10g (about 1Β½ teaspoons)
neutral oilas needed
for the loaf pan

Let's Get Baking

1

Autolyse

45 min

Mix the flour and 325g water in a large bowl until no dry flour remains. Cover and rest 30 to 45 minutes.

2

Add starter and salt

30 min

Add the starter and the salt, dissolved in the remaining 25g water. Squeeze the dough through your fingers for 2 to 3 minutes until smooth. Cover and rest 30 minutes.

3

Stretch and fold, three sets

90 min

Do three sets of stretch and folds, 30 minutes apart.

4

Bulk ferment

240 min

Let the dough rise at 78 to 80Β°F, warmer than a typical bulk, for 3 to 4 hours, until it's nearly doubled and full of visible bubbles along the sides of the bowl. A warm Texas kitchen can get there closer to 3 hours. A cooler house may need the full 4, or a little more.

5

Shape and pan

10 min

Turn the dough out, pat it into a rough rectangle, and roll it up tightly from the short end. Pinch the seam and tuck the ends under. Place it seam-side down in a greased 9x5-inch loaf pan.

6

Proof in the pan

180 min

Cover loosely and let it rise at room temperature 2 to 3 hours, until the center of the dough crests an inch or two above the rim of the pan.

7

Bake

45 min

Preheat the oven to 425Β°F. Bake 20 minutes, then reduce to 375Β°F and bake 20 to 25 minutes more, until the top is deep golden and the loaf sounds hollow when you tap the bottom. Cool in the pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool at least an hour before slicing.

sourdoughloafbeginnersame-daysandwich breadno cold proof

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