Easy Seeded Sourdough Sandwich Bread
This seeded sourdough sandwich bread is soft, flavorful, and easy to make! It is enriched with maple syrup and butter, which creates incredible flavor and texture. The seeds on the outside of the bread add a nice crunch and nutty flavor to each bite. A fantastic sandwich bread that also freezes really well!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Easy seeded sourdough sandwich bread
Q&A for seeded sourdough sandwich bread
For more sourdough bread recipes, check out:
Bakers schedule
Easy seeded sourdough sandwich bread
I love the taste and crunch of the seeds covering the entire outside of this bread. This bread has a mild sourdough flavor with sweetness and depth coming from the addition of maple syrup and butter.
There is very little hands-on time with this bread, just a bit of mixing, a couple of folds, and shaping! Make sure to scroll down for the complete recipe, and don’t miss out on the bakers schedule at the very end of the post to help plan out your bake.
Recipe run through
DAY 1
- Prepare the overnight sourdough levain – Start by gathering all your ingredients and add them to a bowl or jar. Use a rubber spatula and mix until just combined. Cover the bowl and let it rise overnight (8-10 hours) at around 70°F/21°C until it has doubled/tripled in size.
DAY 2
Mix and ferment
- Mix main dough for autolyse – To the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add water and levain, and quickly stir to combine. Add flours and mix to a shaggy dough. Autolyse for one hour.
- Add salt, maple syrup, and butter – Next, add salt, and maple syrup. Knead on low speed for 5 minutes. Then add the softened butter in cubes and mix for another 10 minutes.
- Bulk fermentation – Let the dough bulk ferment (rise) for 3 hours at 78℉/26°C. Perform the first coil fold after 60 minutes and then the second one after 120 minutes.
Shape
- Pre-shaping – Spray a little water on your work surface, hands, and dough knife with a spray bottle. Then, dump the dough out onto the work surface and divide it into two equal pieces. Working with one piece at a time: With the bench knife in your dominant hand, guide the dough in circles across your work surface while tucking the dough under itself with your other hand. Keep the blade at a 45-degree angle. Repeat this motion until the dough has formed a loosely shaped round with a smooth surface. Allow the dough to bench rest for 15 minutes.
- Shape the sandwich bread – Flour your work surface. Grab one of the dough balls and flip it around so that the seam-side is up. Flour the top of the dough. Use your hands to degas and stretch the dough into somewhat of a square (around 9-inches wide.) Next, roll the dough up like a roulade as tightly as you can, starting from the side furthest away from you. Lastly, tuck in the sides to even out the shape.
- Cover with seeds – Spray the surface of the dough with a bit of water to make the seeds stick. If your dough is already really sticky, then you can skip the step of spraying the dough with water. Lift the dough using both hands, and roll it in your seed mix.
Final proof and bake
- Final proof – Transfer to two lined or greased 9-in bread pans. Cover and proof at around 78°F/26°C for 4-6 hours or until the dough reaches the rim of the pan.
- Bake – Use a bread lame or razor blade to score the surface of the bread. Bake for 20 minutes at 430°F/220°C, then turn down the heat to 390°F/200°C and bake for another 20-25 minutes. Cover with aluminum foil if it browns too quickly. Next, take the bread out of the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes in the pans. Then, take it out of the tin and wrap it in a kitchen towel to cool overnight. The towel creates an environment that makes the bread super soft. Slice and enjoy the following day.
How to perform a coil fold:
With wet hands, slide both hands under the dough and slowly lift up while pulling the dough towards you, then bring your hands slightly forward, letting the dough coil underneath itself on the way down. Repeat on all four sides.
Recipe Q&A
An active sourdough starter is a starter that has been fed regularly over at least 2-3 days. If you usually store your sourdough starter in the fridge, I recommend taking it out 2-3 days before making this recipe. You want to feed your starter with equal parts flour and water every 12 hours during these days (or at whatever ratio that works best for your starter, this can vary a lot.) Please make sure it at least doubles in size during the 12-hour rise.
Bread flour or strong white flour because of its ability to handle high hydration. Some of the flours I like to use are available on my Amazon Storefront. For this bread, I used Caputo Manitoba and a local Norwegian whole wheat flour.
Yes, you can! It will be a bit more work and a little heavy, but it is absolutely doable with this dough.
Easy! You can half this recipe to make one 9-in loaf, or double, triple, the ingredients to make more.
You can freeze this bread after it has been baked and cooled. I like to slice up the whole bread before freezing it. That way I can easily grab however many slices I need and then pop them straight into the toaster!
More sourdough bread recipes:
HOW TO MAKE SOURDOUGH BREAD (BEGINNER FRIENDLY)
50% WHOLE WHEAT SOURDOUGH SANDWICH BREAD
RUSTIC WHOLE GRAIN SOURDOUGH BREAD
- Digital Scale is essential for exact measurements.
- Stand mixer fitted with a dough hook to easily knead your dough.
- Brød & Taylor Proofer Box – to manage the temperature during proof.
- Bench knife
- Bread lame
- Two 9-inch bread pans
Seeded Sourdough Sandwich Bread
Ingredients
Overnight Sourdough Levain
- 12 g sourdough starter
- 64 g water at 77°F/25°C
- 64 g bread flour
Main Dough
- 600 g bread flour
- 100 g whole wheat flour
- 490 g water at 77°F/25°C
- 140 g levain
- 14 g salt
- 40 g maple syrup
- 80 g softened butter
Topping
- mixed seeds, e.g., sesame, pumpkin, chia, poppy, sunflower seeds
Instructions
Overnight Sourdough Levain
- Gather all your ingredients and add them to a bowl. Use a rubber spatula and mix until just combined. Cover the bowl and let it rise overnight (8-10 hours) until it has doubled/tripled in size.12 g sourdough starter, 64 g water, 64 g bread flour
Main Dough
- Next morning, to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add water and levain, and quickly stir to combine.140 g levain, 490 g water
- Add the flours and mix to a shaggy dough. This should not take longer than a couple of minutes. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest/autolyse for an hour.600 g bread flour, 100 g whole wheat flour
- After the autolyse, add salt and maple syrup to the dough and knead on low speed for 5 minutes.14 g salt, 40 g maple syrup
- While the mixer is still on, add cubed, softened butter, one cube at a time. Once you have added all the butter, make sure to scrape down the sides of your bowl. Continue mixing for another 10 minutes on low-medium speed.80 g softened butter
- Transfer the dough to a large, clean baking bowl.
- Let the dough bulk ferment (rise) for 3 hours at 78°F/26°C. Perform the first coil fold after 60 minutes and then the second after 120 minutes.
Pre-shape
- After 3 hours, the dough should have risen slightly and jiggle when you shake the bowl.
- Spray a little water on your work surface, hands, and dough knife with a spray bottle. Then, dump the dough out onto the work surface and divide it into two equal pieces (you can use a scale if you'd like.)
- Working with one piece at a time: With the bench knife in your dominant hand, guide the dough in circles across your work surface while tucking the dough under itself with your other hand. Keep the blade at a 45-degree angle. Repeat this motion until the dough has formed a loosely shaped round with a smooth surface.
- Next, allow the dough to bench rest for 15 minutes.
Shape
- While the dough is resting, line or grease two 9-inch bread pans. Add your mixed seeds to a large dish to roll the shaped bread in later on.mixed seeds, e.g., sesame, pumpkin, chia, poppy, sunflower seeds
- Flour your work surface. Grab one of the dough balls and flip it around so that the seam-side is up.
- Flour the top of the dough. Use your hands to degas and stretch the dough into somewhat of a square (around 9 inches wide).
- Roll the dough up like a roulade as tightly as you can, starting from the side furthest away from you. Tuck in the sides to even out the shape.
- Spray the surface of the dough with a bit of water to make the seeds stick. Lift the dough using both hands, and roll it in your seed mix.
- Next, place the seeded dough in your prepared bread pan, seam-side down. Repeat the process on the other dough.
- Cover and proof at around 78°F/26°C for 4-6 hours or until the dough reaches the rim of the pan.
Bake
- Preheat your oven to 430°F/220°C.
- Use a bread lame or razor blade to score the surface of the bread. Bake for 20 minutes, then turn down the heat to 390°F/200°C and bake for another 20-25 minutes. Cover with aluminum foil if it browns too quickly.
- Take the bread out of the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes in the pans. Then, take it out of the tin and wrap it in a kitchen towel to cool overnight. The towel creates an environment that makes the bread super soft. Slice and enjoy the following day.
Notes
Nutrition
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20 Comments
Raymond Daha
Hello , wonderful recipe and Instructions.
Have 2 questions, do you not bake first half with steam and you said slice and enjoy the following day . This can’t be consumed same day after bake when it cools down . Thank you 😊
Bread by Elise
Hi Raymond! I do not add any steam, no, but you can do so if you’d like. You can definitely let this bread cool ‘normally’ on a wire rack and enjoy the same day as well. Happy baking!
Tasha McG
This is the very best sourdough recipe I’ve ever used! The bread is gorgeous and I also love the layout of your instructions, so easy to follow!
Karina
Hi Elise! Is it ok to proof the dough in the fridge overnight before baking?
Bread by Elise
Hey! Yes – I would reduce the final proof by an hour or so before placing them in the fridge overnight.
Alya Almuhairi
Thank you for the perfect recipe all my family liked it
Fátima Gonçalves
Love ir .. 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
Martha
Because of gluten sensitivities, we can only use King Arthur organic flours. Sadly our local store was out of KA whole wheat flour, so I substituted {using same weight measurements} only white flour. I’m happy to report the seeded sourdough bread made with only white flour is delicious and turned out beautifully. Thank you, Elise, for your wonderful recipes and gorgeous videos.
TeriD
Elise I love your recipes! They are delicious and easy to follow. I learn so much! This recipe is a favorite for my family.
Xiomara Rodriguez
I’ve been following you for a while and I’ve been waiting to make this recipe! I LOOOOVE this bread so much. Its absolutely delicious. Thank you so much for sharing. I have one question, my dad is on a low sodium diet and I’d like to make this bread for him to be able to eat as much as he wants without any sodium so can I leave out the salt after the autolyse?
Malik
Great and easy recipie!
I must say, having the ingredients written under each step in the instructions is revolutionary!
Bread by Elise
Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Malik!
Ely Larisa
Came here to say this! Absolutely love the ingredients under each instruction. Brilliant! And soooo useful! Thank you for such a thought, wonderful recipe. I’m a newby and was able to make a delicious loaf. I now make it for my family and friends and they all love it. Even my six year old little neighbor will ask me to bake some for her.
Neha
Looks like a great recipe. Wish to attempt it but I do not have sourdough starter at hand.
Can we make this recipe without the sourdough starter? If yes, then how to create the levain without sourdough starter for this recipe?
TIA
Dijana
beautiful bread
Irina
Excellent recipe. The baker’s schedule is extremely helpful. I had some trouble with shaping the bread because my dough was somehow more wet, and the result was still perfect.
Bread by Elise
Hi Irina! So happy you enjoyed the recipe. All flours absorb liquid differently, so that is most likely why your dough turned out more wet. If you add a little less water next time, the shaping should be easier. 😊
Arwa mohamed
Thank you very much. I did the recipe and it worked
I cut the final fermentation down to 2 hours and put it in the fridge and baked it in the morning
Your recipes are accurate and successful, thank you
Bunnee
I have made this 3 times over the course of the last 2 months and it comes out perfect each time ! I was surprised and happy that the bread rose like crazy during proofing but results after baking were even more impressive — soft billowy sandwich slices with a nice thin brown crust of bread and seeds ! I’ve shared this bread with family and friends and everyone has loved it . It is now my go to for making sourdough bread bc it’s perfect for avocado toast or for sandwiches or just toasted for pb&j. Oh and it lasts easily 3 weeks in a sandwich bag in the fridge and no mold! You just toast to warm it up and it’s still really nice and yummy to eat . I don’t know if it would last longer than that because we ate it before the 3 weeks was up . Anyways , good solid recipe for sandwich loaves !
Avi
This as is is an excelent recipe which I’ve enjoyed making a few times. I have also successfully changed it a bit to be dairy-free using 65cc olive oil instead of butter and adding an egg (removing from the water the egg’s weight).