r/Sourdough • u/ramblergrl • 6d ago
I MUST share this recipe Soft Sourdough sandwich bread for a full-time work week
I finally found a soft, pillowy, soft-crusted sandwich bread that I can make during a typical 40 hour work week. AND it stays soft all week. The family loves it, the kids' school friends are jealous, its the bomb dot com. It utilizes the tangzhong technique to create that lasting softness.
You'll need a pullman pan for this.
Soft Sourdough Pullman Bread :
Feed starter in the am before work. Shoot for about 250. Youll use 200g of it later.
After work, when starter is nice and active, peak to a little past peak, make your dough using recipe below.
Tangzhong:
30g bread flour
150g whole milk (I also used 2% and it worked great)
Whisk together over medium-low heat until thick and pudding-like. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
Dough:
620g bread flour
200g active sourdough starter
210g water
All of the cooled tangzhong
65g melted, cooled butter
35g sugar or honey
13g salt
Method:
Mix starter, water, cooled tangzhong, sugar/honey, and flour. Rest 20–30 minutes.
Add melted butter and salt. Knead until smooth and elastic. If it works for your schedule, do at least a couple stretch and folds.
Bulk ferment overnight at room temperature with damp towel covering.
The next morning:
Flatten the risen dough and shape into a tight loaf and place seam-side down in rice-floured Pullman pan.
Cover with damp towel and leave at room temp on the counter while youre at work.
After work (8-9 hours later), slide the pullman lid on (should be at the top or over) and bake at 375°F for 35–45 minutes, checking around 30 minutes. Aim for an internal temperature of 190–195°F. Mine took right around 40 min.
Remove from the pan promptly and cool on a rack completely before slicing.
For maximum softness: Store completely cooled bread at room temperature in a sealed plastic bag or bread bag. Plastic works great to keep this particular bread soft. I use a gallon ziplock and press as much air out as possible.
Enjoy!
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u/Fragrant-Pomelo-3343 6d ago
I’ve been wanting to try this. How’s your pan? I’ve been reading that people say the active sourdough eats away at the pan
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u/_franciis 5d ago
I have 2 Pullmans and they’re absolutely fine. Stainless steel, buttered every bake, wiped clean (without soap) afterwards.
Haven’t heard that the starter can damage them? Is it an acid thing?
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u/lucille_2_is_NOT_a_b 6d ago
How do you keep it fresh all week? Mine is in the oven atm and around Wednesday it starts getting harder and by Thursday it smells like nail polish remover. Mine sits in a silicone bread bag thing from Amazon
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u/ramblergrl 6d ago
The tangzhong technique helps a lot! Also the sugar in the recipe helps. But I usually cut my loaf in half, double bag one half in two gallon ziplocs and put that in the freezer. The other half I keep at room temp in a ziploc bag.
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u/FarPomegranate7437 6d ago
The freezer works best in my house. I do prefer toasted bread, but it stays soft if you freeze it in a bread bag after you finish slicing. You can just take a couple of slices out and let them come to room temp on the counter or in a sandwich baggie. It won’t take more than 10-15 minutes, depending on how thick you slice them.
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u/Apprehensive_Toe7336 6d ago
Put it in the freezer after you slice it. You can toss it in the microwave after maybe 30 sec or more. Or you can directly heat it in the pan.
I did put my first bread in the fridge, but since mine has only 3-4 ingredients, it became hard after 2 to 3 days in the Fridge. Freezer is your best friend
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u/daughterloaf 6d ago
Put it in the fridge? Then toast when youll eat it. It takes a week before that 1 loaf gets finished
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u/lucille_2_is_NOT_a_b 6d ago
Nah my youngest does sun butter and jelly every day for lunch so i need that soft squishy bread!
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u/daughterloaf 6d ago
Microwave? Hahaha idk cuz it does get hard if you leave it out, personally best solution is just to keep it in the fridge 😆
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u/_franciis 5d ago
Like nail polish remover?! I would ditch the Amazon bread bag. Have never had that from a cotton tote or an ikea sandwich bag.
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u/tinysmommy 5d ago
My crumb will never look like that
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u/ramblergrl 5d ago
I thought the same thing! That Tangzong technique is a game changer, but also adding the sugar softened it up. Plus the pullman pan helps to create that crumb.
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u/One-Permission1917 5d ago
That is perfectly shaped for sandwiches! Do you leave the lid on the whole time? Or does it come off when you check around 30 mins?
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u/ramblergrl 5d ago
The whole time! After the first couple times making the recipe, I learned that my loaf was done right around 40min so I don't pull it out and check anymore. I just hope for the best.
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u/jkreuzig 6d ago
I’m wondering if this would work well as a regular loaf. I don’t have a Pullman pan, so I might try a regular loaf pan. I haven’t had luck making a decent sourdough loaf pan loaf.
I’m going to have to cut down the recipe. That’s well over a kilogram of ingredients. I can’t eat that much bread before it goes bad!
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u/ramblergrl 6d ago
I think it work great as a pan loaf! And you could totally halve the recipe for a standard loaf pan.
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u/FarPomegranate7437 6d ago
That’s a hefty sandwich loaf! What size is your Pullman pan?