Let me introduce you to the softest, most pillowy, most delicious sourdough milk bread ever.
This super soft and light bread is made with fresh milk and honey for the perfect tender sweet crumb. It makes excellent sandwich bread, French toast, and croutons … if it lasts that long.
Just like all my other sourdough recipes this special sourdough milk bread goes through a long, slow fermentation that helps to break down hard to digest gluten and activate tummy-friendly enzymes. I would go so far as to say this is as close to “no guilt” white bread as you can get!
The recipe makes two sandwich-size loaves, perfect for everyday eating, gifting, or freezing for convenience.
Everybody who has tried this bread has fallen in love with its soft texture and sweet but full-bodied flavor!
Try this bread in my favorite sandwich, the Monte Cristo! Or my second favorite, a simple grilled cheese with homemade Healthy Probiotic Mayonnaise!
Sourdough Milk Bread
This soft sourdough milk bread is lightly sweetened with honey for the perfect balance of flavors!
Ingredients
- 250 grams (1 cup after being stirred down) active sourdough starter, 100% hydration
- 300 grams (2 1/4 cups) organic all-purpose flour
- 300 grams (2 1/4 cups) organic bread flour
- 40 grams (2 tablespoons) raw honey
- 420 grams (1 2/3 cups) milk (I use raw milk)
- 17 grams (2 1/2 teaspoons) salt
Instructions
The Night Before
- In a large bowl gently mix all ingredients, just until incorporated. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
- Using slightly wet hands do several rounds of stretch and folds in the bowl, letting the dough rest for 5 minutes in between each round.
- Once the dough is soft and smooth with long strand gluten development, gently shape it into a ball in the bowl. Cover and proof overnight at room temp (65℉). I let mine go for 10 to 12 hours.
The Next Morning
- Do one round of stretch and fold in the bowl to deflate the dough. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
- Butter two loaf pans and set them aside. (I use cast-iron or glass loaf pans)
- Lightly flour your work surface and turn the dough out. Divide in half and gently shape each half into a loaf by first patting the dough into a rectangle. Next, bring the top third toward the center and the bottom third over it. Let the dough rest for a few minutes and then do the same patting out and folding over in the opposite direction. Let the dough rest seam side down for 5 minutes before transferring it into the loaf pan for the final rise.
- Let the dough rise at room temperature until doubled.
- Preheat your oven to 400℉.
- Score the loaves straight down the middle with a lame or razor blade. Spray each loaf lightly with filtered water.
- Bake both loaves side by side in the center of the oven for 30 minutes. Rotate the loaves once at the 15-minute mark.
- Remove the loaves from the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes before turning the loaves out of the pans and cooling them completely on wire racks.
Notes
What size loaf pan?
Both the 8 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch and 9 by 5-inch pans will work well for this recipe. If you use the 8 1/2-inch pans the loaves will be taller. 9-inch pans will give a wide loaf.
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KEELY
Monday 18th of November 2024
I can't wait to try this! Would substituting maple syrup for the honey make any differences?
Butter For All
Wednesday 20th of November 2024
Hi Keely, It might change the flavor a little bit, but I'm sure it'll be just as good with either sweetener!
Carrie
Saturday 9th of November 2024
Oh yum. I made this recipe today and it was divine. My timing was off because I started in the morning instead of the evening so I did an overnight cold retard in the fridge and then kind of rushed it in the morning so my loaves are a bit squat but the flavor is amazing.
My one tip would be to score deeper than you think you need to because mine popped along the side. Really go for it!
This is going to be a go-to for everyday sandwich bread from here on out. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Butter For All
Saturday 16th of November 2024
Hi Carrie! It sounds like you had a lot of success with the recipe, and now that you've given it a go through the next time should be more smooth! Thanks for coming back to leave such a thoughtful note.
Happy baking!
Bryan Legere
Tuesday 5th of November 2024
Hello - thank you for your time!! I am just asking if it would be a problem - of I can just use the same flour (I have alot of all purpose flour & nothing else here!!! Thanks for your time!! "bb"
Butter For All
Friday 15th of November 2024
Hi Bryan,
Absolutely, AP will be no problem!
Randolph L Jongbloed
Wednesday 9th of October 2024
Hi Courtney, would it be a problem to decrease the amount of honey. We (here in Europe) don't like our bread sweet? Thanks
Randolph L Jongbloed
Monday 14th of October 2024
@Butter For All, Thanks Courtney. Will get my raw milk wednesday and will give it a try. Will let you know the result. With love from Ireland
Butter For All
Saturday 12th of October 2024
Hello Randolph,
No, it shouldn't be a problem at all, you can adjust it to your taste! Cheers from Oregon! Thanks for stopping by my website :)
Gina
Friday 27th of September 2024
Hello, Courtney! This is my FAVORITE sourdough bread recipe, because I have more success with it than any other.
However...could you help me adjust the recipe to use *fresh milled* hard white wheat, instead of all-purpose? I have tried for months, experimenting with different adjustments (ingredients and rise time) and am just failing. The bread tastes great, but it just does not rise like the all-purpose version does, so the loaves are small and dense.
Please help! I would appreciate any advice you could lend me. (Is it possible I'm handling the dough too much before they go into the loaf pans? I'm still such a beginner, even two years in...)
Gina
Monday 21st of October 2024
@Gina, Well, I put the fresh-milled hard white flour through a sieve to remove bran and that helped a little bit in adding some small, air pockets to the bread. The bread rose *slightly* more than it did before, but overall... the loaves were still very brick-like. I didn't reduce the bulk fermentation time because it took that long to double, but I was definitely more gentle with the dough afterwards.
I recently read an article about how you have to amend sourdough bread recipes for high-altitudes because of the dryness in the air. I wondered if that might be part of my problem, because while West Texas is certainly not a high-altitude environment, we are EXTREMELY DRY. Not a lot of moisture in the air. Could it be I need to add more milk/water to the mixture?
Would it be possible for you to experiment in your kitchen with this recipe, substituting fresh-milled flour? If you found a way for it to work for you, I bet it would work for us! (I have no problem with the all-purpose version - it works beautifully.) Just curious. :)
One more note, though I don't think it should matter... I don't use a water-based sourdough because I have ZERO luck with those (again, environment issues, I think). Instead, I use a raw milk sourdough starter that I keep in my fridge. It is more alive and active than anything I have attempted on the countertop.
Butter For All
Sunday 29th of September 2024
Hi Gina,
I'm happy to help! Especially since you said it was your favorite recipe ;)
Fresh milled flour does not have strong gluten. The flour actually has to rest for awhile to strengthen that gluten and let it develop. Fresh milled flour also contains so much of the bran that it interrupts the gluten networks from forming. I'm going to give you two suggestions. First, after you mill your flour put it through a sieve, and remove about 50% of the bran. You can save the bran for another project like muffins. Next, put the freshly milled flour in an airtight container in your refrigerator for four to eight hours. Try this and see if it makes any difference. I'd love to hear back!
PS. Don't forget that whole wheat flour tends to ferment much quicker so shorten your bulk fermentation by a few hours. It also builds up more lactic acid during fermentation, and that will result in less dough stability and weaker gluten structure. Definitely watch your timing, and be gentle with the inflated dough if possible.
Let me know how it turns out,
Courtney