Same Day Fresh Milled Sourdough Sandwich Loaf

A 12 hour fresh milled sourdough sandwich loaf - perfect for summer lunches at the beach or poolside

Hello and happy Saturday. Confession: I had to look at the calendar to check that it was indeed, Saturday. The bliss of long summer days is sometimes not knowing what day it is, am I right? This past week, our Fourth of July festivities included lots of good food, time spent with friends, and a rooftop fireworks show. Growing up, my family’s tradition was to drive a couple hours south to the little community where my mom grew up. For many years, her childhood neighbors hosted the most perfect patriotic gathering on their ranch. The day was filled with bullfrog jumping contests, three legged races, frisbee catching for the dogs, baseball games in the field next to the cows, and the most amazing buffet of festive homemade food. Mom always made her famous banana pudding with vanilla wafers - I looked forward to it every year. Dad was in charge of the “fireworks show” and for us kids, this was the best part of the day. Dad patiently let us each take turns lighting sparklers and stomping on pop its. Watching the ground blooms bounce around the gravel driveway was highly anticipated. As our van pulled away from the ranch after dark, I would fall asleep to the most comforting lullaby: the sound of my parents conversing about the day. Being the oldest, and quite nosey, I kept my eyes and ears open as long as possible.

As the seasons come and go, so do the rhythms of the kitchen. When the days grow longer and the temperature climbs, I put away the soup kettle, and begin dreaming of garden fresh tomato sandwiches, crunchy cucumber salads with lots of basil, and roasted sweet corn slathered in melted butter. I try to keep the oven off as much as possible during summer, and cook outside when it’s not too hot. Sandwiches are summer’s go-to “keep the kitchen cool” lunch. Being able to make your own bread at home is such a gift, and will nourish your family in a way that store bought bread just never will. As much as I love making artisan sourdough loaves, I find myself currently defaulting to this sandwich loaf recipe, as it goes from dough to loaf in under 12 hours, and requires a lower baking temperature than the artisan loaf recipe.

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Same Day Fresh Milled Sourdough Sandwich Loaf

makes one loaf

• 500 grams fresh milled flour - hard white is my go to

• 330 grams water, room temp

• 4 Tbsp melted butter

• 70 grams honey

• 100 grams fresh sourdough starter

• 10 grams salt

• *1 Tbsp lemon juice - optional, see note

Combine all ingredients and mix well with dough whisk, before kneading by hand inside mixing bowl for 10-12 minutes. A stand mixer with the dough hook can also be used for this step. Dough might become sticky, but will absorb moisture as it bulk proofs.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and let dough sit, covered, for a minimum of 6 hours, and up to 8-9 hours, depending on the temperature of your kitchen. Dough should just about double.

After proofing time is up, thoroughly butter a loaf pan with your hands and without wiping the butter off your hands, take the dough out of the bowl and roll it tightly in a log shape, tucking the ends in before transferring to a 4.5'“x8.5” loaf pan and covering with a shower cap or bowl cover, until it has risen above the top of the pan. About 2 hours.

Move baking rack to the bottom third of the oven and bake loaf at 350º for about 50 minutes. Thermometer should register at 205º. Continue baking and checking at 5 minute intervals until dough reaches temperature.

Remove loaf from the pan and let cool for 30 minutes to an hour before slicing. Can be stored in a covered cake stand or bread bag for 1-2 days.

Loaf can be sliced and frozen in a ziplock bag.

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Here are two baking schedules that work well for this recipe:

Schedule one

• 8am - mix dough and bulk proof

• 4pm -shape dough and move to loaf pan(s)

• 6-7pm - bake loaf

Schedule two

• 9-10pm - mix dough and bulk proof overnight

• 6am - shape dough and move to loaf pan(s)

• 8-9am - bake loaf

I prefer proofing overnight and baking early in the morning, before the sun is too hot. Something about baking bread first thing in the morning makes me feel like my ducks are in a row before the day gets rolling. It also makes the house smell amazing and makes for great breakfast toast.

*Note: I have played around with adding 1 Tbsp lemon juice to this recipe, as it assists in tightening the gluten structure, lightening the crumb, and helps the dough rise a bit faster. I did notice a difference in the texture of the dough being a bit stickier and more challenging to knead, and the rise time being about an hour shorter when adding the lemon juice. If you make the recipe both with and without the lemon juice, please let me know which is your preference.

Feedback is welcome!

Fresh Milled Sandwich Loaf

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