Use sourdough discard and whole wheat flour to make a soft and tasty loaf of bread that is perfect for toasting or turning into sandwiches.

plate with two slices of toasted sourdough wheat bread, one spread with butter the other with honey

Make perfectly soft bread for sandwiches. It is hearty, delicious and easy to make. Your sourdough starter will love its new life making more bread.

You can serve slices with butter with dinner, toast some for breakfast or roll fun fillings inside. The possibilities are endless!

If you are like me, you love the idea of baking beautiful crusty boules of sourdough bread but rarely actually follow through. It takes planning and time that I rarely have to give it.

ball of freshly kneaded sourdough sandwich bread dough

bowl of proofed sourdough sandwich bread dough with finger imprint

But that doesn’t mean your sourdough starter has to go to waste. Keep it in the refrigerator in case the stars ever align for bread baking.

Of course you still have to feed it once a week, resulting in either a giant tub of starter or a weekly bit of discard. Don’t throw that discard away, it is perfect for use in so many tasty recipes!

In fact, I basically keep my starter around just so I have discard to make into muffins, pizza crust, waffles and of course this tender sandwich bread.

sourdough sandwich bread dough in loaf pan

golden brown loaf of freshly baked sourdough wheat sandwich bread

It uses the goodness of your discard along with the boost of traditional yeast to make a tender versatile loaf. You golden loaf of bread will make yummy sandwiches or delicious toast.

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The recipe has been a hit with lots of readers since I originally posted it back in 2016. I recently baked up another loaf and thought it would be fun to update the pictures and add a quick video.

I hope you enjoy it!

No Need to Feed

Use your discard or unfed starter straight from the refrigerator. No advanced planning or feeding needed

Why use sourdough?

Sourdough has lower phytate levels, making it easier to digest. It also contains prebiotics that are good for gut health.

slices of soft sourdough bread ready to be made into sandwiches

sandwich made from homemade sourdough bread, shaved chicken breast and cheese

Storage

Fresh bread can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for several days. For longer storage, wrap well and freeze for up to three months. Storing bread in the refrigerator is not recommended.

More recipes using sourdough discard

Turn that sourdough discard into a delicious pizza crust! It is a great way to use your starter in a quick and easy recipe.

Cherry chocolate chip muffins taste like a treat, but are really pretty good for you. They are a great way to use up some of that sourdough starter too!

Sourdough waffles are full of flavor, tender as can be and oh so good. So go ahead and break out the syrup and warm up those waffle irons!

4.75 from 12 ratings

Whole Wheat Sourdough Sandwich Bread

Author: Carlee

Servings: servings (1 9″ loaf)

This soft whole wheat sourdough bread is perfect for toast or sandwiches. It is easy to make, lightly flavored and delicious.

Prep: 15

Cook: 40

Additional Time 3

Total: 3 55

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

Stir together warm water, yeast and sourdough starter until the starter is dissolved.
⅔ cup warm water, ¾ teaspoon dry active yeast, 1 cup sourdough starter
Mix in whole wheat flour and let sit for 7-10 minutes to hydrate.
1 cup white whole wheat flour
Sprinkle in salt and begin adding all purpose flour. Start by adding 1 cup of all purpose flour, stirring until combined. Then add additional flour a little bit at a time until you have a shaggy bread dough. (The final amount will depend on the consistency of your starter and how humid it is.)
1½ teaspoons salt, 1- 1½ cups all purpose flour
I like to start my kneading in the bowl to contain the mess, then turn it onto the counter once the dough comes together and starts getting a little elasticity. You can use your preferred kneading method to knead the dough into a smooth ball, about 8 minutes.
Place dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with a damp towel and let rise until doubled in size (about 1½ to 2 hours).
To shape the dough, pat it out into a rectangle. Fold it in thirds, like you would a letter. Then fold fold it in half almost rolling it over itself to form a taught log shape. If it is too long for the pan, tuck the ends under. (Or use your favorite loaf shaping method.) Place seam side down in a greased loaf pan.
Cover with the damp towel and let rise for 1-1½ hours or until it has risen over the edge of the pan.
Brush gently with melted butter, being careful not to deflate the dough.
1-2 teaspoons butter
Bake at 450℉ for 10 minutes and then at 400℉ for 25-30 minutes.
When finished baking, turn onto a wire rack and cool completely before cutting.

Notes

You can use sourdough discard or unfed starter from the fridge in this recipe without any issues.