Ingredients
- 100 g active sourdough starter, bubbly and at or near peak
- 300 g warm whole milk
- 30 g honey
- 40 g unsalted butter, softened
- 500 g bread flour
- 10 g fine sea salt
- 1 large egg
For the Top
- 1 tablespoon milk or beaten egg, for brushing before baking
- 1 tablespoon melted butter, for brushing after baking (optional)
Instructions
This recipe follows the classic sourdough process: mix, ferment, shape, proof, and bake. Because it relies on natural fermentation rather than commercial yeast, timing will vary depending on your starter’s strength and your kitchen’s temperature, so pay closer attention to how the dough looks and feels than to the clock.
In a large bowl, combine the active sourdough starter, warm milk, honey, and egg, and stir until mostly combined. Add the bread flour and salt, and mix until a rough, shaggy dough forms. Let the dough rest for about 20 to 30 minutes. This rest, often called an autolyse-style pause, gives the flour time to hydrate and makes the dough easier to knead afterward.
Add the softened butter gradually while kneading, allowing each addition to incorporate before adding more. Knead for approximately 8 to 10 minutes, until the dough becomes smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky. The finished dough should feel soft but shouldn’t be extremely sticky — if it’s sticking heavily to your hands or the bowl after a full knead, add flour a tablespoon at a time.
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover it. Let it ferment at warm room temperature for approximately 4 to 7 hours, depending on the strength of your starter and the temperature of your kitchen. Rather than relying only on the clock, watch the dough itself. It’s ready when it looks noticeably puffier, smoother, and airier, and has increased in size by roughly 50 to 75%. You don’t necessarily need to wait for it to fully double, since enriched sourdough doughs often rise more slowly and less dramatically than lean doughs.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently press it into a rectangle roughly as wide as your loaf pan. Roll the dough tightly into a log, starting from one short side, then pinch the seam closed. Place the shaped dough seam-side down into a greased 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
Cover the pan loosely and let the dough rise for approximately 2 to 4 hours. It’s ready to bake when it looks noticeably puffy and the center has risen roughly 1 inch above the rim of the pan. Try to avoid letting it dramatically overproof, since an overproofed enriched dough can collapse or bake up dense rather than airy.
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Using a very sharp bread lame or razor blade, make about 5 to 6 shallow diagonal slashes across the top of the loaf. Scoring not only creates an attractive finish, it also gives the loaf controlled points to expand during baking, called oven spring. Brush the surface lightly with milk or beaten egg — egg wash produces a darker, shinier crust, while milk creates a softer, slightly less glossy finish.
Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 35 to 40 minutes, until the loaf is deeply golden brown. If the top is browning too quickly before the inside finishes baking, loosely tent it with aluminum foil for the final 10 to 15 minutes. For the most reliable results, check doneness with an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf — it should read approximately 190°F to 200°F (88°C to 93°C).
Remove the loaf from the pan and transfer it to a wire cooling rack. For an especially soft sandwich-bread crust, brush the hot top immediately with a thin layer of melted butter. Let the loaf cool for at least 1 to 2 hours before slicing — cutting into it too early can result in a gummy texture, since the interior crumb is still setting as it cools.