SourTube: Soft Sourdough Sandwich Loaf, Made Easy (feat. Grant Bakes)

📺 SourTube pick: This is a curated video — we didn't make it, we just love it and think you will too. All credit belongs to the creator below. Watch it, learn from it, then go show them some love.

Today's pick: Easy Sourdough Sandwich Bread (Recipe 2.0)

Creator: Grant of Grant Bakes
Watch on YouTube: Easy Sourdough Sandwich Bread (Recipe 2.0)
More from Grant: the written recipe at grantbakes.com, plus his whole library of no-nonsense sourdough tutorials

If the embed doesn't load, watch it directly on YouTube here.

Why we picked this one

We love a crusty artisan boule as much as anyone — but try making a school lunch sandwich with one. The crust fights back, the slices are the wrong shape, and half the filling ends up on the plate. 😅 What most of us actually need on a Tuesday is a soft, sliceable, loaf-pan loaf: tender crumb, gentle crust, perfect toast. That's exactly the gap this video fills.

Grant's whole thing is "sourdough doesn't have to be complicated," and this recipe proves it. Everything mixes in one bowl, there's no separate levain to build, and the kneading is done by hand — no stand mixer required. The softness comes from small, sensible additions of milk, butter, and a little sugar rather than a heavy, brioche-style enrichment, so the dough stays easy to handle instead of turning into a sticky wrestling match.

The detail we wish someone had told us sooner? There's no scoring this loaf — which means you can let the final proof in the pan go all the way until the dough has truly doubled. Beginners tend to rush that last rise, and an under-proofed sandwich loaf is the one that tears itself open along the side in the oven. Grant gives you permission to be patient, and that patience is the difference between a loaf that slices like a dream and one that looks like it exploded politely.

What you'll learn

• A true one-bowl sandwich loaf method: mix, knead by hand, rise, shape, rise again, bake — no mixer, no separate levain, no fussy steps.
• How a little enrichment changes everything: small amounts of milk, butter, and sugar give you a soft crust and fluffy, tender slices without making the dough hard to work with.
• How to shape for a loaf pan: a simple fold-and-pinch shape that fits the pan neatly and bakes up into even, sandwich-ready slices.

Our two cents to go with it

Two beginner things worth knowing before you hit play:

1. Don't rush the second rise. Seriously, this is where sandwich loaves live or die. If the dough hasn't properly doubled in the pan, the oven spring has nowhere to go and the loaf rips along the side. It should look puffy and proud of itself before it goes anywhere near the heat. Walk away. Make tea. Let it finish.

2. Cool it completely before you slice. We know. It's warm, it smells incredible, the butter is RIGHT THERE. But a sandwich loaf is still setting inside as it cools, and cutting early gives you gummy slices that squash under the knife. Give it at least an hour — your future sandwiches will thank you.

If watching this gets you itching to bake but your starter is sluggish, inconsistent, or one bad week away from giving up entirely — that's literally why we dehydrate ours and ship it ready to wake up in a few days. A reliable starter makes easy recipes actually easy. Squirrelly Girl Starter is here when you need it. 🐿️

Loved this video? Go tell Grant — like and subscribe on YouTube so he keeps making them.

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