Gluten Free Sourdough Sandwich Bread | Sourdough Discard Recipes

This homemade Gluten Free Sourdough Sandwich Bread is soft, fluffy, and moist on the inside, and crisp, golden brown on the outside. It uses gluten-free all purpose flour for efficiency and cost-effectiveness. In addition, it uses a combination of gluten-free sourdough discard and yeast instead of active starter, making this recipe super easy and fast. It only needs 40 minutes to rise!

Since this recipe uses discard and makes a loaf instead of a boule, it's great for beginners just starting to bake with gluten-free sourdough. This recipe is derived from my Soft Gluten Free Sandwich Bread.

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You’ll need gluten-free sourdough discard to make this sandwich bread, ideally from a brown rice or sorghum flour starter. If you don’t already have a gluten-free sourdough starter, you’ll need to make one first: How to Make a Gluten Free Sourdough Starter.

Don't want to make a gluten-free starter from scratch? This Sourdough Starter Culture packet gives you a head start with a dehydrated gluten-free sourdough starter culture and directions to follow to maintain it for years to come. I love this website because there's also cheesemaking, yogurt, kombucha, and fermented vegetable kits. Use the code WONDERS15X on Cultures for Health's website to get 15% off! The GF Starter is also available on Amazon here.

Looking for more Gluten Free Sourdough Recipes?

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• Gluten Free Sourdough Pie Crust - Sourdough Discard Recipes
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• Gluten Free Sourdough Banana Bread | Sourdough Discard Recipes
• Gluten Free Sourdough Bread Recipe | Dutch Oven Method
• Gluten Free Sourdough Discard Crackers | Best Gluten Free Cracker Recipe
• Gluten Free Sourdough Pancakes | Sourdough Discard Recipes | Best Fluffy Pancakes

Tips for Making the Best Gluten Free Sourdough Sandwich Bread

• This sandwich bread comes together as a batter, not a dough. Scoop the batter into the pan, let rise, and then bake.
• Use an electric mixer or stand mixer to beat the batter for 5 minutes to whip air into it.
• After the bread has risen in the pan, transfer it to the oven very gently. Avoid setting the pan down forcefully, as this can deflate the batter and collapse the air pockets.
• This recipe uses both yeast and sourdough discard for a fast rise. For best results, let the batter rise in a warm environment between 68–74°F.
• The bread rises quickly, so do not let it rise longer than 45 minutes or double in size, as this will cause over-proofing. This bread should only rise to about 1½ times its original size. Signs of over-proofing include bubbles on the surface, a jiggly or wobbly batter when the pan is moved, and excessive volume. While an over-proofed loaf will still taste good, the top may be dimpled and lack structure.
• Keep in mind that warmer or more humid conditions (including spring and summer) will speed up proofing. If over-proofing is an issue, reduce the rise time to about 30 minutes or slightly decrease the yeast.
• Bake until the internal temperature reaches 205°F to prevent gumminess. The crust will soften as the bread cools.

I first tested this recipe on a snowy day here in Maryland. There was something magical and old-fashioned about the combination of falling snow and freshly baked bread.

Gluten Free Sourdough Sandwich Bread Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients

• High quality gluten-free all purpose flour containing xanthan gum. The following flours are typically recommended for yeast recipes: Authentic Foods Steve's Gluten Free Bread Flour Blend, Cup4Cup, gfJules Certified Gluten Free All Purpose Flour, or Better Batter Gluten Free All Purpose Flour. The recipe is photographed with Bob's Red Mill GF 1:1 Baking flour (the blue bag) even though it's not recommended for yeast recipes.
• Instant yeast. I use Fleischmann's RapidRise.
• Baking powder
• Salt

Wet Ingredients

• Gluten-free sourdough discard (the unfed, inactive portion of starter - up to 2 or 3 weeks old)
• Warm water or milk, or a combination thereof. If dairy-free, use your choice of milk.
• Eggs
• Honey
• Vegetable oil, or other neutral-flavored oil
• Apple cider vinegar
• Ground flax-seed + water, or substitute for xanthan gum or cornstarch (no water needed) and mix in with the dry ingredients.

How to Make Gluten Free Sourdough Sandwich Bread:

• Prepare a 9×5-inch loaf pan by greasing the bottom and halfway up the sides with butter or cooking spray. Set aside.
• In a small bowl, combine the ground flaxseed and hot water, stir, and set aside to thicken.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl if using a hand mixer), combine the dry ingredients: gluten-free flour, yeast, baking powder, and salt.
• Add the wet ingredients—sourdough discard, eggs, vegetable oil, honey, vinegar, the flaxseed mixture, and the warm water and/or milk. Mix on low speed until just combined, then increase to medium and mix for 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed. This incorporates air into the batter and helps create a soft crumb. The batter should be slightly thicker than cake batter.
• Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and use a silicone spatula to smooth the top.
• Cover the pan with plastic wrap. Tip: Lightly spray the underside of the plastic wrap with cooking spray to prevent sticking.
• Place the loaf in a warm spot (ideally 68–74°F) and let it rise for 40 to 45 minutes. This bread rises quickly, so do not let it rise longer than 45 minutes or double in size, as it will over-proof. Signs of over-proofing include bubbles on the surface, a jiggly or wobbly batter when the pan is moved, and excessive rise. For best results, this bread should only rise to about 1½ times its original size.

The bread shown above rose for 60 minutes and is over-proofed. It was very jiggly, doubled in size, and had visible air pockets on the surface.

The bread shown above rose for 45 minutes and is properly proofed. The batter is much firmer, not jiggly, and shows no air bubbles on the surface. The plastic wrap lifted a small portion of the top, conveniently revealing the bubbly structure inside.

• About 25 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350°F and place a rack in the center.
• Remove the plastic wrap and bake the bread for 45 to 55 minutes, until golden brown, slightly firm to the touch, and an internal temperature of 205°F is reached. Tip: If the bread is already browning halfway through baking, loosely tent a piece of foil over the top to prevent over-browning. You may also place a tray under the loaf pan to catch any potential spills.

• Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Then transfer it to a wire cooling rack. The crust will soften as it cools.

• Let the bread cool completely, about 3 hours, before slicing with a bread knife. Slice to your preferred thickness—I like relatively thick slices, about 1 inch each, which yields 16 slices per loaf. See the Recipe Notes below for storage instructions.

A quick snow break while the bread cools, waiting to be sliced.

Equipment

You only need basic kitchen tools to make this Gluten Free Sourdough Sandwich Bread. I recommend:

• A nonstick 9x5 loaf pan
• Or a 9x4 small Pullman loaf pan. This pan helps the bread rise taller, making larger, more classic slices for a sandwich.
• A serrated bread knife is a must for cutting bread. Avoid using a non-serrated knife, as it will squish the bread and won’t cut through cleanly.

How to Store Gluten Free Sourdough Sandwich Bread

Gluten-free bread is best enjoyed fresh, especially on the first day it's baked, which is perfect for cold sandwiches.

Wrap the bread tightly in plastic wrap, then store it in an airtight container at room temperature.

I recommend slicing the bread and freezing any you don't plan to eat.

To prevent the slices from sticking together, avoid stacking them. Frozen and thawed bread will be slightly drier and more crumbly, so I find it's best toasted in a pan with butter, like for a grilled cheese or French toast.

What to Make with Gluten Free Sourdough Sandwich Bread

This sandwich bread is perfect for cold sandwiches or with plain butter during the first 1–2 days, but it tastes best toasted after that. Try using it for:

• Grilled cheese. Make fun combinations like pizza grilled cheese, jalapeno popper grilled cheese, roasted vegetable grilled cheese, etc.
• Toasted sandwiches like a BLT, turkey club, etc.
• French toast or French toast casseroles
• Stuffing, or bread puddings

Notes on Gluten Free Sourdough Sandwich Bread

• This recipe is designed to be a quick, easy 1:1 flour sandwich bread (not a carefully crafted artisanal boule).
• The gluten-free flours I typically use are Bob’s Red Mill GF 1:1 Baking Flour (blue bag) and King Arthur GF Measure for Measure. Neither is usually recommended for yeast breads because they don’t contain enough protein to create a tall, strong loaf. However, the bread pictured was made successfully using Bob’s Red Mill. The typically recommended GF flours for yeast recipes are:
• Authentic Foods Steve's Gluten Free Bread Flour Blend
• Cup4Cup
• gfJules Certified Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
• Better Batter Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
• Avoid flours with bitter ingredients like chickpea/garbanzo flour, lentil flour, or pea protein, as they can leave an unpleasant aftertaste.
• If your all-purpose mix contains milk powder, the bread may brown faster; loosely tent with foil halfway through baking if needed.

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