This sourdough buttermilk bread is soft, chewy, and will practically melt in your mouth. It’s still sturdy enough to be a delicious sandwich or hold a smashed burger, though. A simple recipe following my favorite sourdough schedule makes for an effortless and flavorful loaf. I love to make this recipe, slice it, and freeze it to have pieces of bread ready for toasting at any time! It’s a blank canvas for sandwich creations, sturdy enough to hold a smash burger, while also full of flavor on its own or with butter.
Jump to RecipeDo I need to use Buttermilk?
You can use water if you don’t have buttermilk but it won’t have that signature flavor and therefore won’t be sourdough buttermilk bread, but just a sandwich loaf! I use locally made buttermilk or my own from making butter. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make a quick substitute:
Make your own buttermilk:
For every cup of buttermilk, substitute 1 TBSP lemon juice or distilled white vinegar mixed with enough milk to measure one cup. Be sure to mix well to incorporate. Now this won’t tase the same as buttermilk if you drink it, but it will give baked goods a similar enough flavor that you won’t notice the difference.
Crusty vs Soft exterior:
Depending on how you like your sourdough buttermilk bread, you can bake it for a soft or crusty crust. I covered mine for the first 30 minutes of baking and then uncovered it for a crusty exterior. If you bake it completely uncovered and then add melted butter to the top of the loaf right after pulling it from the oven, the crust will be a softer texture.
Sample Bakers Schedule
The day before you want to bake
1 pm – Mix and autolyse the dough
2 – Add salt and butter, combine
2:15-3:15 pm – perform stretch and folds every 15 minutes
3:15 – 5:15 Perform stretch and folds every 30 minutes
5:15 – 8 (ish) bulk fermentation at room temperature
8 (ish) – shape and place in fridge
8 pm – 8 am cold fermentation
Bake Day:
8 am – preheat oven to 425
8:15 – score and bake bread covered for 30 minutes
8:45 – bake bread for 15 minutes uncovered
9 – Remove from oven and all to cool
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To make sourdough buttermilk bread you will need:
- Organic, unbleached bread flour
- An active sourdough starter
- Filtered water
- Natural Mineral salt
Stone Loaf Pan
Stone loaf pans are the only ones I use to make sourdough buttermilk bread because they distribute heat evenly and are safe and non-toxic
A Kitchen Scale
I like to work with an inexpensive one from Amazon.
Bread Lame
~to score your dough. This is the one I use and love!
A fermentation crock or bowl with lid
For rising and fermenting your dough
A note on sourdough starter: be sure you have an active, bubbly starter before you bake! You can read more about how to achieve this below
Notes:
- Always use an active sourdough starter for best results when baking bread
- Autolyse dough for best texture, rise, and oven spring
- Let cool completely before slicing!
- For a crustier crust, remove the bread from the baking pan right away to cool
- For a softer crust, brush the top with melted butter and allow to cool in the pan
- You can store cut side down for a day or two after baking
- For the freshest possible bread, store in a large silicone bag for a few days, or slice and freeze for later
Soft and Chewy Sourdough Buttermilk Bread
Ingredients
- 200 g buttermilk
- 100 g filtered water
- 150 g active sourdough starter
- 3 TBSP honey or 70 g
- 450 g organic all purpose or bread flour
- 10 g high quality sea salt
- 3 TBSP barely melted butter (not hot!!) or 70 g
Instructions
The day before you want to bake:
- Mix buttermilk, water, starter, and honey in a large bowl
- Add flour and mix until just combined
- Cover and let rest for 30 minutes to an hour
- Add the salt and just melted butter, kneading until completely combined
- Stretch and fold every 15 minutes for 1 hour
- Stretch and fold every 30 minutes 2 hours
- Bulk rise at room temperature for about 3 hours
- Coat a loaf pan with butter
- Gently shape the dough into a tight oval
- Place seam side down in the pan
- Cover with a lid or damp tea towel
- Place in the fridge overnight
Bake Day
- Preheat oven to 425 F
- Score the dough with one long slash down the center of the dough
- Bake loaf covered for 30 minutes and then uncovered for 15 minutes
- Let cool completely before slicing and serving (see notes above!!)
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