How To Make Sourdough Amish Bread

Sourdough Amish bread is a simple sourdough sandwich loaf that everyone will love!

I may be compensated for some items linked in this post at no extra cost to you. 

This post is so long overdue.

This recipe is hands down the one I get asked for most often.  And for good reason!

Sourdough bread is healthier

Because two things:

1. No isolated yeast is used to get a rise.  All the leavening happens by way of the wild yeast trapped in your sourdough starter, which is completely natural.  This means the entire bread recipe can be made with staple ingredients.  This is how they made bread way back in the day.
2. The enzymes released during the fermentation process with sourdough bread pre-digest the flour and make all the micronutrients available to us.  So yes, that includes gluten – a batch of sourdough bread that’s proved for 24 hours+ is *almost* completely gluten-free.

How to Make a Sourdough Starter

Plus, there’s something special about making bread the old-fashioned way.  The way the women of the Bible made it.  I feel connected to all the mothers throughout history before the age of chemistry in this little thing I do for my family.

Plus, (last thing). IT IS DELICIOUS. You all know I love food.

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm water (no warmer than 105°F)
• 1 cup warm milk (no warmer than 105°F)
• 1 cup active sourdough starter (doubled and bubbly)
• ½ cup honey or sugar
• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 t salt
• 6 cups flour

Sourdough Amish Bread Instructions

Sourdough Amish Bread Photo Tutorial

Whisk together 1 cup warm water, 1 cup warm milk, 1 cup fed sourdough starter (fed within the last 8 hours, doubled and bubbly), 1/2 cup honey or sugar, 1/2 cup olive oil, and 2t salt in a big mixing bowl or stand mixer and whisk until combined.

Autolyse (gentle mixing of ingredients followed by a period of rest prior to stretching and folding or kneading)

In this post, I am using organic, unbleached, white all-purpose flour, I use this most often because my husband prefers it.

Add about 6 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time to make sure you don’t add too much.  You may use a bit more, or a bit less depending on the type of flour you use.  You want to end up with a dough ball that’s workable, but still a bit sticky. If you like your bread very firm, add more flour so it’s not sticky. I like mine a bit spongy and not so dense.

When my dough looks something like this, I turn it out onto the counter and give it just a touch of kneading to gather all the loose flour into the ball of dough.  But you do NOT want to knead a bunch just yet.  Just get it to come together.

Like this.  A neat ball of dough that holds its shape and doesn’t fall flat, but is still a bit sticky to the touch.  (If your dough doesn’t hold its shape on the counter, add more flour 1/4 cup at a time and knead in until it does.  Remember you can add more flour for a more structured loaf) Cover the dough with a towel and let it rest for 30 minutes on the counter.  Then after the rest, knead it just enough to get a smooth, stretchy consistency that’s even all the way through, maybe a minute or two.

After the rest and the kneading, oil the same bowl you used to mix the dough and place the dough inside.  Cover with a damp tea towel.

Now, we begin the first rise (the bulk ferment)

Set the covered dough aside and let it rise on the countertop until it doubles in size.  The amount of time this takes will depend on the temperature, humidity, and strength of your starter.  During the summer months we keep our house warmer, so my dough doubles quickly.  But in the winter we keep the house cooler and it takes longer.  Just watch it for a good rise.  The longer the dough ferments, the more sour your bread will be.  If you do not like a very sour bread, consider proofing in a proofing station, oven with proof setting, or a warm spot in the house.

After the bulk ferment,

punch the dough down, then turn it out onto a floured surface.  Divide it into 3 equal portions, then shape each into a loaf and place it in a greased loaf pan for the second rise.

Once the loaves are shaped and placed in the loaf pan

cover them and let them rise until doubled in size. 

Now, it’s time to bake!

Preheat the oven to 350F and bake for 30 minutes.  Allow the bread to cool on a wire rack for at least a half hour before slicing and serving.

Storage:

I’ve never tested it longer than a week because we always eat it before then.  But it has lasted up to a week stored in an airtight container at room temp.

It can also be refrigerated to stretch that window of freshness.

And, it can be frozen for later.  I freeze bread fairly often.

More posts like this

Quick Amish Bread

How to make a Sourdough Starter

Sourdough Dutch Baby