Lightly sweetened, my overnight maple oat sourdough sandwich bread features whole rolled oats and whole wheat flour. It has a soft tender crumb and earthy flavor, ideal for sammies and toast! Use a fluffy, doubled in size Sourdough Bread Starter for the best crumb.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Recipe Review: “Found this recipe a couple of months ago and it turns out perfect every time! It’s my new go to for sandwich bread.” ~ Kris

Maple Oat Sourdough Sandwich Bread on a board.

Sourdough Love

There are many sourdough variations, and while I adore a crusty classic or multigrain sourdough, I can never pass up a softer loaf for toast, sandwiches, and French toast. 

So I set out to create a softer loaf with earthy flavors in the shape of traditional sandwich bread. This loaf, my Soft Multigrain Sourdough Sandwich Bread and Fresh Sourdough Sandwich Bread are among my favorites. They all stand up to the sandwich test and taste delicious!  

This Recipe Is

  • made overnight with a short morning proof
  • earthy, and lightly sweetened
  • tender and so soft

If you make homemade sourdough bread recipes, you’ll love this reader favorite sandwich bread. 

Need a sourdough starter? Follow my step by step guide to make Homemade Sourdough Bread Starter.

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How to Make Maple Oat Sourdough Sandwich Bread
step by step

Mixing wet sourdough ingredients.
1. mix the wet ingredients with sourdough starter.
Adding flour to the wet sourdough ingredients.
2. add all the dry ingredients.
Mixing the sourdough with a fork.
4. mix.
Cover the sourdough and let it rest for 30 minutes.
5. cover & rest for 30 mintues.

The rolled oats are a nice surprise in this dough. They soften as the dough ferments, so they’re barely noticeable in the crumb yet add a soft, earthy flavor to this loaf.

Oat soaker in the bowl with the sourdough.
5. add the oat soaker (oats + water).
Kneading the soaker oats into the sourdough.
6. mix again, cover & rest 30 minutes.
Sourdough resting in a bowl.
7. fold the dough. cover & bulk ferment….
Doubled in size sourdough in a bowl.
8. …overnight until doubled in size.

Bulk fermentation (first rise) is complete when the dough no longer looks or feels dense, is tacky, not sticky, is jiggly when the bowl is shaken, and has about doubled in size. You may also see a few large bubbles on the surface of the dough.          

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How to Shape the Dough

Dimpling the sourdough on a board.
1. dimple the dough to a rough rectangle.
Shaping sourdough sandwich bread.
2. fold & crease letter style 1/3 of the way over.
Pinching sourdough sandwich bread into shape.
3. bring the other side over the crease & pinch the seam.
Shaping sourdough bread.
4. fold the ends, about 1 inch in, pinch to close.
Shaping sourdough sandwich bread.
5. flip the dough over & pull it towards you to tighten.
Shaped sourdough setting next to a loaf pan.
6. it’s ready for the pan.

Fitting Sourdough into Your Schedule

When it comes to sourdough, fitting it into your schedule can be achieved through a little strategic planning and, if needed, using a technique I keep in my back pocket for when something comes up and I need to extend the time between mixing and proofing…

…because things come up, right?

Retarding the dough is optional but is a tool for bread bakers to manage the speed at which the dough rises. Retardation is simply the process of placing the dough in the refrigerator to slow down fermentation so the rise takes longer. This is handy for flavor development but also, as a time management tool.

When to Retard the Dough

I do this when I mix in the morning. I just pop it in the fridge for the day, then pull it to room temperature before I go to bed. It’s doubled in size by morning!

During Bulk: for this loaf, retard during bulk to slow down the rise allowing flexibility for when the dough will be shaped, proofed and baked. The dough still needs to double in size during bulk fermentation (first rise), so after refrigeration I pull it to room temperature, and let it finish rising, until it doubles in size. I’ve not tested the limits of this, but up to about 10 hours in the refrigerator generally fits my schedule.

GIF of sourdough bread in loaf pan rising.

When is the Second Rise (proof) Done?

When the dough has risen in the loaf pan to about 3/4″ – 1″ (2cm – 2.54cm) above the lip of the pan at the center. Have a ruler ready for this part! The amount of time it takes to proof will vary depending on ambient temperature. At 70F (21C) proofing takes about an hour. It can take up to twoish hours in a chilly kitchen (raises hand!). 

If you’d like to speed this process along, you can put the loaf in a turned off oven with the light on. Just be sure to remove the loaf before preheating your oven for baking! 

Baked maple oat sourdough sandwich bread in a loaf pan
Hand with a knife slicing the sourdough.
Sliced Maple Oat Sourdough Sandwich Bread on a board.

 

Traci’s Tips

  • Whole Wheat Bread Flour: this maple oat sourdough sandwich bread calls for whole wheat bread flour, which can sometimes be hard to find. If unavailable, use regular whole wheat flour. The difference is subtle, but whole wheat bread flour yields a little bit stretchier dough and is easier to work with. 
  • Kitchen Tools: I recommend a digital oven thermometer for monitoring accurate oven temperature and weighing your ingredients using a digital kitchen scale for best outcome (affiliate link).
A sourdough sandwich bread loaf setting on a cutting board.
Pin Print

Overnight Maple Oat Sourdough Sandwich Bread

4.98 stars (from 120 ratings)
By Traci York
Cook: 50 minutes
Servings: 1 loaf
**Advanced Prep Required – you'll need a sourdough starter**
Lightly sweetened, maple oat sourdough sandwich bread features whole rolled oats and whole wheat flour. It has a soft tender crumb and earthy flavor, ideal for sammies and toast! This recipe is vegetarian and vegan friendly.
A Note on HYDRATION – Flours vary in their moisture content from brand to brand. Additionally, local humidity conditions will impact how your dough feels from one batch to another. If the dough feels a bit too dry, try adding a teaspoon of water (more if needed). Too wet? Add more flour, a little at a time (only after the soaker is added). Even if you weigh your ingredients (which I highly recommend), this is not uncommon. As you gain experience in making sourdough, you'll gain a better understanding of how your dough should look and feel.
Time above does not include the amount of time for fermentation, shaping and proofing which takes between 8-14 hours, depending on ambient temperature. Use the time as a guide, not as a determining factor.
_______________________
Example Bakers Schedule:
Friday-Saturday: feed starter.
Saturday night: mix dough and ferment overnight.
Sunday morning: shape dough, allow to rise (proof), bake. 
________________________
Serving size depends on how thick or thin the loaf is sliced. I can get about 12 thick slices or 15-16 thinner slices out of this loaf.
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Ingredients

For the Soaker:

  • 1 C (100g) Whole Rolled Oats, plus 2 Tbs for the top
  • 1/2 C (105g) Water, room temperature

For the Dough:

  • 3/4 C (150g) Sourdough Starter, 100% hydration, previously feed and bubbly
  • 1 C (230g) Milk, (nut milk or whole dairy milk) I use 1/2 diluted unsweetened cashew milk – 80F (26C)
  • 1/4 C (80g) Maple Syrup
  • 1 Tbs (14g) Olive Oil, + more for oiling the pan
  • 1/2 C + 1 Tbs (100g) Whole Wheat Bread Flour , (see note**) or whole wheat flour
  • 2 C + 3 1/2 Tbs (300g) Bread Flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp (10g) Fine Sea Salt

Instructions 

For the Soaker:

  • Add the oats to a small bowl and pour the water over them. The water wont fully cover the oats – that's okay. Set aside.

For the Dough:

  • Mix the Dough: In the evening, whisk the starter, milk, maple syrup and oil together in a large bowl with a fork. Add the flours and salt. First, mix with a fork, the dough will be shaggy. Then mix by hand, mixing, folding and pushing the dough until the flour is fully incorporated and no dry bits are present. It will seem dry at first, but the more you work the dough, the more hydrated it will become.  The dough will feel stiff and it will stick to your fingers as you go.  Do this for about 3-4 minutes. Use the fork to scrape off the dough on your fingers as much as you can.
    Cover bowl with a damp tea towel. Set a timer for for 30 minutes and allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes. Now is a good time to feed/refresh your starter. 
  • Incorporate the Soaker: After the dough has rested, mix in the soaker. To do this, dump the soaker on top of the dough and begin kneading and folding the dough over and on top of itself, incorporating the ingredients of the soaker. Do this for about 2-3 minutes or until the soaker is evenly distributed in the dough. It will seem like a lot of added bits, but as you work the dough and as the dough develops through fermentation, the soaker will incorporate. The dough will be stiff, wet and sticky. 
    Cover bowl with a damp tea towel, set a timer for 30 minutes and allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes.
  • Fold the Dough: After the dough has rested, fold the dough. To do this, grab a portion of the dough while it remains in the bowl, stretch it up and fold it over, pressing your fingertips into the center of the dough. You'll notice the dough is a little less stiff and more workable at this point. Repeat, until you've worked your way around the dough. If the dough feels *too* stiff, you can always let it rest another 15 minutes.
    This is the first fold, and you can stop here and begin bulk fermentation, but If time permits, and optimally, you'll want to repeat this fold two more times as it improves the final dough's structure and crumb. Allow for about 30 minutes between the second and third fold. 
  • Bulk Fermentation (first rise): After the last fold, cover the bowl with a damp towel and allow to rise overnight at room temperature (see note* on optionally retarding the dough). This will take about 8-10 hours at 70F (21C), but in a cooler kitchen the dough can take up to 12-14 hours to rise – this is the norm in my chilly kitchen 66F (18C). Use the time as a guide and not a determining factor.
    The dough is ready when it no longer looks dense, is jiggly when the bowl is shaken, and has about doubled in size.
  • Shape the Dough: In the morning, and with damp fingertips, coax the dough into a floured work-surface.  
    With moist fingers, take a portion of the dough, gently stretch it towards you and fold it over towards the center, pressing it down gently. Repeat this process until you work the dough all the way around the dough. Using a bench scraper flip the dough over, cover with a tea towel rest the dough for 15-20 minutes. 
    While the dough rests, throughly coat the inside of a 9×5" (23cm X 12cm) loaf pan with olive or coconut oil. Set aside.
    Flour the work surface and using a bench scraper flip the dough back over. Use the photos in the blog post to help guide shaping. Gently shape the dough into a rough rectangle (sort of a football/oblong shape if you can) by dimpling the dough (think focaccia), to roughly 6" wide and 8-10" long. Fold the dough lengthwise 2/3 over onto itself and crease it firmly using the pinky side of your hand. Fold the 1/3 piece left towards the crease and pinch the seam closed. Fold in the ends, coming in about an 3/4" – 1" and pinch the seam closed. Flip the bread over and rock it back and fourth a bit and gently fluff the ends in. Cover with a tea towel and allow the dough to rest for about 5-10 minutes.
    Scrape your work surface area of any excess flour and very lightly spritz it with water. Place the dough on the spritz of water (seam side down) and using lightly floured hands, cup the back of the dough and gently pull it towards you until the surface is taught. Gently "fluff" the ends in again if needed to fit into the loaf pan.
    Once the surface is taut and with one swift move, use the bench scraper to scoop the dough up and, place the dough into the prepared loaf pan.
    If there's any misshapen edges that need tucking in, use a moist rubber spatula to gently finesse and shape the edges of the dough down into the pan.
  • Proof the Dough (second rise): Cover the pan with a damp tea towel and allow the dough to rise until the dough rises to about 3/4" – 1" (2cm – 2.54cm) above the lip of the pan at the center of the dough. The amount of time will vary depending on ambient temperature. At 70F (21C) proofing takes about an hour. In my chilly kitchen, about two hours.
    Set an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat your oven to 450F (232C).
  • Bake the Dough: Lightly spritz the top of your loaf with water and sprinkle 1-2 Tbs of Rolled oats over the top.
    Place the loaf into the oven and then, reduce the oven temperature to 400F (204C). Bake for 45-55 minutes, rotating and tenting the loaf at about 25-30 minutes so it doesn't get too dark.
    The bread is ready when the internal temperature of the loaf is between 190F – 205F (87C – 96C). When done, transfer to a wire rack. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a cooling rack. Cool 1 hour before slicing.
  • Storage Notes: Sourdough is best consumed on the same day it's baked, but it lasts for 3-4 days stored at room temperature.  Store at room temperature cut side down.
    This bread freezes beautifully. Store baked bread in a freezer bag either whole or sliced for up to two weeks. Thaw at room temperature. This bread can go straight from freezer to toaster to make the most delicious toast!

Notes

*Retarding during bulk fermentation: after mixing the dough, incorporating the soaker and performing the folds, place the dough in the refrigerator, in the same bowl, covered with a damp tea towel and another dry tea towel on top (this helps keep the dough moist).  Bulk ferment overnight (about 8 -10 hours) in the refrigerator. Pull the dough from the refrigerator and continue bulk ferment at room temperature until the dough has doubled in size. 
**If whole wheat bread flour is unavailable this recipe will also work using whole wheat flour with similar results. Whole wheat bread flour renders the dough a bit easier to work with (more stretchy). 

Nutrition

Serving: 1loaf | | Calories: 2303kcal | Carbohydrates: 441g | Protein: 66g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 4061mg | Potassium: 1205mg | Fiber: 29g | Sugar: 50g | Calcium: 218mg | Iron: 11mg

Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.

Made it? Leave a comment below!

The most helpful comment may include recipe rating, feedback, any modifications or helping other commentors.

Traci sprinkling flour over a disk of pastry.

Filed under:

Sourdough Featured Freezer Friendly Popular Dairy Free Egg Free Naturally Sweetened Vegan Vegetarian

Recipe Key

DFDairy FreeEFEgg FreeVVeganVGVegetarianNSNaturally Sweetened

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well hello!

I’m Traci. So glad you're here!

I cook vibrant vegetarian food, bake sourdough and create from scratch baked recipes, sharing them here since 2014. Inspired by the seasons, my southern roots and global flavors, let's cook something delicious together!

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4.98 from 120 votes (38 ratings without comment)

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260 Comments

  1. Heather Grinstead says:

    5 stars
    This is so Delicious !! I didn’t change anything and the bread disappeared in 2 days ( only 3 of us) so will make a double batch tomorrow.

    Reply
    1. Traci says:

      Hi Heather! Woooot! So excited. Thank you for your note and star rating :D

      Reply
  2. Angelica says:

    5 stars
    It turned out perfect!!! I did modify it quite a bit. I used rye instead of whole wheat, honey instead of maple syrup ( I can’t stand the taste), and soaked the oats in all the water and milk, mixed everything and rested and folded as instructed. It got too late so I shaped and folded it into the tin and shoved it into the fridge wrapped in a plastic bag. Took it out in the morning and let it rise and then baked it. I’m a sucker for a little to no work with bread dough and this was so easy :D

    Reply
    1. Traci says:

      Hi Angelica! Thank you for your note, sharing your tips and five star rating. Hooray for an easy loaf and tasty bread!

      Reply
  3. Alice Kramer says:

    5 stars
    This is a great recipe! The photos are helpful and the instructions are well thought out and complete. Consequently I was able to fit this into a tough schedule by making the dough in the early afternoon, refrigerating it for 8 hours or so, taking it out arouns 10:30 pm and letting it rise at room temperature overnight. It was ready to bake around 7 am. The flavor was complex and beautiful. I have been baking sourdough bread for 5 years, struggling to get my loaf pan breads to rise sufficiently. This bread was gorgeous. And I liked feeding my starter 6-7am and using it in the afternoon.

    Reply
    1. Traci says:

      Hii Alice! Thank you for your note and star rating. I looove how you made this bread fit into your schedule! Sourdough is SO flexible, I think it just takes some trial and error, playing with it to see what works for you. Feeding the starter in the morning and using it in the afternoon is the way to go!

      Reply
  4. Hannah Haskins says:

    In the process of making this recipe now. It sounds DELICIOUS! You mentioned a video in the shaping section. Is there one? That was the only part of the recipe I was confused slightly. Fingers crossed.

    Reply
    1. Traci says:

      Hi Hannah! So excited! I don’t have a shaping video, but rather, step by step photos of shaping. I hope this helps and you enjoy the sourdough!

      Reply
      1. Hannah Haskins says:

        5 stars
        This has been my go to sourdough sandwich bread recipe. It’s delicious and always comes out so beautiful. I switch back and forth between maple syrup and honey for the sweetener. Both work well. I also play with the amount of wheat flour, I have even subbed it out completely for bread flour a few times. When it comes to shaping. I have used many different techniques. This dough is very forgiving and no matter how I shape it, it turns out beautifully!

        Reply
    2. Jenna says:

      The shaping and “ Place the dough on the spritz of water (seam side down) and using lightly floured hands, cup the back of the dough and gently pull it towards you until the surface is taught. Gently “fluff” the ends in again if needed to fit into the loaf pan.” was a total mess. My hands just ended up covered in wet flour and dough, so much stuck to the water spritzed counters, and I don’t think the dough got taught as I had no idea how to do that (the pictures didn’t seem to show, and if they did they didn’t make sense). And what the heck is ‘fluffing’ the dough?
      One of the great joys of sourdough is how easy it is; shaping this recipe was so difficult I’ll never make it again. Making a regular yeast oatmeal bread in a stand mixer is easier!

      Reply
  5. Cece says:

    5 stars
    I have made this about 10 times now and it has been delicious every time!! It’s a super easy bread as I have had to use different flours at times and had to stick in fridge a few times at different times in the process. Thank you for an amazing recipe!

    Reply
    1. Traci says:

      Oh my goodness, Cece! Your note made my day. I love how versatile it is for you… that’s the best thing about sourdough! Thank you for your review and enjoying the sourdough!

      Reply
  6. Samantha says:

    5 stars
    Made a great loaf. Friends and family loved it. Refreshingly easy overnight proof compared to my usual 2 day sourdough. Thinking about adding a little bit of molasses next time cause why not? Glad to have found a vegan softer bread recipe. 5 stars!

    Reply
    1. Traci says:

      Hooray, Samantha! The molasses sounds delicious! Thank you for making, sharing and five star rating!

      Reply
  7. Mandy says:

    5 stars
    Fabulous toast!

    Reply
    1. Traci says:

      Wooo! Love hearing this, Mandy! Day made :D

      Reply
  8. Susan Nichols says:

    I just made this recipe I subbed in spelt flour for whole wheat and all purpose for the bread flour as that is what I had on hand it was awesome, thanks or the recipe have passed it on to my kids

    Reply
    1. Traci says:

      Hi Susan! Thank you for your note and sharing your flour tips. Oh my… spelt and whole wheat sound delish! Thank you for making and sharing!

      Reply
  9. Hannah says:

    This recipe turned out perfectly! I shaped and proofed the dough in the bread pan in the fridge overnight and put it right in the oven the next morning- it’s perfect!

    Reply
    1. Traci says:

      Hi Hannah! SO happy to receive your note and that you’re enjoying the sourdough. Thank you for your tip about cold proofing!

      Reply
  10. Melinda says:

    By far the best sandwich sourdough recipe I’ve used! I don’t have a proper bread pan yet, so I let the dough cold proof overnight in my Bundt pan and placed directly in a preheated oven from the fridge. Beautiful oven spring, crumb, and the flavor is spot on! Thank you so much!! This will be my go-to recipe for sandwich loaves from now on.

    Reply
    1. Traci says:

      Best. News. Ever!! Thank you for your note, tip about cold proofing and giving the sourdough a go, Melinda! SO excited!

      Reply