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Vegan Sourdough Spelt Sandwich Loaf
Pan loaves fly off the cutting board in my house. As much as we love crusty and sharp-eared sourdough breads, we also love soft enriched breads that work well for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and make no-drip slices of toast. This recipe is no-fuss. It’s good for beginners as well as advanced bakers looking for something simple.
For gluten development, I use a mix-and-abandon strategy, and to bake the bread, I just place the pan in the oven (no steam, no lids, no high temps). When I’m game for a multi-step process, I make this bubble-top brioche (the recipe works in a pan loaf) or this hokkaido milk bread, but sometimes I just want simplicity…and soft squishiness.
In creating the recipe, I actually fussed quite a bit to make both vegan and non-vegan versions, because I’ve noticed more of my friends are vegan, and I want to have an enriched sandwich bread to share with them. I also wanted to taste these alternative milks myself and make more use of olive oil, which seems to get unanimous approval among nutritionists. So, in the recipe below, you’ll see a version enriched with oat milk, olive oil and agave and a version with cow’s milk, butter and honey.
In both the vegan and non-vegan versions, I used whole grain spelt at 50% of the total flour weight. I think this offers a nice combination of flavor, soft pliability and nutrition. I hope you enjoy this bread as much as I do. I’d love to hear your experiences, especially if you test different wheat varieties or use a different percentage of whole grain flour.
This recipe uses a medium USA Loaf Pan, which is 9 x 5 x 2.75 inches. The instructions describe using a stand mixer, but I’ve had similar outcomes hand-mixing the dough and then kneading it on my countertop for a few minutes.
Don’t forget to check out the photo gallery after the recipe to see before-and-after photos of the bulk fermentation and final proof, and also loaf shaping instructions.
Vegan Sourdough Spelt Sandwich Loaf
This easy sourdough sandwich loaf is soft and delicious, perfect for sandwiches and toast. I made vegan and non-vegan versions and used whole grain spelt for half of the flour in both. The methods are perfect for beginners as well as advanced bakers who want a no-fuss pan loaf in their repertoire.
Ingredients
Vegan
*Compared to agave syrup, sugar weighs less and is less sweet. You can use 2 Tbsp/30g sugar for a similar sweetness to 1 1/2 Tbsp agave syrup.
Non-Vegan
Instructions
Shopping List
Vegan Sourdough Spelt Sandwich Loaf