How to Bake Sourdough in A Loaf Pan
Published: Aug 27, 2024
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I love a good sourdough artisan loaf, made in the traditional method – or made in a stand mixer, shaped by hand, risen in a proofing bowl, turned out and baked in a dutch oven.
But sometimes circumstances don’t allow for a dutch oven. Or we want a bread that is easier to slice. Or maybe we just want to experiment with something new! Enter: sourdough bread baked in a loaf pan.
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How to Bake Sourdough Bread in a Loaf Pan
Start with your favorite sourdough bread recipe
I love using my beginner sourdough loaf (lower hydration) or my sourdough artisan bread loaf (higher hydration). Both of these recipes work really well baked in a loaf pan. Mix your dough and follow the steps of gentle folds, all the way up until your dough is ready to be shaped.
Both of the loaves pictured below feature the same recipe. One is baked in a dutch oven. The other is baked in a loaf pan.
Shape the Bread
Once your dough is ready to be shaped, prepare a loaf pan. I love these USA bread pans or these pans that are a little bit larger. Butter the corners of your pan if they are prone to sticking (good quality parchment paper also works). Shape your dough like you would for an oval loaf.
To shape: Sprinkle flour on top of the dough (if desired). Using a bench knife, lift the dough up off the counter and flip it over onto the countertop, floured side down. This ensures that the flour is staying mainly on the outside of the dough. Starting at the side of the dough closest to you, pull the dough towards you and fold it up to the center. Repeat the process by pulling the right side of the dough out, stretching it, and then back to the center. Then pull the left side of the dough out to stretch and then to the center. Pull the opposite side of the dough up and towards you and tuck it over like a package. Then roll the dough up into an oval shape. Place the dough in the prepared bread pan.
Proofing Options for Sourdough in a Loaf Pan
At this point you have a couple of options for proofing your sourdough:
Same Day Bake: If you want to bake it right away, let it sit and rise in the loaf pan for a couple of hours until puffed up, jiggly and risen. The exact number of hours will depend on the recipe you are using – specifically, the amount of starter/levain that is your dough and the temperature of your dough.
Cold Fermentation: If you prefer a cold fermentation, cover the dough and stick it in the refrigerator overnight.
Baking Sourdough in a Loaf Pan
The goal when baking a loaf of sourdough in a home oven is to get enough steam in your oven. Home ovens are built to vent steam out (not keep it in). For a sourdough loaf to expand to its full potential and have a crispy crust, you want to encourage steam in your oven during the first half of the bake. Here are a couple of ways to do that with sourdough bread in a loaf pan:
1. Bake with a pan of hot water underneath the loaf
- Pre-heat the oven to 450ºF. Place a pan of hot water on the bottom rack of the oven. Place the loaf in the pre-heated oven and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the pan of water from the oven. Bake for another 15-20 minutes until crispy and browned on top.
2. Place a second loaf pan on top of the loaf pan with the dough creating a Dutch-oven effect
- Place a second loaf pan on top of the first loaf pan, creating a mini dutch-oven without having to use a dutch oven. This traps steam in. Bake at 450ºF with the lid on. Then take off after 25-30 minutes and bake with the lid off for another 15-20 minutes. You do not need the pan of water for this method.
3. Let the dough rise until almost doubled in the loaf pan and bake as a normal loaf of bread.
- Allow the dough to rise until doubled in size, light, jiggly and fluffy. You can add some water in a pan underneath to steam the bread for a crispy crust, but you don’t have to if choosing this method. I like to bake this bread at a little lower temperature 400-425ºF for 40-45 minutes.
If you liked this, you’ll also like…
- How to Bake Sourdough Bread on the Grill
- How to Bake Sourdough Bread
- Sourdough Bread Recipe
- Beginner Sourdough Recipe
Frequently Asked Questions
If you don’t let your bread rise up and over the pan, I would score it so the loaf doesn’t burst open where you don’t want it to. Read more about scoring a loaf here. If you let your dough rise until doubled in size, you can choose to score or not to score.
Try reducing the temperature of your oven by 25-50ºF. You can also stick a baking sheet or baking stone on the oven rack below the loaf pan to help offset some of the direct heat.
Use good quality parchment paper or butter the corners of your loaf pan before adding the bread. This helps it to not stick. Using a good quality non-stick pan also helps and waiting for 5-10 minutes before trying to remove from the pan also helps.
Yes! Instead of turning it out on parchment paper, turn it out and gently fold it, sticking it in a loaf pan. Then bake it according to one of the methods above.
If you tried baking Sourdough Bread in a Loaf Pan or any other recipe on my website leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Happy Baking!
Hi Amy, Can I cold proof my dough in the loaf pan, and then put the loaf pan in a preheated oven? Or should the dough cold proof in a banneton? Would it matter if the loaf pan itself is cold?
You can cold proof in the loaf pan. It may just need a tad longer baking time if the pan is cold.
Can you cold ferment the sourdough in the loaf pan?
Yes. Just cover it and place in the refrigerator to cold ferment. Then score and bake like you would a loaf baked in a dutch oven.
I do sourdough loaves often in loaf pans with another on top and they take almost double the recipe noted amount of time to bake and reach 200 degrees in the middle. I am doing an open bake now and have lowered temp for the first 40 mins (per recipe) and going on my 2nd round of 20 more mins and still at only 160 in the middle. I don’t know why but they take a LONG time to bake and much longer than the recipes always state. Regardless of time, we LOVE them as they are easy to slice up for sandwiches.
So interesting. What type of pans are you using? I wonder if it has to do with the metal of the pan? I know aluminum pans take much longer to bake. Have you tried increasing the temperature or does that just burn them?
What size loaf pan do you use for the USA pan brand?
8.5 by 4.5-inches is the one I use the most for my USA pans, but when baking in a loaf pan I like to use a 9 by 5 if you can find it.
Starter is not turning into dough it is staying liquid.
My sourdough is not turning into dough it is staying liquid
What recipe are you using?
I’ve been making sourdough in my dutch ovens for about a year now. I have tried with a loaf pan and the pan of water and ice and they haven’t turned out well. I think my oven just doesn’t hold steam well. Today I used your method with 2 pans, used my recipe that has been working great in the dutch oven, sprayed a little water on top, scored it then covered with the second loaf pan. 20 minutes with cover on, 15 minutes cover off. It came out great! So happy to finally get this figured out! Thanks for your simple yet effective steps.
So glad it worked well for you!
My daughter came to visit from out of state and brought me my starter. She baked the first loaf and some cinnamon rolls. Her loaf and the one I baked today have hard/burned bottoms and mine is doughy. any tips or way to help this?
Every oven is going to be a little bit different temperature wise. I would try putting a baking sheet or baking stone on the rack below the bread to help keep even heat and the loaf from burning on the bottom. If your loaf is doughy, you’ll want to bake it longer. If you take the temperature of a sourdough loaf it should be about 210ºF internally before it’s baked through.
I baked this loaf at least 15 minutes more than the recommended time and my thermometer is still not coming out clean. I did the steam method with a pan of water underneath because I didn’t have a loaf pan big enough to cover the top. Is it supposed to be doughy inside?
Your loaf should not really be doughy inside. What temperature was the dough? A sourdough loaf should be about 210ºF when baked through. Open baking in an oven is tricky – and not really my preferred method because there are so many variables to get just right. I’m sorry yours wasn’t coming out right.
Hi Amy. How many loaves would your artisan recipe make in bread pans? Thank you!!
My classic sourdough recipe: https://amybakesbread.com/sourdough-basic-country-artisan-bread/, I make about 2 loaves in a 9 by 5 pan. You may be able to do 3 in a little smaller pan.