This pizza sourdough sandwich loaf is similar to my recent recipe for Pizza Sourdough with Tomato Sauce, but this sandwich loaf is baked in a regular loaf pan so it is perfect for toasting and sandwiches! I love baking sandwich loaves occasionally because they are so simple. No need to perfectly shape the dough or preheat a Dutch oven!
I love adding leftover pizza sauce to my sourdough loaves. The tomato flavor is so vibrant. For this pizza sandwich loaf, I used my favorite sandwich loaf recipe from Alexandra’s Kitchen as a starting point. (If you need a basic sourdough sandwich loaf, I highly recommend her recipe). Then, I decreased the water content and replaced it with pizza sauce. I also decreased the salt slightly because the sauce has salt. My pizza sauce is simple. It is a can of whole peeled tomatoes, salt, pepper, olive oil, basil, garlic, and oregano puréed in a food processor. Any tomato-based pizza sauce will probably work well, although you might need to adjust the amount of sauce added to the dough. The water content probably varies quite a bit between different types of sauces. I would also be cautious of the amount of salt in other sauces and adjust the amount of salt in your dough accordingly. I also added a tiny bit of parmesan cheese to the dough during shaping. This is totally optional, but I really love the added flavor of parmesan.
Ingredients and Equipment Notes:
- Whole peeled canned tomatoes (any brand would work well) and purée them in a food processor with seasonings. Crushed tomatoes also work well.
- I used a loaf pan.
- For a full list of my favorite baking equipment, click here.
Note about proofing:
You can proof this loaf all at room temperature or refrigerate it, based on your schedule.
If you try this pizza sandwich loaf with tomato sauce, please let me know how you like it!
Pizza Sourdough Sandwich Loaf with Tomato Sauce
Equipment
- loaf pan
- dough scraper
- Large mixing bowl or container
- kitchen scale
- food processor
Ingredients
Dough Ingredients
- 100 g sourdough starter (active) Feed it and let it double or triple in volume before using it
- 100 g water
- 510 g bread flour I used Central Milling Artisan Bakers Craft Plus
- 300 -500 g pizza sauce (see recipe below) Add incrementally to the dough
- 7 g salt
- 10-15 g parmesan cheese (shaved or grated) optional
- olive oil
Pizza Sauce Ingredients
- 28 oz can of tomatoes (whole peeled or crushed), including the juices
- 13 g olive oil
- 7 g salt
- 1 handful fresh basil (optional)
- 1-3 cloves garlic, peeled
- red pepper flakes (added to taste, optional)
- oregano (added to taste, optional)
- black pepper (added to taste, optional)
Instructions
Make the sauce (recipe will make extra)
- In a food processor, pulse together all of the ingredients for the sauce (tomatoes, olive oil, salt, garlic, basil, pepper, oregano and red pepper flakes).
- Adjust seasonings to taste and refrigerate the sauce until it is time to make the dough. Note: if you add more salt to the sauce, decrease the amount of salt added to the dough. (Note: you will not need all of the sauce for the dough so you can use some for pizza or pasta)
Make the dough
- In a large bowl, mix together the water, sourdough starter, and salt. Add the bread flour and mix (it will still be very dry). Then, add about 300 g sauce, mix. Then add the rest in 25-50 g batches up to about 400- 440 g ( I added 440 g). The dough will be very wet. Mix it well by hand until the sauce is incorporated.
- Cover and let rest for 30 min. Then, stretch and fold the dough by gently lifting up the dough from the sides of the container and folding it inward toward the middle. Do a set of stretch and folds every 30 minutes for the next two hours. After the last stretch and fold, lightly drizzle olive oil over the top of the dough (I used about 11 g). Cover and rest until almost doubled in size. My dough was at room temperature for about 4 hours after the last stretch and fold, then I put it in the refrigerator overnight.
- Butter or spray a loaf pan. After the dough is almost doubled, take it out of the bowl and onto the counter. Sprinkle cheese on top (if using), then fold the 4 sides in (like a packet). Gently roll into a rectangular loaf and gently place it into the loaf pan (seam side down). Cover, and let proof until it almost reaches the top of the pan. This took me about 5 hours at 68 °F.
Bake the loaf
- Bake the loaf at 425 °F for 20 minutes, then decrease the temperature to 375 °F and bake for about 20-30 more minutes until the loaf is a deep golden red color.
- Allow the loaf to cool in the loaf pan for a few hours before trying to remove it. Enjoy!
Absolutely delicious! Moist, even crumb, and beautiful color and soft crust (the way I like it). The sourdough flavor is well balanced with the pizza flavor. Super easy to follow recipe, though I didn’t go so far as making my own sauce. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
Thank you Amanda! So happy you enjoyed it!!