Baton Bread with Sourdough
Baton bread was one of the most delicious breads from my childhood.
The most delicious sandwiches can be made with baton. It is super soft, has a creamy flavor.
Try it and you will love it.
Ingredients
Sourdough Sponge
- 30 g sourdough starter
- 225 g water
- 250 g bread flour
Dough
- all sourdough sponge on it’s peak
- 250 g bread flour
- 10 g salt
- 30 g sugar
- 25g soft unsalted butter
- 30-40g water
Shiny glaze
- 1 tsp corn starch
- 2 tbs water
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 cup hot boiling water
Directions
Day 1
Sponge
- 10 pm dissolve sourdough starter on it’s peak in the water, add flour, mix well with spoon, cover let ferment at room temp 74-76F until it increases in volume in 2 or more times (learn how to make sourdough starter from scratch here).
Day 2
Dough
- 8 am By this time sponge should grew 2 times or more. In a bowl of stand mixer add all sponge, sugar, salt, flour.
- Mix dough on low speed of your mixing machine for 5 minutes, or KitchenAid on speed 3 for 7 minutes until well incorporated.
- Add soft butter, increase the speed of mixer, mix for 10 more minutes until the dough is well incorporated.
Note: if the dough seems too stiff, add 20g water, continue kneading. If it still too stiff, add 10-20g more.
The dough should come up together and have a smooth surface.
- Cover the dough and let it proof for 3-4 hours at 78-86F/ 28-30C until double or more in volume.
- Divide the dough in 2 equal pieces.
- Shape each loaf as a batard, by folding 2 top edges to make a triangle top, then roll the top into itself, creating a tight roll.
- Transfer the shaped loaves onto a tray, cover, and let them proof for 1-3 hours at 78-86F/28-30C until double or more in volume.
- Preheat the oven to 450F and cast iron pan for at least 30 minutes
- Score the loaves, bake them for 10 min with steam (or with lid on).
- Lower the temperature to 400F open the lid, bake for 20 more minutes, until golden brown.
- Meanwhile prepare the shiny glaze by mixing cornstarch, water and sugar together. Then add hot boiling water and mix until no lumps remain.
- Remove the bread from the oven.
- Generously spread the shiny glaze all over your loaves.
- Let the bread cool down.
Enjoy!
Baton Bread with Sourdough
1090kcal
Ingredients
The Sourdough Sponge (Night Before)
- 30 g Sourdough starter Active and at its peak
- 225 g Water
- 250 g Bread flour
The Creamy Main Dough
- All of the prepared mature sourdough sponge From the stage above
- 250 g Bread flour
- 10 g Salt
- 30 g Sugar
- 25 g Unsalted butter Softened completely to room temperature
- 30 to 40 g Water Reserved strictly for hydration adjustments during kneading
The High-Gloss Bakery Glaze
- 1 tsp Corn starch
- 2 tbsp Water Cold, for dissolving the starch
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 1/2 cup Hot boiling water
Equipment
- Stand Mixer Fitted with a dough hook attachment
- Cast Iron Pan A specialized Challenger bread pan fits two loaves perfectly, or use an oval Dutch oven
- Sharp Bread Lame or razor blade
Method
Night Before – Sponge Pre-Fermentation
- 10:00 PM: Fully dissolve your 30g of active sourdough starter into the 225g of water. Add the initial 250g of bread flour and mix well with a spoon until no dry pockets remain. Cover loosely and let ferment at room temperature 74–76°F (23–24°C) overnight until it at least doubles in size and looks highly active and bubbly.
Main Mixing & Warm Bulk Proof
- 2. 8:00 AM (Next Morning): Verify that your sponge has doubled. In your stand mixer bowl, combine all the mature sponge, the remaining 250g of bread flour, 30g of sugar, and 10g of salt.
- 3. Mix the dough on low speed for 5 minutes (or if using a KitchenAid mixer, run it on speed 3 for exactly 7 minutes) until fully incorporated.
- 4. Add the 25g of soft room-temperature butter. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and knead continuously for 10 more minutes until the fat incorporates seamlessly.
- 5. The Stiffness Adjustment: If the dough feels too stiff or dry during the final minutes of kneading, add 20g of the reserved water. If it still struggles to smooth out, add another 10g to 20g of water. The finished dough must gather cleanly into a ball with a highly smooth surface.
- 6. Cover the bowl and let the dough proof for 3 to 4 hours at a warm 78–86°F (28–30°C) until it completely doubles in volume. Hack: In winter, proofing inside an oven with the interior light turned on gives a perfect 76–82°F chamber.
Tension Shaping, Steamed Baking, and Glazing
- 7. Divide the expanded dough cleanly into 2 equal pieces using a bench scraper.
- 8. Shape the Batards: Flatten a dough piece slightly, fold the two top edges inward to make a clean triangle top, then roll that top edge tightly into itself to create a firm, compact log. Repeat for the second piece.
- 9. Transfer the shaped loaves onto a baking tray. Cover loosely and let them proof a final time for 1 to 3 hours at 78–86°F (28–30°C) until they double in volume.
- 10. Preheat your oven to 450°F (230°C) with your cast iron pan or Dutch oven inside for at least 30 minutes.
- 11. Use a sharp razor blade or lame to score 4 or 5 diagonal slashes across the top of each loaf. Transfer them carefully into the hot pan, drop the lid on to trap the steam (or create steam manually if baking on open sheets), and bake at 450°F for exactly 10 minutes.
- 12. Remove the lid, lower the oven temperature to 400°F (205°C), and continue baking for 20 more minutes until the crust turns an even, deep golden brown.
- 13. The Shiny Glaze: While the bread finishes baking, whisk the 1 teaspoon of corn starch, 2 tablespoons of cold water, and 1 teaspoon of sugar together in a small bowl until smooth. Pour the 1/2 cup of hot boiling water directly over the mixture and stir vigorously until completely clear and lump-free.
- 14. Remove the loaves from the oven. Using a pastry brush, immediately spread your prepared warm starch glaze generously over the piping hot top crusts. Let the bread cool completely before slicing.
Nutrition
Calories1090kcalCarbohydrates202gProtein34gFat15gSaturated Fat7gPolyunsaturated Fat2gMonounsaturated Fat3gTrans Fat0.4gCholesterol34mgSodium368mgPotassium326mgFiber6gSugar18gVitamin A324IUVitamin C0.2mgCalcium55mgIron2mg
Notes
- No Cast Iron? Bake in Loaf Pans: If you don’t own a heavy Challenger bread pan or a standard Dutch oven, you can easily bake this recipe using two standard loaf pans instead. Just note that you will need to manually inject steam during the first 10 minutes of the bake—place a metal tray filled with boiling water on the rack directly underneath your loaves to help them rise properly.
- Whole Wheat Flour Variations: If you want to add a rustic, whole-grain twist to this classic childhood sandwich loaf, you can safely substitute some of the bread flour. Replacing up to 30% of the flour weight with white whole wheat flour gives an incredibly deep flavor profile while keeping the texture wonderfully soft.
- Managing Dough Stiffness: Depending on your specific brand of bread flour and your kitchen’s ambient humidity, the flour may absorb water differently. Keep a close eye on your stand mixer during step 5. Don’t hesitate to work in that extra 20g to 40g of water if the dough ball looks lumpy or feels too dense to stretch.
- The Shiny Starch Coating Hack: Spreading the cornstarch wash across the surface while the loaves are piping hot from the oven is what creates that signature glossy, glass-like sheen. This glaze traps ambient moisture under the crust, which keeps the outer shell remarkably soft and prevents it from cracking or wrinkling as it cools.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mmmm, looks wonderful! I don’t have a cast-iron pan, so could I use two loaf pans?
Yes, you can, but you will have to create a steam in first 10 min of baking.
Can you please include a link for the cast iron pan you used?
Hi!
I’m using this pan
https://challengerbreadware.com/product/challenger-bread-pan/?ref=Natashasbaking
Thanks a million!
Turned out well as one round loaf. Delish, hard to resist.
Uma divindade 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
🙏🙏🙏
I made this bread today, it’s so soft and delicious. Thank you Natasha🌷
Thank you so much for your feedback!
Im so glad you liked it. It’s one of my favorite 🙏
Mmmm, good, made it Wednesday. I liked that it only took two days. Have been enjoying it! Nice texture and flavor. My husband said this is great sourdough, why don’t the sandwich buns you make taste sour too? (Which use starter too.) I guess the extra butter and eggs hide the sourness, I have no idea. Anyways, for the Russian Baton, I did add 10g more of the starter (just to be sure) and ended up mixing everything all at the same time, including the butter and 35g water. I did find a cast iron pan that worked, it is for making pancakes on my stove-top and I tented the loaves with aluminum foil.
Can I switch out some of the bread flour for white whole wheat? What percentage do you think would be a good amount?
Barbara, thank you so much for your feedback!
Small amount of yeast, can speed up the process, and make it less sour.
For whole wheat, I would suggest to replace up to 30%.
Great! Not a problem with the sourness, just think it is interesting that one recipe is and the other isn’t and both are using only starter, no commercial yeast. Baking only with starter for the last two years has been an interesting journey!
Hi Natasha, sorry for asking, does it need window pane ? thanks
I didn’t check windowpane, but the surface has to look smooth.
I did the windowpane, but I have found when making any bread dough, once all the ingredients are added and after the autolyze, if I allow the mixer to go 15 minutes or so (I am using a small Globe mixer at speed 2) the dough becomes very elastic and the windowpane is a given.
I have made it, it was so soft and yumm… thanks for the recipe 👍👍👍
Thank you so much for your feedback 🙏
Great recipe! Just one question: this seems to be a recipe for one loaf. The instructions talk about two loaves. Did I miss something?
Hi!
This recipe is for 2 loaves.
🙏
What would be the best way to create steam in the oven?
Also, how big in diameter my cast iron skillet should be in order to fit one loaf in?
P. S. Love your recipes.
I’m using a Challenger bread pan, it fits 2 loaves perfectly.
Thank you 🙏
This makes an excellent sandwich bread. And the final coating gave it a beautiful look (but I only need half as much as called for – maybe I should have brushed the bottoms, too?)
My kitchen is cold now (67°) so it took 3 times as long to proof but that didn’t make it sour. Definitely a keeper!
Adam, thank you so much for your kind feedback. Wintertime I’m proofing the bread in oven with light on. It gives perfect 76-82F
I use my oven light for proofing as well, but since the temperature is about 105, I prop the door open for about 1″ so it isn’t quite so warm.
Hi Natalya! I’m out of bread flour. Will this work with all purpose flour? Thanks!
Hi!
Yes!
It should work 🙏
This looks delicious. Do you put the glaze on after you finish baking?
Yes, when the bread is still hot.
Do we have to use a stand mix? Can we do it by hand? Sorry, I’ve never done it before.
Hi,
Absolutely love the recipe! Made it multiple times now!
I wanted to add some seeds / cheese / jalapeños to the recipe just to start experimenting.
In which step of the recipe would you recommend adding the ingredients and what technique would you use for this – for example would I stretch out the dough and springle the ingredients – then continue with the shapeing process?
Thanks a lot !
Hi!
Thank you for your feedback
You can add inclusions during the mixing, when butter is almost incorporated.
Or after mixing, stretch the dough very thin and add inclusions, then fold back and proof it.
Hello,
Thank you for your recipes and hard work. I have a general question about choosing proper baking pan for oval breads? What can I get instead of Challenger pan since it’s slightly on the pricier side?
Can I use oval Dutch oven?
Thank you!
Hi Natasha! I’ve recently found your recipes and all of your breads look wonderful. I’ve just started my journey with your recipes, I’ve never before used recipes not in my native language so I think maybe I understood something wrong – I have a problem with doubling the volume of the dough and loaves, the bread taste amazing, but they are rather small and definitely the dough does not double the volume during growth 🙁 I have a stable and active sourdough starter, other breads grow normally when I use the starter, I used bread flour type 750.
I like this bread recipe, but i wish to leave out the sugar out. Can I do this? I want a sourdough starter and yeast baguette, and i cannot find a recipe anywhere accept this one.