The tangy flavor of sourdough is complimented by earthy, sweet matcha in this beautiful sourdough matcha swirl bread. To make things easy, one large batch of dough is made and then divided in two. One half is flavored with matcha, then rolled with the other half before being baked in a loaf pan.
While sourdough bread takes a longer to make than yeast bread, the tangy flavor chewy texture in this matcha swirl bread are so worth it. I bake two loaves of sourdough bread every single week for my family, and I love adding this one to my rotation for a fun treat for breakfast!
I have tested this matcha swirl sourdough bread nearly a dozen times to get the ingredient ratios and method juuuust right. I swear, it was like I was in a version of Goldilocks! Sometimes it was too dry, then it was too wet. But after all that recipe testing, I've created the perfect delicious loaf for you. And for a savory version of this green swirl sandwich loaf, try my easy pesto swirl bread!
My Notes on the Ingredients We'll Use
Sourdough Levain
- Active sourdough starter - make sure your sourdough starter is bubbly and active; usually within 12 hours of feeding it
- Warm water - warm water (between 100°F to 110°F) helps activate the yeast and enhance fermentation
- All purpose flour - all purpose flour provides a balance of proteins, starches, and carbohydrates to nourish your sourdough starter.
Matcha Swirl Bread
- Sourdough levain - use just a portion of the levain you build to enhance the bread's flavor and structure
- Granulated sugar - sweetens the bread and provides an extra food source for the yeast in the dough
- All purpose flour - provides an elastic texture so the matcha swirl bread is easier to roll; all purpose flour's subtle flavor allows the sourdough and matcha to be the stars of the show
- Salt - brings out the flavors of the other ingredients and strengthens the gluten structure in the dough
- Unsalted butter - allow your butter to soften to room temperature; adds a rich, creamy flavor and more moisture to your bread
- Matcha powder - I recommend using culinary grade matcha powder; it's less expensive than ceremonial grade matcha but works great in baked goods
- Egg - adds a rich flavor to this enriched sourdough and creates a more soft and moist texture
- Milk - adds a subtly sweet flavor and moisture to the dough, while also contributing to a golden brown crust color once it's baked
My Sourdough Baking Tips
- Proofing: I usually let my dough rise and proof in the oven with the oven light turned on. This provides a warm, draft-free environment which is ideal for the yeast's activity.
- No Scoring: You don't need to score the top of this loaf.
- No Dutch Oven: While many sourdough recipes require baking in a Dutch oven, I developed this recipe so you can simply bake your bread in a loaf pan.
- Cooling: Allow your baked bread to cool for at least 1 hour on a wire cooling rack. This will make it a lot easier to slice.
What is a Sourdough Levain?
Sometimes "sourdough levain" and "sourdough starter" are used interchangeably, since both terms refer to a mixture of flour, water, and sourdough.
However, a levain refers to the portion of your sourdough starter that is taken out and fed separately to then be added to your dough.
A sourdough starter is usually fed by combining equal weights of water, flour, and sourdough starter.
But a levain is made with slightly different quantities. In this case, twice as much flour and water compared to the sourdough starter are used to feed the levain.
Do I need to make a levain?
The purpose of a sourdough levain is to make sure your sourdough is fed fresh water and flour, so it's ready to bulk up its volume and activity to create a perfectly risen loaf of bread.
A sourdough levain can enhance the flavor of your bread, since it often has a higher concentration of yeast and bacteria.
It also helps build the strength of your dough by aiding in gluten formation, due to levain's higher levels of enzymes that break down complex carbohydrates and proteins in flour.
Sourdough Matcha Swirl Bread
developed & tested by:
Ingredients
Sourdough Levain
- 50 grams active sourdough starter (has been fed within the past 12 hours)
- 75 grams warm water
- 100 grams all purpose flour
Matcha Swirl Bread
- 200 grams sourdough levain
- 200 grams warm water
- 500 grams all purpose flour
- 100 grams granulated sugar
- 10 grams salt (use fine sea salt or table salt, not kosher salt)
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 2 Tablespoons culinary-grade matcha powder
- 1 egg
Instructions
Make the Levain
- Mix together the active, bubbly sourdough starter, warm water, and flour for the levain ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rest at room temperature for 3-4 hours, until it doubles in size.Measure out 200 grams of the levain (it should be nearly all of it) for the sourdough loaf.
Make the Sourdough Bread
- In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the levain in the warm water. Add the flour, sugar, salt, and softened butter. Mix with a large wooden spoon, then knead the dough on a clean work surface for a few minutes, until there isn't any visible dry flour.
- Divide the dough in half. Continue kneading one half of the dough for another few minutes, until it's smooth and elastic. Place that dough ball in a clean mixing bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel.
- Add the matcha powder to other half of the dough and continue kneading it for a few minutes, until it's smooth and elastic. (It may not turn totally green, but the matcha powder should create a dark green color marbled throughout the dough. The matcha powder is really fine and dry, but the more you knead it, the more it will incorporate into your dough.) Place that dough ball in a clean mixing bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Allow both balls of dough to rise in a warm draft-free spot overnight, or 8 hours.
- Grease a bread loaf pan with a little olive oil.
- Roll out each portions of dough into rectangles that are 8 inches wide by 12 inches long. Place the green matcha bread rectangle on top of the other dough rectangle. Trim or pull the edges of the dough if needed, so they are the same size.
- Roll the two dough rectangles together into a tight log, starting at a longer end. Place the rolled-up bread loaf into the greased loaf pan with the seam facing down. Cover the loaf with a clean kitchen towel and let it proof for 3 hours at room temperature. It won't double in size, but it should puff up a little bit.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Whisk the egg with a small splash of water in a small bowl to create an egg wash. Brush the egg wash onto the loaf.
- Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the bread is golden brown. Allow it to cool for 10 minutes in the bread pan, then remove it from the pan and allow it to finish cooling on a cooling rack. Enjoy!!
Notes
- Storing: Allow your loaf to cool completely, the wrap it in a paper bag or kitchen towel (something breathable) and store at room temp. Or wrap the whole loaf or individual slices in plastic wrap then aluminum foil and freeze for later.
Hodychel says
I followed the recipe to the mixing for 6 minutes part. It was a floury mess. As another commenter mentioned, there's not enough liquid in this recipe for the amounts of flour it calls for. Has anyone made this successfully? Hope it can be updated as I'd love to make it.
Carissa Erzen says
Hi there! I tested and tweaked this recipe 4 times since reading your comment, and this recipe is MUCH improved now! I do apologize that there wasn't enough liquid in the previous iteration of this bread. I've increased the amount of warm water in the dough, as well as the amount of levain that goes into it. If you get a chance to make this again with the revisions, please do let me know. Thank you!! 🙂
sourdoughbreadlove says
there is not water/milk in the recipe .
Humbly Homemade says
Thanks for your comment, there's warm water in the levain and there's milk and egg in the bread dough.
infinitelyadaydreamer says
This looks awesome! So creative x
strawberryandcream says
Thank you so much! 💗💓
Eiri says
waiting to see how it goes, but I don't have high hopes. I should've read it all the way through, but I added the milk and egg to the dough because it wasn't coming together and was too floury. I also had to add tablespoons of water to the dough to be able to work with it. I wasn't keeping track, just mixing in one at a time. right now I have it resting, but it's a thick consistency. not sure if it'll actually double. In future I might just make my regular recipe, split it in half and add the matcha to half of it.
Carissa Erzen says
Hi Eiri, thanks for your comment! I have tweaked and re-tested this bread recipe four times since reading your comment, because I wanted to make sure it both worked well and was clearly written. I increased the amount of water and levain in the dough, and changed the egg wash to just have a splash of water instead of milk. I also made a few changes to the process and timings as well, to improve the overall recipe. If you get a chance to try this updated recipe, please do let me know. Thank you so much & happy baking!!
The Dragon's Picnic says
Oh, wow, I love it. So interested in "patterned" bread and my next attempt will be a polka dot bread 🙂
strawberryandcream says
Wow polka dot bread sounds so fun! I can't wait to see how it turns out! 😊