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This is an easy sourdough bread recipe using your natural sourdough starter. This can be baked in a dutch oven or on a sheet pan for equally great results.
The smell of this bread baking will fill your house and give you warm, cozy feelings. Serve it with some good butter or a dipping sauce like garlic butter sauce or herbed olive oil.
Sourdough bread recipes tend to look intimidating and complicated. If you look at most sourdough bread recipes, they are long and have several steps to them. Additionally, for anyone that is new to baking sourdough, most recipes use unfamiliar terminology.
Truly, you don’t need to know the difference between a poolish, levain, mother, or sponge to make great sourdough bread. And you don’t need to take all the extra steps to be successful.
How to make this easy sourdough bread recipe:
A condensed version of all the steps can be broken down into five basic actions.
- Mix all the ingredients together and knead the dough.
- Let the dough rise.
- Shape the dough.
- Let the dough rise a second time.
- Bake the loaf of bread.
It is really that easy. The instructions in the recipe card are lengthier in order to give you more success but all you have to do is start. The more you bake bread, the more proficient you will get. You will even find yourself checking out long, complicated recipes. Bread making is an addicting hobby.
Do you need to knead the dough
Kneading dough helps form the gluten and gives the bread strength, structure, and better texture. With most bread recipes, in order to get the gluten to develop completely, you will have to knead the dough for 10 minutes or longer. However, another way that gluten is formed is to allow the enzymes in the flour to break down the proteins and develop the gluten. In other words, letting the dough sit for an extended period of time will naturally “knead” the bread.
Since natural wild yeast works slower than commercial yeast, the longer ferment time will do most of the kneading for you. As a result, this recipe does not require a long knead time. If you find it therapeutic then go ahead and knead the dough. But if you’re anxious to move on to your next chore then you only need to work the dough for a minute.
Is it necessary for the bread to rise twice?
Almost every yeast bread recipe instructs you to let the bread go through two rise sessions. Mix it, knead it and let it rise once. Then knock the air out, shape the loaf and let it rise a second time. If you’re new to bread making, you may want to skip that second rise and bake it right after the first rise.
If you really want to skip the second rise, you can. You will still have a reasonably decent loaf of bread. However, if you want exceptional sourdough bread, then yes, allow the bread to rise a second time. The second rise does all kinds of magic to the bread. It gives it a much nicer texture and allows more flavors to develop, giving it a rich and malty flavor.
Adding salt to yeast bread
If you have ever made yeast bread and forgotten the salt, you will understand when I say it will need to be relegated to the compost bin. Perhaps you could use it to make seasoned croutons. But, honestly, bread made without salt is quite bland and tasteless.
Most yeast bread recipes will instruct you to add the salt just before the second rise. The reason many recipes have you add salt later is that salt will kill the yeast. With that said, this recipe (as with most yeast bread recipes) is only 2 percent salt. Truthfully, that is not enough salt to kill your yeast. So go ahead and add the salt in the beginning. The bread will rise just fine.
Shaping the dough
Since natural sourdough takes longer to rise, it can lose its shape over time. By placing it in a proofing basket or bowl, it will hold its shape and prevent the dough from spreading out and becoming flat. You can also help the dough hold its shape better by creating a tightly formed ball of dough. If you cup your hands around the ball of dough then drag it toward you, the dough will start to tighten. Turn the ball of dough and repeat that step three to four times and you will see that the surface tension improves. Watch our video to see how we shape the bread to increase surface tension.
What to use to hold the shape of the dough
There are several things you can use to hold the shape of your bread while it proofs. If you don’t have a proofing basket, a colander or pyrex bowl works well.
Using a colander
If you use a colander, place a tea towel in it so the dough does not fall through the holes. Flour the towel very well to prevent the dough from sticking to the towel. Plain flour will absorb moisture over time so we recommend using a mixture of rice flour and all-purpose flour. Make a blend with equal amounts of flour for perfect results.
Using a Brotform
If you want to use a bread proofing basket like this Brotform, you will not only end up with a nicely shaped loaf but the basket will leave a lovely impression on the dough. It makes a beautiful loaf of bread. As with the tea towel, you will need to give it a generous dusting of flour. Make a 50/50 blend of rice flour and all-purpose flour. If you only use all-purpose flour to dust the Brotform, the dough will stick to the Brotform when you try to remove it.
Using a mixing bowl
You can even use a mixing bowl to hold the shape of your dough. Just find a bowl the size and shape that you would like your bread to be shaped. It does not need to be an oven-proof bowl because you will not bake the bread in the bowl. Give the bowl a generous spray of oil and plop the dough into the bowl.
Once your bread has risen a second time you will tip it out of the bowl or basket and into a Dutch oven. If you don’t have a Dutch oven, you can tip it directly onto a baking sheet. You will get a nicer crust if you use a Dutch oven but you will still have great bread if you don’t use one.
More Sourdough Recipes
There are so many wonderful things to do with sourdough discard! Every time you refresh your starter, instead of throwing away the leftover unfed starter, you can put it to use in all kinds of delicious sourdough recipes.
- Sourdough Ricotta Pancakes
- Wild Yeast Sourdough Starter Recipe
- Sourdough Scones (with Discard)
- Sourdough Stuffing
- 17 Tantalizing Sourdough Recipes
Some other Bread Recipes you might like:
Watch our Video:
Check out our video and see how to make this easy sourdough bread recipe:
John 6:35 Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty’.
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Easy Sourdough Bread Recipe
If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating and comment.
Equipment
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup sourdough starter, (160 grams)
- 1-⅓ cups lukewarm water, (314 grams)
- 4-¼ cups all-purpose flour, (510 grams)
- 2 teaspoons salt, (12 grams)
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in the bowl and stir until it is a chunky, loosely combined dough.
- Dump the dough onto a work surface and knead the dough with your hands until the dough is smooth. (Essentially, you are massaging the dough by stretching and pushing. This will help develop the gluten.) At this stage, it will be wet and sticky. Don’t add more flour or your finished bread will be dense and heavy. The dough will stick to your hands and feel messy but if you get your hands wet it won't stick as easily.
- Place the dough into an oiled bowl. Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a towel and let it sit at room temperature for 3 to 6 hours (see notes) or in the refrigerator overnight. (A longer proof time in the fridge will give the bread a more tangy, sourdough flavor.)
- Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knock the air out of it then form it into a round ball. (See notes)
- Place the ball of dough into a proofing basket or any container that is the shape that you want your bread to be shaped. (See notes)
- Let the dough rise again a second time for 3 to 6 hours** at room temperature until doubled in size. (Or you could let it rise in the fridge overnight for 12 to 15 hours-see notes).
- Pre-heat the oven to 450°F. If you want to preheat your Dutch oven, place it in the oven for at least 30 minutes to heat up with the oven. It's an optional step but will give the bread some extra 'spring' (see notes).
- When the oven is hot, tip the loaf of bread into a dutch oven or onto a baking sheet. Make a slash in the loaf with a sharp knife. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes.
Video
Notes
- The amount of time needed for your bread to rise will vary depending on the temperature and humidity. You can slow the rise by placing it in the refrigerator and speed the rise by placing it in a warm room or a dehydrator. A slower fermentation time will help develop more complex flavors.
- You will have more accurate measurements (and better results) if you weigh your ingredients with a scale.
- When you knead and shape your dough, try not to add any flour to your countertop. Adding additional flour will create a denser and heavier bread. You can prevent the dough from sticking to your hands by getting your hands wet.
- If you use a Brotform proofing basket or a tea towel in a bowl to shape your dough, give the basket or tea towel a very generous dusting of flour. Regular flour will absorb too much of the moisture and make the dough stick to the brotform. We recommend making a 50/50 blend of rice flour and all-purpose flour to dust your Brotform or tea towel.
- A Dutch oven works very nicely to form a crusty bread but if you don’t have one you can just bake the bread directly on a baking sheet or even on a hot pizza stone.
- If you let the dough ferment in the fridge, you may not see a significant rise. If the dough does not rise enough while in the fridge, let it sit out at room temperature to rise further before placing it in the oven.
Tips for baking in a Dutch Oven:
- Use parchment paper or spray the Dutch Oven with non-stick spray for easy removal.
- For an extra burst of steam and a slightly higher rise, preheat the Dutch Oven for 30 minutes before placing the bread inside. Use caution when you transfer the dough to the hot Dutch oven as it is easy to burn yourself.
- After the bread bakes for 30 minutes, remove the lid from the Dutch Oven and bake it the rest of the way without the lid.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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HI there,
I’m new to sourdough. I’m having trouble in that the dough is still too sticky after the first rise, and I can’t form it into a loaf for the second rise. It’s still pretty sticky after the second rise. Any tips or tricks? I have a superhero starter, and it floats. I use the starter before the morning feeding. I’m using all purpose flour, and a colander for proofing. The bread turns out pretty good, just flatter than I’d like.
Thank you in advance for any help you can offer!
There are a few reasons that the dough may still be too sticky. It is possible that the dough was over-proofed. That actually sounds like it may be your issue. However, sometimes it is a matter of developing your skills with handling the dough. Another trick you could try is to stick the dough (while still in the colander) in the fridge for the last couple of hours before you are ready to bake it. Colder dough will hold its shape better when you tip it out of the colander. If you try that tip then just proof and rise it like normal but use the fridge for the last couple of hours to get a bit of a chill to the dough. It will require a bit more bake time if you do that
Thank you! I’ll give it a try!
good luck!!
I ended up letting the just combined ingredients rest for 30 minutes before kneading the dough for a longer period of time (15 minutes) with my stand mixer. I reduced the proofing times. I stretched the dough during the first proofing every hour and only proofed for 4 hours. The second proof was for 1 hour. The dough held its shape and produced a great loaf, except I under cooked it! My oven is old and doesn’t seal all the way so I’ll need to figure this out. All I have is time right now to try to get this better! I wish I could send you a picture of it. Thank you for your advice and for a great recipe!!!
That’s great, I’m so glad it worked out better. Darn that bum oven seal! But you are right, the more you do this, the better you will get. You just gotta figure out how to adjust the timing for your oven. You got this!
I used all of the starter to make 2/3 cup. I don’t this bread will go well today. Very disappointed.
If you use all of your starter then you will not have any for future recipes. 🙁 If you don’t have enough starter for the recipe AND for a little extra to keep the starter going then you should feed the starter to build it up a bit more. Always build your starter up BEFORE you make a recipe. If you do that then you will have sourdough starter for a lifetime.
I saw a couple of comments about tests for the starter. How do I know if it is ready? A friend gave me some starter and I kept it in my fridge for a couple of months, recently have been feeding it on my kitchen counter to try to “revive” it. One container is very full of bubbles and contents are stretchy, the other may have gotten too much water or flour and bubbles are still small. Both smell sour but neither has doubled in size. I am considering throwing out the container with the small bubbles. What would you do at this point?
I would keep them both and keep feeding them regularly. I would even try making a batch of bread and see how it turns out. It is possible that you may need to let them ripen a little longer. Generally, you know the starter is ready when it is doubled in size. That can take anywhere from 4 to 6 or 8 hours depending on your starter and your kitchen. If one of the batches looks like it has too much water then add some more flour to it until it looks like it has the right consistency. You don’t have to be super precise.
When you let it raise in the proofing basket, do you cover it or leave it uncovered?
Cover it with a piece of plastic wrap that has oil on it. That way the plastic will not stick to the dough
I am also new to sourdough. When the recipe calls for sourdough starter, is that referring to starter before or after it has been fed?
The best time to use the starter is after it has been fed and is almost doubled in size. If you are new to sourdough then start with that guide. I have a really strong starter …she has been around for several years and the old girl is pretty strong 😉 With a strong starter you can get by with using it just about any time, un-fed or fed. But the best results will always be at the peak of feeding.
I followed the recipe very closely. My bread was dense and not as fluffy as I wanted it to be. What am I missing? Any suggestions to get it to be more fluffy and airy.
The time you give it to rise is pretty variable from kitchen to kitchen. Make sure it doubles in size before you bake it. Another issue could be the strength of your starter. If your starter isn’t established and strong then it may need a few more weeks to mature. If you have a young starter then you can always add a teaspoon of yeast to the recipe until your starter is more established.
I weighted my ingredients and my dough was dry and crumbly. I added more water and starter. The dough feels tough. Suggestions?
There are definitely variables in sourdough baking. Some starters have more hydration so you kind of have to go by ‘feel’. Go ahead and add more water until you have the right consistency. Even if the dough is a little too wet, that is better than having a dry crumbly dough
Is it all right if I mix and knead in a stand mixer. My KitchenAid had spilled me so I’m not a huge fan of going by hand lol
Yes, most hand mixers have dough hook attachments for that purpose. I would definitely recommend using the dough hook.
Would it be okay to use bread flour for this recipe?
Yes, bread flour works great in this recipe, thanks for asking
I was wondering about this too. Would you recommend using a combination of both or just one kind? I’ve tried this recipe with all purpose and thought it turned out great, but I recently bought some bread flour and thought I would try it this time
Bread flour works great with this recipe. I wrote the recipe for all-purpose flour because of requests however bread flour can be substituted for the all-purpose flour. You will probably find that the bread gets a better rise when you use bread flour. You can use it in any ratio from just replacing a cup to replacing all of the all-purpose flour with bread flour. I think you will like this quite well with bread flour.
Hi! For the first rise I put my dough in the fridge and got it out to punch down and it was really dense…. any idea what the problem is? I’m hoping it will be okay as I’m letting it do it’s 2nd rise in the proofing basket???
Cold dough is always firmer. As long as your starter is good, it will soften up and rise a bit more after you take it out of the fridge. Depending on you cold your fridge is, your dough might take a bit longer.
I’d really like to try this recipe. I am fairly new to sour dough. I am also using Einkorn flour and am wondering if I could use
Einkorn for this recipe. And would I need to make any changes? Thanks so much.
Cheryl, I have a recipe for einkorn sourdough bread at this link. https://savorthebest.com/einkorn-sourdough-bread/