Description
This Easiest Ever Sourdough Bread recipe delivers a no-knead, artisan-style loaf with a crisp crust and tender crumb. Using a simple starter build from the night before, this method allows for easy preparation and long fermentation for optimal flavor, producing a delightful homemade bread with minimal effort.
Ingredients
Scale
Starter Build (Night Before)
- 25 grams mature starter (about 2 tablespoons)
- 75 grams unbleached bread flour or all-purpose flour (½ cup + 1 teaspoon)
- 75 grams water, 90℉ (⅓ cup)
Dough
- 100 grams ripe starter (heaping ⅓ cup)
- 300 grams filtered water, 90℉ (1¼ cups + 1 tablespoon)
- 500 grams white bread flour or unbleached all-purpose flour (3½ cups + ½ teaspoon)
- 10 grams sea salt (2⅛ teaspoons)
Instructions
- Build the Starter: The evening before baking, combine 25g mature starter with 75g flour and 75g warm water (90°F) in a clean mason jar. Stir well until no dry flour remains, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rest at room temperature for 8-12 hours until doubled and bubbly.
- Mix the Dough: The next morning, in a large bowl, combine 100g ripe starter with 300g warm water and stir until fully dispersed. Add 500g bread flour and 10g sea salt, mixing until a shaggy, sticky dough forms. Use your hands to bring it together into a sticky ball.
- First Rise: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the oven with the light on (this creates a warm environment around 80-85°F). Let the dough rise for 5-6 hours until puffy and doubled in size, passing the poke test where an indent slowly fills back in.
- Shape the Dough: Lightly flour your counter and turn the dough out seam-side down. Perform fold and tuck motions from all sides to center, pinch to seal, then flip the dough seam-side down and use cupped hands to rotate and tighten into a smooth, taut ball but still soft.
- Second Rise: Dust a bread basket generously with flour, place the dough seam-side up inside, dust again lightly, and cover with plastic wrap. Return the basket to the oven with the light on for 2-3 hours until doubled and airy, maintaining the poke test.
- Preheat Oven & Prepare Dough: Remove dough from oven and preheat your oven to 450°F. Place a sheet of parchment paper on the counter and gently turn dough onto it, seam side down. Score the top lengthwise about ½-inch deep with a sharp knife or lame.
- Bake Covered: Using the parchment, lift dough into a Dutch oven (no preheating Dutch oven needed). Cover and reduce oven temperature to 425°F. Bake covered for 40 minutes.
- Bake Uncovered: Remove the Dutch oven lid carefully and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes until the crust is dark golden and sounds hollow when tapped.
- Cool: Use parchment corners to remove bread to a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely for at least 2 hours until internal temperature reaches 190-205°F. The crust will be crisp and the crumb fully set, ready to slice and enjoy.
Notes
- Use an active, bubbly starter for best results; if it does not float in water, it likely isn’t ready.
- If you don’t have a proofing basket, a large bowl lined with a floured kitchen towel works well.
- The dough will be sticky during mixing, which is normal and helps form artisan texture.
- For colder kitchens, fermentation times may be longer; using the oven light keeps the dough warm.
- Score the dough confidently to ensure even rising; a simple straight cut is great for beginners.
- Bread flour is preferred but all-purpose flour can be substituted with minor differences.
- Store bread at room temperature in a paper bag for up to 3 days, or slice and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (about 80g)
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 0.3g
- Sodium: 370mg
- Fat: 1g
- Saturated Fat: 0.2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 38g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 6g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
