This easy, no knead sourdough bread is made with a homemade sourdough starter. The long rising time gives it a tangy flavor, a chewy texture, and a thin, crispy crust. If you like authentic sourdough bread you’ll love this recipe!
For this recipe you’ll need: active sourdough starter, pure spring water, bread flour, sea salt, a heavy dutch oven with a cover
I love sourdough bread!
When I was in the Army I was stationed in Monterey, California. There were a ton of really awesome things about living there but the fresh food was probably my favorite. Of all of that good food the thing at the top of my list was sourdough bread. That super crispy crust and tangy, sour aroma called me every time I was within sniffing distance.
When I moved back to Texas I decided to learn how to make the stuff. Dang. That was an eye opener. My homemade sourdough was even better!
When you make it yourself you can kind of control how sour it gets by the amount of time you let it rise and where you let it rise. If you let it rise in a proofing oven (or Texas kitchen in July) at 100F it will rise more quickly but be less sour. If you let it rise in your refrigerator for 12 hours or so it will be significantly tangier. You’ll just need to decide how long to let it go so that it’s just right for you.
This no knead sourdough bread is made with an active starter but no commercial yeast. You’ll find my recipe for sourdough starter here. I’ve seen that some people feed their starter twice a day but I’ve always just done it once. I’ll try the twice a day starter soon and see if I like that better.
The trick is to use filtered water or bottled spring water in both your starter and your bread. The chemicals in tap water kill off the wild yeast.
You have to be patient when you are making sourdough. The rising times can be painfully long — especially in the colder months of the year. You’ll know when it’s ready, don’t hurry it.
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I made this bread in my Le Creuset dutch oven. It is really heavy and helps you get that thin, crispy crust you’re looking for. You can use it in the oven so it’s as handy for bread making as it is for making stew. If that’s not in your budget this Lodge dutch oven is similar for about 1/4 the cost.
Here’s the no knead sourdough bread recipe. Enjoy!
No Knead Sourdough Bread
Print Add to CollectionIngredients
- 1 cup active starter, 250g
- 1 1/2 cups filtered water, 350g
- 4 cups bread flour, 500g
- 2 teaspoons sea salt dissolved in 1 teaspoon warm water, 10g
Instructions
Sponge
- Combine the starter, water, and flour in a large bowl.
- Mixture will be thick — you’ll need to stir with your hands until all of the flour is mixed in.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest one hour.
Dough
- Lightly grease a heavy dutch oven and sprinkle lightly with cornmeal.
- Add the salt and water mixture to the dough and squish in with your fingers.
- Place the dough back in the bowl.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let stand until doubled – about 6 to 12 hours.
Baking the Sourdough.
- Gently east the dough out of the bowl – you don’t want to break up the air pockets.
- Shape it into a round and place it carefully in to the dutch oven.
- Put the cover on.
- Let it rise until puffy, about 45 minutes.
- Make 3 shallow slashed in the dough with a very sharp knife.
- Preheat the oven to 450F.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove the cover and bake until golden brown – about 30 to 40 more minutes. You can double check the temperature by inserting and insta-read thermometer in the center. When it’s done the temperature will be about 205F.
- Remove the loaf immediately from the dutch oven and let cool completely before slicing.
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HeidiHO
So do I remove the cast iron bottom skillet from the rack to transfer the dough from banneton or do I just pull rack out?
Marye
You are taking the dough out of the bowl, forming it gently into a round, and placing it in a dutch oven then baking. 🙂
Clarissa
Hi,
I made this dough last night and am really wishing you would post pictures of the dough and not just the bread. I used my scale and measured everything according to weight, but my dough is a super sticky blob! This is my first attempt at using my sourdough starter and my first attempt at a no knead bread of any kind so I’m flying blind here! Guess I’ll see in a couple hours if it’s going to work!
Marye Audet
Aww I’m sorry! It’s hard to get pictures of the dough because my hands are too gooey for the camera. I’ll try next time I am making it. I hope everything worked out..The dough really is very loose and sticky.
Edye
I LOVE sourdough bread! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Blessings,
Edye | http://gracefulcoffee.wordpress.com
Marye Audet
🙂 Thanks for stopping by, Edye!
Marye Audet
🙂 Following you, too!
laura@motherwouldknow
I love sourdough and I have a Le Creuset oven. Guess that means I should start learning to make homemade starter right now:)
Gina @ Running to the Kitchen
I’m all about the tang when it comes to sourdough, now I just need the patience to let it hang out in the fridge that long for it!
Marye Audet
Oh me too! I hate that it takes so long but I love the results
Wendy
Your sourdough loaf looks like something from an artisan bakery! I am forwarding this recipe and the sourdough starter recipe to my son( a major sourdough bread lover). He enjoys cooking and baking and has been saying how much he would like to learn to make sourdough himself! Thanks!
Marye Audet
Thank you Wendy! I hope he has fun with it.
Rosemary Lincoln
Can you just clarify please? I have made dutch oven bread before but always in a very hot dutch oven, meaning I sometimes have a flop as I put the risen dough into the pot.
Your recipe is saying to do the last stage of rising in the cold oiled pot, is that correct? Sounds much easier but I had understood before it’s essential to use a hot dutch oven?
Thanks
Rosemary (Scotland)
Marye Audet
You put the dough in the cold pot. Actually I usually warm it up with some warm water and then wipe the water out but definitely not a hot pot! Hope this helps.
Rosemary Lincoln
Thank you – I’m just about to try it…will let you know. It will be a lot easier putting it into a cold pot, only downside is you need to use oil
Marye Audet
I always do use oil so that’s never been a problem for me. 🙂
Catherine
Dear Marye, I love no-knead loaves. This has a beautiful color and crisp to it….perfect! xo, Catherine
Marye Audet
Thank you!!