Beginner's No Knead Sourdough Bread

Classic sourdough bread recipe has a chewy crumb and thin, crisp crust. Super easy to make because there is no kneading required. Perfect for beginners! You'll need to make the starter about 5 days ahead of time.

Total time for the recipe to be finished.Total Time 12 hours hours 50 minutes minutes

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Imagine the irresistible aroma of freshly baked sourdough bread filling your kitchen. With this easy no-knead sourdough bread recipe, you can achieve a beautifully crusty loaf with a soft, tangy interior—all without the hassle of kneading.

Perfect for busy families who love homemade bread, this recipe requires minimal effort and delivers maximum flavor.

Keep reading to discover how you can create tangy sourdough in your own home with just a few simple ingredients and a Dutch oven.

Save this recipe by clicking on the ❤️ heart on the right-hand side of the screen or in the recipe card.

🗝️ Key takeaways

• Bread for busy people: This no-knead sourdough bread recipe is perfect for busy people who want homemade bread without the fuss. It's straightforward, requires minimal hands-on time, and delivers a deliciously chewy crust with a soft, tangy interior.
• Best sandwiches ever: Serve this bread fresh out of the oven for breakfast with some butter and jam, as a side for your favorite soups and stews, or make sandwiches that will have everyone asking for seconds.
• Keep it clean: Be sure to use filtered spring water to ensure success. Chemicals in tap water, as well as some brands of bottled water, can kill off the wild yeast in. your starter.

This easy sourdough bread is perfect for beginners because there's no kneading involved. Just follow the steps and times carefully and you'll have deliciously chewy homemade bread in no time!

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!

🧾 Ingredients

This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.

📖 Variations

1. Whole Wheat: Replace half of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour for a heartier loaf. The texture will be heavier.
2. Seeded: Add a mix of your favorite seeds (like sunflower, sesame, and flax) to the dough for extra crunch and nutrition.
3. Herbed: Mix in chopped fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme for a fragrant and flavorful twist.

🍴 Equipment

1. large mixing bowl
2. heavy dutch oven with lid, cast iron is best
3. parchment paper

Rising times

When you make homemade sourdough bread 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 cool kitchen or 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.

Here's more information on how to get bread to rise.

🥫 How to store leftovers

Store any leftover bread in a paper bag or wrapped in a clean kitchen towel to keep the crust crisp. For longer storage, wrap the bread tightly in plastic wrap and freeze.

Thaw at room temperature and refresh in a warm oven if desired.

💭 Things to know

1. Ensure your sourdough starter is active and bubbly before starting this recipe.
2. The dough will be sticky and shaggy—that's normal for no-knead bread.
3. Patience is key; the longer fermentation time helps develop the flavor and texture. Allow the dough to ferment overnight for the best flavor and texture.
4. Dutch oven sourdough bread gets a crispy crust and chewy texture because of baking inside the covered dutch oven. You can also use a cloche baking method for this recipe.
5. If you prefer a no knead sourdough sandwich bread fill your greased bread pan ⅔ of the way full with the dough rather than putting it in a dutch oven. Watch the rising carefully - it may take a little less time.
6. You can use half bread flour and half whole wheat flour in this recipe.
7. If you'd like to add raisins, seeds, or herbs you can do that when you add the salt mixture.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. You can also try this sourdough bread that uses commercial yeast as well as starter so the rising times are faster and more predictable.

👩‍🍳 FAQs

Have other questions? Ask me in the comments!

📚 Related recipes

Love bread? You'll be obsessed with these amazing bread recipes! Homemade is BEST!!!

🍽️ Repurpose leftovers

Turn leftover sourdough into delicious croutons or breadcrumbs. Simply cube the bread, toss with olive oil and your favorite seasonings, then bake until golden and crisp.

📞 The last word

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!

If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.

If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 Recipe

No Knead Sourdough Bread

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Classic sourdough bread recipe has a chewy crumb and thin, crisp crust. Super easy to make because there is no kneading required. Perfect for beginners! You'll need to make the starter about 5 days ahead of time.

Course Bread

Cuisine Amercian Heritage

Prep Time: 12 hours hours

Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes

Total Time: 12 hours hours 50 minutes minutes

Servings:8

Calories:256

Author:Marye Audet-White

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 cup sourdough starter, 250g
• ▢ 1 ½ cups spring 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

• Add the salt and water mixture to the dough and squish in with your fingers.
• Cover with plastic wrap and let stand until doubled - about 6 to 12 hours.

Baking the Sourdough.

• Lightly grease a heavy dutch oven and sprinkle lightly with cornmeal.
• Gently ease 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.

Notes

Expert Tips: 

• Tap water has chemicals in it that can kill the wild yeast in sourdough. Be sure to use spring water from the store to ensure success.
• Dutch oven sourdough bread gets a crispy crust and chewy texture because of baking inside the covered dutch oven. You can also use a cloche baking method for this recipe.
• If you prefer a no-knead sourdough sandwich bread, fill your greased bread pan ⅔ of the way full with the dough rather than putting it in a Dutch oven. Watch the rising carefully—it may take a little less time.
• 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.
• You can also try this sourdough bread that uses commercial yeast as well as starter so the rising times are faster and more predictable.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 256kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g

Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.

First published July 20, 2016. Last updated June 15, 2024 for better readability and user experience.

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No-knead sourdough bread

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