Let your bread machine do all the hard work for you and say goodbye to overly complex sourdough recipes forever.
Have you ever had a complete baking fail? Well of course, we all have. But have you ever had a two year long baking fail? I bet you have not. When I first tried baking with sourdough, I failed at it every single week for two years before I finally quit. When I restarted years later, I was determined to succeed and it still took me FOREVER.
Most people love the idea of baking with sourdough because they see pictures of beautiful artisan loaves with deep crust, slashes, and all the rest. And then the reality of their bread is a flat, weird, situation that is not quite what they expected. Anyone else?
I am going to share a great recipe that is going to end that sadness forever. This recipe has no yeast, so it is a true sourdough bread. But it breaks some of the sourdough rules because it is kneaded fully, like a yeast dough, in the bread machine. It’s not baked in there (that would not work at all.) But if you are looking for a truly simple sourdough recipe, you have found it.
When I was developing this recipe, I knew that it couldn’t be a high hydration, super open crumb bread. That requires folding and a million steps. That’s fine, but it’s not what I wanted. I wanted a true, yeast free sourdough that could be made easily enough that it could be our everyday bread. So I had to make this a pretty low-hydration, but I think you’ll be surprised by how nice the texture is. It turns out a great, consistent loaf of bread.
Step by step bread machine sourdough bread:
Day 1: Prepare the dough in the bread machine and shape the loaf
This bread has an autolyse step that is a fancy word for “mix everything in a bowl and let it sit there”. Pour all the ingredients into a mixing bowl, EXCEPT THE SALT, and mix it up.
It may look dryer than you are used to seeing with sourdough bread. That’s okay. Don’t add any more water. You can use your hands to make sure any dry bits get mixed in.
Cover with a towel and just let it rest on the counter for about 30 minutes. I always measure out the salt and put it in a little container on top of the towel so I don’t forget to add it later.
Come back after the 30 minute rest and the dough will probably seem less dry. Great!
Then we put the dough and the salt in the bread machine bucket. Set in on the dough cycle and press start. You don’t need to fold the dough or anything crazy like that. Just walk away.
Since this is a true sourdough without yeast, it needs a longer rise time than what the bread machine gives it. Let it complete the cycle, turn itself off, then leave it for 2 to 3 more hours. It won’t double in size, but should look noticeably puffier. The cooler the room, the longer the rise.
Now we take out the dough and shape it into a loaf. It will feel sticky, but should not be too difficult to work with. Don’t flour your hands or anything else. Prepare a baking sheet by laying parchment paper on top and sprinkling it with cornmeal,
Roughly shape it into an oval without mashing it down. Just gently shape. I don’t use any type of fancy technique. When it looks like a smooth oval loaf, great.
Place the loaf on the baking sheet and cover it with heaviliy greased plastic wrap.
Put it in the fridge overnight. I have left it in there up to 18 hours without any trouble.
Day 2: Bake the bread
When you bake up in the morning, it’s time to bake your bread machine sourdough. The earlier the better.
Preheat your oven to 450 with one rack in the center and one rack in the lower middle. Place an empty rimmed baking sheet on the lower middle rack. We want to heat it up so it can create steam. The steam is an essential part of getting a good shaped loaf.
While the oven is preheating, take the loaf out of the fridge. It may not look that much bigger than it did yesterday. Don’t worry.
Gently rub it with flour (I use rice flour, but any kind is fine for this). and then slash it. If you want an “ear” on your loaf, do you main slash parallel to the baking sheet.
Once the oven has preheated, pour 1 cup of water onto the hot, empty baking sheet.
Immediately place the baking sheet in as well, close the door quickly, and set the timer for 45 minutes.
See how much oven spring you get with the steam? Amazing.
Let it cool at least 4 hours before slicing.
It is the perfect bread for sandwiches or toast with a chewy crust, great flavor, and beautiful interior with holes that aren’t too big for sandwiches.
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Essential tools and ingredients for this recipe:
- A bread maker! A basic model is fine, you are only using it for kneading and rising. I have this brand and use it almost every day.
- Bread flour. You really need bread flour for this recipe to ensure a chewy crust and good structure in your loaf. Look for one that is at least 12% protein. My favorite is King Arthur bread flour, available at the grocery store. If you are a serious baker, you can buy it in bulk for a much better price.
- Parchment paper. A sheet that will lay flat is much easier than wrestling with a roll every day.
- Your starter MUST be well fed, healthy, and vigorous! I follow a relatively low maintenance starter regimen and keep mine out on the counter.
Here’s the recipe!
Bread Machine Sourdough
Ingredients
- 3 cups bread flour 15.85 ounces/ 450 grams
- 1 cup lukewarm water 7.75 ounces/ 220 grams
- 3/4 cup fed sourdough starter 5.65 ounces/ 165 grams
- 1/2 tablespoon sugar
- 1 3/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Mix the bread flour, starter, sugar, and water in a large mixing bowl. It will seem dryer than most sourdoughs, but don't add more water. Use your hands to make sure everything is incorporated into a ball. Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and let it rest on the counter. (It helps to measure out the salt into a separate container on place it on top of the towel so you don't forget to add it later.)
- Place the dough and salt into the bread machine bucket and select the dough cycle. The machine will beep when the cycle ends, but let it rise another 2-3 hours in the machine, for a total rise time of 3-4 hours. The dough should look noticeably puffier, but may not have quite doubled in size.
- Prepare a baking sheet by lining with parchment paper and sprinkling with cornmeal. Take the dough out of the bread machine, and gently shape it into a round or oval loaf. The dough will be slightly sticky, but dry not to use any flour when shaping it. Place on the prepared baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray.
- Place the covered loaf in the refrigerator to proof overnight. Anywhere from 8-16 hours will be fine.
- In the morning, preheat the oven to 450 degrees with two racks: one in the center, one in the lower middle. Place an empty rimmed baking sheet on the lower rack while the oven is preheating. Remove the loaf from the fridge and gently rub with flour. Slash the loaf with a lame or sharp serrated knife.
- When the oven has preheated, pour 1 cup of water onto the empty baking sheet to create steam. Immediately place the loaf inside, close the door, and bake for 45 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for at least 4 hours before slicing. 7. Store at room temperature, well wrapped, for up to three days,
Notes
Nutrition
More sourdough recipes for beginners:
- My sourdough roll recipe uses the same steam technique and adds a pinch of instant yeast for a fluffy roll with a crisp crust.
- Sourdough baguettes are hand kneaded but also a similar process.
- And if you want to all all the crazy folding and buy some neat tools, here is a true artisan bread recipe you might like.
Your sourdough bread didn’t turn out the way you hoped?
Check my Sourdough FAQ page to see what could have gone wrong, or leave me a comment and I will do my best to help you out!
By
Hi Katie,
Made this wonderful sourdough bread this morning. Wowzer, it turned out as a work of art! So very pleased. Can’t wait to cut into in a few hours. 💓
Can this recipe be doubled for 2 loaves at once?
yes!!!
Why must we mix the flour starter, sugar and water and let it sit 30 minutes instead of just adding everything into the bread maker right from the start?
it’s a step called “autolyze” that supposedly helps hydrate the flour. HOWEVER, sometimes i skip it and can’t really tell the difference!
I made the bread but found the instructions for my Wolfgang Puck bread maker incredibly vague so it ended up kneading several times. That and the rise made it far stickier than when it went in and impossible to shape into a loaf, so I put it into a loaf pan and cooked it in my Oster oven (on bake, not convection). I did check it at one point where the top was browning nicely, but the bottom and edges were still white. Now, it is dark brown on top, but perfectly browned on the rest of the loaf.
One question: why do I have to wait four hours to slice it. I love warm, freshly baked bread. What happens if I slice it sooner?
It will actually be gummy in the middle if you slice it too soon. I know it sound weird but it finishes baking as it coolss 🙂
Hi Katy,
The bread maker I would using only allows for a 1.5 loaf. Would this recipe work in that bread machine?
Thanks,
Mimi
Yes since it’s not baking in there it will be just fine 🙂
Hello Katie,
I’m so glad I found your site. I have been torn between hard dense and funny looking bread machine bread and spending two days on made from scratch sourdough bread. This has been the perfect in between. You have cut my time in half and delivered a tasty, good looking loaf. My question is what do you think is the correction to the bread flattening out on the bottom and expanding outwards once I put it in the oven. I get a good rise but it kind of flattens outwards so I get a flat bottom and half dome look. What makes bread a bit more stiffer that keeps it’s shape.
thanks
jason
hi jason- try adding just one more ounce of flour at the beginning. another technique that makes a difference is to bake the loaf in a PREHEATED dutch oven (just put the dutch oven, lid and all, in the oven while it preheats, and carefully lower thte bread + parchment paper in once it’s hot) this will give you great oven spring and a nice shape 🙂
Hi Katie
Thanks for posting this recipe. I’ve been making white & wholewheat sourdough bread, from knead to bake, in bread machine. It tasted good but the texture was too tight and dense. I’m going to try your recipe now. Please could you let me know if I want to add seeds or chopped nuts, at what stage I should add them and would that mean a second knead in machine? If so, knead for how long? And will there be any modifications to the main ingredients because of that? Thanks
I would add them when your machine has 1-3 minutes of kneading time left. You’ll need to set a timer. Some machines have a cycle that will beep for you: it might be called fruit or but bread setting
How long would you knead using a stand mixer and at what speed?
Would you then let it rise on the counter for how long before putting it in the fridge?
Thanks
Mike i’d do about 1o minutes with a five minute rest halfway, on low. then let it rise 4 hours in a warmish place (like a turned off oven) this will better mimic the bread machine
Great recipe! This was my first sourdough and it came out beautifully! Thanks for the detailed information.
Just made my 1st sourdough and this was amazing! The only issue was the crust came out a bit darker and hard to chew than I’d prefer. The inside was perfect! Anything I can do to get a lighter crust?
Hi Kate, Thanks for the recipe. Could I ask if you use FAN FORCE setting in the oven or just BAKE? Can i use a chasseur with the lid on to bake this bread?? How would you suggest I get the steam affect inside the chasseur then??
i would bake on regular bake. if you are using a covered baker of any kind, you can just skip the steam. the moisture in the loaf will be trapped and have the same effect. 🙂
Very misleading. I clicked on this recipe because it was for a bread machine but the only thing the bread machine was used for was to mix and rise the dough. I am looking for a bread recipe that won’t heat up my kitchen during the summer I thought this was it.
Obviously not.
Thank you so much for this recipe, its great!
I really want to increase the size and make a much larger loaf. Do you have any recommendations for cook time say if I doubled it?
I’ve done it and baked for 70 minutes!
Thanks for the recipe. I was wondering how to do this in my machine. I altered the recipe a bit because I felt it was a little dry. I added about 80 more grams of water.. which may have been a little over kill… and I baked it in a big pyrex dish with a large dome lid. I misted it with water before putting it in the oven. turned out amazing. I’ll cut down on the water a little next time. But beautiful open crumb, lovely texture and a really nice shiny . I instagrammed some pics at you. Thanks for providing the path
This recipe worked very well for me. It turned into a beautiful and delicious loaf. I baked it in my clay baker after soaking the lid in water for 15 minutes. It turned out great!
Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
so happy you like the recipe!
Besides looks, why can’t this be baked in a bread machine? I lIve in the desert where I e rarely use the oven for about eight months, so traditional sour dough bread as a staple is not an option 2/3 of the year. Thanks.
jennifer, you absolutely can bake it in the machine. the only issue is the overnight rise. you can pull out the bucket, cover it and put it in the fridge, and then set a bake only cycle in your machinee.
Thank you. I love your bread recipe.
How long is the knead cycle on your bread machine? I have to do a special programming on mine to just knead and rise once. When you let it rise in the machine, what is the temperature setting? thanks!
mine is a 30 minute knead with 2 5 minute rests. i would guess the rising temep is about 90! i checked the manual and it doesn’t say.
Hi Katy,
How far ahead do you need to feed the starter? I’m so wanting to try this, but not sure about the “fed starter” part. Thanks in advance for your response.
hi margaret! it really depends on your feeding schedule and the strength of your starer. i typically feed mine, wait 4 hours, then start this recipe. the key is you want your starter bubbly and the height of its “power”. i have a post specifically on maintaining your starter if you’re still working on your routine and need some more help. 🙂
Hi Katie, I made my first loaf of sourdough bread this past weekend using your bread machine recipe and it turned out beautifully. Thank you for sharing this recipe. Much appreciated. 🙂 I will be making this bread again and again. Thanks again!
This was a great recipe. I was worried because it didn’t rise much in my basket, but rose in the oven. I cooked it in a preheated Dutch oven. Thank you!
Same experience for me. I noticed the Easy & Beautiful Artisan Sourdough Bread recipe mentions using the water-in-a-cookie-sheet technique as a substitute for a dutch oven. Since I do have a dutch oven, want to try this again using the dutch oven. Probably is more effective keeping the dough in a tighter space.