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Easy Stand Mixer Sourdough Bread

A foolproof method for making sourdough bread, mixed in your stand mixer. No folding or complicated shaping needed!

A super-simple recipe for sourdough bread made with your stand mixer.

Love sourdough but hate the complicated terms and weird techniques?

We’ve got you covered with our easy-to-follow stand mixer sourdough bread recipe. With just a few minutes of kneading in your mixer, you’ll have delicious homemade sourdough bread without all the fuss. (If you have a bread machine, try bread machine sourdough next!)

sliced loaf of stand mixer sourdouggh

What you’ll love about this recipe:

It’s easy! Your stand mixer does all the work. No stretch and folds.

Perfect for sandwiches. This is a low hydration recipe with small holes. It’s a great everyday bread. Since the recipe makes 2 loaves, eat one now and freeze one for later.

No special bread tools are needed. It’s nice to bake it in a Dutch oven, but not necessary.

What you’ll need

concrete counter with bowls of sourdough starter, water, salt, bread fllour, and sugar
  • bread flour (you CAN use all-purpose flour, but you’lll need to decrease the water)
  • water
  • active sourdough starter 
  • sugar
  • salt

Your sourdough starter

bowl of active, bubby sourdough starter

This recipe requires an active, bubbly, mature sourdough starter. I recommend feeding it 4-6 hours before baking.

Read these articles if you need help making your own sourdough starter or feeding a sourdough starter properly.

Step by step stand mixer sourdough

First, combine the ingredients except for the salt. In the bowl of your stand mixer with the dough hook attached, mix on low speed until all the dry particles have been hydrated. It will still look lumpy, and that’s okay. Let it rest at room temperature at thirty minutes, covered with a tea towel. This step is called autolyse and helps reduce the amount of kneading time required.

2 images showing dough in stand mixer mixer

Add salt and knead on low for 5-9 minutes, until dough forms into ball that clears the sides and bottom of the bowl (if too dry add more water; if too wet add some flour). In my Kitchenaid mixer this takes longer, in my Bosch mixer it goes faster.

Shape the dough into a smooth ball and place in an oiled mixing bowl. Cover with greased plastic wrap for 3-4 hours until puffy. Let it rise in a. warm place (such an oven that’s been briefly turned on and then turned off).

balll of dough in mixing bowl before and after first rise

Divide the dough into smooth balls, placed in a proofing basket covered with flour or on a baking sheet. (Either will work just fine!) Cover the shaped dough and pop it back into the fridge to rise again overnight.

hand shaping bread dough into smooth ball
There’s no need to make shaping complicated! Just make a ball!
2 loaves of sourdough bread- 1 in basket, 1 one on baking sheet

In the morning, we bake! Preheat your oven to 425 degrees with an empty Dutch oven inside. Slash the loaf and place on parchment paper. When the oven has preheated, carefully lower the paper and loaf into the hot Dutch oven. Put the lid on and bake for 25 minutes covered, 20 minutes uncovered.

red dutch oven with loaf of bread before and after baking

(Don’t have a Dutch oven? No problem. Simply put a metal baking sheet in a lower rack of your oven and pour water on it as the oven preheats to create steam. One of these loaves was baked using this method, the other with the pre-heated Duttch oven. Yes it has a bit less oven spring but the interior looked the same and it was still delicious.)

2 loaves of sourdough bread on wooden cutting board

Let the loaf cool completely before you slice it, or you’ll end up with a gummy texture.

Tips for success

  • Measure out the salt and put it near the dough during the autolyse stage so you don’t forget to add it.
  • Let your dough be your guide: if it isn’t puffy after 4 hours, give it more time.
  • If you’re having trouble with a wet dough, add more flour until it’s easier to handle

FAQs

What speed should I have my mixer on?

Low, with the dough hook. This is a heavy dough and you don’t want to burn out the motor. If it starts to get hot or sound strained, give it a break.

Can I use discard sourdough starter?

No. It must be active and recently fed.

How do I adjust the recipe to use all-purpose flour?

Reduce the water by 20%

Storage Tips

Sourdough bread stores well on the counter in a bread bag for 4-5 days. Longer than that, you’re better off freezing it. Make sure the loaf is TOTALLY cool, then wrap it in plastic wrap and pop it in a freezer bag. It’ll stay happy frozen for at least a month.

round loaf of bread cut into slices

More easy sourdough bread recipes you’ll love

Recipe for stand mixer sourdough

sliced loaf of sourdough bread made in kitchenaid mixer
4.67 from 3 votes

Stand Mixer Sourdough Bread

Print Recipe
A foolproof method for making sourdough bread, mixed in your stand mixer. No folding or complicated shaping needed!
Prep Time:30 mins
Cook Time:45 mins
rising time:18 hrs
Total Time:19 hrs 15 mins
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Ingredients

  • 6 cups bread flour 31.8 ounces/ 900 grams
  • 2 cups lukewarm water 16 ounces/ 440 grams
  • cups active sourdough starter 11.25 ounces/ 330 grams
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • teaspoons salt

Instructions

  • Combine the ingredients, except the salt. Mix the bread flour, starter, sugar, and water in the bowl of your stand mixer. Mix on low until all ingredients are incorporated. It will look rough and maybe a little dry. Cover the bowl with a damp, clean tea towel and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. (It is helpful to measure out the salt and put it on top of the towel so you don't forget to add it in step 2!)
  • Knead in the stand mixer until smooth. Add the salt and knead on low for 5-9 minutes, until the dough is smooth. The dough should form a ball and clear the sides and bottom of the bowl. If it's too dry, add a bit more water, and if it's too wet, a bit more flour.
  • Rise until doubled. Shape the dough into a smooth ball and place in a clean, lightly oiled mixing bowl. Cover with greased plastic wrap and put in a warm place for 3-4 hours until doubled and very puffy.
  • Divide, shape, and rise again. Divide the dough in half and shape into 2 smooth balls by simply pulling the dough smooth from the bottom. Place into a proofing basket dusted with flour or on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Cover with greased plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, or up to 18 hours.
  • Bake. In the morning, preheat the oven to 425 degrees with an empty Dutch oven inside. Slash with a lame or serrated knife. Place the loaf on a piece of parchment and carefully lower it into the hot Dutch oven. Put the lid on and bake for 25 minutes with the lid on, then remove it and bake 20 minutes with the lid off, until very deep golden brown.
  • Cool and slice. Remove the loaf and place on a cooling rack for 4 hours before slicing. Store at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Notes

No Dutch oven?  You can create steam in your oven by placing an empty, rimmed, metal baking sheet in the oven while it preheats.  Immediately before baking, pour 1 cup of water on the baking sheet.  
I use a 100% hydration sourdough starter (equal parts flour and water), if yours is dryer or wetter, you will need to slightly tweak the amount of water in the dough.
To make ahead, fully bake the loaf, allow it to cool completely, and freeze, well wrapped, for up to a month.

Nutrition

Calories: 138kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 408mg | Potassium: 38mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: breads
Cuisine: American
Keyword: easy sourdough bread, sourdough bread with kitchenaid mixer, stand mixer sourdough bread
Servings: 20 slices
Calories: 138kcal
Author: Katie Shaw
Did you make this recipe?If you loved it, please leave a review!

Making sourdough bread in a stand mixer is a great way to make sure your dough is kneaded properly. This recipe takes care of all the hard work for you, and results in a delicious loaf of bread. Enjoy!

6 thoughts on “Easy Stand Mixer Sourdough Bread”

  1. 4 stars
    Great recipe! I used my starter 8 hrs after feeding for a more ‘sour’ sourdough and added 30g more water and 50g olive oil. This stand mixer method is literally a life saver. I bulk fermented for 3.5 hrs then proofed for another 4 hours at room temp. I also decided to bake them one at a time ( as in one, then the other ) at 450 in my Dutch oven. Thanks for making sourdough stress free!

    Reply
  2. I’ve been searching for a sourdough recipe that doesn’t require so many stretch & folds. I can’t wait to give this a try. Would this work in a loaf pan so that I could make “sandwich” bread?

    Reply
  3. I am going to try this but because it makes two loaves, which is very useful, it means you either have to have two Dutch ovens (and who can afford that?) or bake it twice which is a waste of power. Would it work in bread pans?

    Reply
    • Hi Anne! No, i don’t have 2 dutch ovens. I do one in a dutch oven and one on a baking sheet. I just sort of stagger them in the oven so they both have air flow around them. you can see in my picture one loaf is a liiiiiittle flatter and that’s the one on the baking sheet.

      Reply

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