Easy Sourdough Artisan Bread Recipe (Ready in 1 Day)
If you’ve been looking to bake a crusty, golden loaf of sourdough without the complexity of typical recipes then this easy sourdough artisan bread recipe is for you! Designed for simplicity, this method uses everyday measurements, minimal steps, and a stand mixer (or hand-kneading) to create a dough that’s ready to bake in just one day. Baked in an enameled cast iron pot (with other options), the result is a beautifully blistered crust with a soft, chewy interior — perfect for both beginners and seasoned bakers seeking a reliable, no-fuss loaf.
✩ What readers are saying…
“I wish I could say how great this recipe is in words!… Could this be true? Could I have found the perfect sourdough recipe for me and my family? After all these years and all these attempts, suddenly, in my lap, the sourdough recipe that really IS “The Easiest Best Sourdough Recipe on Earth”? Really? Well, I’m here to tell you, “YES!” Emphatically, “YES!” This is it! So good! So easy! So perfect! Please try this recipe! You will be so happy you did.” -David
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Ever since I grew my first sourdough starter and explored how to make sourdough bread, I’ve wanted to be able to make a really good loaf of artisan sourdough bread like my favorite regular yeast easy artisan bread.
I was looking for an easy sourdough bread recipe that had a crispy crust with a nice texture and holes inside, but that was simple to make. Preferably a same day sourdough bread similar to my super easy artisan bread which bakes in an enameled cast iron pot.
What I mean by ‘easy’ is a basic everyday kind of sourdough bread recipe that uses cups to measure, few steps, and very little science involved, sort of like our great-grandmothers would’ve made.
If you’d like to get really into sourdough – which can quickly become complicated (and frankly, overwhelming to me), I’ve found Northwest Sourdough to be very thorough and not too hard to follow for those wanting to dig a little deeper.
I searched for a couple years to find a technique that would produce a loaf of artisan sourdough bread that was all the things I wanted.
When I found this great recipe I knew right away that I could adapt it to be even easier, use my favorite enameled cast iron pot, and consistently turn out good loaves.
And it did! This is truly the easiest sourdough bread recipe that anyone can make, from beginners to seasoned bread bakers. It can be made quickly (well, in sourdough terms) in one day or you can choose a bulk fermentation overnight in a refrigerator.
I want to say, too, that for me an easy bread is always made with a stand mixer, but this recipe can be made by hand – you will just have to work a bit harder.
Artisan Sourdough Bread Recipe Video
Ingredient Notes
You need only 3-4 ingredients for this classic bread – here are some notes and answers to questions I’ve gotten about the ingredients:
- Flour: You can make this bread with all-purpose, white whole wheat, spelt, or whole wheat flours. Spelt and whole wheat will have a denser crumb and less holes. You may get a taller rise by using bread flour, either white or whole wheat, which contains more protein (higher protein content in flour is needed for gluten development). Note: Pastry flours have less protein, which makes them great for cookies, muffins, and quick breads, but not for yeast or sourdough (wild yeast) breads.
In these photos I have used all white whole wheat flour with my regular whole wheat starter so the bread isn’t as white as loaves made with white flour. I also share a loaf made with regular whole wheat below. I always use a whole wheat starter and typically mix and match the flours I have on hand.
- Sourdough starter: I created my starter using these easy steps with whole wheat flour. Your starter should be strong for this recipe – very bubbly and doubling in volume after feeding in 6 hours or less (see the Important Note below). I like to feed the starter the night before (see timeline below).
- Salt: This is the third ingredient you must include in the recipe (in addition to water) or your bread will be very tasteless. After making this one time, feel free to adjust the salt to your preferences.
- Honey: I’ve made this ingredient optional, but I always use it. It adds a bit of immediate sugars for the yeasts to feed on as well as helping the crust to brown.
Sourdough Artisan Bread Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1. Add all the ingredients (flour, water, starter, optional honey, and salt) to a bowl and mix dough just until combined. Let sit for 15 minutes. If using a mixer and dough hook, knead for 5 minutes. If making by hand, knead for 8 to 10 minutes.
Step 2. As you’re kneading, add more flour as needed, a little at a time, to create a dough that’s still clinging to the bottom of the bowl, but clearing the upper part of the bowl. It should be tacky, but not cling to your finger other than a bit of residue as shown.
TIP: If you’d like to add dried or fresh herbs or any other mix-ins, add them during this kneading portion. Wait until you’ve got the dough to the stage you see in step 2 and then mix them in before scraping into the bowl.
Step 3: Transfer to a large bowl, lightly coated with oil. The dough should stick to the bottom and need to be scraped out.
Step 4: Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let the dough rest for 3 hours.
TIP: I use plastic “shower cap” type bowl covers which I wash and reuse over and over – I’ve had many of them for years. I’ve found plastic keeps the dough more moist over the long rise than a damp towel. Update: I’ve recently been moving away from plastic in the kitchen and have found that beeswax bowl covers do a nice job of keeping the dough moist while rising.
Step 5: During the 3 hour rise, turn and fold the dough once or twice by bringing all the edges of the dough to the center.
Step 6: Remove dough, turn and fold again, and place it back in the bowl, seam-side up. Let rise for another 2 hours.
TIP: I do this right over the bowl with my hands oiled from the dough, which is usually enough – add more oil to your hands if needed. This is described in detail in the video.
Step 7: After the second rise, place a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet or small skillet (see tip below), sprinkle the dough with flour and gently shape the dough into a ball or oval right over the bowl (using lots of flour, as the dough is moist) and set on the parchment. Make sure there’s a good coating of flour on the top, as this will make slicing the top later easier. Replace the cover for the final rise.
Step 8: While the shaped dough is resting at room temperature, set an empty 4-6 quart enameled cast iron (or regular cast iron) dutch oven into a cold oven and turn heat to 450 degrees (alternately, you can use a baking stone), and set the timer for 40 minutes. (See FAQs below for cooking without a dutch oven.)
TIP 1: I flour my fingers after setting on the parchment and then use them to push the edges under the loaf to get the shape I want, make it more compact, and create more surface tension. See video for more details.
TIP 2: Shape the dough into a small skillet to keep the edges from spreading as much as a cookie sheet. If you have a bread proofing basket, feel free to use that.
Step 9: When the timer goes off, slash the top of the loaf with a serrated knife in 2-3 places making whatever pattern you’d like. If you have a lame, you can use that to make more intricate patterns.
Step 10: Transfer the slashed loaf to the hot pot (or stone) by holding the edges of the parchment to gently lower into the pot (the bread will bake while on the parchment).
Step 11: Replace the hot lid and bake for 12-15 minutes. Remove the lid and continue baking for another 13-15 minutes, until golden brown and internal temperature reads 190 to 200 degrees with an instant read thermometer.
Look at that crust! That’s bread-beauty right there, isn’t it? Blistered and cracked and bubbly. You can see why I think this easy sourdough bread recipe is the best!
What about using all whole wheat flour?
The sliced loaf pictured above was made with whole wheat bread flour (verses the previous loaf pictures made with whole wheat white flour), so the crust isn’t quite the same, but still passes the test.
And the interior is a bit more dense, but still full of holes, chewy, and with just a touch of sourness. Perfection. (Note: When made with all regular whole wheat flour there will be only tiny holes in the crumb, making it more dense than this – but it’s still good in my opinion.)
Since sourdough starter is best when it’s used weekly or every two weeks, I now make this sourdough bread recipe more than my favorite easy artisan bread. But either is a winner recipe, in my book.
Important Note on Using Starter to Make Bread
I have gotten many comments on this recipe along the lines of, “great flavor, but it was so flat,” or “I let it rise all day and it didn’t double.” Here’s what I’ve learned on my sourdough journey:
You cannot make bread rise well with a new starter. It needs time to grow and strengthen to be able to rise bread.
You may be able to rush it if you’re doing a lot of feedings, but it may take weeks or up to a month for the starter to be strong enough to raise bread.
How do you know if a starter is strong enough to raise bread?
Here’s the test I use and find the easiest:
If your starter doubles in less than 6 hours, it is strong enough to raise bread.
If you don’t have a way to measure, use a piece of tape on the outside of your container – anything that allows you to see if it’s doubled. When it’s doubled, you can confidently use this recipe! (
What about using the float test? I find that when working with whole grains the float test (seeing if a piece of your starter floats in water) isn’t as good a guideline as doubling.
What do I do with all the starter I’m making, feeding, and removing while waiting for it to be strong enough to double?
You can make recipes that don’t rely on the wild yeast in sourdough to completely raise it! Lovely baked goods like:
- Whole Wheat Sourdough Crackers
- Sourdough English Muffins
- Sourdough Waffles
- Sourdough Cheese Batter Bread (use this when you’re this close to making bread – the batter doesn’t need to rise as much, but still gives a nice bread).
For even more unique and delicious ways to use your sourdough discard, check out this amazing list of 35 sourdough discard recipes!
Shop This Easy Sourdough Bread Recipe
- This is a great quality, decently priced enameled cast iron dutch oven, similar to the one I use. Here’s another option for a bit less that’s very similar, too.
- I’ve used Kitchenaid mixers for years to make all my breads – this is the current version of the one I’m using now.
- Here’s a rising bucket that holds a lot and is easy to see when your starter is doubling. Personally, though, I use my glass 2-quart measuring cup with a lid instead of plastic.
- This is my favorite brand of white whole wheat flour (made from hard white wheat).
- And I use this brand for hard red wheat flour (‘regular’ whole wheat). My starter is fed with this.
Timing For Same Day Sourdough Bread
The timing of sourdough bread was hard for me to figure out in the beginning, since it takes longer to rise than regular yeast breads, so I thought I’d share the typical timeline needed to serve a loaf of artisan bread for dinner.
To have this sourdough artisan bread ready for an evening dinner:
- Feed your sourdough starter the night before you want to bake.
- Start the sourdough artisan bread recipe the next morning.
- Let the dough rise until early afternoon before baking and cooling in time for dinner.
Forgot to feed your starter? It happens to the best of us! If you find yourself in that situation, you can feed the starter right when you get up in the morning and let it sit until it is bubbly, usually a couple of hours, and then proceed with the recipe.
Made this way, the bread doesn’t have quite the optimum time to cool, so you’ll have a warmer loaf with a bit more squished crumb – but we’ve sure never minded.
Sourdough Artisan Bread FAQs
Yes, the second rise can happen in the fridge. Let the dough come to room temperature for about an hour before you start to shape and heat the pot.
You will have the best results with a dutch oven or some type of pot with a heavy lid. But if you don’t have one, here’s what you can do:
-After shaping the loaf on the parchment on the counter (or in a small skillet), place either a baking stone, cast iron skillet, or cookie sheet into a cold oven and preheat to 450 degrees.
–Creating Steam: To try and get the crust we all love, you’ll need to create some steam (that’s what the dutch oven does – it traps the steam): put a pan with water on the bottom rack to heat while the stone heats OR spray the dough with water right before putting in the hot oven to bake and see which you like best. Also, if you have any deep lid that will fit over the dough and allow to rise, you can add that OR try tenting aluminum foil over the top.
–Baking: Slash and use parchment corners to transfer dough to your hot stone and bake 15 minutes, turning the dough halfway, and then bake until done, another 15 to 20-25 minutes.
These add-ins can be kneaded into the dough at step 2, after the first step of letting the dough sit for 15 minutes.
A Few of The Many Reader Raves
“Wanted to tell you your sourdough recipe was the best and easiest! It tasted great and I felt like I accomplished my dream of finally making sourdough!” -Stephanie
“Here’s another thank you for the simple recipe. I have been been struggling to find one that want so overwhelming; I don’t want to understand every minute detail of science….I just wanna bake some bread! This is the only recipe that I’ve had success with.” -Brittney
“Since I am new to sourdough, I was skeptical that this would work on my first try. It turned out fantastic.” -Helen
“Thank you for this awesome video! A friend gave me a jar of starter over a month ago and I was hesitant and unsure of how to proceed after watching other videos online. I made my first loaf ever last night and it was incredible. I really appreciate your video, it’s like you’re in my kitchen helping me along the way. All of your tips were super helpful and I now love making bread!” -Tracy
I hope you love this sourdough artisan bread as much as we do – if you make it, be sure to leave a recipe rating to let me know!
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Easy Sourdough Artisan Bread Recipe
Equipment
- stand mixer or hand kneading
- 4-6 qt cast iron pot or baking stone/cookie sheet with steam bath
Ingredients
- 3+ cups (360-400 g) flour white whole wheat, whole wheat, unbleached, or a combo
- 1 ¼ cups (300 g) warm water*
- 3/4 cup (150 g) active sourdough starter 75%-100% hydration (I prefer 80-90%)
- 1 tablespoon (21 g) honey**
- 1 ½ teaspoons (9 g) salt or to taste
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together in the bowl of a stand mixer (or large mixing bowl) just until combined and then let sit for 15 minutes.
- Using a dough hook, knead for 5 minutes. If making by hand, knead for 8 to 10 minutes. (TIP: You may add more flour as needed, a little at a time, to create a dough that's still clinging to the bottom of the bowl, but also clearing the upper part of the bowl. It should be tacky, but not cling to your finger.)
- Transfer to a medium-sized bowl, lightly coated with oil. Cover with plastic or a damp towel and let rise for 3 hours, turning and folding the dough once or twice.
- Remove dough, turn and fold again with oiled hands, and place it back in the bowl, seam-side up. Let rise for another 2 hours. TIP: I do this right over the bowl with my hands oiled from the dough, which is usually enough – add more oil to your hands if needed.
- After the second rise, place a square of parchment paper on a cookie sheet, sprinkle the dough with flour and gently shape the dough into a ball or oval (using lots of flour, as the dough is moist) and set on the parchment. Shape it in your hands right over the parchment. I often flour my fingers after setting on the parchment and use my fingers to push the edges under the loaf to get the shape I want and make it more compact. Make sure there's a good coating of flour on the top, as this will make slicing the top later easier. TIP: I often shape the dough in a small skillet to keep the edges from spreading as much as a cookie sheet.
- To Bake with a Dutch Oven: While the shaped dough is resting, set an empty enameled cast iron (or regular cast iron) dutch oven into a cold oven and turn heat to 450 degrees (alternately, you can use a baking stone), and set the timer for 40 minutes.
- When the timer goes off, slash the top of the loaf with a serrated knife (in 2-3 places) and transfer it to the hot pot (or stone) by holding the edges of the parchment to gently lower into the pot (the bread will bake while on the parchment).
- Replace the hot lid and bake for 12-15 minutes. Remove the lid and continue baking for another 13-15 minutes, until golden brown.
- To Bake without a Dutch Oven: After shaping the loaf on the parchment on the counter (or skillet), place either a baking stone, cast iron skillet, or cookie sheet into a cold oven and preheat to 450 degrees.Creating Steam: To try and get the crust we all love, you'll need to create some steam (that's what the dutch oven does – it traps the steam): put a pan with water on the bottom rack to heat while the stone heats OR spray the dough with water right before putting in the hot oven to bake and see which you like best. Also, if you have any deep lid that will fit over the dough and allow to rise, you can add that OR try tenting aluminum foil over the top.Baking: Slash and use parchment corners to transfer dough to your hot stone and bake 15 minutes, turning the dough halfway, and then bake until done, another 15 to 20-25 minutes.
- Remove to a wire rack to cool at least 30 minutes before cutting.
Notes
Nutrition
More Sourdough Recipes to Use Your Starter
Find recipes like no-knead sourdough focaccia, sourdough lemon loaf, soft sourdough bagels and much more on the sourdough recipes page here.
This recipe was originally published in 2012 – it’s been updated as recently as 2025.
Disclosure: affiliate links in this article will earn commission based on sales, but it doesn’t change your price. Click here to read our full disclaimer and advertising disclosure.
I’m about to make my second batch, first one was pretty good but I think my starter wasn’t as active as it should have been AND I didn’t understand that I needed the lid in when pan was warming up. Do you think I could dump ingredients in my bread machine on dough cycle (it’s 90 minutes) then turn it out to rise final time?
You could try it, Kimber, but you just need to make sure you give sourdough the long rises – not sure 90 minutes would be enough. Testing would tell, though!
Hi! I was working on a starter but ran out of flour during this pandemic, so had to cut a few corners and refrigerate up until yesterday. If I’m not confident in my starter, is there a way to use some commercial yeast in the recipe to secure better results? If so, what amount would you recommend? Starter was active a week and half ago and I’ve been able to pull from the fridge, discard feed and leave out overnight twice during that time. Then I’ve had to re-refrigerate due to lack of flour.
Any advice would be great! I fed again this AM and really wanted to try your recipe today but I did not achieve up to doubled size yesterday so felt I needed to feed again before baking.
Thanks for any help!!
You could try adding a 1/2 teaspoon of yeast and see what it does. Your best bet would be to get the starter to double in 6 hours or less. 🙂
My starter was iffy, my oven malfunctioned halfway through, and this STILL turned out excellent! Had to let it rise a little longer but it turned out delicious
Wow, that is a great review, Anya – thank you!
I am about two hours into my first rose, and after reading through the comments, I think my dough is too wet. It’s very sticky. Is it too late to add more flour?
It’s too late to add it in I think – if it won’t hold shape, call it a focaccia. 🙂 I bet the holes and texture will be amazing.
Does the Dutch oven have to be 6 quarts? Mine is only three and I’m wondering if that will work.
Yep, that should work and may actually be better helping your bread stay in a risen shape!
Great recipe!!!
Wondering if anyone has had any issues using a black cast iron pot? My bottom crust keeps burning. Maybe I should use a cream enamel cast iron bottom? I do use parchment paper. Some advice would sure be helpful!
Try putting a cookie sheet on the rack below the one you’re cooking and and see if that shields it more.
I have a ceramic dutch oven from the 50’s that was my mom’s . Can I use it instead of enameled cast iron? I have a cast iron dutch oven but it isn’t enameled inside. HELP!
Yes, any of those will work. They all provide the heat and the heavy lid to trap the steam in the first 15 minutes.
Been playing with flour combinations and mix and rise time, but I seem to lose a bit of the airiness after the last rise when I’m trying to get it onto parchment and form into ball. Should I work it into a ball in the bowl and then remove, or can I carefully slide it out of bowl onto paper? Any suggestions? I also figured out that flour in an old spice jar with the larger sprinkle holes works really well to spread flour on the parchment and then on top of the dough too, without clumping it all up.
Oh, that’s a great tip, Lisa! You can try both those ways to see what works to keep the airiness in the bread.
We have had a sourdough starter for over a decade (it came from my husband’s family starter, which is now over 40 years old!), but have only used it to make pizza crusts, pancakes, and biscuits all these years. Today I tried using this recipe and I cannot believe how amazing this loaf of bread looks. Thank you for sharing!
I’m so glad you gave it a try, Tracey! Wow – that’s the oldest starter I’ve heard of, how fun. 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe. I found your instructions by far the easiest to understand. With regards to the rising time, can the dough sit for double that time before being baked? I have 3 batches that I made and only 1 lidded casserole pot. My other option is to cook one in a crockpot too, not sure if you have done that?
Yes, that’s the good thing with sourdough, you can usually let them proof longer without overproofing, so I think you should be fine.
I’m going to test cooking in a crockpot, but haven’t yet!
Hi there! What size Dutch oven should I be using for this recipe?! Thank you 🙂
The one I’ve linked to in the recipe (under the “shop this recipe” section) is a 6-quart pot, which is what I use. But anything from 4 to 6 quarts will work.
I made a loaf last night, it was delicious, thankyou!
Could I double the recipe and split at some point?
I’ve never doubled it, so I don’t know if that would affect the rising time or not. But if you were to double, the time to split would be at the final shaping.
I live in Florida (think HUMID) and when I make this recipe it stays very slack/wet and I have a hard time forming it. When I try to score it, it’s so soft the sharp blade won’t really cut in well. Should I be using a bit more flour in the initial mix in order to adjust the overall dough? I think my other conditions are pretty good. My starter is only a couple weeks old, but it easily doubles in size and passes the float test well.
Yes add more flour, Lee. With sourdough things like kitchen temp, humidity, type of flour and more come into play, so you have to adjust as you need to. You’re looking for a wetter dough than a sandwich dough, but it should still form a ball with floured hands and you should be able to slash it with a sharpe knife.
That’s awesome that your young starter is showing such strength!
Thank you! Am going to try right away so I get better with the basics before trying anything more complicated. At least that’s what I keep telling myself. 😉
First time making sourdough and we really enjoyed the experiment and the finished result. There were many recipes to choose from and yours seemed perfect for us beginner. The only thing we cant figure out is why the inside was a little more moist and dense than say what we have bought in the bakery. Crust was perfect though and we used a 50% mix of APF and Whole Wheat flour. The starter seemed good too, we feed it for several days and every time we did, it more than doubled.
I’m glad this recipe was what you were looking for, Alan. Personally, I think it’s the dough conditioners that make bakery bread so uniform, and I prefer homemade bread with its variations. 🙂
I found this article that may help you troubleshoot this, though, to see if you can get the bread consistency more to your liking: https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2008/02/10/qa-dense-crumb/
I made this today and it came out perfect! I used self-rising flour because it’s all I had left, but it didn’t seem to cause any issues. Thanks for the recipe!
Will All Purpose Flour work in this recipe?
Yes!
Hello, do you know how this would turn out if I follow your instructions on mixing the starter and other ingredients, kneeding in a stand mixer, then letting it rise for a long time inside the Dutch oven and bake it directly in the same pan after that? I know the gluten structure may not be perfect, but I’m looking for as simple a process as possible
So, what you lose in skipping the wet dough into the hot pan part is the steam that escapes in the first minutes, which helps to create the nice crust. However, Cook’s Illustrated tested starting the bread in a cold oven with good results – you can try it and see what you think. Here are their steps:
-put dough in pan in cold oven. Set temp to 425 degrees.
-DON’T start timer until oven reaches 425.
-Bake for 15-20 minutes, remove lid and bake another 15-20 more.
I made this twice and I’m not sure why mine is so dense and doesn’t rise like in your pictures. Any suggestions? Bread is still good but the pieces are so small when cut 😩
How old/new is your starter? I’ve added an important note to the recipe mentioning that a starter should be doubling in size in 6 hours or less to be strong enough to raise bread. Another thing may be the wetness of the dough – wetter doughs create more airy bubbles in the bread (though it’s not as easy to work with).
Do you place the parchment in the hot pot with the dough?
Yes.
So i left it in the oven to rise for an extra 2 hours and it did finally. Tasted great, I probably could have baked it a little longer because it wasn’t super crusty, but I really like it. Thank you for the great recipe
Yay!!
Hi there, my dough is currently doing the first rise and it really hasn’t risen much at all, it’s almost been 3 hours. I just moved it to oven under bulb to see if that helps since my house isn’t very warm right now. I’m hoping it rises or starts to at least with the second rise. Any recommendations? I tested my started and used it when it was “peaking” so I feel like my starter was good to use. I did feel like when I was kneading maybe I over worked it? Is that possible or could that make it not rise?
Thank you
Sourdough can take a LONG time to rise, especially if it’s a cold kitchen, so moving it was a good idea. Also, using the starter at peak is okay, but the most important sign of a starter strong enough to rise bread is to see it double in less than 6 hours after feeding. Did your starter do this? If not, then this loaf will be flatter (though still delicious) and you can keep feeding and using your starter until it gets to the doubling stage before trying again. 🙂
I’m a little
Confused. Do I let it rise the second time for two hours THEN put it on parchment and Leave it out there for the 40 minutes it takes to heat the ditch oven or do I start hearing the ditch oven an hour and 20 minutes I to the second rise?
Yes, you shape the dough after the second rise. It will rest there while the pot is heating.