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.
Wonderful! I made this two nights ago, and the leftovers got eaten yesterday. I added a little minced garlic to the dough. I knew I didn’t have time to do the slow cool rise, so I instead let it rise twice. Today I had time and let it rise in the refrigerator, and wow. Even better! I know it will become a staple in my recipes! 
Nice to know it worked both ways for you James! And yes, sourdough likes it slow, that’s for sure. 🙂
First I want to say I keep seeing your blog show up all over my Pinterest feed and I’ve been loving all your posts. A couple tips for people who aren’t getting the same successful loaf.
Gluten in the flour will develop when you knead your dough. The gluten is the elastic that holds your bread together and traps the gasses from the yeast, making your bread fluffy 🙂
Knowing this, if your bread comes out flat or less fluffy than you hoped try this. Do your dough folds before you let it rise. Folding first will give you a nice crumb without risking the gas/air from expelling out of your dough.
Also, if you over proof your dough (let it rise too long) the gluten bands over stretch and won’t hold the air when it gets baked…again leaving bread more dense
A great way to test is when your dough grew about 1.5 times in size poke it gently with your finger. If the poke fills back in slowly its ready to go in, preheat your oven.
If your poke doesn’t fill in at all work quickly to get your dough in the oven it so your dough doesn’t over proof. You can put it in the fridge to slow down your yeast activity while your oven heats up and as a bonus cold dough is easier to slash/score and the crust blisters nicely too.
Thanks for the wonderful post and dreamt bread pictures!
Wow, thanks so much for these tips, Elle! I’m going to have to try that cooling trick for crust blisters. 🙂
First Itime ever making sourdough bread and I used my own sourdough starter made from flour and water about 2 months ago. I likely needed to add more flour to allow for a better rise as my dough was fairly wet, however the bread turned out wonderfully. I substituted Molasses for honey as I forgot that I was out of honey. Thank you for providing such an easy to follow and simple recipe. I saved your recipe to my Pinterest.
Oh that’s so awesome, Margaret!! I’m so glad you had success on your first time (I didn’t – but it was with a different recipe!) – and now you’ll know what to adjust the next time. That’s basically how you become a better bread baker – do it, adjust, do it, adjust, etc. 🙂
Question: is there a trick to getting the loaf to not spread out flat as a pancake during the 40 minute rest? Mine was about 3/4 inch thick by the time it was put in the oven.
You might need more flour – each person’s starter is a unique water ratio, so you’ll have to find the amount that works best for you. Maybe increase by 1/4 c. at a time? You don’t want too much, just the right amount. Ha! Which is why bread making is so fun, right? 😉
Do you cut the starter (3/4 c), feed it, and then let that rest overnight? Or do you feed the whole starter the night before and take the 3/4 c the next morning?
The 3/4 c. starter needed for this recipe should be actively growing, which usually happens after feeding. So feed and then remove some for the recipe in the morning.
This is my 1st loaf. It seems very wet. So much that I can’t “fold” it in bowl for 1st rise? Help?? Do I need more flour. I only used the 1 1/4 cup water.
Yes, add more flour Linda. Everybody’s sourdough may be slightly different – wetter or drier, so it’s okay to adjust so you can work with it. 🙂
Amazing recipe and so much easier than I thought it was! I had never made bread before, but had been babying a sourdough starter that I made myself for over a week now and wanted to try it out. I was nervous because I didn’t know how water to use since my starter was wet, and it didn’t rise much, so I had no idea what the end result would be. But it turned out light, fluffy and beautiful 🙂
Yeah, SO happy to hear about your first time success, Hayley!!
This has become my go to sourdough bread recipe. It comes out perfect every time and have trouble keeping it for a few days. People just pick at it and can’t stop. I use a stone though as I don’t have a Dutch oven yet. Have a loaf proofing as I type this.
Love this, Maggie – especially that it turns out for you with a stone!
THIS is the easiest and BEST sourdough I have ever made. Bless you for simplifying the process!
Awesome to hear about your success, Rebecca!
I’m having a hard time with this recipe. When I feed my starter overnight it doesn’t bubble much but in the morning has a brown liquid layer on top (about 1/4 inch). Following your recipe produces a very wet dough, impossible to handle. So I’ve tried adding more flour, letting it rise longer, and still have trouble getting a rise and a dough that I can shape. Can you advise me?
It sounds like your starter isn’t strong enough to make bread rise, Nikki. The brown liquid (known as ‘hooch’ which is perfectly fine) should only be happening when your starter is being stored (I keep mine in the fridge between uses and this forms then). And active starter should almost double in size overnight and be bubbly with hardly any hooch, if at all. Sometimes it may rise and fall before you get to it, but you’ll see a line where it rose to so you can see that it’s active and ready to make bread with.
I would take a number of days to reactivate your starter, feeding and letting it bubble each day. That should do it! 🙂
I want to try this recipe, been looking for a whole wheat sourdough and this one looks awesome.
I have questions about the starter. I got mine a month or so ago, from King Arthur, and have followed the instructions for feeding it…they call for 1 cup of flour and 1/2 cup of water. Would this recipe work with that kind of starter? It isn’t ‘soupy’ wet at all, though they call it a wet starter. Would I need to add more water to the recipe? Or start feeding the starter equal amounts water/flour?
Hmm, I never feed my starter with that low of water/flour ratio – the lowest I do is 3/4 c. water to 1 c. flour – so it’s hard for me to answer that. I think you can go ahead with it and just add a bit more water if the dough seems too dry.
Thanks Jami.
Maybe I’ll try 3/4 cup water the next time I feed the starter. I want to try the bread on Friday. I am encouraged by all the good comments here…can’t wait to taste it!
If you can still see these comments I just wanted to say thank you so much for the easy to follow instructions and the most beautiful loaf of bread I’ve ever made. After finally getting my starter on track(months on and off were put into this). I went searching for a recipe and thankfully found yours among the countless confusing disasters out there. First try and I am very satisfied.
So happy to read this, Erica – thanks for commenting – I see all my old post’s comments. 🙂
This bread tastes amazing and I always get a nice crust but it never rises as well as your pictures.My sourdough culture is about four months old and I can usually get a pretty good rise from it but not with this recipe. The dough is so wet by the time I put it on the parchment paper that there is no way to mold it into a ball it just spills out to a few inches thick. Help! I love this recipe and want it to work so badly!
Well, I find it’s a balance with artisan bread – you can add more flour, but you might not have as many holes in the crumb (a goal of mine with artisan breads). If it’s too wet, though, I do add a bit more flour a little at a time. Have you tried that?
I’ll try that next time. I wasn’t sure if it was supposed to be that wet. Thank you!
Just found your recipe and can’t wait to try it! I’m originally from SF Bay area and so desperately miss my sourdough fix. Military family so we get moved around a lot and now we’re in small town midwest where they don’t know what sourdough or artisan bread is at all. I don’t have a ceramic dutch oven, only a cast iron one…will this work the same? If not, then I’ll try something else. Wish me luck!
It should work, Rebecca – it’s about sealing the moisture in at the beginning for the good crust, so the cast iron should do that. I know you’ll love it!
Jami, thank you so much for this recipe and the starter recipe! It’s been wonderful to finally have good sourdough again. It took me a couple of trial and errors to get it right but that’s the fun of making bread. I think it gets better every time I make it now. Again, thank you for the very easy recipe 🙂
So happy to hear, Rebecca!! I totally agree that the sourdough bread gets better as the starter ages. 🙂
I realize I’m a latecomer to this post, but had to share my success today. I have thought my starter was too wet also, so I added another 1/2 cup between the first rise and the 2nd. Also, during the first rise, at 3 hours not much had yet happened, so I left it alone. Then I got busy and forgot about it, letting it go another 2 1/2 hours, at which point it was quite active and busting out of the bowl. Finally, because I don’t have the enameld dutch oven, and I felt it would flatten out on the stone, I put it into a glass casserole that wasn’t preheated and put it in the oven. Even with all of these alterations to the formula, this was the best bread I’ve made yet. Good rise, full of holes, chewy consistency, etc. If you’re a newby sourdough baker, I highly recommend this recipe.
Good to know, Dave – I’ve read about being able to use a glass casserole, but wasn’t sure how it would work. Did it stick to the casserole at all? Might me a nice way of making it rounder – force it up instead of out. 🙂
I’ve been making this bread recipe for a few years now and love it. I usually mix up the dough whenever my stater is ready, and put it in the fridge for a day or two until I get to it.
About 12 hours before baking I get the bowl of dough out, let it come to room temp and rise on the counter, and then shape and bake as you instruct.
This last time I didn’t put the honey in and we like it even better!
Oooh, I love how simple you’ve made this bread, Sarah!
Thank you so much for this recipe! I’ve made it for times now and it’s been perfect each time. It’s so hard to find a good sourdough recipe that doesn’t have commercial yeast, a million steps and actually makes an incredible loaf! I did an extra 2 hours for the last ferment and love the big holes I got. I have a feeling this is a recipe I’ll use for the rest of my life.
Yeah, I’m so glad to read this, Michelle!!
Hi Jami,
I was just reading your December menu ideas & decided to check out your Easy Sourdough Artisan Bread, among other recipes. It looks amazing. I have grown my own starter in the past, I ended up freezing my last one, so I will have to pull it back out of the freezer & bring it back to life to give this recipe a try.
I wanted to let you know that the links to your own blog posts seem to be broken. The links to outside posts are working. I know you have had some website issues recently & thought you would like to get your wonderful tech guy on this.
Thanks for sharing all your wonderful posts.
Thank you so much, Jackie! You are right – I do want to know that and since I don’t regularly re-read my posts, it would’ve been a long time before I realized that. 🙂 I think something happened with the site issues – you’re right, and I’ve emailed my web developer!
Jami;
About 4 weeks ago, I decided to make my own sourdough starter, using whole wheat flour (bulk bin purchase from Sprout’s Farmers Market) and water. Twice I have made pancakes, with good results. Today I mustered the nerve to finally make bread, using your simple and easy to follow recipe. I used equal measures of whole wheat flour (Sprout’s, as above) and unbleached “Artisan Bread Flour” from Bob’s Red Mill. Though the transfer of the dough ball to the hot dutch oven was a it messy (as in upside down), I was able to flip the dough ball in the pot, and the loaf turned out fine. I would love to share a photo, as the photo helps tell the story of how well the bread turned out. In any case, thanks so much for the recipe – it will be my go to.
Michael
Congrats, Michael- that makes me so happy to know! I’d love to see a photo – you know you can upload one to AOC’s Facebook page if you want. 🙂
Is it important to let it finish the 2nd rise, THEN turn on the oven for 40 mins, giving the dough another 40 mins to rise? Or can you go straight into the oven right after the 2nd rise?
With sourdough, Sarah, the longer it rises the better it will be, but you can rush it if you need to. 🙂
To make it easier, do the final rise in the lidded pot you are going to bake in, wrapped in a plastic bag… Then bake in a cold oven, no pre-heat….. After slashing your loaf, spray or sprinkle some water on the dough, put the lid on and slide it in the oven…. Set temp to 450, after a half hour, remove the lid and reduce temp to 425 and let it go another 20 mins….. If your loaf sticks, next time lightly grease and flour the pot….
Thanks, Skip, for the tip! I have tried that with some loaves and it does work, though the bread didn’t seem to rise as well for me doing it that way. I’ll have to try it again!