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 have a question about step #3.
Transfer to a medium-sized bowl, lightly coated with oil. Cover with plastic and let rise for 3 hours, turning and folding the dough once or twice.
You say to cover with plastic and let rise for 3 hours…fold the once or twice…when the the folding the dough once or twice happen…during the 3 hour rise…or do you mean fold it once or twice before covering it, and then let it rise for 3 hours?
During the 3 hour rise – remove the plastic, fold and turn, then replace the cover to resume rise.
How many grams is 3/4 cup of starter? Thanks!
200 grams
Jami – Yes, I used an 8½” x 4½” bread loaf shaped pan. Worked great!
Nice – thanks for replying, Natasha!
Love your recipe! Have used it many times now with a strong starter, and it works like a charm. Love that it can all be done in one day. However, I find myself sometimes in a situation where I want to let it rise overnight and then bake in the morning. Any recommendations for modifications?
I’m so glad this is working for you, Dayna! I wrote about an overnight rise in the FAQs – that should help you.
I loved that I could make this in one day! I followed the recipe pretty closely except that I don’t have a dutch oven so I used a meatloaf pan instead. Also, I used 2 cups bread flour and 1 cup of all purpose. I preheated the meatloaf pan in the oven as directed, and crafted an aluminum foil tent for the top of it. Meanwhile, I let my shaped dough rest in another aluminum fashioned vessel in a warm place, already nestled in its parchment paper. Lastly, when ready to bake, I put the meatloaf pan onto a cookie sheet with 3/4 cup of water. I baked the loaf for 15 minutes with the aluminum foil topper, then removed it and baked it for 15 minutes more and it was perfect! The crust was very crunchy and the inside had lots of yummy sourdough-style holes. This will be my new go-to recipe!
I love your creativity, Natasha – thank you so much for sharing your work-around. To clarify – by meatloaf pan, do you mean a bread loaf shaped pan?
Great recipe!
I’m not a baker but I wanted to catch some wild yeast and used this recipe when they were ready. Came out SO beautiful, much better than I could have imagined! Wow!
Sounds like you are a baker now, Max! Glad this worked for you.
Love this recipe! Mine worked out really well the first few times, but recently I have had trouble during the shaping stage. I flour it really well and follow your video but it doesn’t seem to tighten like usual and then starts to stick to my hands. Then it will flatten out during the final 40 minutes and then after I bake I end up with a disk loaf. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong!! Any ideas?
Also, if I wanted to do a sesame crust how would you suggest sticking the sesame seeds to the dough?
Thanks!
Just to add, I’m using the same starter at the same hydration and the same ingredients as all previous times, but lately it just isn’t working!
It might be a change in the weather? Maybe a colder kitchen? If you have the option to rise it in an oven with a light on, that works great. Sourdough does change. You could try adding a bit more flour.
I think sesame seeds will stick if you roll the dough in the seeds at your last shaping.
Excellent and easy to follow!!
I live in SoCal and it has finally gotten cooler by 20 degrees. So now my bread does not rise as it did – what am I doing wrong or what additionally do I need to make my loaves big and beautiful again?
Sandi
I put mine in my oven with the light on in the cooler months – works like a charm.
I am making two loaves at a time and wanted to add cranberries and walnuts to the second loaf. Should I do this in the second rise or from the start? I apologize if you’ve addressed this question elsewhere… I looked but didn’t see it.
You can knead them into the dough at step 2, Amy. I’ve added this to the recipe and how-to now since it’s a question I’ve had before. 🙂
I use this at least 1x a week. Everyone is crazy about this recipe! The video is SO helpful & we’ll done.
Oh, this is so helpful- thank you for leaving a review and letting me know about the video, Felipa!
I have made this recipe half a dozen times. Each time (after my first loaf which was a big success) I have tried something a little different. However, in making my last loaf, after adding all the ingredients and covering the bowl I noticed that my one cup measurer was without any flour on it. So, I assumed that I had used my 1/2 cup measurer instead (I’m 86 and sometimes forget). I went ahead and added another 1 1/2 cups of flour. As I was mixing I realized that I had used the correct cup and now had way too much flour. I let it autolyze and then put it into my mixer to knead. Realizing it was way too dry, I kept adding water until the texture was good. To make a long story shorter, I went ahead and used the dough following your recipe but I extended the rise time to about 3 hrs. It turned out great. I liked the larger loaf and it was beautiful The texture was denser than usual but everyone enjoyed it. I would send photos but I don’t know where to send it.
Glad you saved it, Warren! Bread is flexible like that and usually still tastes good. 🙂
The best sourdough recipe and tutorial that I have found! Perfectly chewy with a crackle crust. Mmm!
Wow, thank you for the review!
I love your recipe. I tried it & came out good but I’d love to rise more. Can I add teaspoon of baking powder? Thank you. Luz
I wouldn’t add baking powder – the long rise time would pretty much render it useless. King Arthur baking usually adds 1/2 teaspoon of yeast to their sourdough breads, you can try that.
I’ve found the older and stronger my sourdough, the more the breads rise.
Could you please convert your recipe to metric weights since I weigh all my ingredients to bake. Thank you!
I agree with Dorinda, Recipes should be in Metric format so that everyone is doing the same thing and resolving issues is much easier. Amazon have scales in grams and liquid measures in mils. Cups and spoons are for fun baking where perfection doesn’t matter.
The flavour was great but rather than rise upwards, it just spread and became a giant, half domed disk. Is this an issue with my starter or what did I do wrong?
I found that a younger starter often didn’t rise the dough like older, stronger starters do.
It could also be the moisture content of your starter – you could try adding 1/4-1/2 cup more flour next time.
I just revisited sour dough a couple of weeks ago. My starter is going! I am a little unclear on one thing. When you take it out to feed it the night before, do you let it sit on the counter overnight or put it back in the fridge? Thank!
Let it sit out! Cold makes the bacteria slow their growth and you don’t want that for bread. 🙂
The only time to fridge your starter is when you want a break from making sourdough.
Sourdough novice here. If I want to make smaller bread bowls with this recipe, how many can it make and what would the oven temps and time be? Thank you!
I haven’t done that, so you’d have to experiment with the sizes/amounts to get the bread bowl sizes you want.
I would start with dividing the loaf into 4 little loaves and proceeding from there. Oven temps the same, though you’d need to bake on a cookie sheet/baking stone and maybe add water in a pan on a lower shelf to create the good crust. Start with 20 minutes and then 5 minute intervals until cooked through (200 degrees on an instant read thermometer).
I have tried that. I just divided the recipe in half. Everything else was the same. I did use the same pot for both. I just let the second one rise a little longer.
Okay, good to know!
Help! I made this recipe several weeks ago and it was gorgeous! Perfect! Beautiful! I was feeling cocky and now I can’t get it to rise for the life of me. 🙁 I’m not sure what I did different. It’s short and gummy throughout even if I let it cool completely before cutting. The only things that have changed are the weather has cooled some, I finally got a stainless steel knob for my lid instead of the little piece of foil I used to cover up the hole, and my sourdough starter is older (it still seems good to me…)
Any guesses? The flavor is still good but it’s like a sourdough gummy bear loaf. lol
Blessings,
Christy
Your video was HUGELY helpful!! I actually think it’s my starter was too recently fed and several other little things. I can’t wait to make it again. It is sooo yummy but a nice high loaf is an added bonus. 🙂
Thank you so much for the video. 🙂
I’m so glad it was helpful, Christy!!
Sounds like it needs longer to rise, which is often the case with sourdough when it starts cooling.
You can try using your light on in the oven to provide some warmth while rising and see if that helps!
Thanks Jami!
After reading through my ecourse material from Traditional Cooking School, I actually think my somewhat lazy feedings have made the bacteria take over the yeast. I have scaled back my starter and with regular feedings it is getting into a right balance and I’m SOOOO impatient to try your recipe again. I write this especially in case any others have this same problem. The starter was so strong smelling and not fresh smelling. Thanks again for the video and taking the time to do that. Just a few more days and it should be ready to use on bread. I’m so excited!!! 🙂
Blessings,
Christy
Ahh, that would make sense. I hope this does it for you!