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.
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Honestly this worked really well for me. I forgot the salt but it was a good recipe and a good way to enter into sourdough baking. All the recipes that were taking days were overwhelming. Something same day gets you hooked to perfect hour craft.
Exactly, Mikayla! Once you get the hang of this, then you can venture to other recipes. 🙂
I’ve made two loaves in two days and I love this recipe! I used to do a much longer method but I think I’m sticking with yours. I wish I could share photos!
Awesome, Gina! I’m sure they look beautiful. 🙂
Dough was too sticky, loaf turned out dense, tough, & flat. Pitiful recipe, waste of time & money.
Hmmm, yet so many others have had my experience. Wondering if your starter wasn’t strong enough and what kind of flour you used?
Followed the recipe as written, but unfortunately ended up with a difficult to work with dough, and a fairly flat loaf.
How strong was your starter and what kind of flour did you use?
I made this bread several times and both ways overnight rise and counter rise, turned out great both ways. The honey gives it a lovely touch. I would like to incorporate some of my freshly ground wheat berries, have you ever used freshly ground wheat berries?
Hi, Begonia – I did respond to an earlier comment, but I would treat your freshly ground wheat as a whole wheat and since it tends to add density to bread, I would start with just 1 cup and see how you like it. The next loaf you could add 1-1/2 cups and so on until you reach a balance you like of whole wheat that doesn’t weigh down the bread too much.
Thanks you so much for the response, my a Pili gira for the bobble question. I didn’t realize I sent the first one. So sorry
Not a big deal – hope it was helpful!
Thanks again! I made this using half cup of freshly ground berries and it turned out great. This is one of the easiest and best recipes we found. Thanks again Jami
Good to know – I’m glad that worked! Thanks for letting me know how it went. Do you think you’ll try a cup in the next loaf?
Hello Jami, I have been making this bread for about a year now and my family loves it. It turns out every time.
I have a question, have you ever tried to make it with freshly ground wheat berries. Is there a trick to it. I tried twice now and I am not getting the rise that I get with unbleached white flour
I’m glad you make and enjoy this bread, Begonia!
Unfortunately, I don’t know of a trick to make it as light using whole wheat, especially freshly ground because I’m not sure we can get it as fine as commercial. I think that’s the trade-off here.
Have you tried partial – half unbleached and half ground wheat?
Youtube video was so easy and ncie to follow. My first try at this recipe was a perfect success. I don’t have a dough mixer and barely had to knead it with my hands. Too easy! Look no farther kind of recipe. LOVE that you don’t have to use a scale!
Lovely review – so glad you liked it (for many of the reasons I do!) – thank you!
When you say to turn the dough while baking, do you mean turn it upside down?
Um, I don’t say to turn while baking. You do fold and turn the dough during the rising process.
If you watch the video, I think your question will be answered. 🙂
Calculate your ingredients by weight for a total calorie count then divide by weight of your slice
second loaf same as the first perfection….thank you ps. i wish i could show you it
I’m so glad, Susan!
If you’re on Instagram you can tag me and I’ll see it.
I am just starting the recipe now, but need to know how many slices one loaf will make. The nutrition information is important to both my husband and I and without knowing how many slices, I cannot interpret it . Thank you so much for the recipe and article, I can’t wait to see how it will turn out!
It depends on how thin or thick you slice the loaf, of course, but I usually slice the loaf in half and then slice each half into 12-14 slices.
Love Love!
I’ve made this bread many times, always with an overnight second rise, and it’s always amazing. I also use over a 100% hydration starter because I did it by accident the first time and I LOVE how soft the bread is, despite the fact that it’s a bit more sticky to work with. I have a question – I would love to turn this into cranberry orange bread! I know mix-ins are added in step two (I’d add cranberries and orange zest) but what about adding orange juice? Would I just replace some of the water? Would that mess things up with the rises because of so much sugar? I’d love any tips you might have! Thank you for such a delicious and easy recipe that has helped feed our family over the last couple of years. 💚
I’m so glad you’ve had such success with this recipe, Alex, even with more hydration!
I haven’t done anything like you want, but I would guess like you – add the orange juice in place of some water and then watch the rise carefully, checking earlier to see if the added sugar causes a quicker rise.
Other than that – it sounds delicious and should make a fun loaf!
I don’t know what went wrong here since I measured everything in grams as the recipe states and I use an equal hydration starter. Even after adding significantly more flour during the mixing process, the dough was extremely sticky. It was impossible to shape and I had to just throw it out after all of the proofing steps. I think the ratios are off here.
There are so many variables with bread, especially sourdough – the weather, kitchen temp, where you live, type of flour using, starter – that no matter how much we want a perfect “recipe” the best results come with using our eyes and the feel of the batter. If you have to use more flour than called for (or more liquid), then do it – you are in control of your bread. It may turn out a bit more dense, but it will still be delicious and you will have learned more about how the dough works in your kitchen. I spent many years learning and the more you bake bread, the more you will understand the intuitive nature (and I’d never throw out dough – I’d always work with it – FYI, you could’ve spread it in an oiled 13×9 pan and made a focaccia 😀). As far as ratios being off, you can look at some of the other comments of people being successful with this recipe. I hope you give it another try with these thoughts in mind!
Used this recipe to guide my first ever loaf of sourdough. I was very intimidated by the process, but the simplicity of this recipe gave me courage.
The video proved most useful for me and my first loaf came out as tasty as it was beautiful. So delicious and perfectly baked with a crunchy crust and moist, dense crumb.
I am now super excited to bake more loaves!! Thank you Jami!
I’m SO glad to read this, Kay!! And that the video was helpful – thank you for the comment and review!
Kay’s review and comments echo mine completely! I was very intimidated and prepared for failure! The video was very helpful and I am so happy and inspired by the way my first ever sourdough bread came out! Looking forward to making this again! Thank you!!
Oh, that’s so wonderful, Peggy, to know I helped you on your sourdough journey!
I must agree with this! My first loaf with this recipe was perfect, despite the fact that I figured my first attempt at bread would be a fail. Perfection! I’ll be making another loaf hopefully this weekend! Which brings me to a question. I want to add some cheddar and jalapeños in it this time. When exactly should I add them?
I’m so glad your loaf was perfect!! In the recipe FAQs I recommend at step 2, but if you don’t want to have cheese out for hours during the rising process, you can knead/turn it into the loaf after the first rise, before the second 2 hour rise.
I’ve explored many sourdough bread recipes and yours is the best and simplest. All the others feel like you need a degree in chemistry and must be chained to the house for constant attention. All my loaves have come out great, thanks.
I’m so very glad to read this! I feel the same way, so I’m glad you took the time to review – thank you!
I just found this site and I’m so glad I did! We made the Cheesy Sourdough bread yesterday and it’s wonderful. I’m excited to try this recipe soon. Can you use a Stainless Steel Dutch oven with a glass lid for baking?
I haven’t tried that, but I think it would be better than just on a cookie sheet, as it should hold some of the moisture in, so go for it!
I’m so happy you enjoyed the Cheesy Sourdough Bread!
Total fail. I make artisan bread 2x a week. So bummed-
Such an easy follow! Started the morning of and was done by dinner…. Really the easiest and yummiest sourdough recipe I’ve tried. Really came out beautiful and there is something so satisfying about making homemade bread
You’re so right, Maggie – happy you enjoyed this!
Sooo easy! Even after letting it rise in the fridge overnight! This is my new go to recipe for sourdough bread!
Yay!!
Thank you so much for the review!
Do I add the starter once it’s at it’s doubled height or do I wait for it to deflate again?
Also the recipe says 3/4 cups of starter but your top below says 1 1/4 cups of starter
It’s 1 1/4 cup water and 3/4 cups starter.
Add it while it’s growing, doubled, or just after it deflated (like within an hour).