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 love this recipe! I am trying a double recipe today but I only have one Dutch oven. Have you ever tried it as a sandwich bread? Like in a regular loaf pan?
I haven’t, though I know people who’ve made artisan bread into loaves and enjoy it.
So if you are using an oven/cookie sheet, do you also let the bread rise for 40 minutes after shaping it on the parchment/fry pan before slashing and baking?
Yes, though I’ve had to push in the sides a bit with floured fingers as it tends to spread more – I just push it in all around the edges to make it a bit higher right before slashing and putting it in the oven.
Where is the video?!
It’s right after the table of contents under the “artisan sourdough bread recipe video” heading.
Could the FAQ have been left out at the last revision? I wanted to know about overnight refrigeration rising.
Hmmm, I’m seeing the FAQ section above the testimonials (above the recipe card) – the first question is about overnight rising.
This recipe rocks! SO easy & delicious! My first loaf turned out perfectly. Very helpful to have the video & all the “side notes”. I omitted the honey but did the second rise in the fridge. Turned out beautifully. One would think I’d been making these for years. Every other recipe I have tried took days & never turned out perfectly. This is my go to from now on – I give it 6 stars. Thank you Jami!
Oh thank you so much, Suzanne! I’m so glad this recipe helped you get a good loaf – 6 stars it is. 🙂
I took my starter out of the fridge and fed it and started the recipe about an hour later when it had only just begun to bubble, the dough deflated as I moved it to the dutch oven and still it rose beautifully in the oven and turned out so fluffy with an amazing taste. Probably the best bread I’ve ever made, wonderful recipe!
That’s amazing – I was reading your comment thinking you were going to tell me it deflated, but then I kept reading – that’s so great, as that wouldn’t be my first thought in using barely woken starter. 🙂
Made it!! I probably should have added more flour during the kneeding process, kinda sticky, but turned out good and my husband said make again. I told him it would not hurt my feelings if it tasted terrible, just a recipe I found on the internet. (giving him an out). He said It’s really good!!! SO….keeping this recipe!
I’m so glad you both liked it, Cathy!
Very easy I added a couple teaspoons of chopped fresh rosemary in step 2 very good with a beet salad and a glass of Tuscan wine.
Sounds wonderful! Thank you for the review.
😩
Dough didn’t rise.
That’s usually a sign that your starter wasn’t strong enough or your kitchen was cold. Have you been having luck with other recipes rising?
First off, I’d like to say that I haven’t tried any other type of Artisan bread. This was my first recipe to try, and while I figured I’d have to find the right one for me in my sourdough journey, I haven’t had to look any further- love this recipe! However, I’m now wanting to experiment with making it with cinnamon and sugar inclusions (as well as subbing the water out for apple cider!) and was wondering how I could go about doing so with the cinnamon and sugar? I know you can’t add cinnamon at the beginning or it won’t rise, but would this recipe work okay with shaping into a rectangle and adding cinnamon and sugar to it at the end before shaping? I haven’t done anything of the sort before but was hoping maybe you would have tips on how to make it work with your recipe here. Thanks in advance, Jami!
Oh, I’m so glad you like this recipe so much, Brittany!! I make this regularly, still too. 🙂
So, the best texture I feel is with keeping the dough as wet as possible, so shaping it isn’t the easiest. I’d probably try sprinkling a cinnamon sugar blend on the dough through a folding process so that you’d end up with ribbons of cinnamon (hopefully)?
I’ve never rolled anything in a loaf this way and I’m unsure how to go about it… will it ruin the fluffiness of the bread sort of flattening it out after rising? Do you think I should let it sit for a bit after rolling some cinnamon and sugar in the loaf or do you think it would be good to just bake? Thank you for taking the time to respond, you’re indeed awesome! 🤩
Of course, Brittany!
I would definitely let it rise again after adding the cinnamon mixture, especially if you’ve deflated it some.
Think I messed up and took to heart ALL of the people that told me to release the gases before shaping because I am scared to cut into this loaf (2nd one I’ve ever made) and see dense bread. 🥹
So did it turn out?
My baby was screaming for milk and I rushed to feed her and didn’t add flour to get to the final consistency in your photos. I’ve already put it in the lightly oiled bowl and let it sit for an hour. (400g flour & 300g water) it doesn’t look shaped like your photos do and instead it looks flat and possibly too wet because I didn’t add extra flour as it was mixing in my kitchen aid. Is it too late to add extra flour?
You probably already decided what to do, but you could go either way – leave it to be a flatter, wetter bread (more like a focaccia with holes) or take it out and add more flour and then start the rising process again. It will be delicious either way, though maybe not exactly like the photos. 🙂
I’ve never made bread before until this recipe… I’m hooked, as is my family. They fight over the warm bum piece with a little real butter and sprinkle of Himalayan Pink salt. SOOO good. Especially with Soups. I work from home and make a loaf almost every other day.
I’m so happy this is now a staple recipe for you, Lisa!! Thank you for taking the time to review and rate it. 🙂
Is it supposed to be g for grams? I’ve never seen gr as a measure for food.
Yes – grams.
So pleased with this recipe! Thanks you – I did a blend of the two flours and it turned out perfectly
Great – I’m glad that worked! Thanks so much for the review.
Excellent bread and so happy it takes just one day. I fed my starter the night before and brought a warm loaf to a 5:30 p.m. dinner party. Everybody raved about it. The crust was lovely but not too thick (some people like a really crusty crust, but I don’t), and the inside was very light and fluffy. Superb! I served it with French butter and garlic confit. This will be in the regular rotation, thank you!!
I’m so glad – that sounds like a delicious way to serve it, too!
Can I use a bit of regular yeast (half teaspoon) to help rising?
Thanks,
God bless.
Yes, that’s totally up to you! I’d only start with 1/4 teaspoon, though.
I’m just wondering, I don’t have a mixer or paddle attachment, could I use my bread maker on the dough setting for the first knead and then remove and continue the recipe?
I haven’t tested that, but it seems like that would work similarly. It’s worth a try!
I do that regularly. It works. God bless.
It has been my “go to” sourdough bread recipe since u posted it.. it’s wonderful and has never failed me!
I’m so glad, Teresa – thank you for leaving a review!
This is so incredibly good and easy to follow! Thank you SO much for this!
I do have a question. When making multiple, (I have to make four) would you recommend pre-making these and freezing? If you can freeze, how and when in the making process would you freeze? What would you recommend? Thank you!
I’m so glad you like this recipe, Julia! I make and freeze the loaves all the time! For the opposite reason – there are just two of us and a loaf would go bad, but the outcome is the same.:) I fully bake the loaf, let it cool completely, and then slice it. It’s much easier to use when it’s presliced. Then bag it up and freeze – it keeps for a month or two in a regular freezer (frost free would probably show freezer burn in about a month).
Or you could refrigerate the other loaves as dough before shaping – they will last a long time in the fridge. Bring them to room temperature before shaping and baking.
Excellent directions that made a wonderful loaf of sourdough bread! Super easy using my mixer. I weighed all ingredients using a blend of King Arthur all-purpose (300g) and Bob’s Organic WW flour (100g). (Just happened to be out of bread flour, oh no!) Bread was baked 30 minutes with lid on, and additional 10 minutes without lid as did not appear or sound done. Note on size of Dutch oven suggested would be helpful, as well as note if able to do final proof in frig overnight.
Excellent recipe! Thank you for sharing! 😁
Thank you for your great comment – I’m glad you liked this bread recipe!
I’ll add a note about the size of the dutch oven (basically 4-6qt works), and the overnight fridge option is listed in the FAQ section (you must’ve missed it).