Easy No Knead Sourdough Bread
by Girl Gone Domestic
This recipe has been all over the internet. I first came across it in Mother Earth News Magazine (which I highly recommend). Its so easy and fantastic that it’s borderline dangerous, especially if you try to avoid bread, like myself. The original recipe wasn’t sourdough, so I played around with it to make sourdough bread. The bread I made in the photos was made with white flour, but you can use whole wheat as well, I have done both, the wheat turns out much denser.
No Knead Dutch Oven Sourdough Bread
Makes a 1 1/2 pound loaf
1 cup active sourdough starter
1/2 or more cups warm water
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting. You may use white, whole wheat or a combination of the two.
1 1/2 tsp salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran for dusting
1. In a large bowl, dissolve sourdough in water. Add the flour and salt, stirring until blended. The dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest at least 8 hours, preferably 12 to 18, at warm room temperature,about 70 degrees.
2. The dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it. Sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let it rest for about 15 minutes.
3. Using just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface or to your fingers, gently shape it into a ball. Generously coat a clean dish towel with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal. Put the seam side of the dough down on the towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another towel and let rise for about 1 to 2 hours. When it’s ready, the dough will have doubled in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
4. At least 20 minutes before the dough is ready, heat oven to 475 degrees. Put a 6-to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in the oven as it heats. When the dough is ready, carefully remove the pot from the oven and lift off the lid. Slide your hand under the towel and turn the dough over into the pot, seam side up. The dough will lose its shape a bit in the process, but that’s OK. Give the pan a firm shake or two to help distribute the dough evenly, but don’t worry if it’s not perfect; it will straighten out as it bakes.
5. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake another 15 to 20 minutes, until the loaf is beautifully browned. Remove the bread from the Dutch oven and let it cool on a rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.
This post has been a part of Food Renegade’s Fight Back Friday.
Looks great! I want to try bread making again, but am nervous. Never had much luck. But can’t wait to try!
Did you mean to dissolve the starter w/the water? I don’t see any yeast in your recipe ingredients.
This looks great. I hadn’t thought of making sourdough in a pot.
motherhen68,
Yes, I meant the sourdough, the original recipe I have calls for 1/4 tsp. yeast and 1 1/2 cups of warm water. Thanks for pointing that out.
This bread looks terrific. I love making bread, its very satisfying. My problem is that no matter how much I make, it disappears so fast!
What a great take on this recipe. I’ve always wondered if it could be done with sourdough starter instead of yeast. Guess the answer is yes!
Thanks for sharing this in today’s Fight Back Fridays carnival.
Cheers,
KristenM
(AKA FoodRenegade)
I was looking for the same thing! This look a ton easier than most recipes I’ve seen!
Thank you for this! I’ve been using the MEN recipe for sometime with my sprouted spelt flour, but I’ve been wondering how to make it more traditional and less reliant on all that yeast! Going to try it very soon.
I make a bread very similar to this. I, too, use my sourdough starter. It works really well!
If you want to make a slicing bread for sandwiches or toast, this recipe works really well.
http://www.sourdoughhome.com/sfsd1.html
WOW! your sourdough looks like an artesanal masterpiece – enjoy it! Thank you for sharing the recipe. Now I just need to find myself some starter ;o)
[…] been usingthis recipe for my no knead sourdough. I’ve been following it pretty closely, using 2 cups of all purpose […]
[…] Eventually, when I perfect the recipe, I will post it here, but for those who want to try now, here is the recipe I’ve been using. On one half I piled what I’m calling “Truffled […]
Do you have a recipe for your sourdough starter or do you purchase one?