If you’re looking to get started with sourdough (or natural yeast) then you are in the right place. All it takes is flour and water and a little time to be able to make your own bread from a sourdough starter. You’ll be amazed at how easy this overnight sourdough bread recipe is. No kneading or heavy mixing is necessary. So, let’s make some delicious artisan bread!
What I’ll Teach You in This Post:
Sourdough Starter
First thing’s first: The best sourdough bread starts with an active, bubbly sourdough starter.
You’ll need an active starter to make any sourdough recipe. I’m linking my easy sourdough starter recipe. This fast sourdough starter is literally fail-proof thanks to my pro tips. And it has step-by-step instructions – perfect for a beginner.
If you don’t have a sourdough starter, you can make this Easy Sandwich Bread or Grandma’s Potato Rolls instead.
What is Natural Wild Yeast?
Sourdough is wild, natural yeast. It comes from mixing water and flour together and letting it ferment in a warm spot. Natural yeast is a living organism, so it needs nutrients and air to thrive.
The kind of yeast you buy in the store is referred to as commercial yeast. It is quick and easy to use.
Using natural sourdough yeast has gained popularity recently when commercial yeast was in short supply. Why rely on getting yeast from the store to make homemade bread when you can make your own?
Plus, you can use your starter to create other things, like a sourdough pizza crust, sourdough stuffing, pancakes, sourdough banana muffins, sourdough banana bread, or even soft-crusted sandwich bread!
This overnight sourdough recipe yields a perfectly soft but chewy pizza crust. And it’s our favorite pizza recipe.
Sourdough Bread Benefits
The natural, wild yeast used to create sourdough bread offers several health benefits as this Healthline article discusses:
- Natural yeast slows digestion to help you feel fuller for longer. The lactic acid and natural salts in sourdough slow down digestion.
- The organic acids produced during natural yeast fermentation lower the glycemic index of sourdough bread. This helps keep your blood sugar in check.
- Due to the natural yeast in sourdough bread, consuming it lowers the body’s glycemic response to all carbohydrates. Amazingly, it was even more so than if the person had whole wheat bread made from commercial yeast. This response to carbohydrates remains lower for hours after the natural yeast is consumed.
- Natural yeast has been shown to help strengthen the immune system. And, the lactic acid produced by sourdough bread inhibits the growth of certain bacteria and mold.
As you can see above the health benefits of sourdough bread are numerous.
Learn more about why sourdough bread is healthier and more nutritious in this article on the health benefits of sourdough.
This sourdough bread recipe uses an overnight rise that allows the grains to ferment with the starter.
The fermentation process creates gut-healthy enzymes and acids. Most other types of bread do not provide these healthy enzymes and acids.
Hooray for freshly baked bread that’s yummy and healthy!
Why Overnight Sourdough Bread?
This overnight sourdough recipe does not require kneading, unlike many other recipes. Instead, it uses an easy folding technique that stretches the gluten.
Natural, wild yeasts need a longer rise than doughs with commercial yeast. This fermentation allows the natural yeast the time needed to raise the bread. An 8-10 hour rise is common for this overnight fermented or “bulk” rise.
So, preparing the sourdough in the evening, and letting it rise overnight is ideal. Within a few hours of waking, you’ll have fresh sourdough bread.
Kitchen Tools Needed
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How to Make Artisan Sourdough Bread
In the morning, feed the starter to get it active and bubbly. Wait at least 6 to 12 hours before using it so that it’s at the optimal activity. Below is an example of the rise and activity after a feeding:
In the evening, stir down the starter and remove 1/4 cup (or 60 grams) to make the bread.
Since I am an infrequent baker, I put the rest of the starter in the fridge until I need it. Refrigeration hibernates the sourdough starter, allowing me to feed it every week or two, instead of daily.
Mixing Easy Sourdough Bread
In a large bowl, add the sourdough starter. Mix in warm, filtered water until dissolved. Add bread flour and sea salt.
Stir with a wooden spoon or dough whisk until a thick, shaggy dough forms. Wet your hands, and finish mixing dough by hand. Cover with a clean, damp kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
No Knead Sourdough Folding
Coax the dough from the bowl and fold the dough for 15 seconds. Grab part of the dough, stretch it out, push it into the center of the dough, then turn the dough 1/4 a turn.
Pull, stretch, push and turn in a clockwise rotation.
Overnight Fermented Rise
Return the dough to the bowl, cover with a damp clean towel, and let rise overnight (at least 8-10 hours) on the countertop or an area that is ideally about 75º Farenheight.
Sourdough needs a long rise to allow the dough to ferment and activate.
Do not refrigerate the dough! This sourdough recipe uses a bulk overnight rise at room temperature.
In the morning, lightly flour your countertop and shape the dough by folding it aIn the morning, lightly flour your countertop and shape the dough by stretching and folding it again.
Use a banneton proofing bowl or line a medium bowl with a towel and dust with flour. Let dough rise for 30 – 60 minutes.
Baking Dutch Oven Sourdough Bread
Preheat your oven to 450º. Cover the dough bowl with a long piece of parchment paper, and turn it over onto the countertop. Next, slash the top of the sourdough with a sharp serrated knife.
Gently lower the parchment paper dough into a cast iron dutch iron, with a tight-fitting lid.
Bake the bread covered for 30 minutes. Then, remove the lid and bake for 20 minutes. After that, carefully remove the bread from the pot and bake it directly in the oven each for 10 minutes to crisp the exterior.
Let the artisan sourdough bread cool for at least one hour before cutting. Otherwise, the loaf of bread will deflate if cut too soon.
Just look at this beautiful loaf of artisan sourdough bread! With this easy sourdough bread recipe, you’ll soon have your own beautiful bread, too.
Troubleshooting Sourdough Bread
My sourdough bread did not double in size overnight.
If your starter is active (it doubles in size 4-6 hours after feeding and has been fed within 12 hours of baking. Then, it’s possible that your sourdough wasn’t warm enough during the overnight rise. Find a warm place (ideally 75º- 80º F) like a cool oven with the light on, a warm window, or above the refrigerator or dryer to set the bread for 2 hours.
How can I keep the bottom of my bread from turning so brown?
An easy fix is to add a layer of cornmeal to the bottom of the dutch oven and place the parchment paper on top of that. Or, use a 9″ round Silpat silicone sheet, as I do. I place it in the bottom of my Staub cast-iron Dutch oven.
Dutch ovens that are darker in color tend to brown the bottom of the bread more.
See Below for the Complete Sourdough Recipe with Video!
Common Questions
Yes, a heavy oven-safe pot with a lid will work. Use one that is about 9″ to 10″ in diameter and 6″ high.
Don’t use wax paper. The wax will melt in the oven at this high temperature and you’ll have a mess on your hands. Instead, use a long sheet of aluminum foil that has been sprayed with cooking oil.
As made, this sourdough bread recipe contains 241mg of sourdough in each slice. A slice is 1/12th of the loaf.
Sure, though you will experience a slightly smaller loaf. If you have vital wheat gluten, use 4 cups of all-purpose flour and 4 tablespoons of vital wheat gluten in place of the bread flour.
If you’re unsure if the sourdough bread is fully baked, the internal temperature should be around 195º – 200ºF.
You can easily soften stale bread in the microwave. Cover it with a damp paper towel and microwave it at 50% power for 30 – 60 seconds. However, I like using my leftover, hardened sourdough bread as Sourdough Stuffing or Air Fryer Croutons.
Easy Overnight Sourdough Recipe
Easy Overnight Sourdough Bread
Equipment
- Heavy Dutch Oven with Lid
- Parchment Paper
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (60g) sourdough starter
- 1 ⅔ cups (350g) warm filtered water (95º to 100º F)
- 4 ¼ cups (500g) bread flour
- 2 teaspoons (9g) sea salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the starter. Mix in warm, filtered water, stirring until dissolved. Add bread flour and salt. Stir with a dough whisk or wooden spoon until a thick, shaggy dough forms. Wet your hands, and finish mixing dough by hand. Cover with a clean, damp kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
- Lightly flour your countertop. Coax the dough from the bowl onto the countertop and stretch and fold the dough for 15 seconds. Grab part of the dough, stretch it out about 4 inches and push it into the center of the dough, Then, turn the dough 1/4 a turn. Pull, stretch, push and turn in a clockwise rotation. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with a damp towel, and let rise overnight (at least 8-10 hours) on the countertop or an area that is between 70º and 75ºF degrees. Do not refrigerate the dough overnight.
- In the morning, lightly flour your counter-top and shape the dough by stretching and folding it again. Let the dough rest 10 minutes. Line a medium bowl with a towel or use a banneton with linen cover (see photo), and dust heavily with flour. Let dough rise in it for 30 – 60 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 450º. Cover the dough bowl with a long piece of parchment paper, and turn it over onto the counter top. Slash the top of the loaf with a lame or sharp serrated knife. Gently lower the parchment paper dough into a heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid (see photo). The pot does not need to be preheated.
- Add the covered pot the the oven and bake the bread covered for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake 20 minutes. Using oven mitts, carefully remove the bread from the pot and bake it directly on the oven rack for 10 minutes to crisp the exterior.
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Stephanie says
Needing some help trouble shooting.
My loaf develops a thin crust during the fermentation over night. I’ve used damp tea towels and that doesn’t seem to help. Any suggestions?
Renae says
I’m unsure how your loaf developed a thin crust overnight during the fermentation. The directions call for covering the dough (in a ball form) and letting it rise overnight. There are times when the air is dry and a thin crust forms on the dough, which is why I usually cover it with plastic wrap in the summer. When this happens to the dough, I proceed with the recipe since that thin crust is absorbed in the dough.
Diane says
How long before starting this recipe do I feed my starter?
Gianne @ The Feathered Nester says
As long as your starter has been fed at least 6 hours prior or within the last 24 hours (or within a week if it’s refrigerated), then it’s fine to use.
Cathy says
I love the color and texture but it over cooked on the bottom (burned). I’m wondering if I should turn the oven down from 450 to 425 or 400 for the last 20 mn? Any help would be appreciated.
Gianne @ The Feathered Nester says
I use a round silpat when baking it to prevent the bottom from darkening too much. Here’s the one I use: https://amzn.to/44aXrAq
Jenelle says
Great recipe, fairly easy to follow for those who have maybe made sourdough bread before. However, I live in Colorado so we are at higher elevation and drier climate. My bread turned out a bit dense and I noticed the outer layer of the bread become dry and stiff when it was proofing for about 8hrs. Does anyone have recommendations to prevent this?
Bec @ The Feathered Nester says
Hi Jenelle!
The general guideline for baking at higher altitude is to increase the oven temperature by 25 degrees. Give it a try and see if that gives you better results. 🙂
Sheryl Skory says
I am new to Sourdough baking. I followed your directions to the letter and immensely appreciated your video. My 1st loaf turned out amazingly!! I don’t have a wicker baneton bowl so I used a medium tea towel-lined bowl as you suggest. Came out perfectly. I wish I could share a picture to show how wonderful it is. Thank you!!
Gianne says
If you have Facebook or Instagram, you can tag us there and show us the pictures. 😊