Imagine the smell of freshly baked sourdough bread…soft inside with a flavorful golden crust. Even if you’re a sourdough beginner or a seasoned baker, this no-knead overnight sourdough bread recipe will quickly become a staple in your kitchen.
Unlike traditional recipes, this one skips the kneading in favor of simple stretches, making it stress-free for bakers of all levels. Plus, our detailed step-by-step instructions ensure success every time, even if it’s your first sourdough bake.
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Bread Recipe Video Tutorial
Why This Overnight Sourdough Bread Recipe Works
- No kneading necessary!
Unlike many other recipes, this no-knead sourdough bread recipe does not involve kneading. Instead, it uses an easy folding technique that stretches the gluten. The whole stretching process only takes several seconds. - The dough rises overnight and is ready to bake the following day.
Sourdough is made with naturally fermented wild yeast and requires a longer rise time than dough made with commercial yeast. Prep everything in the evening or early afternoon and let it do all the work while you sleep!
An 8-10 hour rise is typical for this overnight fermented or “bulk” rise. - It’s an ideal way to use up your starter discard.
Our recipe uses a discard so it’s perfect to make when it’s time to feed your starter. Unlike other recipes that use active starters at their peak, our sourdough bread recipe uses one that was fed 12-24 hours prior. Your starter needs to be active (meaning it is an established starter that will reliably double in size 4-6 hours after feeding) but we don’t want it at it’s peak.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
🎯 TFN Pro Tip
Not sure if your starter is ready to be used for bread? Try the float test. You’ll place a spoonful of active starter into a glass of water. If it floats, there is enough carbon dioxide trapped within the dough to make it the bubbly dough we all know and love! If it sinks, you’ll likely need to give your starter at least another feeding before trying again.
- Active Sourdough starter or discard, fed 12-24 hours before starting the recipe. This is the part that can get confusing for beginners. When we say discard, the starter itself that you are “discarding” from still needs to be an active starter, just not recently fed. An active starter is a mature starter that always doubles in size within 4-6 hours of feeding.
- Filtered water – or bottled water. Most tap water contains chlorine which can inhibit fermentation. If you must use tap water, leave the measuring cup out for at least 24 hours to let the chlorine dissipate.
- Bread Flour – or substitute with all-purpose flour. I recommend using organic, unbleached flour.
- Fine salt – use fine table salt or fine sea salt. If you use Kosher salt, use about 25% more as Kosher salt is less “salty.”
Need a starter? Our sourdough starter recipe is literally fail-proof thanks to our pro tips. And it has step-by-step instructions, making it the perfect beginner sourdough recipe.
What is No Knead Sourdough Bread?
Our recipe uses stretching and folding to substitute for kneading the dough. Stretching and folding strengthens the gluten network and gives the bread more structure and elasticity. This effectively gives you the same result as a kneaded dough without all the hard work, which makes this sourdough recipe perfect for beginners. Unlike traditional sourdough recipes that requires kneading, this overnight method allows gluten to develop naturally. The long, slow rise creates the same texture and flavor with minimal hands-on work.
If you don’t have a sourdough starter, you can make this homemade sandwich bread or wheat sandwich bread that uses commercial yeast instead.
How to Make This Overnight Sourdough Bread
- Feed your starter at least 12-24 hours before starting the recipe.
You want a hungry starter that takes in the flour and water for energy and uses that to raise the dough.
Below is an example of the rise and activity after a feeding:
🎯 TFN Pro Tip
Store your artisan sourdough loaf at room temperature. For more tips, see our post on how to store sourdough bread.
- Mix the dough.
Use a mixing bowl to mix together starter, flour, water, and salt with a wooden spoon or a dough whisk until a thick, shaggy dough forms.
Then, cover the dough bowl with a clean, damp kitchen towel and let it rest for 30 minutes or so.
- Stretch the dough.
As mentioned earlier, we have a no-knead method for making overnight sourdough bread.
Simply pull up a section of the dough, stretch it out, push it into the back center of the dough, then turn the dough 1/4 a turn and repeat (see our video below in the recipe card).
Continue to pull, stretch, push, and rotate clockwise until you’ve gone in a circle.
Do you love to serve sourdough for breakfast? Here are some sourdough bread breakfast ideas for you: try our sourdough grilled cheese sandwich or lemon blueberry sourdough scones.
- Let the dough rise overnight for a bulk ferment.
For the overnight rise, keep the dough in a warm area free of drafts. Do not place the dough in the fridge. Our recipe uses a room-temperature rise.
Depending on the ambient temperature, this takes 8-10 hours, and sometimes even longer. Ideally, the dough should be in a room about 75° Fahrenheit. Estimated rising times- 75°F: 8-10 hours, 70°F: 10-12 hours , 65°F: 12-14+ hours (personally, a 65°F room has taken me as long as 16 hours of rising before it was done rising).
Tips for keeping dough warm during colder months:
- Use a heated mat (like those used for germinating seeds) for rising.
- Use the “proof” setting of your oven (I set mine at 85ºF) and set a timer. This will speed up the rising process, so check it at 4 and 6 hours.
- If a sunny room in the house stays warm, keep the dough covered in that area.
- Place the bowl in the oven with the door propped open and the light on to create a slightly warmer climate without actually turning the oven on. Different oven lights produce more heat than others, verify with a thermometer that it is 85 degrees or cooler.
The Next Morning
- In the morning, lightly flour your countertop. Remove the dough from the bowl and shape it by stretching and folding it again. Let the dough rest for 10 – 15 minutes.
Line a medium-sized bowl with a towel, use a banneton basket bowl with a linen cover, as shown above, and dust heavily with flour. Or line a large bowl with a clean kitchen towel and dust it heavily with flour.
Let dough rise in it for 45-60 minutes.
How to Bake Sourdough Bread
Preheat your oven to 450ºF.
- Cover the dough bowl with a long piece of parchment paper, and turn it over onto the countertop so that the dough ball sits on top of the parchment paper (see the video below in the recipe card to see how this is done).
Next, score the top of the dough with a sharp knife or lame.
Use the parchment paper to lower your dough into the Dutch oven, as shown below.
🎯 TFN Pro Tip
If you have a black-bottomed Dutch oven, I recommend using a round silicone sheet to keep the bottom of the loaf from browning too much. See below under “Troubleshooting Common Issues” for more information.
- Add the lid to the Dutch oven and bake covered for 30 minutes.
Then, remove the lid and bake uncovered for 20 minutes.
After that, carefully remove it from the pot and bake it directly on the oven rack for 10 minutes, to crisp the exterior.
After baking, let your loaf cool for at least one hour on a wire rack before cutting it. Otherwise, the loaf could deflate.
See our article on how to store sourdough bread for the best ways to keep your bread fresh.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
My sourdough bread did not double in size overnight.
If your starter is active (it doubles in size 4-6 hours after feeding) and was fed within 12-24 hours of starting the recipe, then your dough might not have been warm enough during the overnight rise. Or it still needs more time.
Find a warm place (ideally 75º- 80º F) like a cool oven with the light on (test this with a thermometer first!), a warm window, or above the refrigerator or dryer, and let it continue to rise while keeping an eye on it. You might not see air bubbles on the top of the bowl, but they should be visible underneath. That’s why I recommend that beginners use a clear glass bowl as shown above.
Keep an eye on your dough towards the end of your rise time, once it has doubled in size, it is ready. Do not let it continue to rise past that time or it can overproof.
What is over proofed dough?
Over proofed dough looks flat and deflated. It’s sticky and has no shape left to it. This is what happens when dough is left past the point where it has already fully risen. Don’t throw away over proofed dough, it is still edible and makes great flat breads, pancakes, and pizzas!
What should I do if my dough is too sticky?
- Before the overnight rise: Sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of flour on top of the dough and flour or wet your hands before stretching.
- After the overnight rise: The dough has likely not fermented enough. It should have doubled in size and show bubbles on the top and bottom. If not, see the notes above to let it rise for 1-2 more 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. I have also had success with putting a baking sheet under my dutch oven.
Dutch ovens that are darker in color tend to brown the bottom of the loaf more.
Get more tips in our troubleshooting sourdough starter article.
Serving Suggestions
Sourdough bread is incredibly versatile. Enjoy its tangy flavor with hearty soups and stews, like toscana zuppa soup recipe where it soaks up rich broths perfectly. For a lighter option, create open-faced sandwiches with avocado spread for toast, or turkey bacon. Slice it up and serve it with soft pretzel cheese dip or crab dip. Don’t forget classic pairings like butter and jam for a simple yet satisfying treat. Get creative and explore the endless possibilities of this delicious bread.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, a heavy oven-safe pot with a lid will work. Use one that is about 9″ to 10″ in diameter and 6″ high. Just be sure your pot and lid are rated for oven use of at least 450ºF.
This recipe will work daytime or night. However. most people enjoy the ease of having the dough rise overnight.
If you’re unsure if the bread is fully baked, the internal temperature should be around 195º – 200ºF.
Yes! Using a series of stretch and folds produces the same gluten development and elasticity as kneading the dough without the extra work!
If your starter is at least a week old and doubles in size within 4-6 hours after a feeding, then it should be ready to bake a loaf of sourdough.
Yes, you can replace up to 1/2 of the all purpose flour with whole wheat flour for this recipe.
Depending on the ambient temperature, this takes 8-10 hours, and sometimes even longer. Ideally, the dough should be in a room about 75° Fahrenheit. Estimated rising times- 75°F: 8-10 hours, 70°F: 10-12 hours , 65°F: 12-14+ hours (personally, this temperature has taken me as long as 16 hours of rising before it was done rising)>
Other Sourdough Recipes to Consider…
If you tried this overnight sourdough bread recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Easy Overnight Sourdough Bread
Equipment
- dough whisk - optional
- 5-quart Dutch oven with lid
- parchment paper
- banneton proofing bowl - optional
- warming mat - (I recommend this if your room is cooler than 75ºF)
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (60 grams) sourdough starter discard or fed 12-24 hours prior *see notes below
- 1 ⅔ cups (350 grams) filtered or spring water about 100ºF or baby bottle warm
- 4 ¼ cups (500 grams) bread flour can substitute with all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons (9 grams) fine sea salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the sourdough starter. Add in water and use a dough whisk or a wooden spoon to stir until dissolved. Stir in the flour and salt until a shaggy looking dough forms. Finish mixing dough by hand in the bowl until all the flour has been absorbed. Cover the bowl with a clean, damp kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 30-45 minutes.
- Lightly flour your countertop. Pull the dough from the bowl with a dough scraper or by hand onto the countertop. Stretch and fold the dough for 15 seconds (see video below): grab the edge of the dough and bring it straight up it about 4 inches and tuck it into the center of the dough. Then, turn the dough 1/4 a turn. Continue this process until the dough has come full circle and it has tightened. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with a damp towel (or plastic wrap if you live in a dry area). Let it rise overnight or about 8 hours at room temperature or a warm location (72º and 80ºF degrees to ferment). See the chart below in notees for sourdough rising times.. Do not refrigerate the dough. The dough should double in size and look bubbly on the surface and under the dough when fermented.
- In the morning, lightly flour your counter-top. Pull the dough from the bowl and shape the dough by stretching and folding it again. Let the dough rest 10 – 15 minutes. Line a medium sized bowl with a towel, or use a banneton bowl with linen cover (see photos), and dust heavily with flour. Let dough rise in it for 45-60 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 450ºF. Do not add your Dutch oven or baking pot, it does not get preheated. Cover the dough bowl with a long piece of parchment paper, about 20 inches long, and turn it over onto the countertop (see video). 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. NOTE: If using a pot with a dark interior cast iron pot, I recommend insulating the bottom with a round silicone sheet underneath the parchment paper. You can also place the Dutch Oven pot on a baking sheet. This helps the bottom crust of the bread from getting too dark in color.
- Place the covered pot in 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. Bake it directly on the oven rack for 5-10 minutes to crisp the exterior (if needed). To ensure your bread is cooked through you can check the internal temperature. It should be 195ºF to 205ºF.
Video
Notes
- If you have a black-bottomed Dutch oven, I recommend using a round silicone sheet to keep the bottom of the loaf from browning too much. See below under “Troubleshooting Common Issues” for more information.
- Do not refrigerate the dough! Our recipe does not use a refrigerated rise. If it gets too cold, the fermented yeast will not rise overnight.
- Store your artisan sourdough loaf at room temperature.
- Can I make sourdough bread without a cast iron dutch oven? Yes, a heavy oven-safe pot with a lid will work. Use one about 9″ to 10″ in diameter and 6″ high.
- If your starter is active (it doubles in size 4-6 hours after feeding) and was fed within 12-24 hours of starting the recipe, your sourdough might not be 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. Then continue with the recipe.
- 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.
- If you’re unsure if the bread is fully baked, the internal temperature should be around 195º – 200ºF.
- Place the bowl in the oven with the door propped open and the light on to create a slightly warmer climate without actually turning the oven on.
- Use a heated mat (like those used for germinating seeds) for rising.
- Use the “proof” setting of your oven (I set mine at 85ºF) and set a timer. This will speed up the rising process, so check it at 4 and 6 hours.
- If there is a sunny room in the house that stays warm, keep the dough covered in that area.
- Store your artisan sourdough loaf at room temperature. For more tips, see our post on how to store sourdough bread.
- If you have a black-bottomed Dutch oven, I recommend using a round silicone sheet to keep the bottom of the loaf from browning too much. See below under “Troubleshooting Common Issues” for more information.
Nutrition
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Sarah says
Hi, I love to bake bread in the afternoon so it’s warm for dinner. How can this be adjusted so I would bake around 3-4:00 in the afternoon? Thank you!
Renae says
That’s a good question. In the winter, I have had to use a longer bulk (overnight rise) because my house is cooler overnight, meaning I’m baking my bread later in the morning or early afternoon. If you house isn’t noticeably cooler in the winter and you want to bake bread in the afternoon, then my suggestion would be to mix the dough very early in the morning (preferably before 6 am) using 100ºF water and keep it in a warm place like an oven set to 85ºF or your oven with the interior light left on. Be sure to let the bread cool for 1 hour before slicing. Let me know how this turns out 🙂
Alicia says
Hi, it’s 4/30/22 and I have started using this recipe and just started learning about sourdough starter and baking. Because of my recent schedule this is what I have done. I’ve only made this recipe twice. The first time the dough was too wet I think and I got a rubbery texture. It wasn’t good. Gave the loaf to some pigs. The second time which was today it turned out better. My loaf didn’t have any holes. I think that’s because I degassed it. But I fed my starter yesterday evening and let it sit in the oven (off) with the light on until 5:30am. Then I got up to start my dough. By the time it finished baking it was approximately 5pm. I cut into around 6:30pm. For the bill rise I put it in the oven with it off but the light on. My house is naturally cool and we also have the AC on so there really isn’t a warm room in the house. My starter is 100% hydration. I used a cast iron pot with a lid and parchment paper as directed. Wish I could post a picture so you could see what possibly went wrong. I’ll try another loaf and will do my best not to degas sometime this week, hopefully.
Thank you.
Renae says
There are a lot of variables when working with sourdough, which is why I will be coming out with a troubleshooting sourdough blog post soon. As you probably know, a sourdough starter is created by fermenting flour and water. The fermentation process needs a warm environment for activating and sustaining it. If your starter is active (doubles in size 4-6 hours after feeding – this is essential to raise a loaf of bread) then it is possible that your dough needs a longer fermentation due to the cooler conditions of your home. I have found the ideal temperature for an overnight (8 hour) rise is 75º to 85º. At 70º I usually need about 10 hours and if it is cooler than that, I allow for 12 hours. As for how the dough should look, there are step-by-step images above the recipe. I do not degas the loaf (that is more for sandwich-style loaf bread) and handle it gently when moving it from the banneton to the parchment paper. I hope these tips help.
Jodie says
Hi
I’m new to the world of sourdough. I made your recipe and it came out beautiful! How can I get a more sour taste?
Thanks
Renae says
Hi Jodie, I’m so glad you sourdough loaf came out beautiful! The way I made my sourdough starter have more of a “sourdough” taste is by feeding it less frequently. Younger starters often have a more mild taste. I suggest you try googling how to make a sourdough starter taste more sour if you’d like a quicker process.
Ann says
I love sourdough bread, and this is a terrific recipe.
Renae says
Thank you. I love making this sourdough bread, too!
Julie A Gallagher says
This recipe worked great. I’ve now made it twice and with different starters and both were good. I have a tip for baking it . It did get dark on the bottom the first time I made it so I used a roasting rack underneath it for the second time.. I just put the parchment paper with the loaf on top of the rack. It worked great. The parchment paper keeps it from sinking through the rack. The bottom is beautiful. If you have a rack, try it underneath. I made all the difference for me.
Renae says
Using a rack is a great idea! I use a round Silpat under mine, but I bet the metal trivet from my Instant Pot would work perfectly here.
Samantha Hughes says
Tastes good every time, and is simple to follow. The only problem I have is my dough rises so much it sticks to my damp cloth during the overnight rinse. Should I flower the top of my dough, or deal with losing some dough everymorning?
Renae says
Have you tried using plastic wrap instead? I spray the underside of the plastic wrap with cooking spray to prevent sticking. If you don’t want to use plastic wrap, I would sprinkle flour over the loaf before covering with a towel.