quick sourdough bread loaf
Have you ever thought of making sourdough bread but then decided it was way too complicated? If you have, then you are not alone! Sourdough bread seems like it would take forever to make and the chances of it coming out good seem low. I mean, who has a ten year old, full of flavor sour dough starter laying around? Not me! But don’t give up! This quick sourdough bread recipe is easy, straightforward and will make you a beautiful loaf. Let’s get started!

Start At The Starter

sourdough starter
Before you can make your quick sour dough bread, you do need some kind of sourdough starter. What is that exactly? A starter is the yeast part of the bread that makes it taste sour. Typically, starters are made with just flour and water mixed together. Then, the mix sits at room temperature for days, collecting wild yeast from the air (that’s right, there’s yeast in the air!). The wild yeast collects in the flour and water mix and begins to grow and ferment.

But guess what? letting the mix just sit there isn’t enough- you have to feed the yeast yourself! It wants more food…so hungry! So, for days, weeks, years, you feed your starter as if it were a pet. The older and more mature it gets, the more sour it will taste. All that growing and fermenting is what makes the flavor of the sourdough.

So if you ever hear someone say that they have a 5 year old sourdough starter or a bakery advertise a 100 year old starter (crazy right?!?), that means that they have been feeding their little bread pet for years, making it more tangy and therefore, leading to a more flavorful bread. Phew, sounds like a lot of work.

In this recipe, you are going to make a starter but it is going to be a quickie (aka the ‘quick’ in our quick sourdough bread recipe). You will simply use a packet of dry active yeast rather than the yeast in the air- much faster, much easier. You do need to make your starter the night before you want to make bread so a little planning is needed but, one day is better than waiting one year! Okay, now you are ready to begin with (obviously) the starter!

Dough Time!

sourdough dough in a bowl
Water, flour and dry active yeast are mixed together in a large bowl, covered and left to sit overnight. In the morning, you will come back to a bubbly mix that looks like a cool science experiment. The bubbles are good! That shows that the yeast is growing and eating. Your starter is ready.

mixing the sourdough
If you have a stand mixer, attach a dough hook and add all of the ingredients into the bowl. Mix together until a dough begins to form and then turn the mixer off, letting the dough sit for 10 minutes. If you do not have a stand mixer, mix the ingredients by hand in a regular bowl and enjoy a good upper body workout as the dough begins to form and get stiff.

Then We Rest

resting the sourdough
After the dough has rested, turn the mixer on medium and let the dough mix for 10 minutes. It should be nice and stiff and pulling away from the walls of the bowl. If the dough looks wet, simply add a sprinkle of flour. If it is too dry and not pliable, add a splash of water. When the dough is done, it should be soft and smooth. Into an oiled bowl it goes to sit for an hour!

sourdough on parchment paper
After an hour, the dough is punched down. Another hour and punch it again and move it to a piece of parchment, dusted with flour to rest. Letting the dough sit and rise adds to that sourdough, yeasty flavor you want! Patience, patience….it’s almost time to bake!

Bake That Bread!

sourdough bread in pot
Now this part of the recipe is key in order to get a nice crust on your bread. Place a Dutch oven pot in a cold oven and then turn the oven on, preheating it to 450. After 30 minutes, your pot and oven should be ready. Transfer the dough into the hot Dutch oven and cover it immediately. The steam the dough emits will be trapped in the hot pot and cause a nice, crunchy crust to form on your sour dough. Genius!

After about 30 minutes, your bread will be nice and golden brown. Let it cool on a wire rack before slicing and eating. You will be able to taste the nice tangy flavor from your starter which will taste just as good as any 100 year old bakery can make! See, making sour dough bread isn’t that hard.
sliced sourdough bread

Quick Sourdough Bread Recipe

Yield: 1- 8 inch round loaf
Active Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours

Ingredients:

Starter:

  • 1 1/2 cups warm water
  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 packet active dry yeast

Bread:

  • 3 cups all purpose flour or whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup water
  • 3/4 cup starter
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • 2 tsp salt

Directions:

  1. Mix all of the ingredients together in the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment .Or, if you do not have a stand mixer, mix in a large bowl with a wooden spoon. Once the dough has come together, let it sit for 10 minutes to rest.
  2. Turn the mixer back on and mix for 10 minutes or continue to knead the dough by hand for 15 minutes. Add more flour or water as needed to get the dough to a nice, workable consistency.
  3. Place the dough in a large bowl that has been greased with olive oil. Cover the bowl and let the dough sit for one hour.
  4. Punch the dough down, give it a quick flip and cover it again. Let it sit for another hour.
  5. Sprinkle a piece of parchment with flour and transfer the dough to the paper. Cover and let rest.
  6. While the dough is resting, place a cast iron Dutch oven pot with lid into a cold oven. Turn the oven on to preheat to 450.
  7. After 30 minutes, gently place the dough in the hot Dutch oven and slit the top with a very sharp knife. Place the lid on the Dutch oven and put the whole pot, with dough, back in the oven.
  8. Bake with the lid on for 15 minutes and then remove the lid to bake for another 15.
  9. Remove the bread from the Dutch oven and flip onto a wire cooling rack. Let the bread cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

Enjoy!