Simple No-Knead Sourdough Bread
This simple, no-knead sourdough bread is about as easy as it gets. Mixing the ingredients is the hardest, most time-consuming stage. With a mature sourdough starter, you get a simple, rustic looking loaf that resembles an Italian ciabatta bread. This recipe produces a loaf, full of holes that are great for soaking up accompanying food juices and holding in toppings. This is an easy bread to make every few days!
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 12 oz (1½ cups) water filtered at room temperature
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 tsp (8 g) salt
- ¾ cup active sourdough starter
- 480 g (4 cups) bread flour fluffed, scooped, & leveled off, if using cup measurements
Instructions
Night before Baking Day: Make the Dough
- In a large bowl, whisk together water, honey, and salt. Add active sourdough starter and whisk vigorously. Whisk in 240 g (2 cups) of bread flour until smooth. Use a spoon to stir in remaining 240 g (2 cups) bread flour until dough is mixed well. It will be a firm dough.
- Grease the top of the dough by rubbing on cooking spray or oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a towel and leave on the counter (or in a cold oven with light on) overnight (8-12 hours) or until the dough has doubled in size.
Baking Day: Rise & Bake the Dough
- Scoop out dough onto a floured work surface. Shape the dough into a ball by pulling up the edges towards the center until you have a nice round ball. Roll the dough in flour on the work surface until it’s covered with flour all around. Return the dough to the bowl. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rise in a warm area for 2-3 hours or until doubled in size.TIP: You can also perform above tasks in the bowl. Use a spoon to deflate the dough and pull up the dough sides towards the center. Then, sprinkle flour on top and roll the dough ball in the flour, adding more flour as needed, until it's covered.
- With 30 minutes left in the rise, place an 8- 9 ½ -inch cast iron skillet or small oven-safe Dutch Oven dish in the oven center. Preheat the oven to 450˚F (232˚C).
- Tear off a sheet of parchment paper long/wide enough to use as handles to pick up the sourdough bread. Wad up the sheet of paper in your hands tightly to loosen up the fibers making it easier to form around the dough and in the baking dish. Open it up being careful not to tear it. Place the opened, wrinkly parchment paper on the counter and sprinkle it well with flour.TIP: A small sifter helps to disperse the flour evenly.
- When the oven has preheated, use oven mitts to remove the skillet or Dutch Oven from the oven.
- Carefully slide the dough out of the bowl onto the floured parchment paper. You can use your hands or a rubber spatula. Shape the dough quickly into a ball; a rubber spatula works well. Use a floured knife to cut a crisscross shape (or any preferred design) ¼-inch deep into the top of the dough to allow steam to escape and the dough to rise. Pick up the parchment paper edges and place the dough on parchment paper into the skillet or Dutch Oven.
- Bake for 40-55 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 205˚F (96˚C).
- Once baked, pull the bread out from its baking dish using the parchment paper as handles. Place it onto a cooling rack or wood block to cool completely (at least an hour) or the bread may be gummy. Cut and serve as desired.
Video
Notes
*If your sourdough starter isn’t as active as you would like, you can add 1 tsp of commercial yeast to the water, honey, and salt mixture before adding the sourdough starter. Then, continue to follow the directions as described.