This recipe actually came from one of my clients—and I loved it so much that I kept making it and experimenting with different variations. Before this, I already had a sourdough bread recipe that I truly enjoyed, but it required time, effort, and quite a bit of hands-on work. This version, on the other hand, is unbelievably easy. No kneading, no complicated techniques—just simple ingredients and time doing most of the work for you.
If you’ve been wanting to bake sourdough bread at home but felt intimidated, this no knead sourdough bread is the perfect place to start.
For more bread recipes; Turkish Flatbread, Whole Wheat Focaccia
Why You’ll Love This No Knead Sourdough Bread
This recipe is designed to be simple and flexible. There’s no need for a stand mixer or advanced baking skills. The dough comes together quickly, and the long fermentation develops a beautiful flavor and texture with minimal effort.
It’s also very adaptable. While this is a plain base recipe, you can easily turn it into a seeded or flavored loaf. Adding pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, walnuts, or even olives gives you a completely different bread every time.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup warm water
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour or bread flour
- 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
How to Make No Knead Sourdough Bread?
To make this easy sourdough bread; in a large bowl, combine the sourdough starter and warm water. Mix until the starter dissolves. Add the flour and salt, then stir everything together until a rough dough forms. You don’t need to knead—just make sure there are no dry spots.
Cover the bowl and let the dough rest at room temperature. The timing depends on the season. In winter, this may take about 4–5 hours.
In summer it takes 1-2 hours in room temperature and at least 8 hours in the fridge. Cause in the summer days it can be so puffy and soft and it’s not we want for this bread.
Shape the dough gently and bake it in a preheated oven with a Dutch pan until golden brown with a crisp crust.
Tips for Best Results;
- Use an active and bubbly sourdough starter for the best rise. If you keep your starter in the fridge like I do, let it come to room temperature before using it.
- Don’t rush the fermentation—time is key for flavor, you can fold the dough every 2 hours like a focaccia.
- Cold fermentation (overnight in the fridge) makes a big difference, especially summer days.
Variations You Can Try;
This dough is a perfect base for different flavors. Here are a few ideas:
- Seeded version: add pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and flaxseeds
- Walnut bread: mix in chopped walnuts for a rich texture
- Olive bread: add sliced olives for a Mediterranean twist
Once you try this base recipe, you’ll find yourself experimenting with endless combinations.
How to Make a Sourdough Starter?
If you don’t already have a sourdough starter, you can easily make one at home. It’s a simple process using just flour and water, but it requires one week of feeding and patience.
I’ll be adding the video I personally used and followed in this section, so you can see the exact steps and consistency. Having your own starter is what makes sourdough baking so rewarding—and once you have it, you can use it for countless recipes.
Click for how to make a sourdough starter video
This easy no knead sourdough bread is one of those recipes that quickly becomes a staple. Minimal effort, maximum flavor—and once you make it, it’s hard to go back.
