Easy Overnight Sourdough Bread (2024)

Whether you’re just starting out with sourdough or you’ve been making it for years, you will love this easy overnight sourdough bread! This easy no knead sourdough bread recipe uses simple stretches instead of kneading. And, our step-by-step instructions make it perfect for beginners.

Why We Love This Recipe

1. No kneading necessary!
   Unlike many other recipes, this easy no-knead sourdough bread recipe does not involve kneading. Instead, it uses an easy folding technique that stretches the gluten.
   
2. It rises overnight and is ready to bake the next morning.
   Sourdough is made with a naturally fermented wild yeast and needs a longer rise time than doughs made with commercial yeast. This fermentation allows the natural yeast the time needed to raise the dough.

   An 8-10 hour rise is common for this overnight fermented or “bulk” rise.
   So, prepare everything in the evening and let the dough rise overnight.

3. 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 easy sourdough bread recipe uses one that was fed 12-24 hours prior.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Sourdough starter – an active, bubbly starter fed at least 12 to 24 hours prior. When we say active and bubbly, we mean a mature starter that is at least a week old and 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 all purpose flour. I recommend using organic, unbleached flour.
  
• Fine salt – use fine table salt or sea salt. If you use Kosher salt, use about 25% more as Kosher salt is less “salty.”

If you need a starter, then our easy sourdough starter is literally fail-proof thanks to our pro tips. And it has step-by-step instructions so it’s perfect for a beginner.

If you don’t have a sourdough starter, you can make this easy sandwich bread or whole wheat sandwich bread that uses commercial yeast instead.

The fermentation process for our no knead sourdough bread creates gut-healthy enzymes and acids. Most yeast breads do not provide these healthy enzymes and acids.

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How to Make This Easy Sourdough Bread Recipe

1. 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:

2. Mix the dough.

   Stir in the 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.

2. 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 (see our video below in the recipe card).

   Continue to pull, stretch, push, and rotate clockwise until you’ve gone in a circle.

3. Let the dough rise overnight to ferment it.

   Keep the dough in a warm area for the overnight rise. Depending on the ambient temperature, this takes 8-10 hours, and sometimes even longer. Ideally, this should be in a room about 75° Fahrenheit.

The Next Morning

4. 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 bowl with a linen cover as shown above, and dust heavily with flour. Let dough rise in it for 45-60 minutes.

How to Bake Sourdough Bread

Preheat your oven to 450º.

5. Cover the dough bowl with a long piece of parchment paper, and turn it over onto the countertop.

   Next, score the top of the dough with a sharp, serrated knife or lame.

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   Use the parchment paper to lower your dough into the Dutch oven, as shown below.

6. 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.

See our article on How to Store Sourdough Bread for the best ways to keep your breads fresh.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

My sourdough bread did not double in size overnight.

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 loaf more.

Get more tips in our Troubleshooting Sourdough Starter article.

Frequently Asked Questions

Other Sourdough Recipes to Consider…

• Blueberry Sourdough Scones
• Double Chocolate Sourdough Bread Pudding
• Chocolate Sourdough Bread
• Sourdough Bread Bowl

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