This recipe for Dutch Oven Sourdough Bread will be the easiest loaf of sourdough bread you will ever make! All you need is a dutch oven and 4 ingredients to make this artisan-style bread at home.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
This will be hands down the easiest sourdough bread you ever make! I took my No-Knead Rosemary Bread recipe and subbed out the instant yeast for an active sourdough starter and PRESTO! Amazing bread with little effort.
This bread is completely from scratch and it will seem like you took hours folding and kneading. Only you will know the secret.
Jump to:
- Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Ingredients Needed to Make Dutch Oven Sourdough Bread
- How to Make No-Knead Sourdough Bread
- Tools You Will Need to Make This Bread
- How to Make a Sourdough Starter
- What if I don't have a dutch oven?
- Tips for Making Dutch Oven No-Knead Bread
- Dutch Oven Sourdough Bread (no-knead)
- Did you Make This Dutch Oven Sourdough Bread?
Ingredients Needed to Make Dutch Oven Sourdough Bread
Remember to use quality ingredients and maintain proper hygiene when working with sourdough bread recipes to ensure the best results. Enjoy the process of baking and savor the unique flavors of homemade sourdough bread!
- All-Purpose Flour is a versatile type of flour suitable for various baking purposes.
It is made from a blend of hard and soft wheat, which gives it a moderate protein content (around 10-12%). All-purpose flour provides structure and contributes to the texture of the bread. - Salt plays a crucial role in bread baking, including sourdough bread. It enhances the flavor of the bread and also strengthens the gluten structure, contributing to a better texture and crumb in the final loaf. It also helps control the fermentation process by regulating the activity of yeast and lactobacilli in the sourdough starter.
- Sourdough Starter (well-fed and active)- A sourdough starter is a combination of flour and water that has undergone fermentation. It contains wild yeast and lactobacilli, which provide natural leavening and add distinct flavors to the bread.
A well-fed and active starter is one that has recently been fed with a mixture of flour and water, allowing the microorganisms to multiply and produce gas for leavening. - Water is a crucial ingredient in sourdough bread recipes. It hydrates the flour, allowing gluten formation and enzymatic activity. The amount of water used can vary depending on factors such as flour hydration, dough consistency, and personal preference, affecting the final texture and hydration level of the bread.
How to Make No-Knead Sourdough Bread
Prep the Dough
Place the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl and whisk together to fully combine. Add the sourdough starter and water and combine everything using your spatula.
If you feel like you need a little more water, add a teaspoon at a time. The dough will be shaggy and sticky.
Tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest for a minimum of 12 hours at room temp. I made my dough in the evening and let it rest overnight. Easy and perfect timing!
Form the Dough and Preheat the Oven
Preheat your oven to 450°F and place the dutch oven in to warm up for 30 minutes. While the oven is warming, the dough will rest one more time. The dough should have risen quite a bit and have lots of lovely bubbles.
Use your silicone spatula to gently scrape the dough out of the bowl onto a piece of lightly floured parchment paper. Sprinkle some flour on top of the dough and with floured hands, gently shape the dough into a ball the best you can. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean towel to rest while the oven is heating up.
Bake the Bread
After 30 minutes, take the parchment paper with the dough on it and place the entire thing in the preheated dutch oven. BE CAREFUL, IT'S HOT!
Place the lid on and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for another 10 minutes to get a brown crust.
Tools You Will Need to Make This Bread
To make Dutch Oven Bread, you will need a dutch oven. My new favorite brand is Caraway, as seen below. It has a non-toxic ceramic coated inside, is oven-safe up to 550°F, and comes in some beautiful colors.
Using a dutch oven when baking bread creates a beautiful and crunchy crust that most people think of when they think of rustic or crusty bread. The lid of the dutch oven keeps in the steam which helps with the crust and the overall baking process.
And you will want to use a sturdy silicone spatula for mixing and scraping the dough out of the bowl. I use my silicone spatulas every single day and this set has the perfect sizes at a great price.
How to Make a Sourdough Starter
Making your own sourdough starter is actually pretty easy. You just need flour, water, and patience. Find some great tips and the process in this Sourdough Beginners Guide.
What if I don't have a dutch oven?
The best way to cook this bread is in a dutch oven. If you don’t have one, you can also bake it in a different pot and have delicious bread with hardly any effort. Just make sure you have a pot with a lid that can handle 450º.
Tips for Making Dutch Oven No-Knead Bread
- Only use a sourdough starter that is active, well-fed, and at room temperature to ensure you get the best results possible.
- Not only is this bread no-knead but there is also no scoring! The crust on my bread shown in the photos happened naturally and looked great!
- Parchment paper is a must! Because the dough for this bread is so sticky, the parchment paper will not only help you move it into the hot dutch oven, but it will also keep it from sticking to the pan itself.
- Make sure your dutch oven or pan is rated for high temps because this bread cooks at 450º. As I mentioned above, you need your dutch oven or covered pot to be able to get nice and hot and be safe while doing so.
- Don’t forget to preheat your dutch oven while you are preheating the oven. This will help create the awesome crust and bubbly insides of the bread.
Dutch Oven Sourdough Bread (no-knead)
Equipment
- rubber/silicone spatula or wooden spoon
- plastic wrap
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (380.5g)
- ¼ cup sourdough starter (73.73g)
- 1½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup water, room temp
Instructions
Dough Prep Part 1
- Place the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl and whisk together to combine. Add the sourdough starter and water and stir it in using your spatula. If you need a little more water, add a teaspoon at a time. The dough will be shaggy and sticky.
- Tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest for a minimum of 12 hours at room temp. I made my dough in the evening and let it rest overnight.
Dough Prep Part 2
- Preheat your oven to 450°F and place the dutch oven in as well to warm up for 30 minutes.
- While the oven is warming, the dough will rest one more time. The dough should have risen quite a bit and have lots of lovely bubbles. Use your silicone spatula to gently scrape the dough out of the bowl onto a piece of lightly floured parchment paper. Sprinkle some flour on top of the dough and with floured hands, gently shape the dough in a ball the best you can. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean towel to rest while the oven is heating up.
Bake the Bread
- After 30 minutes, take the parchment paper with the dough on it and place the entire thing in the preheated dutch oven. BE CAREFUL, IT'S HOT! Place the lid on and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for another 10 minutes to get a brown crust.
- Remove the pan from the oven and allow the bread to cool in the dutch oven or on a cooling rack. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Only use a sourdough starter that is active, well-fed, and at room temperature to ensure you get the best results possible.
- Not only is this bread no-knead, but there is also no scoring! The crust on my bread shown in the photos happened naturally and looked great!
- Parchment paper is a must! Because the dough for this bread is so sticky, the parchment paper will not only help you move it into the hot dutch oven, it will also keep it from sticking to the pan itself.
- Make sure your dutch oven or pan is rated for high temps because this bread cooks at 450º! As I mentioned above, you need your dutch oven or covered pot to be able to get nice and hot and be safe while doing so.
- Don’t forget to preheat your dutch oven while you are preheating the oven. This will help create the awesome crust and bubbly insides of the bread.
Nutrition
Any nutrition calculations are only estimates using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
Did you Make This Dutch Oven Sourdough Bread?
If you make this No-Knead Sourdough Bread, don't forget to leave a comment and rating below. And if you snap a pic, tag me on Instagram or Facebook.
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Amy says
Delicious! I floundered with the recipe and added too much sourdough starter and it spread too much (I probably should have added more flour to balance it out) but it was still crunchy and delicious! I’ll follow the recipe to the letter next time.
Emily says
Nice work, Amy! Sometimes it takes a few tries but it usually tastes great during trial runs. Enjoy!
Chris says
Hi! I my dough started out great and tripled in size overnight, but it was so wet and sticky the next morning that it was unworkable. I lost half the dough just from it sticking to everything, including the floured parchment paper! I added more flour to it while the Dutch oven was warming up and the dough never regained shape and came out quite flat and tough. Is there any technique I need to be doing differently to have it come out lighter in texture? Thanks!
Emily says
Hi Chris, I've had a few batches act like that. When they do, I use a turn-and-fold method (4 folds in total), working around the dough to form more of a ball before placing it on the parchment paper. If you don't know how to do that, check out my ciabatta video Easy Ciabatta Rolls Recipe for an easy tutorial.
Scott says
Hello Emily I bought the same Dutch oven, but the lid has a hole do I need to cover it???
Thank you
Emily says
Hi Scott, no need to cover the hole. I have had great success with this dutch oven!
Scott says
Thank you so much for the prompt reply Emily, take care 😀
Suzanne says
I'm going to try this but would like to add Parmesan cheese. So at what point should I add the cheese?
Emily says
Hi Suzanne, I would fold in the cheese after creating the dough in the first step before you cover it and allow the dough to rest for the first time. Enjoy, I'd love to hear how it turns out!
Louise says
Hi Emily, In the section on shaping the dough do you do the 4 side folding that I see in some other recipes? I have not rated the recipe but I will tomorrow when it is cooked. I do really like your detailed descriptions. Wish me luck!
Emily says
Hi Louise! Yes, I have done the 4 side fold and I have also allowed the dough to rest and shape as-is. I do find that folding the dough on all sides before baking helps create a more even shape. I wanted this recipe to be for super beginners as well as confident bakers so if you are comfortable with a fold, go for it! I can't wait to hear how it turns out!
Louise says
Absolutely fabulous recipe, with most important, easy to follow directions. I folded the dough to shape it into a ball. As I write this, I am munching on a slice just minutes out of the oven. YUM! YUM! Thank you Emily for making me into a sourdough believer.
Emily says
Thank you, Louise!!! I am so glad this turned out great for you and thank you for the kind review. Enjoy your sourdough!!!!😊
Kathi says
Can I use bread flour? I made it the first time with all purpose flour, but would like to try bread flour.
Emily says
Hi Kathi. Yes, you can use bread flour. Bread flour is a preference for some bread bakers and I think you will find you love the results. Enjoy!
Natalie says
I always make bread for my family and this recipe is the best I have, thanks!
Emily says
So glad to hear it!
nancy says
wow i can't believe i was able to finally bake bread - thanks to your easy 4 ingredients SD recipe. thanks so much!!
Emily says
Yay, I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Enjoy your bread!
Susie says
Sour dough has intimidated me until I found this recipe! Making my 2nd loaf today. It’s easy and so delicious and I plan to add garlic and Italian seasonings to this loaf. Thank you for your recipe…it’s a keeper! .
Emily says
Susie, I'm so glad you found the recipe and are enjoying it! Sourdough doesn't have to be intimidating. Enjoy your next loaf and many more!
Dale says
Bread wasn't rising the first time, I was worried I had messed it up...my starter just wasn't active enough when I put it in, so I mixed in the same amount when it was active and it was 4x the size the next day. I made one plain and one with roasted garlic and rosemary. Tasted great, will be using this again.
Emily says
I'm so glad you gave it another try. Sometimes starters can be finicky, but it's worth it in the end! Enjoy.
Kristi says
This was so much easier than most of the sourdough bread recipes I have seen. I am new to sourdough and my starter is still a little weak but it still turned out pretty great!! Thank you for sharing this recipe! Also, my husband loved it♥️
Emily says
Thanks, Kristi, I'm so glad you and your husband enjoyed this recipe!
Nick Swanson says
this recipe is as simple as a bread recipe can be. Made 2 loaves Yesterday/this morning and as advertised, it is fabulous!
Emily says
That's awesome, Nick! I'm so glad you found this easy, it's one of my go-to recipes. Happy Baking!
Amanda Winter says
Loved the flavor of this recipe! Only knocked down a star because this recipe itself makes a small loaf. I doubled it, so it wasn't that big of a deal 🙂 All my friends and family rave about my bread, and making the bread is one of my favorite times of the week!
Am curious if I could freeze this recipe? Most recipes for sourdough have more than one proof it seems, so I'm wondering when I could freeze this recipe? I'm thinking if I mix the bread, I could just freeze it right away?
Emily says
Hi Amanda, thanks for trying the recipe, I'm glad you liked it. It is a smaller loaf meant for one or two dinners, but I'm glad you were able to double it with no problem. As for freezing the unbaked dough, you can, however, I will say I have not done this myself. You should freeze it after the first rise and once it's in its final form. If you do try it, I'd love to hear how it works!
I have had success freezing the frozen loaf and thawing it for later, works great!
Lynn says
I made this once now and will definitely be making it again. It was super easy and delicious. I do have a question about the starter. How long after feeding the starter do you recommend using it to mix the bread loaf? Some recipes suggest using the starter at it's peak after feeding (about 4-6 hours) and I saw another source with a similar recipe to this one which suggested letting the starter be slightly past it's peak (beginning to deflate after feeding) to improve flavor. How is performance of the bread rising affected by the starter at different stages post-feeding? Thanks. I'm a newbie to sourdough.
Emily says
Hi Lynn, thanks for trying the recipe, I’m so glad you like it! Easy is my goal. and I have to admit, while I love baking with sourdough, I am not the technical wizard…hence the no-knead option. I am not sure there is a major difference, my goal is to use the starter at it’s peak and I generally use it after feeding the night before, so it could be even after it’s “peak”. Since everyone’s starter is different, climate is different, etc. I would say experiment and see what you love! Thanks again!
Deni says
This was my first time making bread that wasn’t a quick bread or mix for the old bread machine. I have a 400 year old sourdough starter that I used and this was amazing!!! I bae 2 more batches setting up for tomorrow. I’m putting some whole cloves of garlic from a garlic confit I made last week into one of tomorrows loaves.
*chefs kiss*
Emily says
Deni, that's amazing! I'm jealous you have an old sourdough and I bet your bread was amazing!! I'm also jealous of the garlic and confit and now will be making this over the weekend.😁 Happy Baking!
Deni says
The loaves with the garlic confit were absolutely amazing and a huge hit. I made a second batch using the same garlic confit and. Some sun dried tomatoes I made in the air fryer so no extra oil. This base is absolutely amazing for so many variations. Chopped apples and cinnamon made a great breakfast bread. ❤️
Emily says
Deni, these all sound amazing! Please tell me your secret to cooking the bread in the air fryer...I just got a new one but have never been brave enough to do bread.🥰
Sam Whitney says
I was wondering can you use whole wheat flour instead of all purpose? Thanks. The bread looks amazing.
Emily says
Hi Sam. I have not tried using whole wheat flour yet, however, I do think you can make this bread with it. Just expect the bread to be denser and a little more gritty as is common when using whole wheat flour. If you do try it, I'd love to hear how it turns out!
Rosie says
Must I preheat the dutch oven. LeCreuset does not recommend?
Emily says
Hi Rosie, I have seen that on the LeCruset website but I have not tried baking this bread without preheating the dutch oven. If you do try this recipe without preheating the dutch oven ahead of time, I'd love to hear how it turns out! Next time I make this bread maybe I will give it a try as well.
Suzanne says
Read an article that all manufacturers recommend not heating dutch oven at high temps BUT it also said if you preheat your dutch oven as you heat your oven that will keep it from cracking. I too was hesitant because my dutch oven said same. However after reading this artcle I have made over 10 loaves using my dutch oven preheating it in the oven and have had no issues. Oh and the dutch oven is not an expensive Le Creuset. I have one but it's too big and didn't want to go all out for a smaller size. Hope this helps.
Sam says
I discovered sourdough over the summer and now I can't get enough! This looks fantastic and I appreciate all the process shots.
Emily says
Thanks, Sam! I hope you enjoy making this version of sourdough in your dutch oven.😀