Easy No-Knead Sourdough Bread Recipe with Open Crumb for Beginners
An easy no-knead sourdough bread recipe perfect for beginners, delivering a bakery-quality loaf with an open crumb and crispy crust using minimal hands-on time.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: Overnight (about 12-16 hours including fermentation and proofing)
- Yield: 1 loaf (about 12-16 slices) 1x
- Category: Bread
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
- 500g (4 cups) bread flour
- 375g (1 ½ cups) lukewarm water
- 100g (½ cup) active sourdough starter
- 10g (1 ½ tsp) sea salt
- Rice flour or cornmeal (for dusting, optional)
- Olive oil (for greasing, optional)
Instructions
- Mix the dough: In a large mixing bowl, combine 500g (4 cups) bread flour and 375g (1 ½ cups) lukewarm water. Stir until no dry flour remains. Cover and rest for 45 minutes.
- Add starter and salt: Sprinkle in 10g (1 ½ tsp) sea salt and 100g (½ cup) active sourdough starter. Fold gently until incorporated. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
- Perform stretch and folds: Every 30 minutes for 2 hours, stretch and fold the dough 4 times per session. After the last fold, ferment at room temperature for 3-4 hours until nearly doubled and bubbly.
- Shape the dough: Lightly flour surface, shape into a round loaf, place seam-side down in a floured proofing basket or bowl lined with a towel. Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least 8 hours.
- Preheat oven and Dutch oven: Place Dutch oven with lid inside oven and preheat to 450°F (232°C) for 30 minutes.
- Bake the bread: Remove Dutch oven, sprinkle bottom with rice flour or cornmeal, flip dough seam side up onto it, score top. Cover and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake 15 more minutes.
- Cool before slicing: Transfer loaf to wire rack and cool completely for at least 1 hour before slicing.
Notes
Preheat Dutch oven for at least 30 minutes before baking to achieve a crispy crust. Use a sharp scoring tool for better oven spring. Cool bread completely before slicing to avoid gummy texture. If dough is too sticky, lightly dust hands and surface but avoid adding too much flour to maintain hydration and open crumb.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (about 50g)
- Calories: 130
- Fat: 0.5
- Carbohydrates: 27
- Fiber: 1.5
- Protein: 4
Keywords: no-knead sourdough bread, easy sourdough recipe, open crumb bread, beginner sourdough, artisan bread, homemade bread