No Knead Beginner Sourdough Bread

A simple, beginner-frien1. Carefully pull dough onto an unfloured work surface (avoid bursting air bubbles) 2. Shape dough into a sphere using a bench scraper - push dough under itself and rotate 3. Cover with a bowl and rest for 15 minutes 4. Uncover and rest on work surface for another 10 minutes

Step 6: Final Shape and Overnight Proof

Working Time: 10 minutes
Waiting Time: 14 hours

  1. Flour your proofing basket (banneton) with rice flour, or use a mixing bowl lined with a towel
  2. Dust the top of dough with regular flour, then flip dough upside down so floured side is down
  3. Fold three sides to the center, then fold the 4th side fully across
  4. Flip dough over so seam side is down and gently form into a ball
  5. Use your pinkies to create tension underneath, pull toward you and rotate
  6. Place dough in banneton, seam-side up
  7. Put bowl into a closed bag and refrigerate for 14 hours

—ugh recipe that requires no kneading and produces delicious artisan bread with minimal effort.

Ingredients

For the Levain:

  • 50g unfed starter
  • 50g all-purpose flour
  • 50g water
  • Total levain: 150g

For the Bread:

  • 500g flour (250g all-purpose + 250g bread flour)
  • 350g lukewarm water (90-95°F)
  • 10g fine sea salt

Timeline Overview

Day 1: 10.5 hours active + 14 hours overnight proof
Day 2: ~3 hours (mostly baking time)
Total working time: ~55 minutes

Day 1 Instructions

Step 1: Prepare Levain (6 hours)

Waiting Time: 6 hours
Working Time: 5 minutes

  1. Add 50g water and 50g all-purpose flour to your mature starter and mix well
  2. Place in a 78°F environment (oven with light on) until it doubles in size

Step 2: Autolyse (30 minutes before levain is ready)

Waiting Time: 30 minutes
Working Time: 5 minutes

  1. Combine flour and water roughly with your hands
  2. Let sit in warm environment alongside the feeding starter (but not mixed together)

What is Autolyse? This process allows the flour to absorb water, gluten development begins, and simple sugars start to form as starch breaks down, making the dough smoother and more elastic.

Step 3: Mix Dough

Working Time: 10 minutes

  1. Add salt and pour levain over the autolyse dough
  2. Dimple, pinch, stir, and squish the levain into the dough with your hands until completely incorporated
  3. Keep a bowl of water nearby to wet your hands and reduce stickiness

Step 4: Bulk Fermentation (3-4 hours)

Waiting Time: 3-4 hours
Working Time: 15 minutes

  1. Place dough back in warm environment
  2. After 15 minutes: Stretch and fold
  3. After another 15 minutes: Stretch and fold
  4. After another 30 minutes: Stretch and fold
  5. Rest for 2-3 hours: Leave until dough doubles in size and shows signs of bubbly activity

Step 5: Pre-shape

Working Time: 5 minutes Carefully pull dough into unfloured work surface… so air bubbles don’t escape Shape dough into sphere w/ bench scraper - push dough under itself and rotate [15 minutes] Cover w/ bowl and rest on work surface [10 minutes] uncover and rest on work surface Flour proofing basket (Banneton) with rice flour (can use mixing bowl with towel) Dust top of dough w/ regular flour, then flip dough upside dough, so flour-ed side is down Fold three sides to the center, then the 4th side fully across Flip dough over so seem side is down and and gently form into ball - use pinkies to create tension underneath, pull toward you and rotate Place dough in banneton, seam-side up [14 hours] Put bowl into closed bag and place into fridge to proof overnight

Day 2 Instructions

Step 7: Prepare for Baking

Waiting Time: 1 hour
Working Time: 5 minutes

  1. 1 hour before baking: Place Dutch oven in oven and preheat to 450°F
  2. Remove dough from fridge
  3. Gently flip dough onto parchment paper
  4. Score the loaf with a lame or sharp knife

Step 8: Bake

Waiting Time: ~45 minutes
Working Time: 5 minutes

  1. 30 minutes with lid on: Place dough (on parchment) into hot Dutch oven and bake
    • Tip: If bottom is burning, place a foil disc under the loaf when you remove the lid
  2. 15 minutes without lid: Remove lid and continue baking until dark brown

Step 9: Cool

Waiting Time: 1 hour

  1. Remove bread from Dutch oven
  2. Let loaf rest wrapped in a clean kitchen towel for at least 1 hour before slicing

Tips for Success

  • Temperature matters: Keep your dough in a consistent 78°F environment for best results
  • Don’t rush: The long fermentation times develop flavor and texture
  • Wet hands: Keep your hands damp when handling the sticky dough
  • Proper scoring: A sharp lame or razor blade works better than a knife
  • Patience: Let the bread cool completely before cutting for the best texture