Bread Machine Sourdough Bread

Sourdough bread is a leavened bread fermented using natural yeast and bacteria in the flour. It does not use commercial yeast but a starter made with flour and water. Once you have the sourdough starter, making basic sourdough bread is really easy.

This bread machine sourdough recipe can be easily made using the sourdough starter. The dough is then shaped into a ball and allowed to rise for a few hours before baking it into a crusty sourdough bread in a Dutch oven.

Ingredients

To make sourdough bread you will need only 4 ingredients and no commercial yeast. It uses a well fed sourdough starter, water, bread flour, and salt. If you do not have a sourdough starter you can make it easily at home. Although it takes 7 days to make a sourdough starter, it lasts for years if well maintained.

This homemade sourdough bread machine recipe makes a 57% hydration bread. Higher level hydration (water to flour percentage) makes the crumb more open and has bigger holes. A lower hydration level will have smaller and closer crumbs. A low hydration sourdough bread dough is much easier to handle and is not very sticky. It can be easily made in the bread machine.

I feed my starter in a 1:1 ratio of flour and water. I have had great success in using the ratio of 1:1.5:3 for sourdough starter, water, and bread flour for making a sourdough bread dough in the bread machine.

If you don't have a sourdough starter, you can easily make it at home. Here is a great post on how to make sourdough starter with lots of tips on maintaining it.

Instructions

Sourdough bread dough can be easily made in the bread machine. All that you need to do is place the wet and dry ingredients (sourdough starter, water, bread flour, and salt) in the bread machine pan in the order recommended by the bread machine manufacturer. Some machines need wet ingredients to be placed first and some need dry.

I have used the Hamilton Beach bread machine, however, all bread machines have a dough setting, and some newer ones also have an artisan dough setting. You can use either of the settings to make the sourdough bread dough and the process will vary a little bit for both.

If you are using the dough cycle, let the machine completely run through the cycle. In the end, the dough would be formed and well kneaded but would need more time to rise as sourdough bread dough rises slowly as it has no yeast added.

Let the dough rise for another two hours (preferably using the rise setting) by leaving it in the bread machine.

Another option is to use the artisan dough cycle. After placing the ingredients in the bread maker pan, start the artisan dough cycle. This runs much longer and has a longer rise time.

Just before the final rise, the bread maker will knead the dough slightly. At this point remove the dough to a lightly floured surface and shape it into a dough ball.

Place the dough ball in a Dutch oven lined with parchment paper. I have used a 4 qt Dutch oven. Cover it with the lid and allow it to rise for the final time for about 4 hours. If you prefer you can keep it in the fridge overnight for a slow rise too.

The longer the sourdough bread takes to rise, the more flavorful it tastes. If you speed up the process of final rise by placing it in a warm oven then the dough will rise quicker but the sourdough bread will not have much sour taste and flavor.

To bake the sourdough bread, preheat the oven to 450 °F. Once the oven is preheated place the sourdough bread dough to be baked in the oven and immediately lower it to 400 °F. Sourdough bread is baked at 400 °F.

Once the sourdough bread dough is through its final rise, score the dough by making a few cuts or slashes with the help of a sharp knife. This allows the bread to rise and expand and prevents it from cracking from other places.

Place the Dutch oven with its lid on in the oven preheated to 450 °F. Immediately lower the temperature to 400 °F and bake the sourdough bread with the lid covered for 25 minutes.

Baking the sourdough bread with a covered lid traps all the moisture and allows the bread to expand in volume. It also helps to not darken the crust during the initial phase of baking where the bread rises in volume (oven spring phase).

After 25 minutes, bake the bread with the lid uncovered. Baking it uncovered will give it a crusty texture and a nice dark brown color.

Serving suggestions

Once the sourdough loaf is baked in the Dutch oven, carefully remove it and place it on a cooling rack. Allow the bread to completely cool down for an hour or two before slicing it. You can then slice the bread with the help of a serrated bread knife or an electric knife. You can now enjoy the delicious sourdough flavor.

Sourdough bread machine bread is great for toast, sandwiches, grilled cheese, and to serve with hot soups like pumpkin soup, broccoli cheddar soup, and cauliflower soup. You can also serve it with pasta dishes like lo mein, baked pasta, or mac and cheese.

Equipment

I have made this sourdough bread dough in the 2 lb. Hamilton Beach Artisan bread maker using the "Artisan dough" cycle. This recipe should work well in any bread machine with the Artisan dough cycle.

You can also use the dough cycle, the dough would be formed and well kneaded but would need more time to rise as sourdough bread dough rises slowly as it has no yeast added. So you will have to allow it to rise on the rise cycle for about 2 hours.

To bake the sourdough bread, I have used a 4 qt. Dutch oven. Once the bread is baked, it is cooled on a cooling rack and then sliced using a serrated knife.

Storing suggestions

Sourdough bread can be stored at room temperature for 3-4 days in an air-tight container. It can also be frozen for up to a month. It is best to slice and freeze the bread so that you can easily take what you need.

FAQ

If you liked this recipe, you may also enjoy these posts

• Vegan bread machine recipes
• Dinner rolls
• French bread
• Cheesy garlic pull-aparts
• White bread
• Naan

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