Sourdough bread is the perfect white sandwich bread that is fairly simple to make and quite enjoyable sliced for sandwiches or toast. You’ll love this sourdough bread recipe!
One of the things I’m most fond of is the many heirloom recipes in my collection. This particular recipe was created from simple white bread recipe which I turned into a sourdough bread recipe.
It comes from the kitchen of a dairy farm in Kansas. And if you have a moment, check out my post about my Kansas Farm Tour, where I spent a week in Kansas touring different farms.
Get the sourdough starter going four to six days before you plan to bake the bread. You can keep the sourdough starter in the refrigerator and keep it fed for later use.
If you’ve never experienced homemade bread, this is one recipe you need to try. My mom had a wedding cake and bread baking business on the farm when we were little kids.
Making bread from scratch is something I love to do- it reminds me very much of her. And if you are a beginner to homemade bread, don’t worry! This bread recipe is perfect for any level baker.
She would bake Easy Banana Bread, Sour Cream Coffee Cake, Classic Apple Pie, and Homemade Oatmeal Bread to sell to our neighbors and my dad’s co-workers. Be sure and try Homemade Strawberry Shortcake, Easy Hot Cross Buns, and Cast Iron Dinner Rolls.
These cast iron bread pans are amazing! They help crisp up the bottom and sides of the sourdough bread! Order them here!
How to make Homemade Sourdough Bread
Step 1: Make the sourdough starter by combing the dry yeast with the water. Whisk in the sugar, flour, and salt. Let sit uncovered on the counter for 4-6 days. Whisk 4-5 times daily.
Step 2: Scald the milk in a small saucepan. Stir in the sugar to dissolve. Let cool to lukewarm. Pour the warm water into the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl; sprinkle with yeast and stir until dissolved.
Step 3: Add the milk mixture, sourdough starter, salt, and 3 cups of the flour. Mix with the dough hook until smooth. Cut the butter into pieces and incorporate. Add enough of the remaining flour to make a smooth dough.
Step 4: Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, 4-5 minutes. Form into a ball and place into a greased bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled, 1 – ¼ hours.
Step 5: Punch down dough and let rest for about 15 minutes. Grease two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans. Divide the dough in half and shape into loaves. Transfer the dough to the loaf pans and make a cut on the top of each loaf with a sharp knife or new razer blade. Spray some plastic wrap with cooking spray, so that it doesn’t stick, and loosely cover the loaves. Let rise in a warm area until doubled, about 1 – 1 ¼ hours.
Step 6: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes. Remove from the bread pans and let cool completely.
How I make my sourdough starter:
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 2 cups room temperature water
Whisk together, cover loosely for 7 days. (Each day, remove ½ cup of starter and discard. THEN add scant of 1 cup all-purpose flour and ½ cup room temperature water.
Whisk together, cover again loosely) GOOD to use in 7 days. Refrigerate the remainder. Feed again at room temperature overnight as needed.
Sourdough Bread Baking Tip:
You can roll the dough into small rounds to make homemade bread bowls! Try my Beef Chili Recipe, Loaded Potato Soup, Beef Stew Recipe served in sourdough bread bowls.
For more great Cast Iron Recipes be sure and try my Cast Iron Pizza, Cast Iron Pork Chops, Chicken Fajitas, Skillet Blueberry Pie, and Apple Hand Pies.
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Sourdough Bread
Ingredients
Sourdough Bread Starter
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 cups lukewarm water
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Sourdough Bread
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 cup water lukewarm
- 1 .25-ounce packet (2 ¼ teaspoons) active dry yeast
- 1 cup sourdough starter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 ½ to 6 cups bread or all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
Instructions
Sourdough starter
- Combine the dry yeast with the water. Whisk in the sugar, flour, and salt. Let sit uncovered on the counter for 4-6 days. Whisk 4-5 times daily.
Sourdough Bread
- Scald the milk in a small saucepan. Stir in the sugar to dissolve. Let cool to lukewarm. Pour the warm water into the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl; sprinkle with yeast and stir until dissolved. Add the milk mixture, sourdough starter, salt, and 3 cups of the flour. Mix with the dough hook until smooth. Cut the butter into pieces and incorporate. Add enough of the remaining flour to make a smooth dough.
- Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, 4-5 minutes. Form into a ball and place into a greased bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled, 1 – ¼ hours.
- Punch down dough and let rest for about 15 minutes. Grease two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans. Divide the dough in half and shape into loaves. Transfer the dough to the loaf pans and make a cut on the top of each loaf with a sharp knife or new razer blade. Spray some plastic wrap with cooking spray, so that it doesn’t stick, and loosely cover the loaves. Let rise in a warm area until doubled, about 1 – 1 ¼ hours.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes. Remove from the bread pans and let cool completely.
- Note: Lodge brand cast iron bread pans are great for making bread! Place a pan of water on the rack below the bread in the oven. The steam created will make a crunchy crust.
Recipe Notes
I typically use a mixture of all-purpose and bread flour in bread recipes. Start with 5 cups flour and see if you need to add more. I like to knead in the last cup or so of flour on the butcher block or whatever surface you roll dough out on.
UPDATE to sourdough starter:
You can “feed” the starter each day (while it sits on the counter) by removing about ½ cup of the starter. Add 1 cup all-purpose flour and ½ cup room temperature water. Whisk together, cover loosely and let bubble. Do this, starting the second day of making the starter, until the seventh day.To keep the starter:
To keep the starter add half cup water half cup all purpose flour and one tsp sugar to the left over starter. Whisk together. Store in the refrigerator. As you use the starter, keep refreshing it.Nutrition
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Wendy Sparling says
This is the best recipe for sourdough bread I have ever used. Thank you! I also use it for my cinnamon buns.
Jessica Robinson says
Absolutely thrilled to hear that Wendy! Thanks for taking the time to write!
LAURA says
OMG this is the best recipe that I have ever tried. Thank so much for the recipe. I didn’t use the recipe for the sourdough starter because I already have a sourdough starter. I was just wanting to try easy bread recipe and came across yours. OMG this is now our #1 bread.
Jessica Robinson says
Thanks so much Laura!! Thrilled to hear you loved this bread recipe. Be sure and try my white bread recipe as well!
Carol says
This is soooo much better than white bread. This raised higher than any other recipe I have tried. Thank you for sharing with us!
Jessica Robinson says
So glad to hear you enjoyed it! It’s one of our favorites too.
Nance says
Hi Jessica, I have been using your bread recipe for a while now and I just wanted to reach out and say thank you! I started using it in this past summer and I was baking it in my Breville countertop oven in order to have less heat in the kitchen. It worked well enough but when the weather cooled I went back to using the gas oven…wow! So much better, the crust has just the right crunch and the inside has just the right softness. I make the recipe every 2 weeks regularly, we just love it. Ps-I didn’t use your sourdough starter as I already had one going, but it worked out fine.
Jessica Robinson says
Nance,
Thanks so much for taking the time to write and let me know you love my Sourdough bread recipe! It’s one of my most popular bread recipes. Glad to hear your own sourdough starter worked with it too! You can also shape them into small rounds and make bread bowls for soups, chowder and chili in the winter!
bonnie says
I’m confused on the consistency of your instructions, do I cover or not cover the starter on the counter? And do I feed it the first 7 days or not? The directions have one thing and then the update has another. This is my first time trying – on my second day.
Jessica Robinson says
Bonnie,
The recipe card has the original recipe for my family’s sourdough bread from the 1950’s.
Back then the “sourdough starter” was really only for flavor of sourdough, not to make the bread rise.
Based off of comments from people looking to make “authentic” sourdough bread. I updated the body of the post to include a true sourdough starter. If you were making an “authentic” sourdough bread- you would want to feed the starter, as typically you would not be adding store-bought yeast to the recipe. Which means you remove a portion of the starter and feed it daily. This makes yeast grow naturally.
You can feed it- or not. The original one doesn’t call for you to feed it. Because again, we’re using it for flavor- not to get the bread to rise. I typically keep it on the kitchen counter in a large measuring cup that has a lid, but keep the lid loose. It’s on, but loose. Just to keep critters, lint, etc. out of your starter. Whisk it several times a day.
Jessica says
I just read the part about feeding it. I made it Monday and it’s Friday early AM (can’t sleep). I forgot to remove the 1/2 cup but did feed it. Is it too late? Should I have discarded it and started over?
I’m hoping not because I want to make bread for dinner tonight with a pot roast in the Dutch oven.
Thank you!!
Jessica Robinson says
Jessica,
You can feed the starter now. Or not. It should work just fine. No worries!