4 Ingredient Basic White Sourdough Bread Recipe
Learn how to make this super simple, 4 ingredient basic white sourdough bread recipe. You can mix it in the morning in less than 5 minutes and bake it at dinner time. This easy recipe is perfect for busy weekdays. Spread some butter and homemade jam on a slice today!
I ventured into the world of sourdough in 2018. A family friend shared some sourdough starter and few basic recipes, and I was hooked.
I love that I spend less time with hands-on processes, but more time just letting the sourdough rise and ferment. The sourdough bread making schedule fits so much better into my schedule.
I usually mix up this dough in the morning before work, and when I get home at the end of the day, it’s ready to form and bake! You can also mix up the dough before bed and bake it in the next morning.
The thing I love about sourdough bread is the simplicity. It is so satisfying that with only flour, water, and salt I can create a bread that is so delicious. I like knowing that I am feeding my family wholesome real food without all the extra ingredients in store-bought bread.
Sourdough bread making can be intimidating for beginners, so I’m going to walk you through the steps and explain the process. Don’t worry! I’m holding your hand and leading you to success!
What is sourdough bread?
Sourdough bread is leavened naturally using a sourdough starter. Most bread at the grocery store is leavened using commercial yeast, or a chemical leavening agent like baking powder or baking soda.
What is sourdough starter?
A sourdough starter is a mix of flour and water that has been fermented. Sourdough starter contains wild yeast and lactobacilli (healthy bacteria). A healthy, active sourdough starter will break down the flour in a bread recipe and release gasses that make your bread rise.
Sourdough bread is easier to digest because these helpful bacteria break down the flour as the bread rises. It is easier on your tummy, and inexpensive to make at home.
How to make your own sourdough starter
You can make your own sourdough starter at home in about 1 week using these steps:
- Mix 1/2 cup whole wheat flour with 1/4 filtered water in a quart sized mason jar. Cover with plastic wrap or a lid and let rest in a warm spot (75-80 degrees) for 3 days.
- After 3 days, you should see some bubbles forming in the mixture. Remove and discard about half of the mixture. Add in 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour and 1/4 cup of filtered water. Mix well until smooth. Cover and let rest for another 24 hours.
- After 24 hours, discard half the mixture and add in 1/2 cup all-purpose flour and 1/4 cup filtered water. Cover and let rest for another 24 hours.
- Repeat step 3 for 2 more days! Your starter should now double in size after you feed it and should have lots of bubbles.
- Do the float test on your starter! Drop a spoonful of your starter in a cup of water. If it floats, it’s ready to use in your recipe.
Other ways to get a sourdough starter
You can also purchase a sourdough starter. This is a great option as you don’t have to worry about building a strong starter. A purchased sourdough starter will come to you strong and vigorous and ready right away to make bread.
These are some good, trusted sources to purchase sourdough starters:
Tips for Making 4 Ingredient Simple White Sourdough Bread Recipe
Ingredients:
Sourdough Starter: This is the magic ingredient! Make sure your starter was fed 4-12 hours prior to starting the recipe. It should be bubbly and active.
Filtered Water: If you have chlorinated tap water, make sure you use filtered water in this recipe. The chlorine in city water can cause problems with your bread rising. We have a private well at my house, but I still use my Berkey water filter for all my sourdough feeding and recipes.
All-Purpose Flour: Keeping it simple means using something most people have in their cupboard. You can also use bread flour in this recipe.
Salt: Salt enhances the flavor of this bread. You can use regular salt, sea salt, or my favorite Redmond’s real salt.
Tools:
Large Mixing Bowl with Lid
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Dough Whisk
Parchment Paper
Bench Scraper
Bread Lame or Razor Blade
Dutch Oven or Round Oven-Safe Covered Baker
Wire Rack
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How to Make 4 Ingredient Basic White Sourdough Bread Recipe
Make the dough and rise
About 10-12 hours before you plan to bake the bread, add the bubbly, active starter, and the warm water to a large bowl. Combine until starter is fully dissolved in the water.
Add in the all-purpose flour and the salt to the water mixture.
Combine until a rough dough forms. Place a lid on the bowl or cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, get your hands wet, and pull up on the sides of the dough and fold over onto the top of the dough. Move around the perimeter of the dough pulling up the sides and folding over the top until you have folded over the entire perimeter of the dough.
Cover with plastic wrap or a lid and let the dough rise in a warm place (70-80 degrees) for 10-12 hours. This step is often called bulk fermentation or the first rise and it’s when the sourdough does its magic and creates all those wonderful air pockets in your bread.
After 10-12 hours, your dough should have grown to double the size. It should look fluffy and bubbly.
Form the loaf
Spread some flour over your working surface and use a dough scraper, spatula, or wooden spoon to remove the dough from the bowl to the floured surface. Gently form the dough into a round loaf by pulling up from the edges toward the center. Do this around the entire perimeter of the dough until you have a round ball of dough.
Gently pick up the dough and place it in a floured proofing basket with the smooth side down, seam side up. Cover the basket with a wet towel, or plastic wrap and let rest for 30- 60 minutes. This second rise shapes the loaf allows the bread to become fluffy. This is a good time to pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees.
Score and Bake
After your dough has rested in the proofing basket for 30-60 minutes, tear a piece of parchment paper large enough to cover the top of the proofing basket.
Place the parchment paper on top of the basket, and quickly turn it upside down so that the dough falls out onto the parchment paper.
If desired, score the top of the loaf with a sharp knife or bread lame. You can get quite creative with scoring sourdough, but you can also skip this step with no ill effects. Sometimes the best results come from a simple X pattern on top of the loaf.
Holding the sides of the parchment paper, place the dough into a dutch oven, or oven-safe baker with a lid.
Place the lid on the dutch oven or baker and place in the center of the preheated oven. Set the timer for 20 minutes.
After the timer goes off, remove the lid from the dutch oven or baker. Continue baking without the lid for 25-30 more minutes until the bread is golden brown.
I often check the internal temperature of my bread using an instant read thermometer. You want the bread to have an internal temperature between 190-200 degrees before you pull it out.
When you bread is done baking, remove it from the oven. Pull up on the sides of the parchment paper to remove the loaf of sourdough from the dutch oven and place on a wire cooling rack.
I like to wrap the bread in a kitchen towel while it is cooling. This makes the crust stay a little softer. Let the bread come to room temperature before slicing.
Storage
Store the bread in a plastic bag on the counter. This bread also freezes well. To freeze, wrap in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. This loaf of bread will come out of the freezer tasting just as wonderful as when you put it in there!
My family enjoys this white sourdough bread recipe with some butter and homemade jam. It pairs well with soup, steak and mashed potatoes, or salmon. Next time you want comfort food, add this bread to the side.
More Sourdough Recipes
Easy cast iron sourdough cheddar chive biscuits
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4 Ingredient Basic White Sourdough Bread Recipe
This 4 ingredient basic white sourdough bread is great for beginners. Easy ingredients and simple processes yield delicious results!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup bubbly sourdough starter
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Instructions
- Add the bubbly sourdough starter and warm water to a large mixing bowl. Mix together with a whisk until the sourdough starter is fully dissolved in the water.
- Then add the flour and salt and combine with a dough whisk. You can also use your hands to mix the dough. The dough will look shaggy and will feel dense. Don't over mix.
- Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and let sit for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, get your hands wet and work the dough into a smooth ball by pulling up on the sides of the dough and folding over the top.
- Place the lid or plastic wrap back on the bowl. Let the dough rise in a warm location (70-80 degrees F) for 10-12 hours.
- Use a spatula or bench scraper to pull the dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Using wet hands, pull the sides of the dough over the center. Repeat on all sides to form a round loaf.
- Gently place the dough seam-side up on a floured proofing basket.
- Cover the basket and let rest for 30-60 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.
- After the dough has rested in the basket for 30-60 minutes, tear a piece of parchment paper large enough to cover the top of the basket. Place the parchment paper over the basket and turn the basket upside down quickly so that the dough falls out on the parchment paper.
- With a small knife or bread lame, score the bread. You can get quite elaborate with decorative scoring, but you can also skip this step if you want to!
- Carefully pick up the dough by lifting the edges of the parchment paper. Place the parchment paper and the dough into a dutch oven or oven-safe pot with a lid.
- Place the lid on the dutch oven or pot and place in the middle of the preheated oven. Set the timer for 20 minutes.
- When the timer goes off, remove the lid and continue baking for 25-30 more minutes, or until bread reaches an internal temperature of 190-200 degrees F.
- When the bread is done, take it out of the dutch oven or pot and let cool on a wire cooling rack. You can wrap the loaf in a kitchen towel during cooling to keep the crust softer if you like a soft crust.
- Store cooled loaf in a plastic bag on the counter.
Notes
- Make sure your sourdough is bubbly and active by feeding it 4-8 hours before starting this recipe.
- It is best to let the bread cool to room temperature before slicing. I know it's hard to wait that long!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 193Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 320mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 2gSugar: 0gProtein: 6g
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Halli is a 4th generation gardener. Her great-grandmother had a beautiful garden and orchard and grew all the food to feed her large family. Halli has been growing her own garden for over 20 years. Growing her own food, improving the soil, and feeding her family home-cooked meals are her passions. Halli loves to connect with old, time-honored ways of cooking, gardening, and living.