Soft, buttery sourdough bread made in a bread machine is the next best thing since, well, sliced bread. Super easy to make, you just dump the ingredients in and allow the bread machine to do all the work.
Recently, I’ve had some requests for a sourdough bread recipe in a bread machine. SoI bit the bullet and made one that is so delicious.
This bread is a take on my sourdough sandwich bread, but made to fit in the bread machine. It is super light, fluffy, buttery, and everything wonderful you want in a sourdough bread, but totally hands off.
The bread machine does all the work. After you dump in the ingredients, you push some buttons and it goes to work.
It really couldn’t be easier, and if you are wanting fresh baked bread for dinner or lunches (a great way to stretch the grocery budget if you ask me), then you have to try this recipe.
Why You Will Love This Recipe:
Hands off: This is a dump and go recipe. Add the ingredients and push the knead button. Kneading and baking all happens in the bread machine. So if you want fresh bread without yeast, but maybe don’t have the time or ability to make bread by hand, this recipe is a must.
Super simple: Goes along with the whole hands off thing. This recipe couldn’t be simpler.
Delicious: This recipe is one of my absolute favorites. It is so fluffy and buttery with a hint of sweetness. Any sandwich would be happy to have this as its main component.
Tips For Making Bread Machine Sourdough Bread:
- Although you can make this bread from start to finish without ever touching the dough, you have the option to remove the dough from the bread machine after kneading and remove the paddle. This will keep you from having to pull the kneading paddle out of the finished product.
- Though you could get away with just one knead cycle, I actually like to do it one more time. This ensures proper gluten formation for soft bread.
- Spritz the top of dough with water a few times to make sure the dough doesn’t dry out on top during rising. This is an optional step, but also helps the crust to turn golden in the baking step.
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FAQ:
Do all bread makers make sourdough?
Yes! Thought this will depend on the type of sourdough you are trying to make. It will make soft sourdough bread, but not that crusty, no-knead sourdough from start to finish. To get that crusty type boule, it will need to be baked in a dutch oven.
Can you use machine to knead sourdough?
Yes. You can definitely just use the bread machine to knead the dough, and then bake in the oven, if desired.
Is it cheaper to make your own sourdough?
Yes! Making sourdough bread is very inexpensive (about $.75-$1 a loaf by rough estimation using the cheapest organic flour I’ve seen at Costco). Buying a similar loaf at a bakery can cost you easily $7-8 or more.
Ingredients:
- Water – Preferably filtered.
- Unsalted butter – Using unsalted butter allows you to be able to control the salt in recipes.
- Bread flour – Bread flour yields a softer, fluffier bread. All-purpose can be substituted. Bread flour has a higher protein content, which allows more gluten strands to be produced giving you a fluffier bread.
- Granulated sugar – This helps feed the sourdough starter and gives it a slightly sweet flavor.
- Salt – Bread without salt is blah. I promise.
- Active sourdough starter – This is sourdough starter that has been fed within 4-12 hours and is super bubbly and active.
Tools you may need:
Measuring cups and spoons
How To Make Sourdough Bread In A Bread Machine
Add the water and melted butter to the bread machine.
On top of that, add the bread flour, sugar and salt.
Lastly, add the sourdough starter.
Use the kneading function on the bread machine (for my machine this is function 8). Mine is set to knead for 25 minutes. Though you could get away with just one knead cycle, I actually like to do it one more time.
After the first knead cycle finishes, I press the button again and let it knead the dough one more time, for an additional 25 minute cycle.
Next (optional), remove the dough from the dough machine and take out the paddles. That way you don’t have to pull them out later after baking.
Allow the dough to sit in the bread machine for about 6 hours, or until the dough nearly rises to the top of the bread pan.
I like to spritz the top with water a few times to make sure the dough doesn’t dry out. This is an optional step, but also helps the crust to turn golden in the baking step.
After the dough has risen for several hours, I go to the baking function (function 13 on my bread maker) and select the option for dark crust. This makes the bake time one hour.
Allow the bread to cool, then remove from the pan.
Storage:
Unsliced bread can be stored in a paper or linen bag. Once cut, store cut side down on a cutting board lightly covered or in a storage bag.
Baker’s Schedule:
9 PM: Feed sourdough starter so it will be nice and active the next morning.
8 AM the next day: Add ingredients to the bread machine and allow it to work its magic. Do two rounds of kneading.
9 AMish: Allow the dough to rise for about 6 hours.
3-5 PM: Bake for 1 hour. Usually it will take 6-8 hours for your bread to double to be ready to bake.
6 PM: Slice and serve.
Find More Sourdough Recipes:
- Spelt Sourdough Bread
- Sourdough Oatmeal Cookies
- Best Sourdough Banana Muffins
- Sourdough Pizza Dough
- Sourdough Pumpkin Bread
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you could come back and give it 5 stars!
Sourdough Bread In A Bread Machine
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 4 cups bread flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon salt
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter, bubbly and active
Instructions
- Add the water and melted butter to the bread machine.
- On top of that add the bread flour, sugar and salt.
- Lastly, add the sourdough starter.
- Use the kneading function on the bread machine. (For my machine this is function 8) Mine is set to knead for 25 minutes.
- Optional: After the first knead cycle finishes, I press the button again and let it knead the dough one more time, for an additional 25 minute cycle.
- Next, I just allow the dough to sit in the bread machine for about 6 hours, or until the dough nearly rises to the top of the bread pan. I like to spritz the top with water a few times to make sure the dough doesn't dry out on top. (Optional , but also helps the crust to turn golden in the baking step.)
- After the dough has risen for several hours, I go to the baking function (function 13 on my bread maker) and select the option for dark crust. This makes the bake time 1 hour.
- Pull the bread out of the bread maker and allow to cool.
Notes
- Although you can make this bread from start to finish without ever touching the dough, you have the option to take out the dough from the bread machine after kneading and remove the paddle. This will keep you from having to pull the kneading paddle out of the finished product.
- Though you could get away with just one knead cycle, I actually like to do it one more time. This ensures proper gluten formation for soft bread.
- Spritz the top of dough with water a few times to make sure the dough doesn’t dry out on top during rising. This is an optional step, but also helps the crust to turn golden in the baking step.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I was skeptical about my loaf because I let it proof overnight and thought it had overprooved. (It even stuck to the inside lid of my bread machine and I had to unstick it, giving it a weird misshapen top.) Then when it was fully baked, the top crust was still pretty pale… But upon slicing into it, it had a beautiful soft crumb and a lovely sourdough flavor. I’m fairly new to sourdough baking AND this was my first time using a bread maker. I was so pleasantly surprised!
This is definitely gonna be my go-to lazy sourdough recipe. Thanks, Lisa!
Hello! I don’t see a specific, bake function per se on my bread maker. Up until now I’ve only followed the recipes found in the manual that came with the machine. That you know of, is there a different function on my machine that I could try that would only bake? I really don’t know what it would be called from machine to machine. Otherwise… What would be your suggested oven temperature and cooking times if I had to take the dough out and finish it in the oven? Thank you!
I would follow what your bread machine says. It should bake like a typical bread loaf!
Hey!! Can the dough be taken out of the bread machine and formed into a boule and then baked in a Dutch oven in the oven??
Yes, you could do that!
I accidentally turned on the paddles when I was looking for the right setting on my bread machine. My dough had risen perfectly and now it’s flat. Do you think it’ll rise again or should I just start over? I am just sick about it. This is my first attempt at sourdough and have beautiful starter.
It may have taken some of the rise out of the bread loaf. I would still try to bake it. If anything you can make croutons or bread crumbs! Some of the not so great loaves turn out really well for my sourdough french toast casserole.
Can you use spelt flour for bread machine sourdough? Do you know whether the quantity of flour should change?
It may need to be adjusted in the water amount. You would have to experiment with it.
Hi! How can I make this similar loaf with similar results with freshly milled flour? I have einkorn, spelt, hard red and hard white on hand. I haven’t been able to find a freshly milled flour with sourdough starter recipe yet. I hope you can give me direction. The ones that I have tried always result in a very dense loaf. I appreciate the help. Thanks!
Fresh flour can cause a denser loaf. I have a few recipes on the blog that have a mix of flours.
Hello!
Do you let the dough rest between the two 25 minute kneading settings? Or would kneading for a straight hour be good?
Thanks in advance.
Let it rest in between!
How long do you let it rest between the two kneading cycles?
20 minutes.
I guess this recipe would not rise high enough if I just put it on the whole wheat setting on my bread machine?? You still have to babysit the machine, I guess. Have you ever added a bit of regular yeast to assist the starter in rising quicker so that you could just press the whole wheat cycle from the start and let it go to the end?… that works be a three hour cycle on my machine.
Thanks for your recipe and time in answering my questions.
I’ve never had to add any yeast to the recipe to get it to rise.
Thanks for this recipe! Iactually just put all the ingredients in my KBS Bread machine and I put it on the natural sourdough setting and it does 3 ferments and it rises beautifully! Totally hands off 🙂 I wonder if yours has a setting similar? It’s about 6 hrs and 45 mins for that setting.
That’s great! It does have something similar, but not quite the same. 🙂
How large of a loaf does this make?
A regular sized loaf. I usually use these pans.
Same question! Are you making a 1 l b, 1.5 lb, or 2 lb loaf?
It makes a 2lb loaf!
Can I get your conversion to grams for this recipe please?
Thank you! Can’t wait to try it.
Here’s the conversion chart.