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.
Is this recipe for a 1 lb or 1.5 or 2 lb bread loaf?
1.5!
I’ve been making bread in my machine for a year and it’s a hit or miss. This was truly the best recipe I’ve tried and I LOVE that I was able to use my SD starter!
I’m purchasing a bread machine just to make my own sourdough bread and am delighted to come across this simple, yet delicious-sounding recipe. What would be a good substitute for butter? Could olive oil be used and if so, what is the ratio? Thank you!
Yes you can. I like to use 3/4 cup of olive oil to every 1 cup of butter.
Hello! I’ve been reading your website to learn about sourdough and it’s been really informative! I want to make sourdough because I have a difficult time digesting unfermented grains, and elsewhere you say you should let the bread sit for 18ish hours for the grains to really get fermented. Is it possible to do this with the bread machine?
Thanks!
Yes, it is. You can ferment it for longer than the required 6 hours if you wish. I have not personally tried long fermenting it in the fridge like my other recipes. If you try that, let me know how it goes!
I’d like to let my breadmachine do the kneading but bake in my oven. When kneading is finished, to I go ahead and put it in my loafpan for the 2nd rise? Also, what size loafpan do I use and what oven temp and for how long does it bake? Thank you!
Started out stating you had your own way but then you asked for loaf pan size and oven temperature. Wild.
That’s why she said “I’d like”
She hasn’t tried it.
I think you misread her comment big time… She’s saying she would like to use the machine only for kneading and had questions about the 2nd rise, loaf pan, and temperature of oven if she did it that way. Absolutely nothing wrong with her questions at all.
Hi Donna,
I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but I do make a lot of sourdough boules by hand and bake them in the oven. I’m going to try this recipe in the bread machine to see if it’s less labor intensive and how it compares. I’m skeptical that it will be as good as one baked in a dutch oven, but I’m hoping to be pleasantly surprised. After the machine has kneaded the dough twice, you can put it in a Banneton bread proofing basket (1st sprinkle rice flour generously on it so it won’t stick). Let it rise on the counter for 6 hrs or overnight in the fridge. Heat oven to 450 degrees for 1 hr with your dutch oven pan in it. Turn out the dough onto a large piece of parchment and score the bread using a razorblade. Take the dutch oven out of the oven and lift up the bread dough using the parchment paper and place it in the pan (Careful, it’s super hot). Place the lid on the dutch oven and put it into the oven for 25 mins. Take the lid off of the dutch oven and continue baking for 15 mins. Once done, take pan out of the oven and lift the paper with bread out of the dutch oven and onto the counter to cool. It should be golden and beautiful. Internal temp around 206-208 degrees is fully cooked. Cool for 1 hr or more or it will be gummy. PS. If you don’t have a Banneton proofing basket, you can just use a large metal or plastic bowl sprayed with olive oil. You can cover it with clingwrap (also sprayed with oil) to prevent it from sticking. The parchment does not have to be sprayed. The bread won’t stick to it. This sounds like a lot but it’s very easy. Remember bread baking is an art and there’s a lot of trial and error. But even the errors are delicious. Good luck!
I have a breadman bread machine? would like to try this recipe. I have a dough setting 9 that I’ve used for pizza dough… so use this twice in a row then I have french loaf option #7 or I think a timer but I’m not sure how that works? If I select french loaf for example it will knead a 3rd time after it rests i don’t think there is a way to remove my kneading paddle?
Hello!
Can you substitute honey for sugar? If so, what would be the recommended ratio?
Yes, at the same ratio!
Could you advise how to make this same recipe but with 100% whole grain einkorn flour? Thank you.
I used to make sourdough by hand up until last year. For health reasons it became too much for me so I got a bread macine. I looked at several recipes for the machine and I really liked this one the best, uncomplicated and easy to do. Thank you!
Is it possible to make this recipe without sugar? Is there something I could substitute. My husband is diabetic.
You can omit the sugar.
As a diabetic, I can tell you that flour is as bad as sugar for diabetics – worse in relatively non-sweet bread/white veggies.
If this recipe makes 10 slices of bread (just guessing), there are only 3 grams of carbs coming from sugar. On the other hand, there are 40.4 grams of carbs coming from the flour. So omitting the sugar does not significantly change the impact on blood glucose. Based on rigorous testing of my own blood glucose, I can eat about 21 grams of carbs in a 2-hour window (regardless of source) before my blood glucose goes above the range I try to keep it in. Unless the bread is low-carb, that means about a half of one slice.
And, FWIW, the yeast consumes the carbs in the sugar, so it never hits your body anyway.