Easy No-Knead Sourdough Peasant Bread
This easy no-knead sourdough peasant bread is soft, fluffy, and doesn’t need any long rising times. It works with either fed or discard sourdough starter!
This might be the easiest sourdough bread you’ll ever make! And it’s absolutely amazing.
Since the recipe calls for either fed or discard sourdough starter, you don’t need to plan in advance, which means you can have a piping hot loaf of bread fresh out of the oven in just an hour or two.
A Very Popular Recipe
Based on the intense popularity of this easy peasant bread recipe, it was only a matter of time before I hit you with a sourdough version.
I know sourdough might sound intimidating (and even a bit annoying since it seems to be so in-your-face trendy lately) to some of you. I get it! But keeping a sourdough starter doesn’t have to be time intensive, and you don’t have to bake artisan sourdough bread with the ornate carving of a tree slashed on top every day (or ever!).
I personally subscribe to the Lazy Girl sourdough method. And it has brought a lot of peace and good carbs to my life.
Thanks to recipes like today’s easy sourdough peasant bread and these sourdough pumpkin muffins, I can bear my testimony that it is 100% worth keeping a sourdough starter in the depths of the refrigerator.
*I also have a few other easy sourdough discard recipes up my sleeve to share with you in the next little while, and I CANNOT WAIT THEY ARE SO AMAZING.
Also, can we please take a moment of silence to acknowledge that this easy sourdough peasant bread might possibly make the best grilled cheese in the history of ever?? That reason alone should get you hustling to whip up this bread.
Sourdough Starter
This recipe calls for either sourdough discard (you can use it straight out of the refrigerator) or fed sourdough starter.
Not all sourdough starters have the same feeding ratio. Because of that, your sourdough starter may be thicker or thinner than mine. I tested this recipe using my sourdough starter that I feed with a 1:1:1 ratio (by weight).
If your sourdough starter is thicker than mine (pictured below), you may need to add more water to the recipe. If your sourdough starter is thinner, cut the water in the recipe by 1/2 cup and add more only if needed.
A Wet and Shaggy Dough
The dough for this sourdough peasant bread comes together fast, and because the dough is much wetter than traditional bread dough, it can easily be mixed by hand.
Mix until all the dry ingredients are incorporated and the dough forms a very rough ball in the bottom of the bowl.
Let the dough rise right in the bowl until noticeably puffy and mostly doubled. Depending on the warmth of your kitchen, this will take about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Because the dough is so soft and sticky, you won’t be able to create much of a shape with your hands.
Instead, take a rubber spatula and scrape the dough away from the sides of the bowl toward the center.
Then, either:
- Scrape the dough and plop it right into the prepared pan OR
- Lightly grease your hands, grab the dough and quickly form as much of a round shape as you can, tucking the edges underneath (you can see a video of this on the peasant bread post)
Abandon the idea of a nice, smooth, taut loaf. That is not this bread, and that is ok. 👍🏼
Baking Pans
I prefer to bake this bread in a 9-inch pie plate. I like the shape of the finished loaf – not too tall, not too flat.
I find that the bread bakes slightly taller in my metal or ceramic pie plates, but a glass pie plate works well, too. Make sure to grease the pie plates VERY well with either nonstick cooking spray or a healthy amount of butter.
It’s very normal for this bread to split on one side or the other while baking. That’s due to a lot of reasons (namely the wetness of the dough + the sourdough oomph).
Fed Sourdough vs Sourdough Discard
Below, you can see there is a slight difference to the look of the baked bread when baked with fed sourdough vs sourdough discard.
The bread on the left was made with fed sourdough starter and the bread on the right was made with sourdough discard.
Both loaves are soft, fluffy, and perfect once sliced. The loaf with the fed sourdough starter is ever so slightly airier in texture.
Important Note: make sure to bake this bread fully.
Otherwise, because of the wet dough, it might be gummy inside. I’ve found this sourdough version needs a longer baking time than the original regular peasant bread recipe.
Pro Tip: If the bread starts to brown too much on top while baking, tent loosely with foil. If the bottom of the bread is browning too fast, move the pan to a higher oven rack (middle position or higher).
A Truly Fantastic Loaf of Bread
This bread is dangerously good.
The sourdough flavor is noticeable without being overpowering, and it makes the best side dish for just about any main dish (especially soup!)
When it comes to sourdough bread, this recipe could not be more approachable and user-friendly.
I have a feeling this is the recipe that’s going to make sourdough bread bakers out of a lot of you. And that makes me very happy.
One Year Ago: Easy Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Two Years Ago: Snickerdoodle Brookie Bars
Three Years Ago: Honey Balsamic BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches {Instant Pot or Slow Cooker}
Four Years Ago: Caramel Oat Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Bars
Five Years Ago: Delicious Whole Grain Hulk Muffins {Naturally Green!}
Six Years Ago: Thin and Chewy Funfetti Blondies {From-Scratch}
Seven Years Ago: Lemon Sticky Buns with Lemony Cream Cheese Glaze
Eight Years Ago: Skillet Baked Spaghetti {One Pot, 30-Minute Meal}
Nine Years Ago: Sweet Baked Ham
Ten Years Ago: No-Bake Nutella Cheesecakes
Easy No-Knead Sourdough Peasant Bread
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups (497 g) all-purpose or bread flour
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast (see note)
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 ½ cups (338 g) warm water
- 1 cup (275 g) sourdough starter (fed or discard)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Whisk to combine. Add the water and sourdough starter and mix with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until the ingredients form a shaggy, sticky ball and no dry streaks remain.
- Cover the bowl and let the dough rise until doubled, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
- Place an oven rack in the center position. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Generously grease a 9-inch pie plate or 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch loaf pan with cooking spray or butter. (See note for other pan sizes/options.)
- Scrape the dough away from the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, forming a rough ball in the center of the bowl. Lightly grease your hands with cooking spray or oil and place (or just kind of plop!) the dough in the prepared pan. The loaf will not be completely smooth and may look a bit rough in shape, that's ok! You can try to form the dough into a rough ball shape, tucking the edges under, but if it's too sticky, just get it in the pan. 🙂
- Let the dough rest, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes until slightly puffy.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375 degrees F and continue to bake for 25-30 minutes until golden. Let the bread cool completely before slicing (see note).
74 Comments on “Easy No-Knead Sourdough Peasant Bread”
I make a loaf of this bread every single week. It’s a gift to our lives, and it’s so easy to mix and forget it till the timer goes off. My house smells heavenly! The hardest part of this recipe is waiting for the bread to fully cool. I’m not sure we have ever made it!!
I love this bread! Add chopped fresh rosemary for a real treat. I do have a question though. It often splits on the sides. Is there anyway to keep that from happening? I’ve experimented with pans and nothing has helped.
Hi Kimberly, mine splits sometimes too. You could try reducing the yeast to 1 teaspoon and see if that helps.
I make this twice a week… it has become the reason I keep sourdough starter in the fridge. So easy and appreciate that you include weight measurements for your recipes!
I make this twice a week… it has become the reason I keep sourdough starter in the fridge. So easy and appreciate that you include weight measurements for your recipes!
I make this twice a week… it has become the reason I keep sourdough starter in the fridge. So easy and appreciate that you include weight measurements for your recipes!
Have you made this in a loaf pan? For our potluck I’m bringing bread for a sandwich bar and want traditional-looking slices of bread. I saw the notes on your peasant bread and you said you made that recipe in a loaf pan. Just wondering if I can do the same here!
Yes, you can definitely bake this in a loaf pan!
Hey Mel, how do you get your flour weights? I usually weigh ingredients when that is provided but I’ve noticed on a lot of your recipes the flour weight is different than the standard 120g for a cup. This recipe says 497g or 3.5 cups but normally 3.5 cups would be 420g. Looking forward to making this!
Hi Emilee, there really isn’t a true standard for the weight of one cup of flour. King Arthur Flour uses 120 grams per cup (for all-purpose flour – other flours vary) whereas America’s Test Kitchen uses closer to 140 grams of flour per cup. I test all of my recipes using 142 grams of flour per cup because I’ve found that is the best weight for home bakers who don’t have a scale (it’s nearly impossible to scoop a cup of flour and get 120 grams per cup – that’s a very light amount of flour for scooping). I recommend that people use the weights given in a recipe, even if personally they use a different weight measure for a cup of flour or other ingredients. Hope that helps!
Oh YUMMY! Just made this and it’s amazing!! Crispy on outside, soft and delicious on the inside. This bread is wonderful!
Thanks for another wonderful recipe.
This recipe makes a wonderful bread. It is by far the easiest sourdough bread I have made. It was wonderfully chewy and tasted amazing. I will be making this for the neighbors to go with my Christmas jam for their holiday gift. Thank you Mel! I have followed your blog for many years and your recipes never disappoint.
Fantastic bread and really easy to make! My husband says this is the best sourdough bread I’ve made. I’ve made it twice in three days, it’s that easy. Even a novice at sourdough can do it successfully and boost their confidence. Thank you so much Mel for sharing. This bread will definitely be a part of my baking routine.
Easy to make, quick, and the results were delicious. I will make it again.
A cup of sourdough starter does not weigh 275 grams. There can actually be no standard weight because of thickness and air bubbles.
Actually, a cup of sourdough starter can weigh 275 grams…a cup of my sourdough starter weighs that much (between 275-280 grams), which is why I included that weight measure in the recipe. I agree that different sourdough starters can weigh different amounts (if they are made with different ratios of flour:water), but for this recipe, I use 275 grams of sourdough starter.
I love this bread!! So good. I tried it with 100% whole wheat flour and it did not get as puffy and was fla and dense. Not my fave— I think I’ll stick with using all AP flour.
I have made this recipe several times now and I have to say, it’s amazing. I cannot make a pot of soup anymore without also making this bread to go alongside it. And it makes the most delicious toast the next morning.
Thank you Mel!
Mel! This bread is amazing! I’ve made it twice in the last 24 hours…my family devoured it. Thank you again for another delicious recipe.
Hi Mel! Just diving into the world of sourdough and feel like I’ve acquired a new pet! I’m making this recipe for the first time and had a quart jar on my counter full of bubbly starter i fed last night. I figured that would be plenty for the two cups, but when i measured it out on the scale I saw that it weighed way less than your grams given. Then I was unsure if I should go by weight or by volume. I’m realizing that the discard is probably more dense and heavy than the airy counter fed starter. I stuck in a scoop of discard i had in my fridge for good measure (hope it’ll all work out!).
This recipe is very forgiving when it comes to the amount of sourdough…but you do make a good point that the sourdough discard probably does weigh more per cup than the bubbly freshly fed starter. I’ll take notes next time and weigh each for comparison!
We really like this bread, but…mine seems to be quite “sloppy” dough. I always have to add more flour. Not sure what I’m doing wrong. Plus I bake mine longer because of it being so sloppy.
I am into ww flour and have made a good no knead bread this way. Any thoughts?
I think starting with half whole wheat flour is a good idea and then you can work up from there.
Delicious!!! I let it rise in the refrigerator overnight and come to room temperature the next morning. It turned out perfectly. And not even lopsided.
I’ve tried several versions of peasant bread and this is one of the best. The crumb is open, soft and moist. It makes a delicious sandwich and excellent French toast. I’ve made it twice using the weight measures and making no changes to the recipe. The dough is very slack and gassy. The first time I made the bread I used an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch pan as indicated in the recipe, but there’s too much dough for that size pan. The second time I split the dough between the 8 1/2 inch pan and a mini pan and it was perfect. The oven spring is amazing.
I have not made this bread yet! I am excited to try it.
This is our new favorite bread! I’ve already made it twice this week. Thank you for a delicious and easy recipe!
So good! I love it just as much as the no knead peasant bread and love that I can use my sour dough discard in it! It was very hard to wait to eat it until it cooled but worth it!
I thought the original version of this bread was perfect and amazing but this sourdough version is next level! Thank you for sharing it! I love the slow, overnight risen sourdough bread recipe I use, but I know I will be using this one a million times more often because it is so easy and so fast and SO GOOD!!!
I made this today with some unfed starter and it was so easy and delicious! I’ll definitely keep this in my rotation! Thank you again for another great recipe!
Mel, its like you looked into my fridge and saw my jar of sourdough starter just sitting there getting no attention!! I’m totally making this tonight with yummy homemade tomato soup! Thanks for making my life better! 🙂
Yay for more sourdough recipes! You’re the best, Mel!!
Mel was right…easy and delicious! I think I like it better than the original peasant bread.
How do I make a sour dough starter
If you do a quick google search, there are a lot of online sources for making your own starter!
I got this mixed and my 15 yo son finished it off. So easy. I always think sourdough has a cheesy flavor to it, so it’s no wonder a loaf like this would make the best grilled cheese.
I’m so excited about trying this! I do have one question–is there a specific reason you don’t slash the top? Or just personal preference?
Hi Tabitha, the dough is so wet, I don’t think the slashes would work in this dough, but you could definitely try!
Love this recipe! I’ve made it twice in three days since you’ve posted it! I love making authentic sourdough loaves, but with a newborn at home and little free time I haven’t had the time to bake much — this is so fast & still delicious! Used with grilled cheeses, toast & jam and dipped in soup, all incredible 🙂
I think you’re amazing for making ANY homemade bread with a newborn at home!
This bread was delicious! It tastes wonderful and with the addition of the yeast, it’s really quick. I like that I can use fed starter if I have planned ahead and discard if I haven’t.
Thanks, Loni!
Discard straight from the fridge! Yes please. Give me all the discard recipes! My husband makes an amazing long fermented sourdough sandwich loaf. His recipe is a lot of scratches and notes as he perfects it, which I’m hoping is soon so I can share it.
Sounds amazing, Monica!
I made this once using unfed starter, and the next time with fed starter and both were soooo yummmy! Love this recipe!
I’m so happy! Thanks for letting me know!
So excited to have a delicious sour dough bread that was so quick and easy to make. My husband loved it just as well as the recipe I usually use that takes 2 days to make. I started at 4 had bread out of the oven by 7!
Yay!
Hi Mel!
I’m excited to try this recipe. Do you think I could bake it in a pre-heated dutch oven? I’ve done it in the past with other sour dough breads and it creates the crustiest crust :), but I see you prefer to bake it in a pie dish… you must have a reason!
Hi Candela, definitely worth a try! The dough is quite a bit softer/looser than other no-knead breads so I don’t know how it would work to transfer to a preheated dutch oven, but I think it could work. Good luck if you experiment!
I always do this in a heated dutch oven. Heat the Dutch oven/lid in a 450* oven for 45 min. After you shape the bread lay it on parchment paper in the pie plate to rest for 20 min. Then you can grab the parchment by the edges and transfer it. Bake for 30 min, take lid off and reduce heat to 425 and bake for 15 min more. It produces the most crunchy delicious crust ever!
So I made this, and I think my starter must be wetter than yours. It was a super wet dough and I couldn’t shape it whatsoever. Then it didn’t rise much while baking, I even used all the weight measurements. I’m sure it’ll still taste amazing though! I’ll just add a little more flour next time if this happens again.
Hi Natalie – what ratio do you use to feed your starter? Is the consistency really wet and pourable?
Welp, this is another winner Mel. I got my starter out. Whipped this up in no time! House smells heavenly and I will be having some toasted for breakfast in the morning!
Thanks!
It makes amazing toast!! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment, Lynn!
This recipe was SO easy! I even ignored the dough during the rise cycle for much longer than was necessary and it still came out so good. Seriously. So easy and delicious.
Thanks for taking the time to let me know, Gina!
I bake with sourdough. The discard adds a tiny bit of lift but mostly flavor. I dry then powder discard and add it in as a sub for some of the flour called for.
Interesting, Dave! Thanks for sharing!
I am really excited to make this. Do you think it would work well with whole-wheat flour?
I think it might! I’d start with half whole wheat flour and see how that goes!
I am intrigued about this recipe. But your recipe appears to presume that we have sourdough starter on hand. I’ve never made any kind of sourdough bread. What is “fed” and how do youmake it? Do you have a recipe for it?
Thanks.
Hey Pinky Pincus (haha) –
Mel answered this question at the very bottom of the comments, with a link to making this bread without sourdough starter.
I just left a comment response to Margie below with something similar – but you can make your own sourdough starter (it takes several weeks to become “mature”) or you can get a sourdough starter from someone that has one or buy one online (see below Margie’s comment for the link). Otherwise you can make regular non-sourdough peasant bread as well. https://www.melskitchencafe.com/easy-no-knead-peasant-bread/
Where can I get a recipe to make sourdough bread starter,, or buy ?
Hi Margie, if you google “how to make sourdough starter” you’ll find a lot of great resources! This live sourdough starter on Amazon has good reviews if you want to buy one: https://www.amazon.com/Breadtopia-Sourdough-Starter-Live/dp/B002C0E5VG
You had me as soon as I saw the picture of the grilled cheese sandwich!!!
Seriously the best grilled cheese EVER!
Had my starter out overnight to make my usual loaf and looked at your website and made this instead. Topped it with egg and avocado while it was still warm. Delicious!
Yay, Maggie! Thanks for making it and reporting back so fast!
This looks amazing! What do you do if you don’t have a sour dough starter???
Hi Cathy, you can google how to make your own sourdough starter, try to find a friend who will share, or you can make the original non-sourdough starter recipe here: https://www.melskitchencafe.com/easy-no-knead-peasant-bread/
Thank you!