Name: Same Day Sourdough Bread Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 12 h
Yield: 1
Ingredients: 25 g sourdough starter; 50 g water; 50 g whole grain rye flour or bread flour; 450 g bread flour; 300 g water; 100 g sourdough starter, active; 10 g salt; 50g whole wheat flour (optional, reduce bread flour by 50 g if using)

Jump to Recipe

12 hours – that’s all the time you need for this same day sourdough bread recipe, from the moment you feed your starter to the second your bread is done baking.

Why This Recipe Works

You can easily make a loaf of same day sourdough bread in just 12 hours from start to finish. The following three steps help us achieve this goal:

Feeding your sourdough starter early in the morning
Using warm water in the starter and in the dough
Doing a bulk fermentation and final proof in a warm spot in the house

Ingredients You’ll Need

Bread Flour: Use a white bread flour with around 13% protein, like King Arthur brand or Bob’s Red Mill brand.
Whole Wheat Flour (Optional): I usually use King Arthur brand of whole wheat flour.
Water: Use filtered tap water or bottled spring water.
Sourdough Starter: A 100% hydration sourdough starter is best for this recipe. You can feed your starter with bread flour, but using whole wheat flour or whole grain rye flour will help the starter rise faster.
Salt: Kosher salt, sea salt, or plain table salt are ideal for this same day sourdough bread.

Note: Check recipe card below for full ingredient amounts and quantities.

Substitutions and Additions

Use all bread flour instead of adding whole wheat flour: If you just want to use one type of flour, replace the whole wheat flour with an equal weight of white bread flour. The result will be a loaf of white sourdough bread, similar to my master sourdough bread recipe.

Recommendations

Feed your sourdough starter with whole grain rye flour (or whole wheat flour) to make it rise faster.

Ingredient Amounts

Sourdough Starter Feeding

25 g sourdough starter, leftover from fridge
50 g water
50 g whole grain rye flour or bread flour

Main Dough

450 g bread flour
300 g water
100 g sourdough starter, active
10 g salt

Alternatively, replace 50 g of bread flour with 50 grams of whole wheat flour if you want to add extra whole grains to this recipe.

How to Make Same Day Sourdough Bread

Step-by-Step Instructions

Feeding the Starter

In the early morning, take 25 grams sourdough starter out of the fridge.
Add 50 grams of warm water to the jar. The water should be warmed to around 90ºF (32ºC). This will help the starter rise faster.
Then, add 50 grams of whole grain rye flour (or bread flour) to the jar. Mix everything together thoroughly until no dry bits of flour remain. Mark the top of the starter with a rubber band to see how much it grows, and cover the jar loosely with a lid.
Place the jar in a warm spot in your house and allow it to rise for 4-5 hours. This should be enough time for it to double in size.

Finding a warm spot for your starter to rise: Usually, I heat up a mug of water in the microwave until it is boiling. Then I turn off the microwave and place my starter jar next to the mug of hot water and I close the microwave door. This creates a make-shift proofing box environment, keeping the starter warm and allowing it to rise faster. I use the same trick for my dough when I want it to rise faster during bulk fermentation.

Mixing the Dough

Once your starter has doubled in size, mix all of the main dough ingredients together in a mixing bowl: warm water (around 90ºF), starter, salt, bread flour, and whole wheat flour (if using).Stir the ingredients together thoroughly until no dry bits of flour remain. Cover up the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Bulk Fermentation (The First Rise)

After letting the dough rest for an initial 30 minutes, grab an edge of the dough and stretch it up into the air, then fold the dough over the top of the dough. This is called a “stretch and fold.” Give the dough 38-50 stretch and folds until the dough starts to tighten up and the gluten begins to develop.
Cover up the dough with a kitchen towel and move it to a warm place to rise. Let it rise for 4-5 hours, or until it almost doubles in size.

Shaping

After the dough has doubled in size, dust an oval-shaped banneton basket with bread flour.
Then, brush the top of the dough ball with bread flour and flip it over on the counter so that the smooth side is facing down and the sticky side is facing up.
Hold the dough in your hands and fold the dough closed like you are closing a book. Then give the dough a quarter turn and close it again like a book. After two book folds the dough should be in an oval shape. Place the dough in the banneton basket with the seam side facing up. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and move it to a warm place to proof.

Final Proof (The Second Rise)

Allow the dough to rise for 1 1/2 hours in a warm place. It should become puffy and rise up in the banneton basket during this time.

Scoring and Baking

A half hour before the dough is done proofing, preheat your oven to 450°F (232°C) with a Dutch oven inside. Let the oven preheat for 30 minutes.
Flip the proofed dough out of the basket and onto a sheet of parchment paper.Score one long slash in the top of the dough with a razor blade or bread lame.
Transfer the dough carefully into the hot Dutch oven and close the lid to trap the steam.
Bake for 20 minutes with the lid on, then remove the lid and continue baking for another 15 minutes.
Remove the finished loaf from the oven and place it on a rack to cool for at least 45 minutes before slicing.

Get a 10% discount on my favorite Wire Monkey bread lames using my affiliate link here.

Yield: 1 loaf