A super-simple recipe for sourdough bread made with your stand mixer.
Love sourdough but hate the complicated terms and weird techniques?
We’ve got you covered with our easy-to-follow stand mixer sourdough bread recipe. With just a few minutes of kneading in your mixer, you’ll have delicious homemade sourdough bread without all the fuss. (If you have a bread machine, try bread machine sourdough next!)
Stand Mixer Sourdough Bread
A foolproof method for making sourdough bread, mixed in your stand mixer. No folding or complicated shaping needed!
Prep Time 30 minutes minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes minutes
rising time 18 hours hours
Total Time 19 hours hours 15 minutes minutes
Serving Size 20 slices
Ingredients
- 6 cups bread flour 31.8 ounces/ 900 grams
- 2 cups lukewarm water 16 ounces/ 440 grams
- 1½ cups active sourdough starter 11.25 ounces/ 330 grams
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3½ teaspoons salt
Instructions
Combine the ingredients, except the salt. Mix the bread flour, starter, sugar, and water in the bowl of your stand mixer. Mix on low until all ingredients are incorporated. It will look rough and maybe a little dry. Cover the bowl with a damp, clean tea towel and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. (It is helpful to measure out the salt and put it on top of the towel so you don't forget to add it in step 2!)
Knead in the stand mixer until smooth. Add the salt and knead on low for 5-9 minutes, until the dough is smooth. The dough should form a ball and clear the sides and bottom of the bowl. If it's too dry, add a bit more water, and if it's too wet, a bit more flour.
Rise until doubled. Shape the dough into a smooth ball and place in a clean, lightly oiled mixing bowl. Cover with greased plastic wrap and put in a warm place for 3-4 hours until doubled and very puffy.
Divide, shape, and rise again. Divide the dough in half and shape into 2 smooth balls by simply pulling the dough smooth from the bottom. .
Second rise. Place into a proofing basket dusted with flour or on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Cover with greased plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, or up to 18 hours.
Bake. In the morning, preheat the oven to 425 degrees with an empty Dutch oven inside. Slash with a lame or serrated knife. Place the loaf on a piece of parchment and carefully lower it into the hot Dutch oven. Put the lid on and bake for 25 minutes with the lid on, then remove it and bake 20 minutes with the lid off, until very deep golden brown.
Cool and slice. Remove the loaf and place on a cooling rack for 4 hours before slicing. Store at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Notes
No Dutch oven? You can create steam in your oven by placing an empty, rimmed, metal baking sheet in the oven while it preheats. Immediately before baking, pour 1 cup of water on the baking sheet.
I use a 100% hydration sourdough starter (equal parts flour and water), if yours is dryer or wetter, you will need to slightly tweak the amount of water in the dough.
To make ahead, fully bake the loaf, allow it to cool completely, and freeze, well wrapped, for up to a month.
What you’ll love about this recipe:
It’s easy! Your stand mixer does all the work. No stretch and folds.
Perfect for sandwiches. This is a low-hydration recipe with small holes. It’s a great everyday bread. Since the recipe makes 2 loaves, eat one now and freeze one for later.
No special bread tools are needed. It’s nice to bake it in a Dutch oven, but not necessary.
What you’ll need
- bread flour (you CAN use all-purpose flour, but you need to decrease the water)
- water
- active sourdough starter
- sugar (you could use honey or maple syrup as a sweetening agent and slightly reduce the water)
- salt
recommended products
Your sourdough starter
This recipe requires an active, bubbly, mature sourdough starter. I recommend feeding it 4-6 hours before baking.
If you bake infrequently, remember that you can store your sourdough starter in the fridge, feeding it once a week.
Read these articles if you need help making your own sourdough starter or feeding a sourdough starter properly.
Step-by-step stand mixer sourdough
First, combine the ingredients except for the salt.
Mix on low speed in the bowl of your stand mixer with the dough hook attached until all the dry particles have been hydrated. It will still look lumpy, and that’s okay.
Let it rest at room temperature for thirty minutes, covered with a tea towel. (This step is called autolyse and helps reduce the amount of kneading time required.)
Add salt and knead on low for 5-9 minutes, until dough forms into a ball that clears the sides and bottom of the bowl (if too dry add more water; if too wet add some flour).
In my Kitchenaid mixer, this takes longer; in my Bosch mixer it goes faster.
Shape the dough into a smooth ball and place in an oiled mixing bowl. Cover with greased plastic wrap for 3-4 hours until puffy. Let it rise in a warm place (such as an oven that’s been briefly turned on and then turned off).
Divide the dough into smooth balls placed in a proofing basket covered with flour or on a baking sheet. (Either will work just fine!) Cover the shaped dough and pop it back into the fridge to rise overnight.
In the morning, we bake! Preheat your oven to 425 degrees with an empty Dutch oven inside. Slash the loaf and place it on parchment paper. When the oven has preheated, carefully lower the paper and loaf into the hot Dutch oven.
Put the lid on and bake for 25 minutes covered, then 20 minutes uncovered.
To ensure your bread is fully baked, you can use a digital thermometer to check that the internal temperature has reached at least 190–210°F
(Don’t have a Dutch oven? No problem. Simply put a metal baking sheet in a lower rack of your oven and pour water on it as the oven preheats to create steam. One of these loaves was baked using this method, the other with the pre-heated Dutch oven. Yes it has a bit less oven spring, but the interior looked the same, and it was still delicious.)
It might be tempting, but resist the urge to cut into the bread immediately after it comes out of the oven. Letting it cool down fully will complete the cooking process and make it easier to slice.
For cleaner slices, use a serrated knife. If you’re cutting into a still-warm loaf, turn it on its side to minimize squishing.
Tips for success
- Measure out the salt and put it near the dough during the autolyze stage so you don’t forget to add it.
- Let your dough be your guide: Give it more time if it isn’t puffy after 4 hours.
- If you’re having trouble with wet dough, add more flour until it’s easier to handle
- All ovens are different. If your loaf is browning too quickly but still isn’t done, you can tent it with aluminum foil to slow down the crust formation.
FAQs
What speed should I have my mixer on?
Low, with the dough hook. This is a heavy dough, and you don’t want to burn out the motor. Give it a break if it starts to get hot or sound strained.
Can I use discard sourdough starter?
No. It must be active and recently fed.
How do I adjust the recipe to use all-purpose flour?
Reduce the water by 20%
sourdough Storage Tips
Countertop: Sourdough bread stores well on the counter in a bread bag for 4-5 days.
If your bread has gone stale, you can revive it by lightly sprinkling the loaf with water and putting it in a warm oven for 5-10 minutes.
Freezing: Longer than that, you’re better off freezing it. Make sure the loaf is totally cool, then wrap it in plastic wrap and pop it in a freezer bag. It’ll stay happily frozen for at least a month.
Simply remove the frozen loaf from the freezer and let it thaw at room temperature. This can take several hours, so it’s best to plan ahead. Once fully thawed, you may want to refresh it in a warm oven for about 5-10 minutes to restore its crusty exterior.
You can also slice the loaf, freeze it already sliced, and toast straight from frozen.
More easy sourdough bread recipes you’ll love
- Buttermilk Sourdough is a sandwich loaf that’s soft and tangy.
- Prefer a traditional artisan loaf? You’ll love this recipe.
- Sourdough Sandwich Bread is soft and yummy.
- Don’t want to knead? Try No-Knead Sourdough.
Making sourdough bread in a stand mixer is a great way to ensure your dough is kneaded properly. This recipe takes care of all the hard work for you, and results in a delicious loaf of bread. Enjoy!
