Bread machine sourdough bread recipe (2024)

This is my go-to Bread machine sourdough bread recipe.Ever since I bought my bread machine, I was thrilled that I could prepare delicious bread with minimal effort every day.But I was missing that tangy flavour of the sourdough bread made by an artisan bakery.

So I set myself a target to figure out a way to combine the two. The ease of use of the bread machine and the delicious flavour of a genuine sourdough bread. In this recipe I will walk you through step by step, how to prepare your sourdough starter, how to care for it, my tips and tricks for making the perfect bread machine sourdough, how to setup your bread machineand of course the recipe! This is truly the ultimate guide for a bread machine sourdough! So lets get started…

Why is making sourdough bread so time consuming?

Making sourdough bread is certainly time consuming. When I was researching the internet for my bread machine sourdough recipe, I quickly discovered that in order to get that artisan look and flavour you need time.

Time to wait for the dough to bulk ferment. Anything from 4 hours to upwards of 18 if your are doing a cold ferment. Time to attend to the dough and do 4-5 stretch and folds every 20-30 minutes to develop the dough’s gluten. Time to prepare your dutch oven, preheat your oven, shape and bake your dough.

That amount of time is what put me off from making my own sourdough bread. So I set off to develop a recipe that I can make daily using my bread maker and that tastes and feels as close as possible to that delicious artisan bread that I love.

This sourdough bread machine recipe has no yeast, unlike many that I have found online, so you will get that delicious true sourdough taste and texture!

Preparing your sourdough starter

You have two options to prepare and make your starter for your sourdough bread machine bread. Firstly, try to cultivate your own or, take a short cut and buy a portion of an already mature starter.

Making your own sourdough starter is not difficult, it just needs time. You need about one to two weeks of time and a little bit of luck. There are plenty of guides on the internet that will take you step by step through the process of preparing your own starter – check them out here and here.

For my sourdough adventures, I chose to buy a portion of an already mature starter. Admittedly I was a bit hesitant to experiment with making my own and I felt much more comfortable buying an already good, strong culture from a professional bakery. I found this one on amazon and I was amazed by how well it works.

It doubles in size reliably every 6 hours, smells just like the sourdough bread I buy from my local bakery and it is super low maintenance and very resilient. Perfect for a sourdough beginner!

Caring for your sourdough starter

An established sourdough is very easy to maintain. Depending on how often you bake you can opt for one of two approaches.

If you bake daily or every other day, keep your sourdough out of the fridge. Depending on how strong your sourdough starter is it may need “feeding” once or twice a day (every 12 hours). How can you tell? When the sourdough starter has doubled in size, has stopped growing and its top has flattened and is starting to recede, its time to feed it.

If you bake weekly it makes more sense to keep your sourdough starter in the fridge. Take it out the day before, feed it in the morning and in the evening then use it the next morning to make your bread. Feed it again and put it back in the fridge.

How much to feed your sourdough starter

How much should you feed your starter? The simplest approach is to use equal weights of starter, flour and water.

The night before you bake, keep 40 grams (1.4oz) of starter and then mix in a fresh 40 grams (1.4oz)of wholegrain rye flour and 40 grams (1.4oz)of water. In the morning you’ll have 120 grams (4.2oz) of starter ready to go! Measure out 80 grams (2.8oz) for the bread, 20 grams (0.7oz) to feed and discard the rest. Finally feed the 20 grams (0.7oz)of retained starter with 20 grams (0.7oz)of flour and 20 grams (0.7oz)of water.

If you’re not planning to bake the next day, just maintain 60 grams (2.1oz) of starter throughout the feedings. In both morning and evening feeds keep 20 grams (0.7oz)of starter and feed it with 20 grams (0.7oz)of flour and 20 grams (0.7oz)of water.

The above technique will minimise your flour waste while keeping your sourdough starter healthy and happy and ready to go for when you need it!

What is the best flour to feed my sourdough starter?

Without a doubt, wholegrain dark Rye flour. It contains plenty of nutrients for your yeast and bacteria to thrive and it gives your sourdough bread in bread machine startera delicious tangy taste! Its nutrient rich nature also makes your starter very active which is exactly what you want for a soft and airy bread!

Sourdough bread in bread machine tips and tricks

After plenty of experimentation I’ve put together the following list of tips and tricks for you to make the perfect bread machine no yeast sourdough bread!

The amount of water you use will determine how soft and fluffy your bread machine sourdough becomes. As a general rule of thumb, the higher the hydration, the more airy and fluffy the crust. If you like your bread airy, use the 75% hydration recipe below. If you prefer your bread a little bit more solid use the 65% hydration recipe below.In addition, the higher the amount of water the crunchier your crust will become.

A little bit of fat in your bread will help extend its shelf life and keep the crumb softer for longer. On the downside, you won’t get as crackly a crust compared to a lean, no fat dough. I have found that ~2% of fat compared to the total flour weight gives a great balance between dough longevity, crumb softness while retaining a firm, crunchy crust that I like.

A dash of sugar or a sprinkle of honey results in a nicely browned crust. This is particularly important as most bread makers do not reach as high a temperature as your home oven resulting in bread that is not as brown as you may expect. You don’t need much, half a teaspoon is enough to give your dough a nice colour boost!

Before starting the bake programme, sprinkle a bit of flour on top and score it lengthwise in the middle. This gives your bread that delicious flour covered rustic look. But also more importantly, it gives space for your dough to rise evenly, preventing a lopsided bread!

Setting up your bread machine to make no yeast sourdough bread

What I love about makingsourdough bread in bread machine is that it takes very little effort from my side and yet still results in a bread that takes amazing! In this section I will guide you through the process of setting up your bread machine and what programmes to use to achieve the perfect sourdough bread!

You will need to use three programmes in your bread machine for this recipe. The Mix, Rise and Bake programmes. As I own a Panasonic SD-ZX2522and used to own aPanasonic SD-ZB2512KXE I’ll give you the programme numbers for them, but a quick check on your machine’s manual will help you find the right programme for yours!

The first step with mysourdough bread machine recipe is to mix the ingredients. In your bread machine bowl add your mixing paddle and measure out the starter. Then add the flour, the salt, sugar/honey, butter and finally the water. Pour in the water towards the edges of your bowl to make your paddle’s work a bit easier! After that, select the dough only setting and let it mix for about 20 minutes, or a bit longer, until all the ingredients are fully combined and the dough is starting to come off the walls of your machine. For the Panasonic SD-ZX2522, use menu 29 which does 2 short kneading cycles with a short rest interval in the middle followed by a rest period. For the Panasonic SD-ZB2512, use menu 26.

The second step is to let your bread machine sourdough bread rest until it has increased by 50% in size. If your bread machine has a proofing setting use it as it will keep the dough temperature at the ideal point for proofing. For the Panasonic SD-ZX2522 use menu 30 and stop it when the dough has risen by 50% of its size. For the Panasonic SD-ZB2512, use menu 27. If your bread machine doesn’t have a proofing menu, don’t worry, leave the lid shut and let it rest until the dough has risen. If you want your bread to become a bit more acidic, don’t use the proofing setting and just let it sit in the bread machine.

The third step is to bake your sourdough bread! As most bread machines don’t heat up to the same level as a home oven, you will need to bake your bread for slightly longer. I have found that approximately 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes baking will give you a golden brown crust and good brunch! For the Panasonic SD-ZX2522 and the PanasonicSD-ZB2512 use menu 18 and set the timer for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remember,don’t open your lid while yourbread is baking and especially during the first 45 minutes as you’ll loose a lot of heat and the top of your breadwon’t get browned.

That is it! Three simple steps will get you the most trouble free and yet delicious sourdough bread you’ve ever made!

If you’re a bread fan try out my delicious Greek Rustic “Village” Bread, my amazing no knead bread and my no yeast, self raising flour beer bread!

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