An easy no-need bread recipe that replicates the tang of traditional sourdough in just 24 hours without the need for a starter or long, complex processes. If you’re a sourdough fan, you’re going to love this simplified version of homemade sourdough bread that only has a few minutes of hands on work!
Today we’re cheating, and it feels so good.
But, we’re cheating for a good cause, so it’s totally worth it (sorry for compromising your moral integrity, but it had to be done) because we’re making EASY HOMEMADE SOURDOUGH BREAD.
Well, okay, sourdough-ish bread.
Shortcut Sourdough.
Faux Sourdough.
Cheater’s Sourdough.
Whatever you want to call it, it’s a loaf of crusty, slightly sour, fermented bread that is made in 24 hours flat with literally 5 minutes of work, that eliminates all the lofty, intricate steps of traditional sourdough but still delivers a tender, tangy, flavorful loaf of bread.
Yes, I am a miracle worker.
I sometimes read over sourdough recipes, just for fun (clearly I’m the life of the party) and find myself reacting to every single one the same way:
YEAH, NO.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the tradition of sourdough bread: the slow, intentional tending to a starter, the concept that every loaf of bread is connected by it’s original ‘mother’, the ability to make a loaf of bread rise with nothing but flour, water, and salt, and the enhanced health benefits of a loaf that’s been fermented to the point where it’s more easily digestible by your body. Plus, that sour tang? You can’t beat it.
But, let’s be real here: sourdough bread recipes are uncharacteristically obnoxious, even for a fearless baker such as myself (who made her own wedding cakes, no less), and, while perhaps worth the reward if you have literally nothing else to do with your time and haven’t ever made any other bread recipes to know that it doesn’t have to be this complicated, they are generally so long and intimidating that sourdough gets put on the ‘one day’ list (as in, maybe one day I’ll start making my own sourdough), and that day quickly becomes never.
So, instead, I decided to take the parts of sourdough bread that I loved (the tang, the fermentation) and ditch the parts that made it overly complex and intimidating (the starter, the long, French-term filled instructions, the complex kneading process, and the fact that it could take upwards of two weeks, start-to-finish, if you want to bake a loaf of sourdough, homemade starter and all, right now).
All this to say: yes, my loaf of no-knead faux sourdough has yeast in it.
Please resist slapping me for a moment and hear me out. In lieu of a sourdough starter, we are going to rely on another tangy kitchen ingredient that already has lots of raw probiotics and gut-friendly bacteria to help ferment our dough: apple cider vinegar! (<-affiliate link) Just make sure you’re using the kind that’s raw, unfiltered, and unpasteurized, so we can ensure it’s full of all the good stuff.
Otherwise, we’re mixing up a pretty standard no-knead bread recipe with simple ingredients like flour (I like to do half all purpose, half whole wheat), water, salt, and a tiny bit of yeast, plus that tangy, probiotic-rich vinegar. The dough sits at room temperature for 12 hours, goes into the fridge for another 8-12 hours (or up to 4 days), then all that’s left to do is let it rise and bake.
If you start right now, you can be eating this loaf in 24 hours, which may still seem like a long time for a loaf of bread, but in the world of sourdough, is downright speedy.
So, before I ramble on about sourdough bread any longer, let’s just get down to business. You. A bowl. Six ingredients. 24 Hours. Crusty homemade sourdough-like bread.
Let’s do this!
If you make this recipe, leave a comment below letting me know what you think, or take a picture of your 24 Hour No-Knead Faux Sourdough Bread and share it with me on Instagram– I love seeing my recipes in your kitchen! Happy baking, friends!
24 Hour No-Knead Faux Sourdough
Yields: 1 loaf
Time: 24 hours
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups warm water (not hot, just warm to the touch)
- 1/4 cup raw apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon raw honey or maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 4 cups unbleached organic all-purpose flour*
- 1/2 Tablespoon sea salt
- optional: 1 Tablespoon of cornmeal or quick oats, for baking the loaf**
Instructions:
- Put all ingredients into a large mixing bowl and stir with a sturdy spoon to combine.
- Cover and let sit at room temperature for 12 hours. After 12 hours, use your hands to form the dough into a ball, then transfer the covered bowl into the fridge for another 8-12 hours (or up to 4 days).
- An hour before you want to bake your loaf: remove the dough from the fridge and use your hands once again to shape it into a tight ball. Place a piece of parchment paper on the counter (approx. 10-inch piece) and sprinkle it with cornmeal or quick oats, then put the dough on top of the cornmeal/oats. Let sit right there on the counter, uncovered, for an hour.
- Thirty minutes before you want to bake your loaf: preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and place a large dutch oven or oven safe pot with a lid into the oven to heat up while the oven preheats. You’ll be baking the bread inside of the pot in the oven, to get an extra crispy crust.
- When ready to bake: use a very sharp knife (I like to use a serrated knife) to score the bread dough. I like to cut two curved lines like parenthesis on top of the loaf, but some people prefer to cut an X or just one line straight down the middle. Carefully remove the hot dutch oven/pot from your oven, and lift the parchment paper to transfer your dough into the pot.
- Place the cover on the pot and bake in the oven for 30 minutes, covered, and another 20+ minutes with the lid off, until the loaf is deeply golden.
- Technically speaking you should allow your loaf to cool completely until cutting into it (this allows it to continue cooking at room temperature and ensures the best crumb/bread texture on the inside) but I’m not here to stop you from enjoying warm, freshly baked bread, so do with this loaf as you wish. Leftovers keep at room temperature in a bread bag or sealed container for up to 2 days, in the fridge for 4, or sliced and frozen for up to 1 month.
Notes:
*I typically make this loaf with 50% all purpose and 50% white whole wheat flour (which is what you see in the photos). You could do a 100% whole wheat loaf, if you’d like, but it won’t be quite as light and fluffy as one made with some all-purpose flour. I have not tested this recipe with any gluten-free flours and therefore cannot recommend any.
**Using either cornmeal or quick oats under your loaf will help create a crispier crust. Since you’re using parchment paper, you don’t really need to worry about the loaf sticking at all, so feel free to leave it out of you don’t like or don’t have either. I just enjoy that extra textural element!
Already made this loaf a few times and feeling ready to experiment? Feel free to add up to 1/2 cup of: oats, chopped nuts or seeds, dried fruit, olives, shredded sharp cheese, or a few tablespoons of fresh herbs or minced garlic to the dough in step 1.
Be sure to check out my Pantry Staples page for some of my favorite baking ingredients!