Easy Overnight Sourdough Bread

My husband has officially declared this bread the best sourdough bread he has ever tasted.  And do you know what I love so much about it?  It is really, incredibly, awesomely easy to make!  Read on!


The finished sourdough loaf - beautifully browned and crusty. 

Why not enjoy some fresh-baked sourdough bread with a nice cup of tea?  It is a perfect lunch.

The inside of the loaf - delightfully tangy and chewy with a beautiful crumb.

We loved this sourdough bread with a bit of butter and honey!

Overnight Sourdough Bread

• 1 cup sourdough starter, room temp
• 3/4 cup water (110 degrees F.)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups bread flour or unbleached all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon yeast

Stir together all ingredients.  The dough will seem a little dry, but don't worry.  Cover, let sit on counter overnight or for about 12 hours.

At least a half-hour before dough is ready the next day, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot or dutch oven (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats.

When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven.  Pour dough into pan.  Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; don't worry too much - it will straighten out as it bakes.  Give the top of the loaf a few spritzes with water that is in a spray bottle - this is important for the sourdough crust.

Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. During this last 15 to 30 minutes, open the oven and spritz the top of the loaf a few times with some more water.

When the loaf is done (I bake to an internal temp of 190 to 210 degrees F.), remove pan from oven.  Oh-so-carefully remove the from the pan and cool on a rack.  After it cools a bit, slice into the sourdough bread and enjoy!