We all love a bit of homemade bread, especially if it’s delicious bread like sourdough! However, creating a sourdough starter from scratch is quite a lengthy process, not to mention the continuous feeding it requires. This easy sourdough bread recipe is equally as delicious as any traditional sourdough bread, permitting you to enjoy its wonderful sour taste without delay!

Table of Contents
- Why Make a Quick Sourdough Bread Without a Starter?
- How to Make Quick Sourdough Bread
- More Sourdough Without Starter Recipes
- What is a Sourdough Starter?
- Sourdough Bread Benefits
- Can You Freeze Sourdough Bread?
- Quick Sourdough Bread
- FAQs

Quick Sourdough Bread Without Starter Recipe
Make a simple loaf of homemade artisan sourdough bread with a crisp, golden crust, and plush interior. You won’t need a starter for this one!
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf 1x
Ingredients
- 400g strong white bread flour
- 100g rye flour
- 100ml plain white natural yogurt
- 200ml water
- 1–2 tsp caraway seeds
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1.5 tsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp vinegar
- 1 sachet of Instant Sourdough yeast
Instructions
- Add your dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine water, vinegar, and yogurt, then add this to the dry ingredients.
- Stir with a wooden spoon, then transfer the dough to a clean kitchen surface, and use your hands to start kneading.
- Knead the bread for 10 minutes, and your dough should become elastic and smooth.
- Place the dough back into the bowl, and cover it with a tea towel, till the dough rises to double its size. This can take 40-60 minutes depending on the warmth of your kitchen.
- Once the dough has risen, shape your bread dough, and let the bread rise once more. You can place your dough into a proofing basket for a crisp crust.
- Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 450 degrees F and place a Dutch oven into the oven.
- Carefully remove the heated Dutch oven from the hot oven, and slice the top of the bread with a sharp knife, before carefully lowering the dough into the oven.
- Bake for 20 minutes, then remove the Dutch oven from the oven, lower the temperature to 400 degrees F, and replace the half-baked bread in the oven, to bake for another 20 minutes.
Notes
- Although you must ensure that you are using some form of sourdough yeast, otherwise it will not be a sourdough loaf, but rather a simple ordinary bread recipe.
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Category: bread
Keywords: sourdough bread
Why Make a Quick Sourdough Bread Without a Starter?
This quick method is a great way to bake bread without having to wait for the dough to sit and ferment overnight. Furthermore, this is a great opportunity to make use of any sourdough discard – that is if you have any.
However, if you’re looking to bake a loaf that provides sourdough benefits, then this can only be achieved through a sourdough starter, solely due to its wild yeasts and lactic acid bacteria.
Can You Make Sourdough Bread Without a Starter?
You can certainly make sourdough bread without a starter. For instance, San Francisco sourdough bread is made without a starter, although it takes about a week to make.
However, when making sourdough bread you will always require a fermented dough that’ll mimic the taste of sourdough bread perfectly. To achieve this, you will need to include ingredients like Greek yogurt, sour cream, or instant sourdough yeast in your bread recipes to produce loaves that impart some form of a sourdough taste.

How to Make Quick Sourdough Bread
Bread baking has never been easier! Make a simple loaf of homemade artisan sourdough bread with a crisp, golden crust, and plush interior. You won’t need a starter for this one!
Although you must ensure that you are using some form of sourdough yeast, otherwise it will not be a sourdough loaf, but rather a simple ordinary bread recipe.
Check out this no-starter sourdough bread recipe below:
Ingredients
- 400g strong white bread flour
- 100g rye flour
- 100ml plain white natural yogurt
- 200ml water
- 1-2 tsp caraway seeds
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1.5 tsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp vinegar
- 1 sachet of Instant Sourdough yeast
Method
- Add your dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine water, vinegar, and yogurt, then add this to the dry ingredients.
- Stir with a wooden spoon, then transfer the dough to a clean kitchen surface, and use your hands to start kneading. Here is a helpful article on how to keep your kitchen clean.
- Knead the bread for 10 minutes, and your dough should become elastic and smooth.
- Place the dough back into the bowl, and cover it with a tea towel, till the dough rises to double its size. This can take 40-60 minutes depending on the warmth of your kitchen.
- Once the dough has risen, shape your bread dough, and let the bread rise once more. You can place your dough into a proofing basket for a crisp crust.
- Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 450 degrees F and place a Dutch oven into the oven.
- Carefully remove the heated Dutch oven from the hot oven, and slice the top of the bread with a sharp knife, before carefully lowering the dough into the oven.
- Bake for 20 minutes, then remove the Dutch oven from the oven, lower the temperature to 400 degrees F, and replace the half-baked bread in the oven, to bake for another 20 minutes.
Optional Add-Ons
- Plain chocolate chips or cocoa powder: For a chocolatey flavored loaf, add a handful of chocolate chip cookies, or 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder to the dough.
- Sourdough discard: Sourdough discard is a large portion of an unfed sourdough starter. Although it doesn’t make the dough rise, it certainly provides wonderful flavor!
- Roasted garlic: Add some roasted garlic, or garlic powder to your dough, for a heavenly garlic-infused loaf. Try garlic sourdough bread for a little inspiration.
- Nuts/seeds and dried fruits: Try baking bread with bits of dried fruits and nuts. Include walnuts, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds pecans, cranberries, or raisins for a delicious crunchy loaf. Try this fantastic multigrain sourdough bread recipe.
More Sourdough Without Starter Recipes
There are many ways to mimic the taste of a traditional sourdough loaf without the key element – the starter. Check out the recipes outlined below to find out more!
- Overnight sourdough bread without starter
- Easy sourdough bread
- Sourdough discard bread
Overnight Sourdough Bread Without Starter
This delicious no-starter sourdough bread recipe requires commercial yeast and buttermilk, to create the perfect tang!
Ingredients
- 600g of all-purpose flour
- 250g regular beer (room temperature)
- 250g buttermilk
- 2g of dry active or instant yeast (Tip: Use 2g of commercial yeast for a 24-hour rise, 3g for an 18-hour rise, 4g for a 12-hour rise, or 8g for a 6-hour rise)
- 2 tsp salt
- 1-2g sugar
Instructions
- Before we begin, decide whether you would like to bake your bread in 6, 12, 18, or 24 hours, then proceed to measure the correct amount of commercial yeast.
- Measure out your ingredients and place the salt at the bottom of a mixing bowl, then add 500g of flour.
- In a smaller bowl, whisk together room-temperature beer, sugar, buttermilk, 100g of flour, and commercial yeast, stir and let this sit for several minutes.
- Add the yeast mixture to the flour and salt in the mixing bowl, and let it rest for 1 minute, then knead the dough for 7 minutes.
- Lightly grease a large bowl, and place the dough inside. Cover with a plastic film and let this rise for 20 hours.
- After this, add a sprinkle of flour on the inside of the bowl, and fold the dough over using a large spatula. Keep sprinkling and folding the dough.
- Add lots of flour to a large piece of parchment paper. Drop the dough onto the parchment paper, and shape it into a nice round ball. Cover the dough with a larger bowl, and let it rise for 2 hours in a warm spot.
- preheat your oven to 450F, and slide a cast iron pot or Dutch oven inside. Heat this for 35 minutes, then carefully remove the cast iron pot from the hot oven and place the dough inside. Make a large cut across the shaped loaf using a sharp knife or blade. Cover and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the cover and bake for another 15 minutes, until crisp and golden.
- Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool on a rack for 30 minutes before slicing.

Easy Sourdough Bread
This super easy sourdough recipe requires yogurt and sour cream instead of a traditional sourdough starter, enabling you to bake a delicious tangy loaf in less than 24 hours!
Ingredients
- 3 cups King Arthur bread flour
- 500g unsweetened Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp instant yeast
- 1 cup sour cream
Instructions
- Add flour, Greek yogurt, ½ cup of sour cream, salt, and instant yeast to a large mixing bowl.
- Use a wooden spoon to gently knead the dough for about 10 minutes, then switch to using your hands. Add sour cream if required, to form a moist dough. The dough may seem like it’s too wet or heavy, but this is what we want.
- Remove the dough from the mixing bowl, and spray a large bowl with cooking spray, Pat the dough into a round ball, and place it into the bowl. Flip the dough over so that it’s lightly oiled on the top and bottom.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for 6-8 hours.
- Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead gently for 3 minutes. Pat the dough and place it into a large bowl seam side down, Cover with plastic wrap and allow it to rise for an hour. The longer you let the dough rise, the bigger the holes in the bread.
- Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 450F and place a large Dutch oven into the oven to heat for 45 minutes.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, remove the Dutch oven from the oven, and place a piece of parchment paper on the bottom of the Dutch oven. Carefully transfer the dough to the Dutch oven, cover, and bake for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, uncover the hot Dutch oven and allow the bread to bake uncovered for 10-20 minutes depending on how dark you want your crust to be.
- Remove the bread from the oven, and place it on a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

Sourdough Discard Bread
Baking with sourdough discard produces fantastic loaves of bread that impart wonderful tangy flavors, thanks to the addition of an unfed starter. The unfed starter contributes to flavors, while the instant yeast helps the bread rise.
And here’s how to make it:
Ingredients
- 450g bread flour
- 360g warm water
- 10g salt
- 7g instant yeast
- 100g sourdough discard
Instructions
- Add flour, warm water, instant yeast, and salt and discard to a large glass bowl. Use the end of a wooden spoon to gently mix the ingredients together, till you’ve formed a shaggy dough.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and set it in a warm place for 2 hours to rise. The time it takes for your dough to rise will rely on the temperature of your house. If your house is warm, then 1 hour is enough to get your dough to rise. However, if your house is chilly, you may require more than 2 hours.
- Prepare your Dutch oven and preheat it to 430F.
- Once your dough has doubled in size, lay a piece of parchment paper on the kitchen counter, and sprinkle some rice flour or semolina flour on top of it.
- Scoop up the dough using lightly floured hands, and gently place it onto the parchment paper.
- Score your sough, then carefully remove the Dutch oven from the oven, and place your discarded bread inside.
- Bake covered for 30 minutes, then remove the lid and bake for an additional 10 minutes at 390F.
- Remove the bread from the oven, and place it on a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
What is a Sourdough Starter?
Simply put, sourdough bread is made without commercial yeast, but a sourdough starter that is essentially wild yeast. The starter is what permits the bread to rise. You can easily make a sourdough starter at home, with the simplest of ingredients. Grab a tall jar, and fill it with equal parts flour and water. After 24 hours you must feed your starter, then monitor its growth.
Try sourdough bread for beginners and start with my beginner sourdough recipe for more info!
Sourdough Bread Benefits
The natural wild yeasts used to bake sourdough bread offer a variety of health benefits. Some of these include:
- Improved digestion: The natural yeasts in the sourdough starter along with lactic acid help slow digestion, keeping you fuller for longer.
- Low glycemic index: The fermentation process helps lower the glycemic index of sourdough bread, effectively stabilizing your blood sugar levels.
- Strengthen the immune system: Natural yeasts help strengthen the immune system.
Can You Freeze Sourdough Bread?
Once you’ve baked your loaf, and devoured as much as your gut will allow, it’s time to take care of the leftovers.
While sourdough bread can be kept covered on the kitchen counter for a few days, it’s better to freeze your loaves to preserve their fresh flavors.
Quick Sourdough Bread
If you’re inspired and want more sourdough recipes, then check out these wonderful sourdough discard recipes for limitless sourdough treats!
FAQs
What Can I Use if I Don’t Have a Sourdough Starter?
If you don’t have a sourdough starter, you can use kombucha instead. Kombucha contains yeasts as well as bacteria, which means that it can be used to start a sourdough starter or ferment your grains.
Does All Sourdough Need a Starter?
Without a sourdough starter, your bread won’t rise. If you were to replace the sourdough starter with commercial yeast then your baked bread will be a simple loaf void of sourdough flavors.
Can I Skip Feeding My Sourdough Starter?
Without regular feeds, your sourdough starter will begin to emit an alcohol-like smell. You’ll also notice your starter will begin to lose its activity but don’t worry it can easily be revived in time for your next bake.