How to Make Sourdough Bread in a Bread Machine
Learn how to make a golden, crusty loaf of naturally fermented sourdough bread easily using your bread machine and active starter.
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water ~240 g
- ½ cup active sourdough starter ~120 g
- 3 cups flour ~360 g
- 2 tbsp honey ~30 g
- ¼ cup avocado oil ~60 g
- 1 tsp salt ~5 g
Instructions
- Feed your starter 4–8 hours before baking. It should be active, bubbly, and able to pass the float test (a small spoonful floats in water).
- Add ingredients to your bread machine in this order: active starter, water, honey, oil, flour, then salt sprinkled on top.
- Select the “Natural Sourdough” program on your bread machine.
- Press Start.
- In about 6 hours, you’ll have a golden, crusty, naturally fermented loaf ready to cool and slice.
Notes
If your bread machine does not have a sourdough setting, try this method:
- Run the Dough cycle to mix and knead the dough (usually about 1.5 hours).
- Leave the dough in the machine with the lid closed for an additional 2–3 hours, allowing it to ferment and rise until nearly doubled in size.
- Run the Bake-Only cycle to bake the loaf. Alternatively, remove the dough and bake it in your oven at 375°F for 40–50 minutes.