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Are you ready for the easiest sourdough discard bread recipe you’ll ever make? Baking true sourdough bread is certainly rewarding, but with our busy lives, we don’t always have time for a 2 to 3 day process, right? So I’ve created the easiest sourdough discard bread you’ll ever make – seriously it’s so so simple with very minimal prep! This recipe is perfect if you’re still building your sourdough starter, but you really want to bake sourdough bread. This is why this recipe has become one of the most popular sourdough discard recipes on The Pantry Mama site!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
Super Quick Discard Recipe – You can make this easy sourdough discard bread in under 2 hours if your house warm enough. It does use a little commercial yeast – but you will still get some of the sourdough tang from your discard.
No Kneading, No Stretch and Folds – this recipe is completely hands off and requires no fancy equipment!
An Easy Way To Use An Immature Sourdough Starter – This easy sourdough discard bread will also work for you if your starter is not quite ready to start baking true sourdough bread, just like this sourdough discard sandwich bread. The commercial yeast will create the rise that is lacking in your sourdough starter. If you’re having trouble with your sourdough starter, check out these tips to boost your sourdough starter.
Ingredients
- Bread Flour – I recommend using bread flour for this recipe as it makes the dough less sticky. If you want to use all purpose flour, I recommend using a little less water, or you’ll end up with a big, sticky mess! You could supplement some of the 450g of flour with rye, spelt or even whole wheat flour for a more complex flavor profile.
- Water
- Salt
- Instant Yeast – I prefer to use instant yeast because it doesn’t need to be bloomed in water, but you can use active dry yeast if you prefer. Just add it when you add the water to this recipe.
- Sourdough Discard – This recipe uses sourdough discard, which is basically unfed sourdough starter. As always, you can use active sourdough starter if you prefer. You can then choose whether you add the yeast to speed things up or not.
Make This Sourdough Discard Bread In Under 2 Hours!
To make this easy crusty sourdough discard bread, start by adding the flour, warm water, instant yeast, salt, and sourdough discard to a large mixing bowl. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to gently mix everything together until a shaggy dough forms. You don’t need to knead it or make it perfectly smooth, just make sure all the flour is moistened.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours and let the dough rise until it’s doubled. The exact time will depend on the room temperature of your kitchen. While the dough is rising, place a Dutch oven into your oven and preheat it to 220°C/430°F about 45 minutes before you plan to bake.
Kate’s RECIPE Tip
Bake It Later
If you don’t want to bake your bread immediately once it’s risen, you can pop it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Just put the whole bowl in the fridge, covered with some plastic wrap to stop it drying out. This is a great idea if you want to have it freshly baked for dinner for example or when you first wake up.
When you want to bake it, let it sit out on the kitchen counter for around 30 minutes before you shape it and bake it (so preheat the oven when you take it out of the fridge).
Once the dough has doubled, lay a sheet of parchment paper on your counter and sprinkle it with a little rice flour or fine semolina to prevent sticking. Gently scoop or pour the dough onto the paper. If the dough is manageable, lightly shape it into a rough round by folding the edges over themselves. If it’s very wet, simply guide it into a loose shape without worrying too much, rustic works perfectly here. Score the top if you like, or leave it to naturally split in the oven.
Carefully lift the dough using the parchment paper and place it into the hot Dutch oven (we don’t actually need any further proofing once the dough is shaped).
Bake with the lid on for 30 minutes at 220°C/430°F, then remove the lid and bake for another 10 minutes at 200°C/390°F until golden brown. Allow the bread to cool on a cooling rack for at least an hour before slicing for the best texture. And now, just add butter!
I’ve included step-by-step instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Kate’s Pro Tip
Bake in a Dutch Oven
To get the best results for your sourdough discard bread, bake it in a Dutch Oven. It keeps the steam inside the pot and enables your bread to get the rise before the crust starts to harden. Keep the lid on your Dutch Oven for the first 30 minutes of your bake, then take it off for the last 10 minutes to give it some crunch and colour. Just like baking true sourdough, the Dutch Oven really is a game changer.
Want To Give Your Sourdough Discard Loaf A Flavor Boost?
You can add lots of different flavor combinations to this sourdough discard loaf. It’s up to you whether you go sweet or savory. It’s best to add the inclusions to the dough when you first mix it, that way you can leave it alone to rise rather than have to disturb it to add in the flavors. Some of my favorite inclusions for this sourdough discard loaf are:
- Jalapeño Cheddar
- Bacon & Cheddar Cheese
- Olives (you can use whatever olives you love)
- Chocolate chips and orange zest
- Cranberries and walnuts
- Cinnamon and Raisins
How To Store and Freeze
This loaf is is designed to be a quick bake and made to eat the same day you bake it. It can be stored in a ziplock bag at room temperature for up to 3 days after baking, however it’s definitely better eaten the day of baking. Storing it in a ziplock bag will keep the loaf interior soft, but it will also give you a soft crust (which you can refresh in the oven). Otherwise, it’s perfect for making toast with!
This loaf can be frozen. I recommend freezing as a whole loaf in a large zipock bag for up to 3 months. When you want to use it, remove it from the freezer and allow it to thaw at room temperature.
Frequently Asked Questions
I recommend using a Dutch oven for this loaf because it traps the steam around the loaf, giving it time to bloom in the oven, giving it maximum oven spring and a gorgeous, crusty exterior – without it being rock hard. You can open bake, however, I recommend spraying the loaf with water before placing into the oven.
No you don’t need to. Because this bread has instant yeast added you can place the shaped dough straight into a hot oven. If you really can’t bake it straight away, you can place it into a well floured banneton if you want to, but I recommend keeping it in the fridge and baking it within 12 hours.
I don’t recommend making this loaf in a stand mixer. The dough is really sticky and can be really hard to clean from the dough hook attachment. Plus, there’s such minimal mixing and kneading for this recipe, it’s really not worth messing up your stand mixer for!
Easy Sourdough Discard Bread
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Digital Scales
- Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- 450 g Bread Flour
- 360 g Water, (warm)
- 10 g Salt
- 7 g Instant Yeast
- 100 g Sourdough Discard, (unfed sourdough starter)
Instructions
- Take a clean ceramic or glass bowl and add your flour, warm water, instant yeast, salt and sourdough discard.
- Use a wooden chopstick or end of a wooden spoon to gently bring all the ingredients together into a shaggy dough. You don't need to it be fully smooth, just ensure that all of the flour is wet.
- Cover the bowl in cling film and set it somewhere warm for 1 – 2 hours. It really depends on the temperature of your house with this one. If your house is warm, 1 hour will be plenty. In the depths of winter or with air con, you may need more than 2 hours. You just want it to double in size, no more or it won't rise in the oven.
- Around 45 minutes before you want to put your bread into the oven, you'll need to put a dutch oven into the oven and preheat it to around 220ºC/430ºF.
- Once your dough has doubled in size, grab a piece of parchment paper and lay it out on your counter. Sprinkle on a few tablespoons of rice flour or fine semolina flour (this is just so that the dough doesn't stick to your hands).NOTE – If you are wanting to put your bread in the refrigerator to bake another time (usually within 24 hours) then just pop the cling film over the bowl of doubled dough and put in the fridge. You don't need to do anything to the dough before it goes in.
- Scoop your dough out with your hands – if it's particularly wet it's perfectly fine to pour it onto the paper.If it's not too wet, use the flour and your finger tips to gently bring it into a round shape – you will need to pull each side over each other to do this. If your dough is too wet – don't fret, just try and bring it into some kind of shape without getting too messy.
- Score your dough if you're able to – otherwise just leave it and it will open up naturally in the oven.
- Carefully take your dutch oven out of the oven and remove the lid. Use the parchment or baking paper as a handle to gently place your discard bread inside the pot and put the lid back on.
- Bake in the oven, with the lid on for 30 minutes at 220ºC/430ºF. Then remove the lid of the pot and bake for a further 10 minutes at 200ºC/390ºF. Remove the bread from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.
- Try to let it cool for at least an hour before cutting it. It will still taste great if you cut it hot, but it's so much easier to cut if you let it cool!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Rate and comment below!
At some point in the preparing of the dough, can I use a banneton?
I make all the time. I have done cinnamon and raisins and cranberry and walnuts as well as olive and rosemary and cheddar and jalapeño. For fruit breads I add 1/4 cup sugar. They love them.
This is great. I’m using Dutch oven from now on. Thanks
Great recipe. Thank you. I’m using Dutch oven from now on
Look no further!!!
This bread recipe is IT. It cannot get any easier.
I’m new to bread making, and have been using my homemade sourdough starter for a few months now. I love allll the ways I can use the discard – but was needing something new (and honestly just wanted more bread out of it!)
This recipe has been my go to for weeks now. I make it in double batches, eat it all… or gift one to a neighbor or friend haha.
After trying a few different discard recipes – this one has been the best tasting and looking. And it’s basically committed to my memory now. Thank you thank you!!
This is a good recipe for a quick baked sandwich or toast type of bread. I’m familiar enough with working with higher hydration doughs to handle it and was able to score it quite easily. I’d agree with the suggestion of upping the off-lid baking portion for another 10-20 minutes (For a total baking time of 30 with lid and 20-30 off-lid). My bread was still a little “wet” after more than two hours of resting (and 15 minutes of off lid) so if I were to use this recipe again, I’d do just what I am suggesting. I was able to score and had a beautiful looking crusty exterior. Thanks
This is a fantastic bread recipe. I have made it several times (I’ve failed at making successful sourdough several times, so I have had a lot of discard over the past year), and this is probably the easiest bread recipe I have ever baked. My family and neighbors all rave about it.
I have baked it in both a cast iron Dutch oven and regular loaf pans. If you are using loaf pans, make sure you put a water bath on the bottom rack of your oven to help create the steam that the inside of a Dutch oven creates.
If you want to add to this recipe, I have found that thinly sliced garlic and 100g of garlic salt (instead of the 100g regular salt) is a popular loaf. My family also loves the “everything bagel” seasoning mixed into the dough. Today I’m trying this recipe with cinnamon and brown sugar.
A very easy, versatile, recipe for utilizing discard and not throwing it away!
Thank you so much for creating and publishing this recipe!
I have just taken our second loaf in 24 hours of this recipe out of the oven to cool, while a third loaf rises on the counter.
My first loaf was tasty but a bit gummy, I think I likely didn’t allow the bread to rise enough and most importantly, I didn’t give my oven the full 30-45 minutes to preheat with the Dutch oven in it.
I fixed these issues with the second loaf, can’t wait to see how it turned out!
I really want to make a soft seeded rye bread, I am wondering if I add 150g rye and drop bread flour to 300g do you think I will need to adjust water? Ian
Also going to add in caraway seeds. Should I add them when first mixing the dough? Thank you for making this easy!
Tha k you for this easy recipe. I also used your recipe for chocolate chip muffins and they came out great.
I cannot seem to get a sourdough loaf right no matter what I do:( after this doubled in size it was so loose and sticky. I still put it in the oven. Hoping for the best👍
I’ve made this bread twice now and I’m about to make it a third. I use double the starter and adjust water and flour as my starter is on the younger side and I want that sourdough taste. It turns out so well! I have subbed half flour for whole wheat and it made a wonderfully hearty (but still moist!) bread. I also added olives the second time around and that worked out great. Thanks for the recipe!
If I refrigerate my dough overnight, does it need to sit out for a while before baking in the morning??
Made this recipe twice already and wow its so so good! Especially considering the minimal effort going into it. Quick question: the top part of my crust turned out perfectly crispy but the bottom crust was verrry hard for me both times. Like can’t slice all the way down, almost break your teeth kinda crispy/hard. Is this normal? Or is there something could do to prevent this? (Maybe its an issue with my Dutch oven?) The rest of the bread was beautiful and delicious btw!
Not totally sure I will get this right but are you using foil or putting the bread directly on the stove? If you are, it may be that, and you could try using parchment. If not, I’d wonder what vessel you’re using and if you are taking the bread directly out of the vessel after it’s dont baking. Usually with this loaf my bottoms soften up, and I tend to leave them on the stone for a while after they’re done. Hope this helps!
I made the bread this morning, and it was absolutely delicious! I just started on the second loaf to bake it in the morning and take it over to a friend alongside with a stick of salter butter and some strawberry freezer jam
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
This recipe has become my go to for a quick bread and to use down my discard. I’m curious, do you have a recommendation for the desired dough temperature for this bread?
I baked this and the bread turned out a lot more dense than I expected! Perhaps because I tried (and didn’t succeed very well) to fold during the bulk proofing.
I live in Singapore too do you think that affects it? Heat humidity et al. I stuck it into the fridge for a few hours before the bake and tried to shape it after before putting in the oven but it was still a sticky mess. Just curious to know why – overproofed?
but on the bright side, it rose, and it uses up starter discard, yay! Thanks for the recipe!
I received a sourdough starter for Christmas and was so afraid of it. After 2 failed attempts of making sourdough in my bread maker (following a recipe and using a 20+ year old bread maker), I found this recipe and made it! It was beautiful and easy and so wonderful!
Thank you!
Absolutely love this recipe, probably made it 5-10 times now, a perfect “lazy loaf” for when you’re not in the full-on sourdough baking mood!
One thing I’ve wondered about is if you let it rise again after shaping it. The instructions aren’t super clear on that: do you give it another rise before throwing it in the oven or are you letting the oven come up to temp while the dough is in its bulk rise, then shaping it and throwing it directly in the oven? I’ve done it both ways and haven’t paid enough attention to know if it’s better either way. Also, this is a no-knead recipe, yeah?
Thanks for this!
I had the same question as you…
This is a great recipe!! When using only one oven, what is the baking time when baking two loaves of this bread in their individual dutch ovens at the same time? The recipe is soooo good that I have to make more than one at a time in my oven.
By far, the ugliest, stickiest, glopiest (New Word) bread dough ever!!!! I was 100% certain it would be a disaster. I am so glad I was wrong. I loved it, too easy and I’ve been trying to get my bread to be a little more airy and this recipe did it for me. Probably the very best part, I was able to use The Pantry Mama recipe for Sourdough Discard Sandwich Loaf and make them almost simultaneously. The loaf was also a WINNER.
Can I use this recipe without the rapid yeast? I believe I am going to try.
I think I’ve been reading this recipe wrong although the bread has always worked out and been delicious. But in my other sourdough recipes I let the pan in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour before I put the dough into it and bake is that correct? Or I’m just preheating the oven with the pan in it and then I’m good to go?
The link is broke to print the recipe. Pleeeeease fix so I can print and bake. 🙂
Hi Linda – the recipe prints ok for me. It might be the browser you’re using x
Yay!!! I finally made a good sourdough bread! Thank you. I didn’t have bread flour so I just used all purpose. It doubled in just about an hour (it’s about 74 degrees in my house). In the oven, it didn’t seem to rise as much as yours in the picture, but it is still delicious and near perfect consistancy!! (Others I’ve made have been too dense) I was getting too impatient and made it about 40 min into cooling before taking a taste.
I can’t wait to try this. I am traveling and her in Mexico the stove is propane. I think because there is not enough pressure, the highest I can get my temp is 350°F (177°C)
Do you have any SD recipes besides the sandwich loaf that I can cook on lower heat. Or suggestions on what to do? Thanks.
When you use a discard does it have to be at room temperature or can you use it right from the fridge
It doesn’t really matter for discard recipes 🙂
Can this sit in the fridge for 48 hours?!
Love this recipe! It has all the flavor of my artisan overnight bread but in a couple of hours!! Genius!
One question: do you think I could cut down the amount of yeast added? I use rapid rise, and it really RISES! I don’t know that much about bread, so I thought I’d check in. Thank you.
is it possible to do a regular sourdough bread recipe and just substitute discard for some of the flour and water?
…meaning using sourdough starter recipe (no commercial yeast) but using discard instead of some of the flour/water
Can I make the sourdough discard bread with regular active dry yeast instead of instant or rapid yeast?
Thankyou thankyou!
I didn’t trust the process of making starter… So I kept starting new ones while I waited, and then they all started maturing at the same time 🙃
I must say I couldn’t bring myself to throw out the discard and my fridge was being over taken. This recipe allowed me to use it up and make delicious bread that everyone wants!
So easy! now that I am starting to get creative with all types of inclusions this recipe definitely steps up every time!
This is such a good recipe. I can’t even count how many times I’ve made it. Here’s how I usually do it:
Make the night before I want it, let it rise until I’m ready to go to bed then pop in the fridge. In the morning I put it on floured parchment paper, pull in the sides to shape, then flip it and score it. Then put it all inside a hot Dutch oven and spray some water on the top of the bread, cover it and bake according to the recipe. SO good!
Amanda, how big is your Dutch oven? Also, thanks for the tip to spray water on the top?
Thanks!