Bread Machine Sourdough
Bread machine sourdough bread is everything you love; light, airy, and packed with flavor, all wrapped up in a perfectly crisp crust. And the best part? It's way easier to make in your bread maker than you'd ever expect!
Craving The Recipe Details?
What it is: A soft, chewy sourdough loaf with a crisp golden crust, made simple with the help of your bread machine.
Why you'll love it: Fresh bread with tangy sourdough flavor with zero kneading in 3 1/2 hours!
How to make it: Combine discard with water, sugar, oil, salt, flour, and a pinch of yeast, pour it into your bread machine, and let the machine do the work.
Kevy called me from work while I was reorganizing the fridge. Heavy sigh!
Usually, that’s a him job, because it doesn’t really bug me. But at this point, I’ve got various sourdough starters, discards, and somewhere-in-betweens happening in there and I have run out of room.
He was razzing me about my ferment-y buddies taking up all the fridge space and I thought to myself: I gotta deal with this and I really don’t need to eat more sourdough brownies!
This sourdough bread machine recipe is dedicated to using discard!
Jump to:
Key Ingredients
Sourdough Discard: This recipe is pretty flexible when it comes to starter discard. Use the stuff you’ve been saving in the fridge for a week or use the leftover’s from this morning’s feeding. Just make sure your starter is 100% hydration, and you stir down any bubbles before measuring! Ensure your discard is near room temperature before using.
Yeast: Because sometimes you just want instant gratification when it comes to sourdough goodies, this includes instant yeast. You’ll be enjoying freshly baked sourdough bread machine bread in mere hours with this recipe!
If you don’t have instant yeast, or bread machine yeast, you can use active dry yeast. Increase the amount to 2 1/2 teaspoons of active dry yeast and add it along with the liquid ingredients instead of on top.
Read More: Bread machine yeast substitutes
How To Make Bread Machine Sourdough Bread
Add Ingredients To Bread Pan:
- Combine the liquid ingredients: 1 cup sourdough starter or discard, 3/4 cup warm water, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar, and 1 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt in the baking pan of your bread machine.
- Layer the dry ingredients as follows; 3 cups bread flour followed by 1 1/2 teaspoons rapid rise or bread machine yeast. Either sprinkle the yeast on top of the flour, where it's not touching the water or create a well in the flour, then add the yeast there.
Bake:
- Place the baking pan into the bread machine. Select Basic, Light Crust, and 2 lb Loaf options. If your machine does not have all these settings, simply select the Basic or White setting.
- Allow the bread machine to bake.
This is the hard part! Walk away! You'll be tempted to check on your bread and then start panicking cause the texture looks weird, the dough looks too wet, or the corners still have dry flour. Don't worry, I did all the peeking for you through the process - pics are below.
- I like to remove the mixing paddle after the last punch down. Here you can see the dough before the final rise.
- Fully proofed dough prior to baking.
Cool:
- Remove the bread pan from the bread machine. Overturn the baked loaf onto a wire mesh cooling rack. It's important to get to your machine as soon as possible once it beeps complete to avoid it kicking into keep warm mode, this will dry out your bread and make it less than pleasant.
- Brush the top of the loaf with butter.
- Allow the bread to cool completely (if possible, I know it's hard!) before cutting.
Expert Tips
- New to sourdough? Need a starter? Check out my super easy sourdough starter. It’s ready in 24 hours!
- As with ALL my recipes, make absolutely sure to measure your flour using the scoop and level method. This involves vigorously stirring the flour in your container or bag, then spooning it into your measuring cup before leveling it off using the back of a knife or spoon handle. This ensures a more consistent result from batch to batch.
- This is a “quick” sourdough bread maker recipe as we are using discard and also instant yeast. It doesn’t have the same amount of tang as an overnight fermented sourdough loaf, but it’s damn delicious either way!
- Not all sourdough discards are equal. A fresher, recent sourdough discard will have a much more mild sour flavor than an aged discard that’s been hiding in the back of your fridge for 3 weeks. I prefer to use a discard that’s been fed within the last 7 days.
- If your discard is straight out of the fridge and you still want to use it, opt for the Whole Wheat setting on your bread maker – this cycle should have a preheat phase which can help bring your cold discard up to temp quickly!
Bake In The Oven
You can certainly bake this bread machine sourdough bread in the oven! Follow these steps:
- Follow steps 1-3 as you would if baking in the bread machine.
- Place the baking pan into the bread machine and choose the “Dough” cycle.
- Once the dough cycle is complete, turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and shape it into a boule or a loaf, then transfer it to a greased baking dish.
- Cover baking dish with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise for 45- 60 minutes, or until nearly doubled in size.
- Near the end of the rising, preheat the oven to 350f.
- Bake your loaf at 350f for approximately 40 minutes or until golden brown on top. You can check the doneness with an instant read thermometer - the internal temperature should be 195- 200f.
- Turn baked loaf out onto a wire rack, then using a pastry or basting brush, brush the top with softened butter.
Variations + Substitutions
- Swap the granulated sugar for brown sugar for a hint of caramel flavor
- Substitute up to 1/2 cup of bread flour for 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- Use a different oil like olive oil, lard, or tallow instead of vegetable oil
- Omit the oil and use water instead for a crispier crust
- Make it cardamom cranberry bread by adding 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 2 teaspoons cardamom, and 1 cup of chopped craisins.
- Make it everything bagel bread by pausing the cycle immediately before baking, brush the surface of the loaf with an egg wash, and sprinkle generously with everything bagel seasoning.
Batch + Storage Information
Batch:
This recipe makes one 1 1/2 lb loaf of sourdough bread. Unfortunately, due to constraints in the bread machine it cannot be doubled.
Storage:
Store your bread machine sourdough cut side down on a cutting board for up to 12 hours before the crust becomes too crisp. After 12 hours, I recommend transferring it to a bread bag or sealed plastic bag and store it at room temperature. It'll stay fresh for 2-3 days.
Freezing a Whole Loaf:
To freeze, wrap the loaf tightly in plastic wrap, then again in aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn. Freeze for up to 3 months. When you're ready to enjoy it, let the loaf thaw at room temperature for a few hours-no need to unwrap it until it's fully defrosted.
Freezing Slices:
For easy, grab-and-go portions, slice the cooled loaf and lay the slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container. This way, you can pull out just what you need. Toast or let thaw at room temperature and you're good to go!\
More Great Sourdough Recipes
If you tried this Bread Machine Sourdough Bread recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
📖 Printable Recipe
Bread Machine Sourdough Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cups sourdough discard, stirred down, 270g
- ¾ cup warm water, 170g
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 25g
- 1 ½ teaspoon granulated sugar, 6g
- 1 ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt, 8g
- 3 cups bread flour , 400g
- 1½ teaspoon instant or bread machine yeast, 6g
Instructions
Bake In Bread Machine:
- Combine the liquid ingredients: 1 cup sourdough discard, ¾ cup warm water, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1 ½ teaspoon granulated sugar, and 1 ½ teaspoon fine sea salt in the baking pan of your bread machine.
- Layer the dry ingredients as follows; 3 cups bread flour followed by 1½ teaspoon rapid rise or bread machine yeast. Either sprinkle the yeast on top of the flour, where it's not touching the water or create a well in the flour, then add the yeast there.
- Place the baking pan into the bread machine. Select Basic, Light Crust, and 2 lb Loaf options. If your machine does not have all these settings, simply select the Basic or White setting.
- Once the bread machine has completed its cycle, remove the bread pan from the bread machine. It's important to get to your machine as soon as possible once it beeps complete to avoid it kicking into keep warm mode, this will dry out your bread and make it less than pleasant.
- Overturn the baked loaf onto a wire mesh cooling rack then using a pastry or basting brush, brush the top with softened butter. Allow the bread to cool completely (if possible, I know it's hard!) before cutting.
Bake In Oven:
- Combine the liquid ingredients: 1 cup sourdough discard, ¾ cup warm water, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1 ½ teaspoons granulated sugar, and 1 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt in the baking pan of your bread machine.
- Layer the dry ingredients as follows; 3 cups bread flour followed by 1½ teaspoons rapid rise or bread machine yeast. Either sprinkle the yeast on top of the flour, where it's not touching the water or create a well in the flour, then add the yeast there.
- Place the baking pan into the bread machine and select the dough setting.
- Once the dough cycle is complete, turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and shape it into a boule or a loaf, then transfer it to a greased baking dish.
- Cover baking dish with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise for 45- 60 minutes, or until nearly doubled in size. Near the end of the rising, preheat the oven to 350f.
- Bake your loaf at 350f for approximately 40 minutes or until golden brown on top. You can check the doneness with an instant read thermometer - the internal temperature should be 195- 200f.
- Turn baked loaf out onto a wire rack, then using a pastry or basting brush, brush the top with softened butter.
Notes
Batch:
This recipe makes one 1 1/2 lb loaf of sourdough bread. Unfortunately, due to constraints in the bread machine, it cannot be doubled.Storage:
Store your bread machine sourdough cut side down on a cutting board for up to 12 hours before the crust becomes too crisp. After 12 hours, I recommend transferring it to a bread bag or sealed plastic bag and store it at room temperature. It’ll stay fresh for 2–3 days. Freezing a Whole Loaf:To freeze, wrap the loaf tightly in plastic wrap, then again in aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn. Freeze for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy it, let the loaf thaw at room temperature for a few hours—no need to unwrap it until it’s fully defrosted. Freezing Slices:
For easy, grab-and-go portions, slice the cooled loaf and lay the slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container. This way, you can pull out just what you need. Toast or let thaw at room temperature and you’re good to go!
I made this for 1 st time yesterday and turned out great ,but I found the crust to hard ! How do you make crust softer I have a sunbeam bread machine.
Hey Jodi, there are a few things you can do. Here’s what I would do! Up the fat a bit, you can use more oil, like double to 2 tablespoons? Brush the loaf when it comes out of the bread maker with softened butter or margarine, which will absorb into the crust and help keep it softer. You can also cover with a kitchen towel while it’s cooling to trap in some steam and that should also help soften the crust!
When making it into a loaf, what size loaf pan are you using??
Hey Donna, a standard 9×5 loaf pan works with this recipe!
Thank you!!
I made your easy starter with 50 g flour, 50 g water and 1/2 t yeast. I discarded all but 50 g and fed that with 50 g flour and 50 g water. The recipe says to let that sit for 6 – 12 hours and then to stir it down, and use 1 cup of the stirred down starter for the bread. Do you know the amount in grams? (Incidentally, I’m not sure I will have 1 cup once I’ve stirred it down). Thanks, I bake all of our bread and I’ve always wanted to try sourdough!
Hey Sharon, good question, you likely won’t have enough starter, but you can feed it again before using it, just feed say 100g starter, 100g water and 100g flour, then you’ll have plenty of starter for this recipe. In general, 1 cup of starter weighs about 230g.
Simple, tender crumb; lovely crust! I’ve made this half a dozen times now with perfect results each time. I either remove the paddle just before baking, or place in parchment-lined loaf pan after shaping and just prior to final rise.
So happy to hear you love this recipe, Anne!
What size loaf pan do you use? Also, what oven temperature and for how long? Thank you!!
Made this bread completely in my Zoji bread maker. I made it with King Arthur Bread Flour. I followed the recipe as printed. I chose Basic bread setting & Dark crust since my machine does not have a French Bread setting. The crust was not dark, but the bread had a wonderful crumb & flavor. Will definitely do again. Thank you for the recipe. Instructions were easy to follow.
Thanks for sharing! Love this recipe, I’m glad you do too!
Do I HAVE to use DISCARD for this recipe ?
You could use active starter, the recipe time is so short that the starter won’t make much of an impact in leavening, but if you want to make it and only have fed starter, it will work. I wrote it as a way to use up some discard but discard is basically unfed starter, so no harm in swapping them out because the yeast is doing the heavy lifting!
Turned out perfect! My bread machine doesn’t have a French setting so I did the dark crust setting. (Old machine). Followed recipe to a tee. Thank you so much!!!!
Thanks for sharing the setting you used, this is really helpful to other bakers! Really glad you enjoyed this recipe, Abby!
Thank you for this!! I’m new to sourdough and my bread has tasted fantastic but is turning out too dense. Adding yeast to supplement the starter has made this process much easier! I bake mine in Dutch oven with parchment, but I love using my bread machine for kneading and timing the dough. Really helpful article 🙂
This is the best! Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe – Love the idea of baking in a dutch oven – I do that when I’m making my everything bagel bread machine bread!
Absolutely delicious! I used olive oil in place of vegetable oil. Next time, I may try my homemade seasoned olive oil for subtle flavor. It was very easy & I needed that today because I was doing taxes 🙄
So thank you, my husband was astounded 😊
Tax season might be the worst season! I’m so glad you both liked the recipe!
This is the absolute best bread I’ve ever had! I used her recipe for the Easy Sourdough Starter to start. The taste, the crumb, everything about it is perfect! We are a family of 3 adults that very rarely ever bought bread, but I wanted to try making a loaf because my husband gets heartburn from store bought. I was kind of concerned about how to store it and keep it fresh since we don’t typically eat much bread…well we finished the entire loaf in less than 24 hours! Thank you so much for such an easy and delicious recipe!
Hi, I have a packet of Red Star sour dough yeast. It doesn’t give the bread that really sour dough taste but it is suppose to do a pretty good job. I have not used it yet. I was wondering if I could use this instead of the starter. It is used exactly as if you were using a packet of instant yeast. I just have NO luck with starters.
thanks so much. Merry Christmas!!
Merry Christmas Lynda! If you’re struggling with a starter you might be interested in giving my quick sourdough starter a try – it’s made with regular yeast. Mine is now over 3 years old and absolutely bulletproof!
The bread came out great except the top was not smooth, it was very rough. What could cause that? I even added a few more tablespoons of water because it looked hard.
That’s a good question. I’m guessing maybe a bit too much flour got scooped in the cups when you measured?
Tried this recipe for a second time and it turned out wonderfully. My starter is made of whole wheat and is always pasty so the amount of water I’ve added each time is the 3/4 cup plus 2 T. I like how it rises and its lighter taste. Holds its shape while slicing the entire loaf by hand.
Ally,
Hi! Your sourdough recipe looks great! But I have a 1 lb bread machine. Would you tell me how to adjust the recipe?
Thx!
Cecilia
Hi Cecilia,
I haven’t tried it, but I’m guessing if you multiplied the ingredients by .66 (2/3rds) you’d end up with a recipe pretty close to 1 lb!
@Ally,
Genius! I will try it! Thx!
Let me know how it goes!
Ally,
I have just recently gotten in to sourdough. I’ve made brownies and other foods from discard that turned out great.
This was my 3rd (& probably final) attempt at bread. First 2 tries were a disappointment. Not soft, too crumbly, not at all good for sandwiches.
Your recipe is fantastic. I am now super glad I’m doing sourdough.
Thank you so very, very much.
Kerry
Kerry, this absolutely made my day! I am so glad to hear you loved the recipe <3