No Knead Same Day Batard (Hybrid Method)

I was expecting some friends coming over and needed some crusty bread ASAP. This no knead same day batard was a life saver.

So crunchy, super light inside, absolutely delicious.

And the best part it was ready exactly for the lunch.

Ingredients

Sourdough Starter

Night before

• 10g sourdough starter
• 60g water
• 50g all purpose flour or bread flour
• 10g rye flour

I always feed starter with 90% all purpose flour and 10% rye. Which makes it nice and strong.

Please note, summertime ratio for overnight feeding is higher (1:10:10) compared to wintertime( 1:7:7), because of the temperature difference. Depending on the strength of the starter, you can change the ratio.

Learn how to make starter from scratch here.

Main Dough

• 100g sourdough starter (16.6%)
• 540g  bread flour (90%)
• 60g whole grain whole wheat flour (10%)
• 438g water total (73%)
• 12g salt (2%)
• 1g dry yeast

Directions 

Starter preparation steps

Night before

• 10 pm add starter to the water and whisk together, add flour, mix well, cover loosely, let sit at room temp 70-75F till next morning until it reaches the peak (10-12 hours), it should at least double (starter isn’t strong enough), or triple in size(strong starter).

Batard dough preparation steps

Next morning

• 8 am mix water with yeast and sourdough starter until dissolved add flour, using spoon, mix all together, until no dry flour remained, cover, let rest 30 min for autolyse (during the autolyse stage the flour absorbs the water, becoming fully hydrated. This will activate gluten development).
• 8.30 am add salt. Lightly mix using your hands, until salt incorporated well. Round the dough and let rest covered at 74-76F/23-24C for 30 min.
• 9 am perform 1st coil fold. Round the dough, cover and let rest for 1 hour.
• 10 am 2nd coil fold. Round the dough, cover and let rest for 1 hour.
• 11 am 3rd coil fold. Round the dough, cover and let rest for 1 hour. 

Batard preshaping steps

• 12 pm dough has to feel lighter, with signs of fermentation(bubbles on the surface), but not too puffy.
• Turn container on slightly floured surface. Using the scraper divide the dough in 2 equal parts, The weight of each dough piece should be around 575g.
• Round each piece of dough with help of a scraper. And let rest uncovered for 30 min.

Batard shaping steps

Batard  shaping requires a technique for proper proofing and achieving a beautiful looking loaf.

• Turn the dough round on to floured surface. Pat it down roughly, form a rectangle.
• Fold the top part and the 2 top sides creating triangle on top of your dough.
• Start from the top folding the dough into a log, trying to grab any leftover sides of the dough, and roll them tight into a log,
• Seal the edges with your fingers, then roll the dough back and forth starting from the center towards the end until you achieve the desired length (about 20cm long, if you are planning to bake Batard in challenger pan,
•  Generously sprinkle proofing couche with whole grain  flour to prevent sticking.
• Now transfer each shaped dough onto a proofing couche sealed side up. Cover batards with kitchen towel. Let them proof for 1 hour at 78F. It could take little more or less time( depending on the temperature on your kitchen)

• Perform poke test to check the readiness. Give the dough a gentle but assertive poke. If the dough springs back right away, let it rise for a few more minutes. If the dough springs back slowly, like it’s waking up from a long nap, and your poke leaves a small indentation, it’s ready to go.
• During proofing time start to preheat oven 500F challenger pan  in it.
• When the oven is hot and batards are proofed enough, flip them over on a parchment paper, score with 1 long cut.

• Bake batard for 10 min with lid closed.
• Lower the temperature to 450 F, open the lid and Bake for 20 more min.

Enjoy!

No-Knead Same-Day Bâtard (Hybrid Method)

2417kcal

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Prep 30 minutes mins

Cook 30 minutes mins

Rise & Rest Time 5 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total 6 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

When you need a rustic, crusty loaf of bread on a tight timeline, this No-Knead Same-Day Bâtard is an absolute lifesaver. By combining a robust sourdough starter with a tiny pinch of commercial dry yeast, you get a beautiful, deep flavor profile alongside a rapid, reliable oven spring—yielding an incredibly crunchy crust and a feather-light interior crumb just in time for lunch.

Servings 2 loaves

Cuisine Artisan Hybrid Sourdough

Ingredients

1x2x3x

The Sourdough Starter Levain (Night Before)

• ▢ 10 g Sourdough starter culture
• ▢ 60 g Water
• ▢ 50 g All-purpose flour (or bread flour)
• ▢ 10 g Rye flour

The Hybrid Fast-Action Main Dough

• ▢ 540 g Bread flour (90%)
• ▢ 60 g Whole grain whole wheat flour (10%)
• ▢ 438 g Water (73% Hydration)
• ▢ 100 g Active sourdough starter levain (16.6% – From the stage above)
• ▢ 12 g Salt (2%)
• ▢ 1 g Dry yeast (Instant or active dry)

Equipment

• ▢
  Large Mixing Bowl or airtight dough container
• ▢
  Dough Scraper & Bench Knife
• ▢
  Proofing Couche or clean kitchen towel
• ▢
  Baking Vessel (Ideally a Challenger Bread Pan or heavy Dutch oven)
• ▢
  Sharp Bread Lame or razor blade
• ▢
  Parchment Paper
• ▢
  Kitchen Scale

Method

Prevent Sleep ModePrevent Sleep Mode

Night Before – Starter Preparation

1. 10:00 PM: In a clean glass jar, dissolve your 10g of starter culture into 60g of water and whisk together. Add 50g of all-purpose flour and 10g of rye flour. Mix well, cover loosely, and let sit at room temperature 70–75°F (21–24°C) overnight for 10 to 12 hours until it peaks and at least doubles or triples in size.

Next Morning – Same-Day Autolyse & No-Knead Coil Folds

1. 8:00 AM – The Autolyse: In a large mixing bowl, combine all 438g of water with 1g of dry yeast and 100g of your active overnight starter until fully dissolved. Dump the 540g of bread flour and 60g of whole wheat flour directly over the liquid. Mix thoroughly with a spoon until no dry flour remains, cover, and let rest for 30 minutes to jumpstart gluten mapping.
2. 8:30 AM: Add the 12g of salt to the bowl. Lightly work the dough with your hands for 1 to 2 minutes just until the salt is fully incorporated. Round the dough into a smooth ball, cover, and let rest at 74–76°F (23–24°C) for 30 minutes.
3. 9:00 AM: Perform your 1st coil fold. Wet your hands, lift the dough from the center, and let the loose edges tuck underneath themselves to build structural tension. Round the dough, cover, and let rest for 1 hour.
4. 10:00 AM: Perform your 2nd coil fold. Round the dough, cover, and let rest for 1 hour.
5. 11:00 AM: Perform your 3rd coil fold. Round the dough, cover, and let rest for 1 hour.

Preshaping, Bâtard Tapering, and High-Heat Bake

1. 12:00 PM – Preshaping: The dough should feel significantly lighter and carry visible tiny air pockets on the skin surface. Tip it gently out onto a slightly floured workspace.
2. Using a bench scraper, divide the dough mass cleanly down the middle into 2 equal parts (roughly 575g each). Shape each piece into a neat round ball using your scraper, and let them rest uncovered on your counter for 30 minutes to relax the gluten.
3. 12:30 PM – Final Bâtard Shaping: Turn one rested dough round over onto your floured surface and pat it down gently into a flat rectangle.
4. Fold the top edge down, then fold the two top corners inward to create a triangle shape at the top of your dough. Starting from that top point, roll the dough down tightly into a log, tucking in any loose sides as you roll.
5. Seal the bottom seams firmly with your fingers, then roll the log back and forth gently, starting from the center and moving outward, until it stretches to roughly 20 cm in diameter.
6. Generously dust your proofing couche or heavy towel with whole grain flour. Transfer the shaped bâtard logs onto the fabric seam-side up, cover cleanly with a kitchen towel, and let proof for 1 hour at a warm 78°F (25°C).
7. The Guardrail Poke Test: Give the dough a gentle poke. If the indentation springs back slowly and leaves a tiny dimple, it is perfectly ready to bake. While the loaves finish proofing, preheat your oven and Challenger pan (or Dutch oven) to 500°F (260°C).
8. Flip the proofed bâtards gently onto a sheet of parchment paper so the smooth side is now facing up. Score the surface with one clean, long, deep diagonal cut down the center.
9. Carefully load the dough into your roaring hot baking pan, drop the heavy lid down to trap the steam, and bake at 500°F (260°C) with the lid closed for exactly 10 minutes.
10. Lower the oven temperature to 450°F (232°C), carefully remove the lid to expose the bread, and continue baking bare for an additional 20 minutes until the crust turns an incredibly deep, crispy chestnut brown. Let cool on a wire rack before slicing!

Nutrition

Calories2417kcalCarbohydrates483gProtein87gFat11gSaturated Fat2gPolyunsaturated Fat5gMonounsaturated Fat1gCholesterol18mgSodium882mgPotassium1033mgFiber22gSugar2gVitamin A33IUVitamin C0.4mgCalcium146mgIron10mg

Notes

• The Secret Purpose of the Hybrid Yeast Pinch: Adding just a tiny 1g pinch of commercial dry yeast alongside your pure sourdough starter serves an exceptional role here. It acts as a reliable helper engine that dramatically compresses your bulk fermentation and proofing timelines down to a single morning, entirely skipping the traditional 12-hour overnight fridge retard without sacrificing that crisp crust and beautiful open structure.
• Why the 30-Minute Post-Shape Couch Proof Rest Matters: Keep a close eye on your environment temperatures during step 12. Because this formula contains active commercial yeast, overproofing can occur rapidly if your kitchen runs warm. Make sure to check the loaves right at the 45 to 60-minute mark using the finger poke test—if the dough springs back slowly, slide it into the hot oven instantly to secure a spectacular, high-rising oven spring.
• Executing the Geometric Roll Shape: To achieve that classic, uniform oval bâtard profile, take extra care during steps 10 and 11. Rolling the dough into a dense triangle-to-log shape builds a strong, pressurized outer skin. Rolling the log outward from the center to a clean 20 cm length guarantees the loaf expands evenly and develops a proud, blistered artisan ear along your score line.
• Transitioning to an Overnight Fridge Rest Option: If your lunch plans change and you no longer need same-day loaves, this hybrid formula offers great flexibility. After shaping the logs in step 11, instead of leaving them to proof on your counter, wrap them securely and slide them straight into your refrigerator to cold-retard for 8 to 12 hours. This extended chill will deepen the classic sourdough tang even further.

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