Same Day Sourdough Bread

ByNatalya Syanova
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Sometimes it can be challenging to spend 2 days working on a bread. From the name of this post “Same Day Sourdough Bread” you have probably guessed that the solution is here.

Many loafs have been baked to ensure the perfection of this recipe.

Also I’ve tried to shorten the process by mixing sourdough starter with flour and water right away. It did save some time, and didn’t have any effect on the final result.

Open, light and airy crumb with thin crust.

I’m very happy with this bread!

Ingredients

Sourdough starter 

Dough

Directions 

Starter 

  • 10 pm add starter to the water and whisk together, add flour, mix well, cover loosely, let it sit at a room temp 74-78F for about 10-12  hours until starter reaches its peak (at least triples in volume). Learn how to make starter from scratch here.

Dough

  • 8 am mix sourdough starter with water and flour, cover, let it rest 1 hour for autolyse.

During the autolyse the flour absorbs the water, becoming fully hydrated. This will activate gluten development.

  • 9 am add salt and extra water. 
  • The process of adding extra water is called bassinage, it helps to tighten up gluten. Mix on low speed of your mixing machine for 3-4 min, or with KitchenAid on speed 3 for 5-6 min until well incorporated. The dough should come up together, but still be sticky on the bottom.
  • We will continue gluten development and structure building by performing stretches and folds during the warm fermentation period.
  • Leave it to rest 30 minutes at 74-78F /23-26C.
  • 9:30 am wet your hands and perform 1st stretch and fold.
  • 10:15 am 2nd stretch and fold.
  • 11 am 3rd stretch and fold.
  • 11.45 am 4th stretch and fold.
  • Performing stretches and folds will help with gluten development.
  • Keep monitoring the dough, if it rises too fast, you can shorten the time between stretches to 40 minutes or less.
  • After the final stretch let the dough proof for 30 minutes at 76-80F/ 23-26C. You should see some bubbles on the surface, the dough has to become lighter.

We are looking for 40%-50% rise. If your dough didn’t reach 40% rise mark, add 1 extra stretch, it will extend time of warm fermentation, but will give you great result.

Preshaping sourdough 

  • 12:15 pm Transfer the dough on to a work surface and dust its top with flour. Flip the dough over so the floured sides face down. 
  • Fold the dough onto itself so the flour on the surface remains entirely on the outside of the loaf. This will become the crust. 
  • Place the dough round on a work surface and let it rest for 30 minutes uncovered.

Shaping sourdough 

  • 12:45 pm Dust the dough with flour. Use a dough scraper to flip it over on to a work surface so the floured sides face down.
  • Starting at the side closest to you, pull the right 2 corners of the dough to the left, then fold them up into half of the dough. Repeat this action on the left side too.
  • Finally, roll the dough. Shape it into a smooth, taut roll.
  • Transfer the roll, seam side up, to a prepared proofing basket (loaf pan with kitchen towel)
  • Cover it with plastic and return the dough to the 71-79F (22-26C) environment for 2 hours
  • 2:45 pm transfer the dough to refrigerator for 2 hours. It will make scoring easier.

Baking

  • 4 pm start to preheat your oven to 500 F, place a cast iron pan with the lid inside for 45 min -1 hour.
  • 4:45 pm remove the dough from the fridge. 
  • Flip it over on a parchment paper, score it with a sharp knife or a scoring lame. 
  • Transfer on to the hot cast iron pan, cover with the lid (to create steam for a beautiful and crusty crumb).
  • Bake at 500F for 15 min with lid on.
  • Remove the lid, lower the temperature to 450F. 
  • Bake for 20 more minutes until golden brown.

Enjoy your same day sourdough bread 🙏

Same Day Sourdough Bread

Same Day Sourdough Bread

107kcal
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Prep 30 minutes
Cook 35 minutes
Total 18 hours 20 minutes
An exceptional artisan sourdough recipe designed to fit entirely into a single day, skipping the typical multi-day commitment. This hybrid method streamlines prep by mixing the active starter directly into the dough while maintaining a beautiful, open, light, and airy interior crumb with a crackly, thin crust.
Servings 1 loaf
Cuisine American

Ingredients

The Sourdough Starter Levain (Night Before)
  • 5 g Sourdough starter culture
  • 35 g Water
  • 30 g All purpose flour or bread flour
  • 5 g Rye flour
The Main Dough (Next Morning)
  • 270 g Bread flour (90%)
  • 30 g Stone ground whole wheat flour (10%)
  • 207 g Water (69%)
  • 15 g Cold water (5% – Reserved strictly for the bassinage step)
  • 60 g Prepared levain (20% – All of it)
  • 6 g Salt (2%)

Equipment

  • Stand Mixer (Optional, can also be mixed using the Rubaud method by hand)
  • Cast Iron Dutch Oven (With a tightly fitting lid to trap steam)
  • Proofing Basket (Banneton, or a loaf pan lined with a clean kitchen towel)
  • Sharp Bread Lame or razor blade
  • Kitchen Scale
  • Parchment Paper

Method

Overnight Starter Build & Morning Autolyse
  1. 10:00 PM (Night Before): In a small glass jar, whisk your 5g of starter culture into 35g of water. Add the 30g of all-purpose or bread flour and 5g of rye flour, stirring thoroughly with a small spatula until no dry clumps remain. Cover loosely and let it ferment at a room temperature of 74–78°F (23–26°C) for 10 to 12 hours overnight until it at least triples in volume and peaks.
  2. 8:00 AM (Day 2): In your stand mixer bowl (or a large mixing bowl), combine the 60g of mature starter levain, 207g of initial water, 270g of bread flour, and 30g of stone-ground whole wheat flour. Mix cleanly by hand just until a shaggy mass forms. Cover and let it rest undisturbed for 1 hour for the autolyse phase, initializing natural gluten alignment.
Bassinage and Warm Primary Proof
  1. 9:00 AM: Sprinkle the 6g of salt and add the 15g of reserved cold water directly to the autolyzed dough.
  2. Mix on a low speed for 3 to 4 minutes (or with a KitchenAid mixer on speed 3 for 5 to 6 minutes) until fully incorporated. This bassinage water addition tightens the gluten network. The dough should pull together into a coherent mass but remain slightly sticky at the bottom of the bowl. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes at 74–78°F (23–26°C).
  3. Build structural strength systematically by performing four separate wet-handed stretch-and-folds spaced over the morning:
  4. * 9:30 AM: 1st Stretch-and-fold.
  5. * 10:15 AM: 2nd Stretch-and-fold.
  6. * 11:00 AM: 3rd Stretch-and-fold.
  7. * 11:45 AM: 4th Stretch-and-fold.
  8. After your final fold, let the dough proof undisturbed for 30 minutes at 76–80°F (24–27°C). Look for a 40% to 50% increase in volume and visible air bubbles floating across the smooth surface. (If the dough hasn’t expanded sufficiently, add 1 extra stretch-and-fold to extend the time).
Preshaping, Taut Shaping, and Chilling
  1. 12:15 PM: Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and dust the top lightly with flour. Flip it completely over so the floured side faces downward. Fold the outer edges cleanly onto itself so that the dry, floured surface remains entirely on the outside of the loaf to form your crunchy crust. Shape into a round and let it sit uncovered for a 30-minute bench rest.
  2. 12:45 PM: Dust the top with flour and use a bench scraper to flip the dough over. Pull the bottom corners up and inward, then roll the dough downward tightly from top to bottom into a smooth, taut roll.
  3. Transfer the shaped log seam-side up into a prepared proofing basket. Cover with plastic wrap and let it proof in a warm 71–79°F (22–26°C) space for 2 hours.
  4. 2:45 PM: Transfer the covered basket directly into the refrigerator for a final 2 hours. Chilling cools the moisture inside, stiffening the dough so it holds its shape perfectly and scores cleanly.
High-Heat Covered Baking
  1. 4:00 PM: Place your cast iron pan with its lid on inside the oven and preheat completely to 500°F (260°C) for 45 minutes to a full hour.
  2. 4:45 PM: Take the cold dough out of the refrigerator. Invert it gently onto a sheet of parchment paper and use a sharp blade or scoring lame to cut a clean slash across the top.
  3. Use the parchment corners to lift and transfer the loaf into the hot cast iron pan. Secure the lid tightly to capture the expanding steam and bake at 500°F (260°C) for exactly 15 minutes.
  4. Carefully remove the lid, lower the oven temperature down to 450°F (230°C), and continue baking uncovered for an additional 20 minutes until the crust turns an even, deep golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack before cutting.

Nutrition

Calories107kcalCarbohydrates21gProtein4gFat0.5gSaturated Fat0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat0.2gMonounsaturated Fat0.04gCholesterol1mgSodium37mgPotassium43mgFiber1gSugar0.1gVitamin A1IUVitamin C0.02mgCalcium6mgIron0.4mg

Notes

  • The Bassinage Dynamic Explained: Retaining 15g of cold water to mix in alongside the salt later is a professional method called bassinage. If you try to add all the liquid right at the beginning, high-hydration doughs can become slippery and lose their structural shape. Introducing this extra water after the autolyse phase allows the fully aligned gluten networks to trap the moisture securely, resulting in a significantly more open interior crumb structure.
  • Why the Final Fridge Chill is Essential: It can be tempting to skip the final 2-hour refrigerator rest and bake directly from the counter, but this step is vital for same-day sourdoughs. Because the bread proofs quickly at room temperature, the outer surface is delicate and soft. Dropping it into a cold environment hardens the starches, allowing your razor blade to glide cleanly without dragging or deflating the dough, which yields a beautiful, high-rising oven spring.
  • Troubleshooting the 40% Bulk Rise Mark: The primary factor dictating success in this recipe is tracking your fermentation volume rather than watching the clock. If your kitchen runs cold and the dough hasn’t achieved a visible 40% to 50% expansion with tiny bubbles by the end of your 4th stretch-and-fold, do not proceed to shaping. Perform a 5th fold sequence and allow it to sit for an extra 40 minutes until it feels light and pillowy.
  • Adapting to an Overnight Autolyse: If you prefer to save time on the morning of day two, you can prepare the autolyse stage the night before. Mix your water, bread flour, and stone-ground whole wheat flour into a shaggy mass at 10:00 PM right alongside your starter build. Cover tightly and let it sit on your counter overnight; by morning, the dough will be silky, smooth, and perfectly primed to receive the peaked levain starter and salt.

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36 Comments

      1. Pauline, hi!
        For this recipe you’ll need 60g of starter on it’s peak.
        Use ratio, which your starter is used to be fed.
        Just adjust the amount of water and flour according your ratio.

  4. Hi! To make the Levain do I use 5g of a mature/fed starter or can I use discard? I’m also new to sourdough baking- so I’m wondering if the 30g of flour to make the starter/leavin at the beginning of the recipe will actually yield me the 60g I need to make the dough? Thank you!

    Reply

  5. Hi Natasha
    Your page is the most page i follow to learn more thank you for your knowledge

    Can i ask something
    I want to use all purpose flour with protein 11.3 only in this recipe

    Is the same ingredient and step? Or what shoud i take care of if i used only all purpose flour

    Reply

  6. This looks great and I plan to try it soon. I’m having trouble with this part: “Starting at the side closest to you, pull the right 2 corners of the dough to the left, then fold them up into half of the dough.”
    The side closest to me would be the bottom, and it doesn’t have 2 right corners. Is there a video of you doing this to help me understand? Thank you!

    Reply

    1. Paula, hi!
      Do you follow me on Instagram?
      I was sharing my method of shaping many times.
      Please let me know 🙏

      Reply

    3. So, what you do is this:
      Take the bottom of the circle of dough and fold it—-but only halfway into the middle. Then, take the other end, farthest from you, and pull it in OVER the BOTTOM half you just folded. So it’s like when you fold up a taco. Now, turn it so that the “burrito” is long-ways. (You could say it should look like a pencil…kinda) Ok, NOW, simply roll it up from the bottom to the top. Then, build tension.

      I really hope this helps!! Good luck!

      Reply

  7. I’ve seen your posts in my suggested feed for a while.

    This is a clear and well written recipe, good job.

    Try your autolyse overnight while your levin grows. I have had great luck with my bread since trying this method. A shaggy dough at night is silky and smooth and ready for mixing in the morning.

    Reply

  8. Hi Natasha , thanks for your great sharing on bread recipes .
    My problem is can’t get window pane using stand mixer , temperature increases 2min to 5min to 28C . My question is do u stop every interval of 5min to put dough in the fridge to cool down to 26C for a total kneading time of say 20min ?

    Thanks for helping

    Reply

    1. Shoann, try to use cold water for autolyse, and ice cold water with salt addition. It will drop temperature down. And yes, you always can put to refrigerator to cool down.

      Reply

  10. Hey,
    I was wondering if I can use gluten free bread flour. If yes is there any change I should do in the remaining process. Not sure if I can find regular bread flour.
    Thank you

    Reply

    1. Hi! Gluten free flour will require more water, and you don’t have to do any foldings. Other than that process should be kind of the same.

      Reply

  12. Thank you for your help.
    I am trying this recipe now.
    This is my first sourdough. 😀
    Even if I fail, I’ll try it again!!👍

    Reply

    1. Yes, please type sourdough starter in a search panel. I was sharing method in my earlier posts.

      Reply

  17. Hello,

    I actually was reading your Easy Same Day Sourdough Loaf from your new book on amazon and it says 2tbs active seed starter?? I have never heard of that and really curious what that is and I cannot wait for your book to come out soon!!! Not soon enough!! Ha ha ha ha

    Can you please enlighten me what that active seed starter is???

    Thank you

    Reply

  18. Hi dear Natasha
    canI I moved the dough in the freezer for 45 min after 2hours rest in the fridge?
    and then bake it

    Reply

  20. Do you have the recipe for levain (called for in many of the recipes). I am assuming this is different from the sourdough starter. Thanks!

    Reply

  21. Should I allow my dough to come to room temp before baking? I feel like when it comes out of the fridge it deflates a little and also I keep getting a dense gummy spot in the middle and I’m really sure I’m proofing enough, I’ve extended proofing time, tried all the tests and it keeps happening.

    Reply

    1. No, the leaven is the part UNDER where it says, “Sourdough Starter.” You mix those things together, wait 12 hours, and you’ve got a leaven! Good luck and I hope this helps! (I know that part can be a bit confusing 😉

      Reply

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