No-knead dough using sourdough starter (no yeast)

I'm getting a bit tired of maintaining starter to make bread that never ends up particularly sour (if it ain't sourdough it ain't good enough to eat, is my motto).  No-knead dough just doesn't seem to want to sour no matter how long I let the dough age in the fridge.  I decided I'd use up my starter and take a break from bread-making.  Except then I discovered a recipe I hadn't seen before for no-knead bread using starter instead of yeast.  

Gotta give the project one more try.  

I've been placing my dough on parchment paper for the dough's final rise so I can lift and drop it into the pre-heated Dutch oven easily.  This time my dough was too wet but last time when I tried correcting it by adding more flour late in the game the bread didn't turn out well.  So I decided to just let it rise as much as it would and bake it anyway.

The bread didn't rise much but it's sour and that's exciting!  I used some rye flour and maybe that helped, too.  The only problem -- and it's a biggie -- is that the parchment paper baked right into the bottom and lower part of the bread crust. Grrrr!  That's probably because of the too-wet dough.  The paper won't peel off, either.  A shame, too, because the crust is wonderfully chewy, just like I prefer.  

Back to planning!
#bread #sourdough

Can you post your recipe and method please?

I grease a silicon sheet and use that for my last rise. It comes off pretty well, better than anything else I've used. Or else I do the final rise right in the baking pan, and heave the whole thing in the oven. That actually works, too. I keep two disks of thick iron (sold as dosa pans) in the oven for thermal mass, and put the baking pans on those.

How did the bread taste?

If it wasn't for the stuck parchment would you use the recipe again?

Rebecca said, "Can you post your recipe and method please?

I would like to see the recipe too.

For the final rise I line a colander with a kitchen towel, sprinkle that with semolina flour, plop down the dough, and sprinkle the top with more semolina. After the dutch oven preheats in the oven, I line it with the parchment and plop in the dough. I've never had the parchment stick using this method.

Stacy Witscher wrote:For the final rise I line a colander with a kitchen towel, sprinkle that with semolina flour, plop down the dough, and sprinkle the top with more semolina. After the dutch oven preheats in the oven, I line it with the parchment and plop in the dough. I've never had the parchment stick using this method.

I'm going to give that a try next time.  Mostly I just want the parchment to use to easily transfer the dough to the Dutch oven with the least risk to my skin!

Anne Miller wrote:How did the bread taste?

If it wasn't for the stuck parchment would you use the recipe again?

Rebecca said, "Can you post your recipe and method please?

I would like to see the recipe too.

The bread I made is nicely sour, almost too much.  But I let the dough ferment for way too long, even though it was in a fridge.  It may be a flavor my starter has developed.  Too many variables at this point, and I'm not much of a note-taker for each loaf I make.

My recipe is currently only in experimental stage.  I'm trying to combine the standard Lahey no-knead recipe using starter instead of dry yeast.  I haven't found one online for that but it seems to me there should be something!  I'll keep looking.

Lif Strand wrote:My recipe is currently only in experimental stage.  I'm trying to combine the standard Lahey no-knead recipe using starter instead of dry yeast.  I haven't found one online for that but it seems to me there should be something!  I'll keep looking.

Lif, that is the best way to achieve what you are aiming for.

I do a lot of experiments mainly just to learn.

I am looking forward to seeing your recipe that you feel was the successful one.

Rebecca Norman wrote:Can you post your recipe and method please?

I grease a silicon sheet and use that for my last rise. It comes off pretty well, better than anything else I've used. Or else I do the final rise right in the baking pan, and heave the whole thing in the oven. That actually works, too. I keep two disks of thick iron (sold as dosa pans) in the oven for thermal mass, and put the baking pans on those.

I pre-heat my Dutch oven, so can't do the final rise in it.  I like your greased silicon sheet method -- that wouldn't work with the overly wet dough of my last bread attempt.  The dough would (did!) slop off of the silicon sheet.  

I'd share my recipe but it's still in the experimental stage and changes from dough to dough.  If I ever get one that actually comes out the way I want, I'll be screaming it to the world, so you'll see that!

I can't believe it's been four years since I posted about finding a new no-knead recipe and finally making a sour loaf. AND I can't believe that I didn't ever share the source of the recipe - because now even I don't have it!

Oh noooo!

I gave up on the last starter when it finally went moldy. I have to start the whole process over, because here is what I want to master to make a loaf of sour sourdough:
1) Home-made starter that will be used as a no-discard starter, and
2) No-knead dough.

Is this crazy? Sourdough purists say I am but I keep thinking about how unlikely it is that in the past people on the move who wanted bread would have time to go through all the steps that all the recipes of today call for. I don't have the patience for it. My schedule is unpredictible and a recipe that requires a stopwatch is not a recipe for me.

I'll see if I saved any of the recipes that might be the last ones I used. If I find them, I'll share them!  

>>  If you already do any of this, please share with me! Thanks!

Well, I don't know how much this would help you, but I experimented and have a no-knead refrigerator recipe I like for either baguettes or sourdough (depending on how long I keep it in the fridge, and if I use part from the last as the starter on the next).

I keep it in the fridge and bake very small amounts of it in my tiny GoSun (tube type of solar oven) Kit (which is the same size tray and tube as their GoSun Go. It's the perfect amount for me to have with a meal. You might be able to use it for inspiration or as a base for things?

Mix:
3/4C water
1 & 1/8 teaspoon salt
1 & 1/8 teaspoon instant yeast
Add to the wet mix:
1 5/8 C all purpose unbleached flour (could probably use any flour)
Mix into shaggy dough. Let sit 2 hours.
Used some (or not) and refrigerate the rest (covered -- I often use a Pyrex rectangular dish that has its own lid).

I've figured out that 150g of that dough is the maximum amount that will rise to max out the volume of the tube diameter. The length doesn't expand, only the height rises, so I fill it to the ends but keep it low (about 1/3 height of the tray sides) to allow for rising. This yields a ~138g baguette loaf.

When I want some, I take the dough out and weigh 150g or less of it, put the rest back in the fridge. I shape it (using a bit more flour if needed) and place it in the tray, then let it rise/warm to room temp covered with a tea towel for about 20 minutes before putting it in the tube and into the sun. I check it at 40 mins and decide when to pull it based on the internal temp (easy with my thermometer) and/or tapping it and/or color. I pop that out on a cookie sheet or similar to cool enough to eat and eat it. Yum!

I'm attaching some pictures:

Beautiful crust on that last loaf!

I love the dutch oven method of baking bread, it mimics many of the things that happen in a traditional brick bread oven, but on a much smaller scale.

I rise mine in a bowl covered with a linen tea towel, my trick is to flour both the loaf and the towel, and that way it doesn't stick. It's more prone to sticking when it's overfermented.

May Gardner wrote:Well, I don't know how much this would help you, but I experimented and have a no-knead refrigerator recipe I like for either baguettes or sourdough (depending on how long I keep it in the fridge, and if I use part from the last as the starter on the next).

I love the idea of baking in the GoSun. What model is that?  I have always wanted an excuse to get one and maybe this is it!

But I think I'm not understanding what you're doing with the dough completely. The ingredients list shows what appears to me to be the initial mixing of dough. But how do you change the ingredients or process when you use part of the last dough as the starter on the next?

The model is called a 'Kit', because you sort of assemble it from the tube, ends, and reflectors. (Simple to do). It's their most inexpensive one, and the same sized tube and tray as the 'Go'. The Go is more portable in some ways because it's got the reflectors built into a zipper case so it's quick to set up/take down an throw it in a bag, but the reflectors are smaller so I chose the Kit and am glad I did. I don't throw it in a bag, and figured if I wanted to travel with it I could make a zipper thing and use those larger reflectors. I also have their 'Fusion' which is much larger, so that'd be better if you want to have sliced sandwich bread. It would be round slices though, lol.

Regarding how I use the last dough with the next batch: I don't do anything scientific with it, I just don't use quite all the dough from the last batch and then plop it in with the new batch when it's mixed before mixing them together. I also don't wash out the container I kept the last batch in before adding the new for the fridge. This is only when I want it to be sourdough, of course.

Sometimes I've kept a sourdough batch and a non-sourdough batch so I can use either according to my mood for the day I use it. Generally though, I don't have it every day, and fridge space is limited, so I like to just start anew each time and let it gradually get sour as I use it. That way it changes and I've had both kinds over the course of it. For your purposes, since you want to go sour all the way, you'd want to skip starting anew after the first time. I'd monitor how it's going after several batches though, as I haven't gone more than about 4 or 5 times without starting anew, so don't know how it'd be after that.

May Gardner wrote:The model is called a 'Kit'.

Sold out! They're all sold out except for the most expensive one.

Hmm, that's odd, looks like it's available to me, and it's on sale it seems.

I would like the recipe also please. I just 2 kinds of sourdough starter in the mail, French style and Italian Italian island style. Not sure what the difference is but I guess I'll find out

May Gardner wrote:Hmm, that's odd, looks like it's available to me, and it's on sale it seems.

I was looking at another of their pages where it showed all models, and each photo had "sold out" on it - or so I thought! I just needed to scroll down further and the kit was there, still available, so I did just now order it and the order went through, so we shall see! Thanks for checking it and letting me know!

I would like the recipe also please. I just 2 kinds of sourdough starter in the mail, French style and Italian Italian island style. Not sure what the difference is but I guess I'll find out

Saralee Couchoud wrote:I would like the recipe also please. I just 2 kinds of sourdough starter in the mail, French style and Italian Italian island style. Not sure what the difference is but I guess I'll find out

I can't share the old recipe I was using yet because I haven't found it in my files or on one of the many loose pieces of paper in the box full of loose papers I'm supposed to go through to see what can be tossed out!

Diid the starters you got come with recipes? If so, I'd go with those to begin with. I've never heard of French or Italian style starter - but I guess it's yeast that originally came from the two different places?  I'd like to know what the difference is between the two is, as well.

I haven't heard of Italian island style, but I have heard of Italian style. What Americans call 'French Bread' and 'Italian Bread' is quite similar, but slightly different. We used to have both when I was growing up. I haven't had the 'Italian Bread' since though, so couldn't really tell you what the difference is well enough. Best I can say is that Italian bread was a bit more chewy and dense with softer outside than French bread. French bread was more airy on the inside and crispy on the outside. Not sure how the starter would factor in though... but perhaps different strains?

Saralee Couchoud wrote:I would like the recipe also please. I just 2 kinds of sourdough starter in the mail, French style and Italian Italian island style. Not sure what the difference is but I guess I'll find out

I think I'm going to stop looking for my old recipes and just use this one by Kate Downham at https://thenourishinghearthfire.com/2026/09/03/fresh-milled-flour-sourdough-boule/  
It's pretty much what I remember from my recipe, plus there's a lot of good stuff about flours and Dutch ovens to check out.