You love sourdough but you don’t have two days to make it. No worries! With this quick hack you can whip up a delicious loaf of hybrid sourdough in just a few hours!
What is a Hybrid Loaf?
There are so many different ways to get bread to rise. Some use baking powder. Others use yeast. Still others prefer starter. I’ll be honest: my favorite kind of bread is a hybrid: part sourdough, part starter.
I used this method in my Focaccia bread (which is delicious, by the way). I did something similar with my sourdough sandwich loaf. But I wanted something that looked and tasted like my delicious homemade sourdough bread (an artisan loaf). Only one problem: I didn’t have two days to pull it off.
Can I Rush the Sourdough Process?
This was the question on my mind. Could I take the exact same recipe I used for my sourdough and add a bit of yeast to it to rush the process? Would that even work?
Turns out, it does work! And now that I’ve made it this way, I might continue to do a “cheaters” sourdough from now on. (Hey, I recently told some friends that at my age I don’t have time for two-day bread. I barely have time for one-day bread!)
Same Day Sourdough Bread Ingredients
You will find a full printable recipe card at the bottom of this post but here’s a quick peek at what you’ll need. These are such simple ingredients!
- 100g active starter
- 350g water
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast (about half a packet)
- 500g flour (all purpose is fine)
- 10g salt
How to Make Same Day Sourdough
You’re going to love this quick, easy sourdough bread!
Combine water, starter, and instant yeast in a large bowl using a bread whisk or blending fork.
Mix until the starter breaks down.
Set aside for five minutes.
Add flour and salt. Stir until combined, using care to get the lumps out. You will end up with a shaggy, loose dough. (A bread whisk is perfect for this process.)
Cover and set aside in a warm spot for 30 minutes to proof.
After the thirty minutes is up, do three rounds of stretch and folds with the dough, 20 minutes apart.
To do a stretch and fold, wet your hands, reach down into the bowl and pull up the dough, stretching it as far as you can and then folding it toward the center of the bowl. Pivot the bowl a quarter turn and repeat. Do this until you’ve stretched and folded the whole dough.
After the third stretch and fold, allow dough to rest for 30 minutes.
Shape dough into a loaf on a lightly floured surface. `
Form into a boule (ball) but gently pushing and pulling the dough, cupping your hands underneath it. You can slowly turn the boule as you go. This should create some tension on top of the boule.
Place boule in a prepared banneton and cover. Allow to rise for a full hour.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit with the empty dutch oven inside, lid and all. (The oven/pan will need to heat for the full hour.)
When the hour is up, flip bread loaf onto a crinkled piece of parchment paper.
Score the top using a razor or lame (about half an inch deep). (Note: this sourdough loaf is loose and doesn't score easily. If you're looking for a better score, you can refrigerate for an hour or two before scoring.)
Very carefully (using oven mitts) lower the bread loaf and parchment paper down into the hot dutch oven.
Gently and carefully add four ice cubes behind the parchment paper (in different areas). This will help provide steam, which is essential.
Cover and bake for 20 minutes.
Remove lid and check that oven spring! (Wow! Lovely!)
Bake another 20 minutes.
Remove and place dutch oven on wire rack to cool. I like to check the temperature of my bread, making sure it's around the 200 degree mark.
After a few minutes, gently lift the loaf and paper out of the pan and place it directly on the wire rack to continue cooling.
You’ll want to leave it for a full hour or longer before slicing. If you cut into it any sooner it might be gummy inside.
Slice and serve!
Store leftovers (completely cooled) in a bread bag or basket with a cloth top.
Do not seal this loaf up while warm or it will get gummy. It should stay fresh for 2-3 days. You can refrigerate or freeze this loaf if you want it to keep longer.
What to Expect from this Recipe
I’ve made a lot of breads and I’ve probably claimed this before, but this is, hands-down, my favorite personal bread. I love baking traditional sourdoughs for others, but this one has a slightly softer crust and a springy texture that makes it absolutely perfect for a variety of things—sandwiches, alongside soups, stews, and even plain, with butter on top. You won't find larger air pockets in this loaf (and it's not super chewy like a traditional sourdough) but it's out of this world delicious.
Can I just say that my breakfast this morning was a piece of buttered bread. . .and it was one of the most delicious breakfasts I’ve ever experienced. In fact, I didn’t even warm the bread. I just ate it at room temperature, slathered in butter. Over-the-top delicious! Then I ate some more for lunch with my homemade beef stew. I couldn’t be happier to recommend a recipe, y’all! In fact, I suspect I’ll be making this version of sourdough more often than the traditional one, and not just because of the time factor.
Variations to this Recipe
You can use the same inclusions in this recipe as you might in any sourdough. Just add them during the stretch and folds. Here are some suggestions:
- Jalapeno and cheddar
- Garlic and parmesan
- Mozzarella and sun-dried tomatoes
- Cinnamon and sugar
Other Breads from Out of the Box Baking
If you love this loaf you’re sure to love my other bread recipes:
- Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread
- Cranberry Pistachio Bread
- Daves Killer Bread
- Rustic Artisan Bread
- Easy Italian Herb Bread
That’s it for this post, friends!
I hope you enjoyed this delicious recipe.
If you make this recipe and love it, don’t forget to leave a review and a comment below. And while you're at it, go ahead and pin some photos to your Pinterest boards!
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About the Author
Janice Thompson is an author, baker, and all-around mischief maker! She has overcome a host of baking catastrophes, including a toppled wedding cake, to learn more about the baking process. Janice has published over 165 books for the Christian market but particularly enjoys writing recipes and baking devotions. To learn more about Janice or to drop her a note, visit her About the Author page.
Same Day Sourdough
You love sourdough but you don’t have two days to make it. No worries! With this quick hack you can whip up a delicious loaf of hybrid sourdough in just a few hours!
Ingredients
- 100g active starter
- 350g water
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast (about half a packet)
- 500g flour (all purpose is fine)
- 10g salt
Instructions
Combine water, starter, and instant yeast in a large bowl using a bread whisk or blending fork. Mix until the starter breaks down.
Set aside for five minutes.
Add flour and salt. Stir until combined, using care to get the lumps out. You will end up with a shaggy, loose dough. (A bread whisk is perfect for this process.)
Cover and set aside in a warm spot for 30 minutes to proof.
After the thirty minutes is up, do three rounds of stretch and folds with the dough, 20 minutes apart.
To do a stretch and fold, wet your hands, reach down into the bowl and pull up the dough, stretching it as far as you can and then folding it toward the center of the bowl. Pivot the bowl a quarter turn and repeat. Do this until you’ve stretched and folded the whole dough.
After the third stretch and fold, allow dough to rest for 30 minutes.
Shape dough into a loaf on a lightly floured surface.
Place loaf in a prepared banneton and cover. Allow to rise for a full hour.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit with the empty dutch oven inside, lid and all. (The oven/pan will need to heat for the full hour.)
When the hour is up, flip bread loaf onto a crinkled piece of parchment paper.
Score the top using a razor or lame (about half an inch deep). (Note: this sourdough loaf is loose and doesn't score easily. If you're looking for a better score, you can refrigerate for an hour or two before scoring.)
Very carefully (using oven mitts) lower the bread loaf and parchment paper down into the hot dutch oven.
Cover and bake for 20 minutes.
Remove lid and bake another 20 minutes.
Remove and place dutch oven on wire rack to cool.
After a few minutes, gently lift the loaf and paper out of the pan and place it directly on the wire rack to continue cooling.
You’ll want to leave it for a full hour or longer before slicing. If you cut into it any sooner it might be gummy inside.
Slice and serve!
Store leftovers (completely cooled) in a bread bag or basket with a cloth top. Do not seal this loaf up while warm or it will get gummy. It should stay fresh for 2-3 days. You can refrigerate or freeze this loaf if you want it to keep longer.