King Arthur's Sourdough Bread Recipe: Unleash the Flavor of Camelot

There is more than one way to enjoy your bread, and sourdough bread would definitely top our list. Using a mixture of sourdough starter, flour, and some yeast, you’ll be glad to put all that effort into kneading the dough. And when it comes to sourdough bread, King Arthur's is simply the best. 

With proper instructions and accessible ingredients, you also get to customize your sourdough bread. You could add some nuts and seeds or dried fruits, all completely up to you. And that’s only one of the things that make this King Arthur's sourdough bread recipe so good. Let’s take a look.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Equipment
• Storage
• Tips
• King Arthur's Sourdough Bread Recipe
• Comments

Ingredients

• Instant yeast — 1 ½ tsp.
• Granulated sugar — 1 ½ tsp.
• Salt — 1 ½ tsp.
• Sourdough starter — 2 cups.
• Water — ½ cup.
• All-purpose flour — 2 ½ cups.

Instructions

1. Lightly grease a loaf pan.

2. Combine the ingredients for the dough.

3. Knead the dough for 30 minutes to make it soft and smooth.

4. Transfer the dough to a mixing bowl, and let it rise for an hour or so.

5. Grease your work surface, and form the dough into a 9-inch log.

6. Place the log into the greased loaf pan, cover it, and let it rise for an hour.

7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

8. Bake it for 45-55 minutes.

9. Remove it from the oven and let it cool before serving.

Substitutions

• All-purpose flour — The original King Arthur's sourdough bread recipe calls for all-purpose flour, but you could substitute it with other flour. Whole-wheat flour has a higher protein content, which means your bread will be denser and more nutritious. Oat flour will bring a sweet and nutty flavor to the table, and rye flour could work, although your bread will have a darker look.

• Instant yeast — Well, none of your other alternatives would work as well as instant yeast, you could make this King Arthur's sourdough starter recipe with baking powder, another leavening agent.

• Water — This one is a common ingredient in most sourdough bread recipes, but why not try milk instead? It adds a flavor that is richer than water with a softer texture. Buttermilk would be another substitute for water. Due to its high acidic content, it will make your sourdough bread rise even more.

• Granulated sugar — If you’d rather have your sourdough bread a little bit sweeter, you would be better off going with brown sugar. It provides a caramelized, somehow richer flavor, and the same goes for another alternative, molasses.

Variations

• Nuts and seeds — Adding sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or even some chopped almonds and walnuts could upgrade your bread.

• Dried fruits — Who wouldn’t like some sweet and fruity flavor in their sourdough bread? Raisins, cranberries, and dried apricots would all work fine, so go ahead and add some to the mix.

Equipment

• Measuring spoons and cups.

• Loaf pan.

• Mixing bowl.

• Oven.

Storage

• It is best to store sourdough bread at room temperature, wrapped and placed in a bread box or any other container, and it will last for a few days.

• If you’d like to enjoy your sourdough bread for a longer period, you’d best freeze it. Stored in your freezer, it will last for up to four months.

Tips

• The sourdough starter — For best results, your sourdough starter should be matured, regularly fed, and maintained for at least a week. Make sure that it’s bubbly and active, with a sour and pleasant taste.

• Kneading the dough — In our King Arthur sourdough bread recipe, we used our own hands for kneading the dough, but you could also use a hand mixer for an easier and shorter time with guaranteed results.