Quick Sourdough Bread Recipe with Yeast (2024)

This quick sourdough bread recipe has both yeast and starter! If you're short on time, or a beginner baker, I break down every step of the process for fail-proof sourdough bread. You'll have true sourdough flavor in a fraction of the time.

This delicious, rustic loaf of authentic sourdough bread comes together in a matter of hours instead of several days. The combination of starter and yeast provides a reliable rise.

Get the flavor and texture of a classic sourdough loaf in only a few hours with a little boost from yeast.

I'll break down how to feed and keep a sourdough starter, then how to use it in a foolproof loaf of real sourdough bread.

Homemade bread isn't fancy, but it's absolutely rewarding and delicious. My top yeast bread is a classic Soft and Fluffy White Bread recipe, and I use a tangzhong to make the texture extra soft.

One of my most popular holiday yeast breads is Pulla Bread, a classic Finnish cardamom loaf, that truly I make all year.

Here I'll teach you how to make a sourdough loaf you'll absolutely love, but so easy you'll be making it often.

I start with the right tools for sourdough bread making, and the Lékué Bread Maker and Lékué sourdough starter jars to keep my process sleek and efficient.

You'll love the innovative bread tools from Lékué. I use quite a few of their silicone kitchen tools including a microwave grill, reusable storage bags, and to-go containers.

When I use the Lékué tools there’s no need for specialty equipment like a banneton or Dutch oven–you can mix the dough and bake the loaf right in the flexible, silicone Lékué Bread Maker.

Here is the list of simple tools I like to have on hand to make my sourdough loaf with yeast:

• Lékué sourdough starter jars, and bread maker
• Digital kitchen scale
• Measuring tools like a good set of cups and spoons
• Dough scraper
• Plastic wrap or kitchen towels
• Lame, razor blade, or sharp knife
• Oven thermometer
• Cooling rack

Notice I DIDN'T list a slew of things like banneton or proofing basket, Dutch oven or bread cloche, or even parchment paper! Lékué tools keep it simple. Read how below.

What Is Sourdough Bread?

True sourdough bread is leavened naturally, using wild yeast and lactobacillus bacteria for fermentation. The difference is regular bread relies on commercial yeast, sourdough utilizes a starter – a fermented mixture of flour and water.

There are a few great benefits of sourdough bread. A sourdough starter, if fed and kept active, imparts a distinctive tangy flavor. This is also achieved through an extended fermentation process of the dough.

Beyond flavor, the prolonged fermentation also aids in gluten breakdown, potentially increasing digestibility! So some gluten intolerant people can eat sourdough without issues. (But those with Celiac disease should still not consume sourdough bread made with wheat flour).

How This Sourdough Recipe Is Different

This sourdough recipe is different because it takes a fraction of the time as a traditional sourdough loaf.

Making a sourdough loaf is a slow-paced journey. Unlike quick-rise commercial yeast, sourdough relies on long hours of fermentation.

From developing a starter to allowing the dough to rest, ferment, and proof, with each phase contributing to its unique texture and tanginess, it can take two to more days.

I added a little instant yeast to this recipe to speed the process and help leaven the bread without the long hours. You'll still get a great sourdough flavor because of the added starter.

Tools You'll Need For Quick Sourdough Bread

The Lékué bread maker simplifies the bread-making process by streamlining it and minimizing the need for additional tools.

Its design integrates mixing, kneading, proofing, and baking functions, allowing you to handle the entire bread-making journey in one container! This eliminates the necessity for a separate mixing bowl, a banneton, and Dutch oven, and reduces cleanup.

The silicone material of the Lékué bread maker offers a non-stick surface, making it easier to work with the dough and eliminating the need for excessive flour or parchment paper.

With its all-in-one functionality, this tool becomes especially beneficial for those who want to get into bread making without accumulating an arsenal of specialized equipment.

Making Sourdough Bread With Starter And Yeast

The combination of a sourdough starter and yeast adds depth to the flavor profile while providing a reliable rise.

This method ensures a consistent and amazing homemade bread with minimal fuss. The resulting loaf has the characteristic tanginess of sourdough, complemented by the reliability of instant yeast, making it something beginner, and experienced bakers can enjoy.

Simply add yeast to the recipe at the same time you add the active, ripe starter.

How To Take Care Of A Sourdough Starter

Taking care of a sourdough starter is simple, but requires an easy yet consistent routine. Store it in a glass container with a loose lid to allow for airflow.

You'll also need to feed it regularly if you plan to use it. This is called keeping an ACTIVE starter. An active starter will get to the "ripe" stage faster, and leaven your bread better.

You'll discard a portion, leaving only a small amount, and replenish with equal parts flour and water. Keep it at room temperature, ideally between 70-75°F (21-24°C), to encourage growth activity.

Now, if you're not baking frequently, refrigerate the starter, remembering to bring it back to room temperature before use. The starter will stay alive in the fridge without feeding for weeks or months.

Activating A Sourdough Starter For Baking

Here's how to prepare a sourdough starter to bake. You want to create a "ripe" starter. A starter is ripe when it has been fed, risen (and almost doubled in size), is bubbly on top and has a sour smell and looser consistency.

This means the yeasts have activated and are ready to be mixed into a loaf of bread.

1. Add active starter into a clean jar. (It's helpful to have at least 50 grams or about ½ cup when starting a loaf).
2. Reset (tare) the scale then add the same weight of room temperature water to the jar.
3. Reset the scale and add the same weight of flour to the jar. (My starter is all-purpose flour so use the same flour as your starter)
4. Stir to combine into a sticky mixture and cover the jar.
5. Mark the level of the mixture in the jar and let sit at room temperature.
6. After 2 to 4 hours the starter should be "ripe." Doubled in size and bubbling. It's ready to use in a recipe.

With the Lékué Sourdough Starter Kit jars, you can have one for discard and one for fresh starter. With two jars it's easy to have starter in one and clean and sanitize the other to have ready.

The Lékué jars have a rubber marker that moves on the jar so you can set the level to watch your starter grow.

Ingredients

• Sourdough starter
• Yeast
• Water
• Flour (all-purpose flour)
• Salt

Tools You'll Need

If you DON'T have the Lékué sourdough tools mentioned above, plus a digital scale, here are the tools you'll need to make sourdough bread with yeast.

• Digital kitchen scale: for weighing ingredients precisely.
• Large mixing bowl: for combining ingredients and initial mixing.
• Measuring spoons: to measure the salt!
• Dough scraper: this flexible spatula is useful for handling and shaping the dough.
• Plastic wrap or a kitchen towel: cover the dough during proofing and rising stages.
• Banneton or proofing bowl: provides a place for the final loaf to proof and holds the shape of the formed loaf.
• Parchment paper: to bake the loaf on so there is no sticking.
• Sharp knife or lame: score the top of the loaf before baking.
• Dutch oven or baking pan: A heavy gauge pan or vessel is best for baking the loaf.
• Cooling rack: cools the bread evenly after baking.

How To Make Sourdough Bread With Yeast

If you aren't using a Lékué bread maker, use similar equipment in your kitchen.

1. Feed sourdough starter 2 to 3 hours before using. When ripe, begin bread making.
   
2. In a bowl or the Lékué Bread Maker combine the sourdough starter, water, and yeast. Stir with clean hands or a dough whisk to combine.
   
3. Add the salt and flour and stir to create a shaggy dough.
4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until dough becomes more smooth and less sticky.
   
5. Transfer the dough back to the Lékué Bread Maker or the bowl, close bread maker clasp and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit in a warm place for 30 minutes.
   
6. Uncover bowl and stretch and fold dough on 4 sides.
   
7. Cover again and let rest 30 minutes. Stretch and fold and clasp and cover bowl again (second time). After 30 minutes more, stretch and fold for a total of 3 stretch-and-fold actions resting 30 minutes each.
8. The dough will begin to change texture and look more smooth. After the third stretch and fold, cover dough, let rest 30 more minutes and then pre-shape the loaf.
   
9. Turn dough out of the bowl and onto a clean work surface. You can wash and dry the Lékué Bread Maker at this point if desired.
10. Pre-shape the loaf and create tension in the dough by doing a tri-fold: stretching the top of the ball about ⅔ over the center then pulling the bottom up to the center. Turn dough a quarter turn so the seam is perpendicular to you.
    
11. You can pre-shape the loaf at this point by "stitching" the dough together: pulling small portions of the edges in, over the center seam all the way down. Turn over, seam side down on the work surface, cover and let rest 30 minutes.
    
12. Shape the loaf by gently rolling it towards you under your cupped hands to form a tight ball.
13. Form an oval, keeping tension on the dough by pinching the bottom seam closed before placing the loaf, seam side down, in the Lékué Bread Maker or seam side up in a floured banneton basket.
14. Cover, but do not close the bowl clasp, and let rise until very puffy, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
    
15. (Use the poke test to check proofing. A floured finger pushed into the dough should leave a mark and move very slowly or not at all.)
16. About 30 minutes into proofing time, heat oven to 425ºF with rack in the lower third.
17. If desired for a rustic look, dust loaf lightly with flour. Make two deep diagonal slashes on top with a serrated knife or lame. (IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE SILICONE BOWL, gently turn proofed loaf onto a sheet of parchment paper so the seam is down)
    
18. Transfer loaf, still in Lékué Bread Maker, to the oven and bake until golden brown and an internal temperature is 200ºF on an instant read thermometer, 25 to 30 minutes. (IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE SILICONE BOWL transfer the loaf on parchment to a Dutch oven or baking sheet.)
19. Remove from oven and, using a clean towel of oven mitts, transfer out of the Lékué Bread Maker to a cooling rack. Let cool at least 30 minutes before slicing.

Storage

Room Temperature Storage: Store sourdough bread with yeast at room temperature wrapped in a plastic bag for 2 to 3 days.

Freezer Storage: For longer storage, freeze the loaf in a plastic bag or wrap tightly with plastic wrap. The loaf will stay fresh for up to 3 months in the freezer.

Expert tip: I like to slice half the loaf into even slices, then wrap them tightly together and freeze. When I'm ready for a slice or two, I just take out a few and use them for toast or a grilled sandwich.

What To Serve With Sourdough Bread

Pair your sourdough bread with cheeses, olive oil and balsamic vinegar, or just enjoy it with a bowl of delicious soup, as sandwich bread, or on the side with pasta.

Here are some of my favorite recipes that pair well with sourdough:

• Broccoli Cheddar Soup
• Creamy Tomato Soup with Chicken
• Chipotle Sweet Potato Soup
• Sausage Lasagna with Pesto
• Ravioli Pasta Bake with Spinach

FAQs

More Easy Bread Recipes

• Orange Nut Swirled Bread Using Frozen Dough
• One Banana Banana Bread
• Super Soft Classic Dinner Rolls
• Dinner Rolls With Seed Topping

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About Tara Teaspoon

I’ve been in the food publishing business for over 20 years, creating recipes & food-styling for magazines, books, television & advertising. Order my new cookbook & stick around for amazing things to eat.

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