Artisan Honey Sourdough Bread Recipe
How to make the best no knead, artisan honey sourdough bread recipe using homemade sourdough starter. Simple, delicious baked bread with no kneading, made in the evening and baked the next morning.
While making sourdough bread requires patience and dedication, it has become a favorite passion of mine. I created a homemade sourdough starter several years ago and bake bread nearly everyday of the week.
After baking many loaves of bread, this is my favorite artisan honey sourdough bread recipe. It is also the favorite of all of the family members in our home. Adding honey creates a tiny bit of sweetness and a lot of moisture to the bread.
After testing this recipe many times, it is the one that has provided consistently good results. Made with unbleached, all purpose, white flour, the baked result yields an airy, chewy crumb with a gold, crunchy crust.
Table of contents
- What is Sourdough?
- How to Make a Sourdough Starter
- What is Artisan Sourdough Bread?
- Why I Love This Recipe
- Recommended Kitchen Essentials You May Need
- Artisan Honey Sourdough Bread Recipe Ingredients
- How to Make No Knead Artisan Honey Sourdough Bread
- Baking Time Schedule for Artisan Honey Sourdough Bread
- Printable Recipe for Artisan Honey Bread
- How to Store Artisan Honey Sourdough Bread
- Tips and Ideas for Baking Sourdough
- Sourdough Bread Recipes
What is Sourdough?
Sourdough is a slow fermented bread that does not require packaged yeast. Sourdough bread is made with a fermented culture of flour and water that contains wild yeast and good bacteria. A healthy and active sourdough starter is what makes bread rise. Sourdough produces a very mild tangy flavor, crisp crust and a slightly chewy texture.
How to Make a Sourdough Starter
If you do not have a starter, you can build a sourdough starter from scratch in about seven days using my Homemade Sourdough Starter Recipe. There is also the option to purchase a strong starter online and begin the process of baking healthy sourdough recipes.
Online sources for sourdough starters:
- Roots and Harvest
- King Arthur
- Cultures for Health
What is Artisan Sourdough Bread?
Artisan loaves are generally made by hand, using only basic ingredients, flour, water, salt and yeast. Sourdough artisan bread does not rely on packaged yeast, as it relies on a culture for leavening instead. Artisan bread can be characterized by being made by hand with long fermentation times that result in greater flavor development and is better for your gut.
From a health view, sourdough bread is better for the body. Longer fermentation allows the enzymes in the bread to break down the gluten, making it easier to digest and easier for the body to absorb.
Why I Love This Recipe
This artisan honey sourdough bread recipe is easy and most importantly it works with my daily schedule. There is very little hands on time and the no knead approach is one that can be appreciated! The process is started one morning and finished up the next day, therefore, allowing for fresh homemade bread on a daily basis.
Recommended Kitchen Essentials You May Need
- a large bowl – I love using wooden bowls or stoneware
- digital kitchen scale
- banneton
- dutch oven
- parchment paper
- linen kitchen towel
- lame
- bread knife
Artisan Honey Sourdough Bread Recipe Ingredients
This, Artisan Sourdough Bread Recipe, yields one loaf.
- 100g sourdough starter – active and bubbly
- 25g raw organic honey
- 300g lukewarm water
- 475g unbleached white flour
- 10g celtic salt
How to Make No Knead Artisan Honey Sourdough Bread
In this recipe tutorial, learn how to make one loaf of homemade Artisan Sourdough Bread, step by step from scratch. This is a great recipe for a beginner as it requires a no knead technique to produce a delicious loaf of bread!
Feed Sourdough Starter
Remove sourdough starter from fridge, bring to room temperature and feed. I feed a 1:1:1 ratio for my artisan sourdough bread recipe. For example, feed 100 grams sourdough starter, 100 grams water, 100 grams all purpose organic flour.
Cover the starter, and allow to double in volume after feeding.
A quick tip: every time the starter is fed, place a rubber band around the jar it is in to mark its height. This helps to see when the starter has doubled in volume and is therefore ready to be used.
If you are still not sure if the starter is ready to be used, do a float test. Drop a small amount of starter, about 1 tsp, into a glass of water. If it floats to the top it’s ready to use. If it sinks, your starter should be fed again, or left a bit longer to activate.
Mix Water and Flour
Using a digital kitchen scale, measure 475g of flour and 300g of water into a large mixing bowl. Mix dough together with your hands, dough will be sticky. Cover with a damp linen towel and let rest for thirty minutes to one hour.
This step, called autolyse, is a process in bread making which allows the flour to completely become hydrated in water. It also helps the dough become more stretchy, making the dough easier to work with and produces a softer, taller crust.
Add Remaining Ingredients
Measure and add 100g sourdough starter, 25g honey and 10g salt. Using your hands, mix the dough together thoroughly and be sure to incorporate the salt into the dough.
You should not be able to feel any granules of salt once it has been incorporated into the dough. Cover with a damp linen cloth and leave on the kitchen counter for one hour.
Stretch and Fold the Dough
After one hour, dip your fingers in water (to prevent dough from sticking), and begin the stretch and fold technique. Gently, lift and fold the dough. Grab a portion of the dough from one side of the bowl, lift it up and fold it over the dough to the other side of the bowl.
Turn the bowl a one-quarter of the way and repeat the process and until you have come full circle. Do this about 20 times at the most until it is a smooth ball.
Cover the bowl and leave on the kitchen counter. Perform the stretch and fold technique another three to four times, over the next three to four hours. Re-cover the bowl each time, leaving on the kitchen counter.
Bulk Fermentation
After the last stretch and fold technique, cover the bowl with a damp linen towel and leave on the counter to ferment overnight, for eight to ten hours.
At the end of fermentation period, the dough should have bubbles on the surface, and be slightly domed on the edges of the bowl. The dough should be springy, and almost doubled.
If in doubt that the sourdough is ready, do the poke test. Carefully poke the dough with flour on your finger, about half an inch deep.
Dough that is properly proofed will very slowly spring back, and leave a small indention in the dough, meaning that this is a good sign the dough has risen enough.
If the dough springs back quickly, it is probably under-proofed and it needs to proof longer.
Dough that does not spring back at all, is over proofed. Unfortunately, you can not go back and correct that stage, but it can still be baked. The bread will not rise as much in the oven, but will probably still taste good.
Shape the Dough
Get a banneton and liberally flour all sides, all the way up to the top. This provides a no stick surface for the dough.
With wet hands, loosen the dough from the edges of a bowl. Gently, perform a single stretch and fold with the dough around the bowl. Do this no more than eight to ten times, just until the dough is in a loose ball again. Handling the dough carefully, remove from the bowl and place the dough, smooth side down into the banneton.
Final Proof
Cover the dough and place it in the fridge for a minimum of three hours but no more than 24 hours. Placing the dough into the refrigerator allows for a slow and cold fermentation stage. This stage helps to develop flavor and the final crust texture.
Pre-Heat Oven, Score and Bake
Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.
Place a sheet of parchment paper over the top of the banneton, then carefully turn it over so that the dough releases onto the parchment paper.
Sprinkle the dough lightly with flour and gently rub the surface with your hands to evenly spread the flour on top of the dough.
Score the top of the dough with a lame or a clean razor blade. King Arthur shares some amazing Bread Scoring Techniques on their site.
Carefully pick up the sides of the parchment paper and place the dough into a dutch oven. Put the lid on and bake it for 50 minutes.
To achieve a dark crust, remove the lid from the dutch oven. Then, continue to bake the loaf another five to ten minutes.
Remove Bread and Cool
After 50 minutes, remove the bread from the oven. Carefully take the loaf from the pan and leave the loaf to cool on a rack.
Wait at least one hour before slicing into the artisan honey sourdough bread. Then, enjoy slathered with homemade butter and a good dripping of honey!
Baking Time Schedule for Artisan Honey Sourdough Bread
Use the example timeline to plan your schedule for baking this artisan honey sourdough bread recipe. Keep in mind that making sourdough bread is affected by the temperature. In summer, a hot kitchen will mean that the rise time is shorter. In the winter, the rise time will take longer. So this is a rough estimate, adjust it for what best meets your baking needs. This timeline can also be found in the printable recipe box below.
- 9:00 AM – Remove starter from refrigerator
- 11:00 PM – Feed the starter and allow to double in volume – (place the starter somewhere warm to have it activated in just a couple of hours)
- 1:00 PM – Combine the 475g flour and 300g water
- 2:00 PM – Add remaining ingredients, 100g sourdough starter, 25g honey and 10g salt. Cover and let sit on the counter for one hour
- 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM Perform three to four stretch and fold techniques. This does not have to be timed, but try to do it once every hour.
- 7:00 PM – Cover the bowl with a damp linen towel and leave on the counter overnight.
The Next Day
- 7:00 AM – Stretch and fold the dough into a loose ball, place into the banneton, and place in the refrigerator. Leave for a minimum of three hours but no more than twenty-four hours.
- 10:00 AM (at the earliest) – Pre-heat oven, remove dough from banneton onto parchment paper, score, and place in dutch oven.
- 10:15 AM – Place in oven to bake
- 11:05 AM – Remove from oven and place loaf on rack to cool
- 12:15 PM – Slice and enjoy!
Printable Recipe for Artisan Honey Bread
Artisan Honey Sourdough Bread Recipe
How to make my favorite no knead, artisan honey sourdough bread recipe using your own homemade sourdough starter. Simple, delicious baked bread with no kneading, made in the evening and baked the next morning.
Ingredients
- 100g sourdough starter – active and bubbly
- 25g raw organic honey
- 300g lukewarm water
- 475g unbleached white flour
- 10g celtic salt
Instructions
Feed Sourdough Starter
Remove sourdough starter from fridge, bring to room temperature and feed. I feed a 1:1:1 ratio for my artisan sourdough bread recipe. For example, feed 100 grams sourdough starter, 100 grams water, 100 grams all purpose organic flour.
Cover the starter, and allow to double in volume after feeding.
A quick tip: every time the starter is fed, place a rubber band around the jar it is in to mark its height. This helps to see when the starter has doubled in volume and is therefore ready to be used.
If you are still not sure if the starter is ready to be used, do a float test. Drop a small amount of starter, about 1 tsp, into a glass of water. If it floats to the top it’s ready to use. If it sinks, your starter should be fed again, or left a bit longer to activate.
Mix Water and Flour
Using a digital scale, measure 475g of flour and 300g of water into a large mixing bowl. Mix dough together with your hands, dough will be sticky. Cover with a damp linen towel and let rest for thirty minutes to one hour.
Add Remaining Ingredients
Measure and add 100g sourdough starter, 25g honey and 10g salt. Using your hands, mix the dough together thoroughly and be sure to incorporate the salt into the dough.
You should not be able to feel any granules of salt once it has been incorporated into the dough. Cover with a damp linen cloth and leave on the kitchen counter for one hour.
Stretch and Fold the Dough
After one hour, dip your fingers in water (to prevent dough from sticking), and begin the stretch and fold technique. Gently, lift and fold the dough. Grab a portion of the dough from one side of the bowl, lift it up and fold it over the dough to the other side of the bowl.
Turn the bowl a one-quarter of the way and repeat the process and until you have come full circle. Do this about 20 times at the most until it is a smooth ball.
Cover the bowl and leave on the kitchen counter. Perform the stretch and fold technique another three to four times, over the next three to four hours. Re-cover the bowl each time, leaving on the kitchen counter.
Bulk Fermentation
After the last stretch and fold technique, cover the bowl with a damp linen towel and leave on the counter to ferment overnight, for eight to ten hours.
At the end of fermentation period, the dough should have bubbles on the surface, and be slightly domed on the edges of the bowl. The dough should be springy, and almost doubled.
If in doubt that the sourdough is ready, do the poke test. Carefully poke the dough with flour on your finger, about half an inch deep.
Dough that is properly proofed will very slowly spring back, and leave a small indention, meaning that this is a good sign the dough has risen enough.
If the dough springs back quickly, it is probably under-proofed and it needs to proof longer.
Dough that does not spring back at all, is over proofed. Unfortunately, you can not go back and correct that stage, but it can still be baked. The bread will not rise as much in the oven, but will probably still taste good.
Shape the Dough
Get a banneton and liberally flour all sides, all the way up to the top. This provides a no stick surface for the dough.
With wet hands, loosen the dough from the edges of a bowl. Gently, perform a single stretch and fold with the dough around the bowl. Do this no more than eight to ten times, just until the dough is in a loose ball again. Handling the dough carefully, remove from the bowl and place the dough, smooth side down into the banneton.
Final Proof
Cover the dough and place it in the fridge for a minimum of three hours but no more than 24 hours. Placing the dough into the refrigerator allows for a slow and cold fermentation stage. This stage helps to develop flavor and the final crust texture.
Pre-Heat Oven, Score and Bake
Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.
Place a sheet of parchment paper over the top of the banneton, then carefully turn it over so that the dough releases onto the parchment paper.
Sprinkle the dough lightly with flour and gently rub the surface with your hands to evenly spread the flour on top of the dough.
Score the top of the dough with a lame or a clean razor blade. King Arthur shares some amazing Bread Scoring Techniques on their site.
Carefully pick up the sides of the parchment paper and place the dough into a dutch oven. Put the lid on and bake it for 50 minutes.
If a dark crust is preferred, remove the lid from dutch oven and bake another five to ten minutes.
Remove Bread and Cool
After 50 minutes, remove the bread from the oven. Carefully take the loaf from the pan and leave the loaf to cool on a rack.
Wait at least one hour before slicing into the artisan honey sourdough bread. Then, enjoy slathered with homemade butter and a good dripping of honey!
Notes
Baking Time Schedule for Artisan Honey Sourdough Bread
Use the example timeline to plan your schedule for baking this artisan honey sourdough bread recipe. Keep in mind that making sourdough bread is affected by the temperature. In summer, a hot kitchen will mean that the rise time is shorter. In the winter, the rise time will take longer. So this is a rough estimate, adjust it for what best meets your baking needs. This timeline can also be found in the printable recipe box below.
- 9:00 AM – Remove starter from refrigerator
- 11:00 PM – Feed the starter and allow to double in volume – (place the starter somewhere warm to have it activated in just a couple of hours)
- 1:00 PM – Combine the 475g flour and 300g water
- 2:00 PM – Add remaining ingredients, 100g sourdough starter, 25g honey and 10g salt. Cover and let sit on the counter for one hour
- 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM Perform three to four stretch and fold techniques. This does not have to be timed, but try to do it once every hour.
- 7:00 PM – Cover the bowl with a damp linen towel and leave on the counter overnight.
The Next Day
- 7:00 AM – Stretch and fold the dough into a loose ball, place into the banneton, and place in the refrigerator. Leave for a minimum of three hours but no more than twenty-four hours.
- 10:00 AM (at the earliest) – Pre-heat oven, remove dough from banneton onto parchment paper, score, and place in dutch oven.
- 10:15 AM – Place in oven to bake
- 11:05 AM – Remove from oven and place loaf on rack to cool
- 12:15 PM – Slice and enjoy!
How to Store Artisan Honey Sourdough Bread
Rarely does a loaf of artisan sourdough bread make it longer than a day in our home, as it is best consumed the day it is baked. In the event it does, here are some tips on how to store sourdough bread.
- After baking a loaf of artisan sourdough bread, leave it on the counter to cool completely. Resist the urge to cut into a hot loaf. Cutting fresh bread from the oven, effects the texture and flavor. The result of cutting into the bread too quickly will leave you with a slice that is gummy and less airy.
- After the bread has cooled, it can be sliced. Slice the bread in half, and turn the bread so that the crumb is face down on a cutting board. The crust helps to keep the moisture in and prevents the crumb from drying out.
- At the end of the day, if there is any sourdough bread left, wrap it in a 100% linen bread bag to store in the bread box.
Tips and Ideas for Baking Sourdough
- Sourdough is greatly affected by the temperature in your home. A very warm environment can have benefits, the fact that the starter can be fed and active within an hour. However, dough benefits from the long proof time, so rising too quickly can be a bad thing. The colder a home is, the process of feeding, waiting on the starter to be active and the proof time can take longer.
- The best way to learn your sourdough and know the best times to mix up the dough, is through experience. Using the refrigerator can help slow the growing process if you find that your sourdough is growing to fast.
- If the dough is sticky, wet your hands and then work with the dough.
- Invest in a good digital kitchen scale. The best way to get a consistently good loaf is to measure the ingredients each time.
- Use an active sourdough starter in order to create a loaf of bread that has a good rise. Using your starter slightly after it peaks, will ensure your bread rises sufficiently
- Use a damp kitchen towel to cover the dough. This prevents a hard crust that can develop on the dough.
- There are so many sourdough recipes and yet every loaf will look completely different. As you work with sourdough, you will develop your own method, and personal touch. Use this recipe as guide as well as the baking schedule. After several times of making the recipe, you will have created your own work of art that tastes delicious!
- Sourdough is sticky! Always wash up your dishes right away or allow them to soak.
Hi Sarah,
I tried your Sweet Honey Sourdough bread and it was excellent. The best part was your step by step detailed instructions. You are truly amazing and thank you for sharing with your readers. Quick question mine burned slightly on the bottom but not enough to change the taste but was wondering what I need to do to correct that. Again thank you for your wonderful blog and all you share with us.
So, you can try a couple of things to prevent this from happening in the future. Be sure that your dutch oven is at least in the center of the oven. If the rack can go a little higher, I would suggest moving it up. Also, you can put a baking sheet on the rack below the dutch oven. I have not had issues with mine burning, but I did test this today by placing a stoneware pan on the rack below the dutch oven. I ended up with a softer crust than usual.
So, hopefully these tips will help for the next loaf. I am glad that you enjoyed the recipe – we eat it daily!
Sarah,
I have an allergy to honey. Do you have any suggestions on a suitable replacement? Thank you.
Can you substitute bread flour for this recipe?
I have never tried to use bread flour so I am unsure of what the outcome may be. But, if you try, let me know!
Hi Sarah,
Thank you for such a wonderful recipe. I make 1 and 1/2 times your recipe, separate it into two loaves to bake and it comes out great! I use Italian 00 flour as my daughter can react to some of the gluten in american wheat products and the bread is delicious. All my family love the bread and I gift it to neighbors during the Christmas Season. Happy Holidays to you and yours!
Hi Sarah, thank you so much for this, I’ve been searching for a non intimidating honey recipe for what feels like weeks! I have everything that I need to get started minus the Celtic salt. I’m having trouble finding this- any substitutions that may work instead? Thank you for all of your tips and tricks I can’t wait to try this!
You can use whatever salt you have on hand. That is just what we use in our home.
Your ingredient list is 25 g of raw honey but your directions by the time say 35 g of honey
Thanks for catching that. I have corrected it.
I’m guessing that second time after taking the starter out of the fridge is 11 am not pm.
So many recipes call for preheating the dutch oven with the oven and placing the dough with the parchment into a HOT dutch oven. Is that step not necessary? I don’t have to risk life and limb to get my bread into the dutch oven to bake. Wonderful!!