If you love the flavor of homemade sourdough bread but don’t want to make a fresh loaf from scratch every time, this make-ahead sourdough bread recipe is worth trying.
This recipe uses a simple refrigerated dough method inspired by the convenience of the popular “Bread in 5 Minutes a Day” approach, but uses active sourdough starter instead of commercial yeast.
You make one large batch of dough, keep it refrigerated, and then take out enough dough to bake a fresh loaf whenever you want one. That’s why I call it: Sourdough Meal Prep!
It’s a great way to have homemade sourdough bread without having to start the entire process over every time.
Here’s the sourdough starter from Amazon I used to start my own starter >
Watch this video tutorial for how to make sourdough starter:
Why I Like This Make-Ahead Sourdough Method
Traditional sourdough can feel like a lot of work when you think about making a loaf from beginning to end.
You have to feed your starter, mix the dough, develop the gluten, wait for bulk fermentation, shape the loaf, proof it, and finally bake it.
With this method, you do the work once.
The dough is mixed in a large container, allowed to ferment, and then refrigerated. After that, you can use portions of the dough to make individual loaves.
I use a 6-quart container, which gives the dough plenty of room to expand during fermentation.
Here’s the 6-quart container I purchased on Amazon >
For this recipe, I make about 2 kilograms of dough, which is enough for approximately four 500-gram loaves.
Make-Ahead Sourdough Bread Ingredients
For approximately four loaves, you’ll need:
- 1,000 grams flour, I use Polselli Organic Bread Flour
- 630 grams water
- 300 grams active sourdough starter
- 28 grams olive oil, I use Atlas Organic Olive Oil
- 24 grams sugar, I use Just Panela Sugar
- 20–24 grams salt, I use Redmond’s Real Salt
The sourdough starter should be active and recently fed so that it has enough strength to raise the dough.
I use a digital scale to measure all of these ingredients into the 6-quart container.
Why Add Sugar to Sourdough Bread?
You don’t need sugar for sourdough fermentation, but I include it because this recipe was adapted from my original bread-machine recipe.
The sugar adds a small amount of sweetness and also helps with browning and tenderness.
At 24 grams for the entire batch, the bread isn’t particularly sweet.
How to Make Make-Ahead Sourdough Bread
1. Mix the Dough
Add the water and active sourdough starter to your 6-quart container.
Add the flour, olive oil, sugar, and salt.
Mix everything together until there are no obvious pockets of dry flour.
You don’t need to knead the dough like you would with a traditional bread-machine recipe.
2. Let the Dough Rest
Cover the container and let the dough rest for about 30 minutes.
This gives the flour time to hydrate and allows the dough to begin developing structure.
3. Stretch and Fold
Instead of kneading, use a series of stretch-and-folds to help strengthen the dough.
Over the next 1½–2 hours, do about 3–4 sets of stretch-and-folds, approximately 30 minutes apart.
To do a stretch-and-fold, grab one side of the dough, gently stretch it upward, and fold it over the center. Turn the container and repeat on the other sides.
Keep the container covered between folds.
4. Let the Dough Bulk Ferment
After the stretch-and-folds, leave the dough covered at room temperature until it has noticeably expanded and looks airy or bubbly.
This is one part of sourdough baking where I recommend watching the dough rather than relying strictly on a timer.
The fermentation time will depend on the temperature of your kitchen and how active your starter is.
5. Refrigerate the Dough
Once the dough has completed its initial fermentation, cover the container and place it in the refrigerator.
Now you have a batch of sourdough dough ready to use.
Instead of making an entire new batch every time you want bread, you can take out approximately 500 grams of dough for each loaf.
6. Shape Your Loaf
When you’re ready to bake, remove approximately 500 grams of dough from the refrigerator.
Shape it into a boule or batard.
Allow it to continue proofing while you preheat your oven.
7. Bake With Steam
Preheat your oven to 450–480°F.
I’ve had good results baking this bread at 480°F, so that’s an option if your oven and baking setup handle that temperature well.
Steam the oven for the first 20 minutes of baking.
The steam helps keep the surface of the dough flexible during the initial oven spring, allowing the loaf to expand before the crust sets.
After 20 minutes, remove the steam and continue baking.
Bake until the crust is nicely browned and the center of the loaf reaches approximately 200–205°F.
The exact baking time will depend on the size and shape of your loaf and your particular oven.
I like to bake mine several different shapes:
USA Pan Pullman Loaf Pan – this makes great sandwich bread
8. Let the Bread Cool
As tempting as it is to cut into a freshly baked loaf immediately, let the bread cool before slicing.
The interior continues to set as the loaf cools, which helps give you a better crumb and cleaner slices.
How Many Loaves Does This Recipe Make?
This master dough recipe makes approximately 2 kilograms of dough.
You can divide it into four portions of approximately 500 grams each.
That means one batch can give you approximately:
1 batch of dough → 4 loaves
The advantage is that you don’t have to mix and ferment four separate batches.
You make the dough once and have bread dough ready to go in the refrigerator.
Can You Use a Smaller Container?
Yes.
If you don’t want to make the four-loaf batch, you can simply make half the recipe.
Half Batch
- 500 grams flour
- 315 grams water
- 150 grams active sourdough starter
- 14 grams olive oil
- 12 grams sugar
- 10–12 grams salt
This makes approximately 1 kilogram of dough.
Why Use a Refrigerated Sourdough Dough?
The biggest benefit is convenience.
Instead of thinking, “I need to make sourdough bread today,” you can think, “I already have sourdough dough in the refrigerator.”
That makes homemade bread much easier to fit into a busy schedule.
You do the mixing, fermentation, and initial dough development in one session. Then, when you want fresh bread, you simply portion, shape, proof, and bake.
It’s a particularly useful method if you want homemade bread several times a week.
Make-Ahead Sourdough Bread at a Glance
Makes: Approximately 4 loaves
Dough per loaf: Approximately 500 grams
Container: 6-quart dough container
Oven temperature: 450–480°F
Steam: First 20 minutes
After 20 minutes: Remove steam and continue baking
Finished internal temperature: Approximately 200–205°F
Final Thoughts
If you love sourdough but don’t love starting from zero every time you want a loaf, this make-ahead sourdough bread recipe is a great system to try.
The idea is simple: make a large batch of dough, let it ferment, refrigerate it, and then bake fresh bread from the dough as you need it.
It’s the convenience of a refrigerated master dough with the flavor and fermentation of sourdough.
And because the recipe makes about four loaves, one afternoon of preparation can set you up with several fresh loaves instead of requiring you to start a new sourdough recipe every time.
Further reading:
- Easy No-Yeast Sourdough Bread Machine Bread
- CHEF COMPARES: Neretva Stand Mixer vs Kitchenaid Stand Mixer: Is Cheaper Better?
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