Oma's Sourdough No-Knead Bread (Sauerteigbrot)

by: Gerhild Fulson  / Oma Gerhild shares easy, authentic German recipes you can trust, rooted in family tradition and featured in her cookbooks.

Published: May 20, 2013, Updated: April 21, 2025

This hearty German sourdough no-knead bread (sauerteigbrot) is packed with whole grains and seeds. It's easy to make and perfect even for beginners. 

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German Sourdough Bread -- no kneading required! Add almost anything to make it as healthy as you want. Oma's own recipe!

This German sourdough, whole grain, no-knead bread recipe, aka sauerteigbrot,  is so delicious and so healthy. Add things like flax seeds, flax meal, oats, sunflower seeds, psyllium, bran, or almost anything you can think of.

It's important for you to read ALL the notes before you make this recipe! It's a dough like no other.

Top Tips For Best Results

1. Read the Yellow Highlighted Note Below BEFORE you start!
2. Plan Ahead: The dough requires resting time; prepare accordingly.
3. Customize It: Add flax seeds, oats, sunflower seeds, or other grains and seeds to suit your taste.
4. Adjust Consistency: The dough should be thick and sticky; adjust flour as needed.
5. Storage: Once cooled, the bread slices well and is great for sandwiches.

Read this before making the no-knead bread recipe!

• This no-knead sourdough bread takes some planning, but you can pause at any stage by refrigerating. Just bring it back to room temp before continuing.
• I've stopped it at every stage over the years and never had a problem with restarting where I left off, after first allowing the starter, or dough, or unbaked bread to come to room temperature.
• You can mix in flax, oats, sunflower seeds, bran, or whatever you like. Adjust to your taste. The final 2 to 3 cups of whole wheat flour will give the right consistency.
• The first loaf won’t taste very sour yet, but it’ll still be delicious. As your starter matures, the flavor gets better with each bake.

Getting The Feel For The Dough

Now, the consistency—it’s a bit like thick, wet cement. Grainy from all the seeds, yet it holds together. You’ll get a feel for it with practice.

If you add too many dry ingredients, the bread still works but won’t be as moist. Most people figure out the right texture quickly.

We like this bread best slightly warm from the oven. Let it cool just enough to slice. We usually eat half the loaf right then.

Once fully cooled, it turns into a great slicing bread. Perfect for sandwiches, and the flavor changes in a good way.

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How To Make No-Knead Sourdough Bread

(Find the printable recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.)

Ideally start your original starter the night before. You'll only make this one time and then refill your starter every time you make a loaf.

With your starter ready, put 1 cup into a large bowl.

Add 2 cups lukewarm water and 2 cups whole wheat flour. 

Mix together and cover. Let stand at room temperature around 2 - 4 hours.

If you're adding whole wheat berries, make sure you cover them with hot water and let them stand until needed.

Stir and them remove 1 cup of starter to save to use as your sourdough starter next time. Cover and refrigerate. If keeping for longer than 1 week, add a bit of flour weekly to keep it healthy and alive.

Pour in the soaked wheat berries (if using), along with any remaining water.

Add 2 more cups of lukewarm water (3 cups if you didn't add the wheat berries with their water). I added the molasses to the water, but it can be added separately as well. 

Don't forget to add the salt. The bread needs it ;)

Start adding the 'additions'. Here flax seeds and old-fashioned oats are added ...

and sunflower seeds ...

and ground flaxseeds (flax meal) ...

and 2 cups of whole wheat flour. Stir everything together. 

You'll find that this is a very heavy dough and may seem difficult to stir. Here, I've put the bowl into the sink to make it easier. 

If your dough is too liquid (which depends upon the additions), you'll add more flour until the dough looks like this:

Divide the dough into 2 greased bread pans. The pans can be filled at least ¾ full since they don't rise too much. Smooth the top and cover. Let rise about 1 to 1½ hours.

These loaves, below, have risen and are ready for the oven.

Bake for about 1 hour. Remove the bread immediately from the pans and tap on the bottom. It should sound 'hollow'. If not, just put the loaves (without the pans) back in the oven for a bit longer. 

Let the loaves cool on a wire rack before slicing

Ready to enjoy the still slightly-warm freshly baked bread with butter and cheese. SO MEGA LECKER!

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German Sourdough No Knead Bread Recipe – Oma's Sauerteigbrot

Make this hearty German no-knead sourdough bread with whole grains and seeds. Easy, flavorful, and perfect for beginners.

It's important for you to read ALL the notes before you make this recipe! It's a dough like no other.

Prep Time:

15 minutes (bread)

Bake Time:

1 hour

Total Time:

2.5 hours (bread)

Servings:

Makes 2 loaves

Sourdough Starter:

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons yeast
  
• 1 cup lukewarm 'potato water' (from boiling potatoes - no salt added!)
• 1 cups whole wheat flour

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, dissolve the 2 tablespoons yeast in the lukewarm potato water.
2. Add 1 cup whole wheat flour and stir.
3. Let stand, covered lightly, at least 6 hours or overnight at room temperature. It should now have risen and be bubbly. If not, see hints below.

Bread:

Ingredients:

• sourdough starter (from above)
• 1 cup whole wheat berries or cracked wheat, pre-soaked, (optional)
• 4 - 5 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 or 3 cups lukewarm water
• 1½ teaspoons salt
• ¼ to ½ cup molasses
• Additions: about 1 cup of each (to a total of about 6 cups) (see hints below) flax seeds, flax meal, rolled oats, sunflower seeds, bran, wheat germ, etc.

Instructions:

1. Put the sourdough starter into a LARGE bowl. Add 2 cups lukewarm water and 2 cups whole wheat flour. Let stand, covered at room temperature, about 2 to 4 hours.
2. If using whole wheat berries, put them into 2-cup measuring cup. Add hot water just to cover and let stand till needed.
3. After the 2 to 4 hour, remove 1 cup dough to use as your sourdough starter for next time. Cover and refrigerate. If keeping for longer than 1 week, add a bit of flour weekly to keep it healthy and alive.
4. To the dough, add the wheat berries, if using, with their soaking water. Add an additional 2 cups lukewarm water. If no wheat berries are used, add 3 cups lukewarm water.
5. Add salt and molasses. Stir. Add the "additions", stirring well.
6. Stir in 2 cups whole wheat flour, adding more flour if needed until it's the right consistency. The dough will look like wet cement and it will be difficult to stir in any more flour (See hints below).
7. Spoon into 2 greased bread pans. Pans can be filled at least ¾ full. Cover and let rise about 1 to 1½ hours in a draft-free, warm place.
8. Bake in a preheated 375°F. oven for about 1 hour.
9. Immediately remove the bread from the pans. The bread should sound 'hollow' when the bottom is tapped. If not, then bake a bit longer. Let cool on rack before slicing.

Notes/Hints:

• Your subsequent loaves will taste more 'sourdough-y' the older your sourdough starter is. But even the first time, it will be delicious.
• If your original sourdough starter isn't bubbly after the 6 hours, repeat, making sure your yeast is fresh and that you didn't use salt when cooking your potatoes.
• What else have I added? Pumpkin seeds, psyllium husks, hemp seeds, spelt flakes, -- almost anything I can find that is healthy. 
  
• What's the dough like? It's sort of like a thick, wet cement. It's granular from all the seeds and grains, but holding together somewhat. It's something you'll learn by trial and error. If one overdoes the dry ingredients, the bread still turns out, just not as moist as usual. Everyone I've given the recipe to over the years quickly figures out the 'right feel'.
• You can use the whey left over from making quark instead of the water when making your bread.

*  *  *  *  *

Unless otherwise noted recipe, images and content © Just like Oma | www.quick-german-recipes.com

Recipe updated: April 21, 2025

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Hi, I'm Oma Gerhild! As a food writer and cookbook author, I'm always looking to find ways to pass on my German heritage using local ingredients. Quick and easy. That's my goal. Wunderbar food. That's the result.