Oma's Sourdough No-Knead Bread (Sauerteigbrot)

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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.

Ingredients:

For The Sourdough Starter:

• 2 tablespoons (20 grams) active dry yeast
  
• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 cup (130 g) whole wheat or bread flour

Instructions:

For The Sourdough Starter:

1. Put potatoes into a small pot and barely cover with water. Cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, keeping 1 cup (240 ml) of liquid. Discard the potatoes and let the cup of potato water cool to lukewarm.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, dissolve the yeast in the potato water. Add the flour and stir. Cover with a towel and let the starter stand overnight at room temperature. The starter should be bubbly after it has stood overnight.
3. You can use the starter right away or let it age at room temperature by feeding it equal quantities of flour and water, about ¼ cup each daily for several days. Subsequent loaves will taste more sour the older the starter is.
4. Keep the mature starter in a covered container in the fridge and feed it weekly.

Ingredients:

For The Bread:

• 1 - 1½ cups (240 - 360 milliliters) sourdough starter (from above)
• 5 cups (1.2 liters) lukewarm water, divided
• 4 - 5 cups (520 - 650 grams) whole wheat flour, divided
• 1 cup (185 grams) wheat berries or (149 grams) cracked wheat (optional)
• 1½ teaspoons (9 grams) salt
• ¼ cup (85 grams) molasses
• 6 cups of additions: choose any combination of flax seeds, rolled oats, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, cracked wheat, bran, wheat berries, wheat germ, etc.

Instructions:

For The Bread:

1. To make the pre-dough, put the sourdough starter into a LARGE bowl. Add 2 cups lukewarm water and stir in 2 cups whole wheat flour. Let stand, covered with a towel, at room temperature, about 2 to 4 hours.
2. Meanwhile, if using wheat berries or cracked wheat, put them into a 2-cup measuring cup. Add hot water just to cover and let stand till needed.
3. After the 2 to 4 hours, transfer 1 cup of the pre-dough to a mason jar to use as your sourdough starter for next time. Cover tightly with plastic wrap or a lid and refrigerate. If keeping for longer than 1 week, add a bit of flour and water weekly to keep it healthy and alive. If using again within a few days, keep it on your counter.
4. To the remaining pre-dough, add the wheat berries or cracked wheat, if using, with their soaking water and an additional 2 cups lukewarm water. If no soaked wheat berries or cracked wheat are used, add 3 cups lukewarm water.
5. Stir in the salt and molasses. Add the additions, stirring well.
6. Stir in 2 cups whole wheat flour, adding more flour if needed, until the dough is the consistency of wet cement. It will be difficult to stir in any more flour.
7. Grease 2 8x4x2-inch loaf pans. Spoon in the dough. The pans can be filled at least ¾ full. Cover with a towel and let rise about 1 to 1½ hours in a warm, draft-free place.
8. Bake in a preheated 375°F (190°C) oven for 1 hour.
9. Immediately remove the bread from the pans. The bread should sound hollow when the bottom is tapped. If not, return the bread (without the pans) to the oven and bake another 5 to 10 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack at least 1 hour 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.

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Updated on December 4, 2025