German Sourdough No-Knead Bread Recipe – Oma's Sauerteigbrot

by: Gerhild Fulson  / Using her extensive experience and cultural knowledge, Oma Gerhild provides trusted, authentic, and easy-to-follow German recipes both here and in her many cookbooks.

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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.

Baking healthy bread recipes is the way to go. And, that's what this no-knead bread is all about! Healthy deliciousness! You choose what to add and how healthy to make it. 

Sourdough is so versatile to work with. Either for the bread I've included here, or even making sourdough rolls, once you learn the basics, you've always got options available for baking. 

Read this before making the no-knead bread recipe!

• To make this sourdough no knead bread recipe, you'll have to do some planning. However, you can always stop the process if needed by just putting things into the fridge which will slow the yeast growth.
• 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'll see by the recipe that the addition of things like flax seeds, flax meal, oats, sunflower seeds, bran, or almost anything you can think of, will allow you to change up the final result.
• Add some of each, none, or more of one or the other. You choose. The final addition of the 2 to 3 cups of whole wheat flour will provide the right consistency.
• Your first loaf of bread won't really taste sourdoughy ... however, your subsequent loaves will as your sourdough starter ages. But, that first loaf WILL be delicious as well.

Now, That Consistency -- what can I say?

It's sort of like a thick, wet cement.

Granular from all the seeds and grains, but holding together somewhat. Unfortunately, it's something you'll learn by trial and error.

I've found that if I overdo 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'.

This bread is best eaten slightly warm from the oven. Let it cool so that you can cut it, though. We normally eat half the loaf this way. YUMMY!

Once it's cold, it literally becomes a different kind of bread. The kind you can cut into good slices and make sandwiches from. It tastes different than when warm, but different in a good way.

The 'potato water' used to make the sourdough starter comes from boiling potatoes for dinner the night before. Keep the drained water BUT make sure you do not add salt to these potatoes. Salt will kill the yeast!

Oma's Memories ...

I created this recipe many, many years ago, as our children were growing up. We were really into health foods at that time, as well as trying to save money

Healthy meant freshly ground whole wheat flour from the local feed mill.

I even got black-strap molasses from the feed mill -- figured if it was good enough for the cattle, it was good enough for us. Had some memorable memories with that!

On the way home one day with a gallon jar sitting on the passenger-side floor, the car hit a bump. The jar tipped. Lid came off. One gallon of molasses slowly poured out. Into the carpet. Under the carpet. Cleaned it up thoroughly, but it got into the metal seams under the carpet.

On warm, sunny days, the car smelt like rum for months after. :)

Ready to make some German sourdough bread?

Print Recipe

German Sourdough No Knead Bread Recipe – Oma's Sauerteigbrot

This German sourdough, whole grain, no knead bread recipe, aka Sauerteigbrot, is so delicious and so healthy. Add 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.

Prep Time 15 minutes (bread)

Bake Time 60 minutes

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

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German Sourdough No Knead Bread Recipe made Just like Oma



By Oma Gerhild Fulson





This German sourdough whole grain no knead bread recipe is so delicious and so healthy. Learn this basic method and then alter it to suit your needs. Healthy never tasted this good!


Ingredients: molasses, whole wheat flour, various seeds, salt, yeast, whole grains, potatoes,

For the full recipe, scroll up ...

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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.