When I was young, My mom made sourdough bread using this easy to make sourdough bread using a potato flake starter recipe. She would sell the loaves to friends and family members to raise money for Christmas. It was so good and everyone seemed to love it.

Fast forward about 30 years and mom no longer had any starter left. I begin asking her about the recipe and we couldn’t find ours that was in the family for so long. She scoured the internet and we ultimately adapted ours from the bread recipe on The Southern Lady Cooks.

What is Sourdough Bread?

Sourdough Bread is made from a natural leavening agent. The leavening agent is fermented which gives the bread its sour flavor.

This is also the reason why sourdough bread is a healthier option because the fermented starter is full of probiotics, natural wild yeasts, and good bacteria.

Traditional Sourdough starters use flour and water to ferment. Wild yeasts and bacteria grow on this and this is what causes the bread to rise.

In this case, we are using an easy to make sourdough bread using a potato flake starter which starts with a commercial yeast called active dry yeast to get it started, but then wild yeast takes over after it has fermented.

What Does Sourdough Bread Taste Like?

As the name describes, sourdough is typically sour. The longer you let the starter ferment, the stronger the taste it has. By using the easy to make potato flake starter, the bread will have a mild flavor.

sourdough bread made with a potato flake starter. — Fresh Sliced Sourdough Bread

It is not quite as sour as traditional sourdough bread and it has a pleasantly sweet taste that most people love. In my opinion is the perfect bread.

The results will be similar to traditional white bread but will have all the great benefits of sourdough bread.

How To Make it

What Ingredients Do I Need?

Active Sourdough Starter

Before you can make Sourdough bread using a potato flake starter, you must first have the starter. The starter takes a few days to make but once it is put together once, you just maintain it by feeding it every few days, then remove the starter you need to make your bread.

You will need 1 cup of starter

Active Sourdough Starter Using Potato Flakes

Warm Water

You will need 1 1/2 cups of water that is lukewarm. This should have a temperature range of 95 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit. I like to use my instant-read thermometer to check the temperature.

Salt

Try to use sea salt or Kosher salt if you can. Normal table salt has iodine in it and can give an off-taste. You will need 1 ½ teaspoon of salt

Sugar

You will need ½ cup of White Granulated Sugar. I often use organic cane sugar if I have it on hand.

Vegetable Oil

You will need ½ Cup of Vegetable oil. I typically use canola or corn oil. I have used Olive oil in the past with great results. If you use olive oil, make sure it is a Light Extra Virgin Olive oil, something with a light taste.

Flour

In order to make this recipe, you will need either bread flour or all-purpose flour. I like to use unbleached all-purpose flour when I make my bread. Bread flour is great to use as well.

Bread flour will give a little more structure to the bread because it has a slightly higher protein count than all-purpose flour. Most people have all-purpose on hand so that is why I recommend going with it. Any brand will do but I tend to like King Arthur flour. You will need 6 cups of flour.

Follow these steps to Make it

Step 1: In a large bowl, add 1 1/2 cups of lukewarm water. Then add in 1 cup of starter and ½ cup of vegetable oil.

Adding Lukewarm Water to Starter and Vegetable Oil

Step 2: Next, add the sugar and salt. Mix to dissolve the sugar and salt in the mixture.

Step 3: Add in the 6 cups of flour.

Step 4: Mix until all the flour has been incorporated and a ball is starting to form.

Ingredients mixed and ready to be dumped on the work Surface

Step 5: Turn the ball of dough out onto a floured work surface. If you have a pastry mat, that works well too.

Adding flour to a pastry mat so the dough does not stick

Step 6: Knead until you have a slightly smooth dough ball formed. It should be a little sticky but not too sticky. If you have a stand mixer, use the dough hook and this will make light work out of this step.

Step 7: Place the ball into a clean bowl. I like to add a little vegetable oil to the ball and smear it around. This helps to prevent the dough from sticking to the bowl. I also like to put a little bit of oil on top of the dough to keep it from drying out.

This is How Your Dough Ball Should Look Like

Step 8: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, a tea towel, or Cheesecloth. You could also use parchment paper to cover it as well. Place in a warm place to let the dough rise for the first time. The rise time will vary but I let mine go overnight. Typically you want to a least let it double in size which should take 4 to 8 hours.

Step 9: The next day or after the dough has doubled in size, punch the dough down, then turn it out onto a floured surface again.

Step 10: Knead for several minutes, then divide the dough in half so both sections are equal amount.

Step 11: Place the dough into two baking loaf pans, seam side down. I will oil the sides of the pan with Crisco or vegetable oil to keep it from sticking. This will be the second rise. Let the loaves double in size.

This is What the Loaves Look Like after the Second Rise

Step 12: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the loaves for 35 to 40 minutes bake time, or until golden brown.

Step 14: Remove from the oven and take out the pans immediately. Place the loaves on a cooling rack uncovered.

Let them cool down to room temperature before cutting into them. The crust on the bread has to be set and this cooling down process also lets the remaining moisture escape. This will cause your bread to remain fresher for longer.

Note: This recipe revolves around the feeding of the starter. If you feed the starter in the morning, you will mix the bread up in the evening and bake it the next day.

If you feed the starter at night, you will mix the bread up the next morning and then bake it that evening. You can do it however you wish and in whatever way, it works out best for you. The main thing is to plan it out.

Here is a Few of My Favorite ways to use this Bread:

Serve with Roasted Whole Chicken Breast Recipe [Juicy Cajun Style]
Sourdough Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Sourdough French Toast
Toasted with salted butter on top
Goes great as a side bread with any southern meal

Easy to Make Sourdough Bread using a Potato Flake Starter

As the name describes, sourdough is typically sour. The longer you let the starter ferment, the stronger the taste it has. By Using the easy to make potato flake starter, the bread will have a mild flavor. When I was young, My mom made sourdough bread using this easy to make sourdough bread using a potato flake starter. She would sell the loaves to friends and family members to raise money for Christmas. It was so good and everyone seemed to love it.

Ingredients

1 cup active sourdough starter, see recipe for easy to make sourdough starter from potato flake
1 1/2 cup lukewarm water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt or Kosher salt
6 cups bread or all purpose flour

Instructions

Step 1: In a large bowl, add 1 1/2 cups of lukewarm water. Then add in 1 cup of starter and ½ cup of vegetable oil.
Step 2: Next, add the sugar and salt. Mix to dissolve the sugar and salt in the mixture.
Step 3: Add in the 6 cups of flour.
Step 4: Mix until all the flour has been incorporated and a ball is starting to form.
Step 5: Turn the ball of dough out onto a floured work surface. If you have a pastry mat, that works well too.
Step 6: Knead until you have a slightly smooth dough ball formed. It should be a little sticky but not too sticky. If you have a stand mixer, use the dough hook and this will make light work out of this step.
Step 7: Place the ball into a clean bowl. I like to add a little vegetable oil to the ball and smear it around. This helps to prevent the dough from sticking to the bowl. I also like to put a little bit of oil on top of the dough to keep it from drying out.
Step 8: Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap, a tea towel, or a Cheesecloth. You could also use parchment paper to cover it as well. Place in a warm place to let the dough rise for the first time. The rise time will vary but I let mine go overnight. Typically you want to a least let it double in size which should take 4 to 8 hours.
Step 9: The next day or after the dough has doubled in size, punch the dough down, then turn it out onto a floured surface again.
Step 10: Knead for several minutes, then divide the dough in half so both sections are equal amount.
Step 11: Place the dough into two baking loaf pans, seam side down. I will oil the sides of the pan with Crisco or vegetable oil to keep it from sticking. This will be the second rise. Let the loaves double in size.
Step 12: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the loaves for 35 to 40 minutes bake time, or until golden brown.
Step 14: Remove from the oven and take out of the pans immediately. Place the loaves on a cooling rack uncovered. Let them cool down to room temperature before cutting into them. The crust on the bread has to be set and this cooling down process also lets the remaining moisture escape. This will cause your bread to remain fresher longer.

Notes

Note: This recipe revolves around the feeding of the starter. If you feed the starter in the morning, you will mix the bread up in the evening and bake it the next day. If you feed the starter at night, you will mix the bread up the next morning and then bake it that evening. You can do it however you wish and whatever way it works out best for you. The main thing is to plan it out.

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size:

1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g

FAQ’s

How many Loaves will this recipe make?

This recipe will make two loaves of bread if you are using a 9 x 5 bread pan.

What Size Bread Pan Should I use?

I recommend using a 9 x 5 bread pan. I have used Wilton 9×5 nonstick loaf pans for many years with good success.

Can I Bake It in a Larger Loaf Pan?

Yes. You might not end up with two loaves that way, but rather one big loaf.

Can I Freeze The Bread After I Bake It?

Yes. I have personally tried this and it works great. Make sure to use a good-quality freezer bag to store it in. Make sure to let the bread cool all the way to room temperature before placing it in the bag. The taste is not quite as good as the day you made it but it will be close.

Thank you for choosing to read this post. We truly hope you enjoyed it. There are not many things better than fresh sourdough bread with butter on it! If you enjoyed this recipe, leave us a comment below. We would love to hear from you.
-Ronnie

Also, try these delicious recipes as well:

Marinade for Smoked Beef Jerky
Chicken Bog | A Traditional South Carolina Dish
Southern Food Junkie Chili
Brunswick Stew
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Emily

Friday 26th of May 2023

My first loaves are currently on their second rise and I'm so nervous! I think my kitchen may be a little too warm because I let them rise overnight and the dough was almost spilling out of the bowl. Could I have done something wrong or is it likely temperature? Thank you for sharing your recipes and knowledge!

Ronnie Williams

Hey Emily, I prefer a warm kitchen to a cool or cold one. I think it helps and it sounds like you have a very active starter. I say go with it and see how it turns out. I have had mine do that before and it turned out great. Thanks for your comment. -Ronnie

Jan

Tuesday 25th of April 2023

I love this bread recipe. When I take my bread out to cool it is like air between the crust and top of the bread! The crust detaches when I slice the bread . Can’t figure what is happening! I have been baking for 35 minutes and buttering the top. Maybe bake longer? No butter?

Wednesday 26th of April 2023

@Ronnie Williams, I made bread today and did not butter the crust and it did much better! Thanks for the information! Love the bread!

Hey Jan, Thanks for your comment and question. If you are buttering the top, I find that will cause the crust to get bubbles in it. My mom always did that growing up and it gives it a great flavor but I stopped doing it myself. I also do not cover the bread as it cools off. I find that will cause the top to bubble too. I take my bread out of the pan as soon as I remove it from the oven, then I lay the loaves on cooling racks. I leave it uncovered until it has reached room temperature. This causes all the moisture to release and allows for a better crust to set. Try that and see if it helps any. Thanks in advance, Ronnie

Luann

Saturday 1st of April 2023

Can i add/substitute some whole wheat flour to this recipe

Monday 10th of April 2023

I have experimented with that on my Bread Machine White Bread recipe but not this one. I honestly do not know how it would work but it is worth a try. If you do try it, please come back and leave us a comment to let us know how it went. Thanks, Ronnie

B gibson

Wednesday 22nd of March 2023

I love this bread. My first batch turned out great. The second turned out a bit different as it seemed too dense. The second rise also was not like the first. What did I do wrong to make it turn out so dense?

Thursday 23rd of March 2023

Hey B Gibson, That is awesome it turned out so great the first time. It is hard to tell what you did differently between the two times. A few things come to mind maybe you had too much flour and it was too dry. You might have kneaded it too long as well. The dough should be sticky and stretchy after that first rise. Also, did you take the starter out of the refrigerator and feed it right then? That is how I do mine. Then it needs to set out for 6 to 8 hours before you take off your cup of starter to make the bread with. I hope those tips help you out. Thanks so much.

Ann Hodges

Saturday 4th of February 2023

Thanks for sharing your starter and bread recipes. This is the fifth day of making the starter and my first try at your bread recipe. I never could get the dough to form into a ball. I had a big gooey sticky glob. I even tossed it into my Kitchen Aid with dough hook and added some more flour. Still wouldn’t form a ball. Tried to knead by hand and it stuck to everything it touched. I finally placed the unformed dough into the bowl to rise. Hoping it will properly rise anyway. Someone gave me a starter a long time ago and I kept it going for many years. That bread recipe didn’t call for kneading before the first rise, so I’m hoping this recipe will work the same as that one did. Crossing my fingers. Wondering if you have had that happen before and how you resolved it.

Thursday 9th of February 2023

@Ronnie Williams, following up on my second bake. I went ahead and mixed up using the full 1 1/2 cups of water in my stand mixer bowl and mixed for five minutes on low speed. Placed it straight into greased bowl without attempting to knead by hand or form a ball. Patted it down a little with oiled fingers. Overnight rise was perfect. Was easy to knead into two loaves. Ready to bake in four hours rise time. The baked loaves were perfect! I only had four cups of bread flour so I added two cups wheat flour and made wheat bread. The result was absolutely delicious! Thanks again for the starter and bread recipes.

Tuesday 7th of February 2023

@Ronnie Williams, the bread actually rose and baked up just fine. To shape into loaves, I had to knead the dough for a very long time and kept sprinkling the dough and pastry board with a good bit of flour in order to handle it. But it worked. The overnight first rise was about to come out of the bowl when I checked it at around eight hours. The second rise in the pans only took about four hours and was ready to bake. I fed the starter again this morning and I’m going to mix up the dough in a few minutes. I think I’m going to start with just one cup of water and add more as needed. Hoping I can control the stickiness a little better that way. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Anytime mine is sticky, I just add a little flour at a time until it isn't so sticky. It should be a little sticky on the first rise though. When I am measuring my flour, I make sure I pack it in the cup and use the back of a butter knife to scrap across. This ensures we get the right amount of flour. Fingers crossed it works out for you. Thanks for your comment.