I use easy method to make my own sourdough bread without the kneading

With the continuing cost of living crisis, which has seen bills and prices of everyday essential rise, over 59% of households across the UK reporting rising costs in February 2026.

Because of this, many will be looking for ways to save some money in any way they can, whether it’s finding ways lower energy bills, or changing the way they do the food shop. This can include opting to go to cheaper supermarkets, or picking up off-brand items rather than it’s branded alternative.

My partner and I have made our own ways to save money, which includes no longer buying bread during our weekly food shops. Instead, we opt to make our own while the cost of living crisis rumbles on.

Since we both work full-time, neither of us have the time or energy to spend hours in the kitchen, kneading a dough to then make it into bread. But instead, we’ve found a pretty-much fool proof way to make bread that can be done while we’re working.

And it all comes down to one special appliance, that has quickly became one of our favourite gadgets in our home – the bread maker, which we got as a moving in present from my boyfriend’s family after it had been forgotten about in a cupboard.

We quickly realised just how easy this made bread making, as all you need to do is add the ingredients into the accompanying bowl, before leaving it until the chosen programme is done. As you return to get it, you will find freshly made bread there waiting for you.

The bread machine also came with an accompanying book of recipes where you can take your pick of breads, pastries, and even pizza dough, as they all have different settings. But as we already had a sourdough starter, we found a way to make sourdough baking easier than ever.

How to make sourdough bread in a bread maker

All you need to do is add two cups of warm water and a quarter cup of melted butter into the bread maker bowl. You can also make it dairy free by using margarine, or any other oil.

Then, add four cups of bread flour, two tablespoons of sugar (but maple syrup or honey also works and makes it delicious), and half a tablespoon of salt. Finally, add a quarter cup of your active sourdough starter.

When all ingredients are added – don’t mix it! Simply add the bowl into the bread maker and start it on a dough setting. Once it’s mixed and rising, I like to take it out of the bread maker and add it to my oven, which I have heated at around 30 degrees, as this makes the rising process go by quicker.

Since it’s sourdough, this does take a bit longer to rise, as it needs to double in size. But adding it to a warm oven will make this process go quicker. But if you’re just making a normal loaf with yeast, this won’t be necessary, as the time in the bread maker will be enough.

Once it’s doubled in size, it’s time to score the dough to help it grow once baking. When you’ve done this, it’s time to put it back in the breadmaker to bake it.

Each bread maker will be different, but for sourdough, I like to bake it for 50-55 minutes, as this allows it to get a nice, golden brown colour all over. Once done, take it out and remove from the bread bowl.

Then, the hard part begins, as you will need to let it cool down before cutting into it, or risk the bread become rubbery in its texture. Once cool, you can cut into your freshly made bread.