No-Bake Sourdough Recipes
for when it's too hot to turn on the oven...
For many of us, summer means less time at home, less time in the kitchen, less time cooking, and much less time baking. We’re all busier with kids home from school, travel, family in town, plus it’s just so darn hot. And this summer has been a real scorcher so far. Of course I’m cooking and baking all year long because I love it and because it’s my job, but my rhythms definitely shift in the hotter months. We’re making quicker cooking, stove-top meals with plenty of cool, crisp salads and fresh fruit on the side. You will often find my husband grilling or smoking meats outside to keep the kitchen cool and mostly clean (bless him).
Despite the heat, yes, I’ve still been baking sourdough - just not a lot. I’ve been making a loaf of my Artisan Sourdough Bread every week or so because I just can’t live without it. After an overnight cold-ferment in the fridge, I get it baked as soon as I wake up (which is pretty early thanks to our toddler). But instead of preheating a Dutch oven I’ve been using the two-pan method which cuts down on preheating time and I don’t have to wrestle with a hot Dutch oven. I have been loving the results.
To bake sourdough bread using the two-pan method you will shape the dough after the bulk ferment, place it in a loaf pan (make sure you have a matching one. Mine are 9x5), cover, and let rest in the fridge overnight. The next day, preheat the oven to 475, score the loaf however you like, place a matching loaf pan upside down on top of the other loaf pan creating a lid. Place carefully in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the top loaf pan, admire the oven spring, and continue baking at 425 for 15-20 more minutes. I plan to add a post soon with all the details and photos but that’s the basic idea and it creates such a beautiful, tall loaf of sourdough with a thin, crisp crust all around. I think I’m hooked. Here’s a little video I shared on my Instagram stories. Sound on for crackle!
And, yes, despite the heat, I’m recipe testing all year long, no matter what the weather is doing, so that I can always bring you fresh, new recipes.
But for those who simply cannot bear to turn the oven on during these hot months, you have options to get sourdough bread and other treats on the table! My two favorites are Sourdough Discard English Muffins and Soft Sourdough Flour Tortillas (I’m working on a naan recipe which is also great for a no-bake bread option). The English Muffins are the top recipe on my site right now by a long shot so I know you are all feeling the heat and leaving the ovens off this summer. I also have a Cinnamon Raisin version.
Note: There is an optional baking time if you make extra thick English muffins like I often do. But if you want to avoid it either make them a bit thinner or just keep them in the skillet, covered, for the extra 5-10 minutes on a lower heat and flip them often so they don’t burn on one side. And keep in mind, English muffins are meant to be a bit moist inside after griddling because they technically finish cooking when you split and toast them.
And let’s not forget Sourdough Pancakes and Sourdough Waffles - either recipe can be made with active starter or unfed (discard) starter straight from the fridge. Waffles can make delicious sandwich bread if you leave out the vanilla and add some herbs, seasonings, and/or a handful of cheddar or parmesan right to the batter.
I encourage you to think outside the box (and by box I mean oven) this summer. If you’ve been ignoring your sourdough starter because you just can’t stand to heat up the kitchen, give any of these stove-top sourdough options a try. Use the English muffins or waffles to make sandwiches, the tortillas to make quesadillas or wraps - get creative and stay cool!
And for a really fun and very nostalgic no-bake treat that doesn’t involve sourdough, make a batch of Classic No-Bake Cookies. Mine are a little different than most as I use real chopped chocolate and I have a white chocolate and dark or milk chocolate option. You can substitute almond butter or sunflower seed butter if you’re allergic to peanuts.
Sourdough and Sourdough Discard Recipe Ebook
If you’re new here, I have an Ebook! Thank you to those of you who already purchased it! This ebook is simple to print and makes a very thoughtful gift for a friend or loved one who is just beginning their sourdough journey. And of course you don’t have to print it, it looks great on a tablet, laptop, or even a smartphone. But if you want to print it here are the settings I chose at my Staples: professional print, 8.5”x11”, portrait, scale to fit, double-sided, head-to-head, white card stock, color printing, black coil binding, no front cover, card stock back cover.
Here is a preview of the cover and first page.
Top Ten Recipes This Week
Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls (same day or overnight)
Sourdough Cheese Crackers (like cheez-its!)
Sourdough Hamburger or Hot Dog Buns (quick discard or long-fermented with active starter options)
How to Make a Sourdough Starter (easy beginner’s guide)
Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls (no added yeast, long-fermented)
Sourdough Discard Crackers (with olive oil, rosemary, and parmesan)
Good News in the AI Wars
A few weeks ago I shared my thoughts on Google’s AI features and yesterday there was finally a bit of good news on that front and maybe a tiny bit of validation that our feedback as creators and publishers matters and can actually make a difference. Yes, they are still scraping our content and using it for their AI overviews, but at least they aren’t serving up our entire recipes within Google Search.
“The company’s retreat on the recipe feature comes amid a larger debate about whether the terms of engagement between the search giant and publishers should be renegotiated as generative AI remakes the web,” Love and Alba write. “Creators who depend on Google and other technology companies for traffic have spoken out about the devastating toll AI has taken on their businesses, and are pushing for more control over how their content is used to develop the technology.” Google Will Stop Summarizing Recipes in Search Results, NeimanLab.org
Thanks so much for being here. - Anita
This is awesome! I like!
Why don't you give this a try?
It just started this week: https://open.substack.com/pub/thisisgastromancy/p/july-creators-challenge?r=5pvlm&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false