This no knead lievito madre bread is an easy overnight loaf with minimal effort and a golden, crackly Dutch oven crust. Inside, it stays soft and chewy with that classic sourdough flavor.
This no knead lievito madre bread is essentially no knead sourdough bread, just made the Italian way with pasta madre. Mix the dough, let it rise overnight, then bake it in a Dutch oven until the crust turns golden and crackly and the inside stays soft and chewy.
This is a wonderful first recipe if you are learning to bake with lievito madre because the method is easy and the overnight rise builds great flavor. Begin with my lievito madre starter recipe, then move on to my rustic Italian bread with lievito madre or easy lievito madre bead for a more traditional loaf.
Why You’ll Love this No Knead Crusty Bread
- Authentic Italian method: If you enjoy baking my no knead ciabatta bread, you’ll love applying the no knead method to a lievito madre recipe for classic Italian flavor.
- Easy, hands-off sourdough: If you love sourdough bread but want less work, this recipe is mostly hands-off with a long rise time and no stretch and folds.
Ingredient Notes
- Lukewarm water (divided): Keep it lukewarm, not hot. You’ll use part of it to soften and break up the lievito madre first, then add the rest when mixing the dough.
- Active lievito madre: “Active” means it has been fed and allowed to ferment until it doubles in size. Break it into pieces so it mixes in more easily.
- Honey: Just a small amount to support fermentation and round out the flavor.
- Semolina flour: A common Italian flour made from durum wheat. It is a strong wheat flour that adds a golden color and a rustic, slightly chewy texture.
- Bread flour: Helps strengthen the dough so you get a better rise and a chewy crumb.
Salt: For flavor and structure. Whisk it into the flours first so it disperses evenly.
Feeding Your Lievito Madre Starter
To make this bread, your lievito madre needs to be active and doubled.
Bring to room temp: Take the starter out of the fridge and let it sit 1 to 2 hours.
Refresh: Scrape off any dry top layer, then weigh the starter. Discard about 100 grams, then feed with 100 grams flour and 45 to 50 grams lukewarm water. Add honey if you want.
Knead briefly: Mix, then knead on a lightly floured surface just until it forms a compact dough.
Let it rise: Score a cross on top, place in a clean jar, cover, and let rise until doubled about 4-8 hours. If the starter has been in the fridge for a while you will probably need to feed it a few times to get it at the proper strength.
Use and store: Use what you need for this no knead lievito madre bread recipe, then return the rest to the refrigerator.
How to Make No Knead Lievito Madre Bread
Mix the lievito madre with a little of the lukewarm water first. Breaking it up with your hands makes this easiest, then stir in the honey.
In a larger bowl, whisk the flours and salt together. Pour in the lievito madre mixture and the rest of the water, then stir until you have a shaggy dough.
Cover the bowl and let it sit in a warm, draft-free spot overnight, until it doubles.
When the dough is ready, move it to a semolina-floured surface and fold it over itself to form a loaf.
Dust lightly with semolina, cover, and let it rise again until it looks puffy.
Set a parchment-lined Dutch oven (with the lid on) in the oven and preheat. Letting the Dutch oven heat up helps you get that great crust. Carefully tip the dough into the hot Dutch oven seam-side up, cover, and bake. After the first part of baking with the lid on, remove the lid and bake until the crust is deeply golden.
Lift the bread out right away (the parchment makes this simple) and let it cool completely on a rack before slicing.
recipe tips
- Mind the rise times. Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free spot for about 10–16 hours, or until doubled, then after shaping let it rise again (covered with a tea towel) for about 2–3 hours, until puffy.
- Keep the water lukewarm. Hot water can slow things down by weakening fermentation, and cool water will make the rise take longer.
- If the dough feels sticky, that’s normal. Use a little semolina on the counter and your hands and keep the shaping gentle.
- Avoid over-handling after the first rise. A few folds are enough to shape the loaf without knocking out too much air.
- Cool before slicing. Cutting too early can make the crumb feel gummy, even if the bread is baked through.
- For doneness, the loaf should sound hollow when tapped, and the crust should be deeply golden.
This Lievito Madre No-Knead Bread is proof that homemade artisan bread doesn’t have to be complicated. The wonderful flavor that only lievito madre can provide, it’s a loaf you’ll want to bake again and again. Buon Appetito!
- 365 ml lukewarm water (divided)
- 110 g active lievito madre (broken in pieces)
- ½ tablespoon honey
- 300 g semolina flour
- 200 g bread flour
- 7½ g salt
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In a small bowl add 122 ml of the water and the lievito madre, mix together (it’s easiest to mix with clean hands) add the honey and mix together.
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In a large bowl whisk together the flours and salt, add the lievito madre mixture and remaining water, mix together with a wooden spoon or spatula, cover with plastic wrap or a clean tea towel and place in a warm draft free area for approximately 10-16 hours or until doubled.
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Move the dough to a semolina floured flat surface and fold to form a loaf, dust lightly with semolina flour then cover with a tea towel and let rise 2-3 hours in a warm draft free area.
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Place a parchment paper lined dutch oven (with the lid on) in the oven, then pre-heat oven to 400F/200C. Let the oven heat for about 20 minutes.
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Carefully remove the hot dutch oven from the oven, remove the lid and flip the dough (seam side up) into the dutch oven. Cover and bake for 30 minutes, remove the lid and continue to bake for approximately 10-15 minutes. Move the dough (with the parchment paper) immediately to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. Enjoy!
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Dough is baked when the internal temperature is 190-210F / 88-99C.
Store the bread at room temperature, loosely wrapped or in a bread bag, for 3 to 4 days (it’s best in the first couple of days). If it starts to feel dry, toast or warm slices to refresh it.
Freeze: For longer storage, slice once completely cool and freeze in a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature and toast or warm to bring it back.
Calories: 1934kcal | Carbohydrates: 393g | Protein: 65g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 2934mg | Potassium: 764mg | Fiber: 17g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 4IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 94mg | Iron: 15mg | Phosphorus: 602mg
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