Recipes

Sourdough Bread

Ingredients

  • 4 cups organic white bread flour, spooned and leveled (520 grams total flour) -please don’t include the bowl’s weight. I highly recommend weighing the flour for the first few loaves. (See notes for adding other types of flour.)
  • 2 teaspoons fine sea salt (12 grams)
  • 1 7/8 cups water (385 grams)
  • 90 grams homemade sourdough starter or store-bought starter (1/3 cup) fed 8-12 hours earlier, using it slightly after peaking (For a more “sour” taste, use an unfed starter, 4–6 days after feeding if refrigerated- see notes.)

Optional additions

  • rice flour (my favorite for dusting a banneton).
  • Seeds for flavoring: fennel seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds, caraway seeds, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, etc. (optional, but tasty) My favorite is 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, 1/2 teaspoon caraway and 1 tablespoon chia seeds
  • Substitute 1/2 cup rye flour, spelt flour or whole wheat flour or other whole-grain flour for 1/2 cup of the white bread flour if you like- resisting the temptation to add more for your first few loaves. (62 grams max).
  • Add herbs (fresh or dried- rosemary, thyme, sage, etc).
  • Add nuts, olives, garlic, dried fruit or cheese (please see this Rosemary Olive Sourdough Bread Post, for more “how-to” instructions).

Steps

  1. 8 am. Twelve hours before mixing your dough, feed your sourdough starter, leaving it out on the counter making sure it doubles in size within 6 hours. (See notes for extra sour). OR, if you keep your starter in the fridge and fed it in the last 7 days- it is OK to use it straight from the jar, cold, without feeding. Best to use starter after it peaks, when it is “hungry”.
  2. 8:00 pm PLEASE use a kitchen scale if this is your first loaf. Weigh the flour in a medium bowl (***zero-ing out the weight of the bowl). Then add salt, spices, and seeds. Mix starter and water in a small bowl until cloudy and well mixed. Pour the starter-water into flour, incorporating all the flour using a fork. It should be a thick, shaggy, heavy, sticky dough. See video. Mix for about 1-2 minutes using a wood spoon- it will be hard to mix. Don’t worry about tidy dough here, just get the flour all mixed in. Cover with a damp towel and let rest 15 minutes. It will loosen up as it rests. (Alternatively, mix starter and water in the bowl first, then add the salt and flour-like in my 3rd video).
  3. 8:20 pm: Do the first set of stretches and folds. (See the 1st video in post) With one wet hand (put a bowl of water next to you) pull the dough from one side and stretch it upward, then fold it over to the middle. Rotate the bowl and repeat this 4 times (one on each side). Cover, rest, and repeat the process 15 minutes later. With wet fingers, stretch up and fold over, turning, repeating, for 30 seconds until the dough feels tight. Then turn the dough over in the bowl. Yes, you could do this a couple more times if you would like to build the gluten, but not imperative.
  4. 8:35 pm Proof overnight, at room temp. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, wax wrap, or a damp kitchen towel (to keep the moisture in) and place it on your kitchen counter for 8-12 hours. (see notes on temperature) 68-70F is the ideal temp. (If it is warmer, check at 8 hours, if it is cold, it may need 12).
  5. 6-8 AM Check the dough in the morning. The dough should have expanded, with a slight springy dome to the top. It won’t necessarily double in size ( maybe 1.5 -1.75 times bigger) but will have expanded and look bubbly. Do the POKE TEST: With a floured finger, poke into the dough. If it indents easily and mostly springs back to its original shape, it is ready. If it springs back too fast, it needs longer. If it stays indented, it might be over-proofed.
  6. Line a high-sided bowl with parchment. This brand of parchment does not stick to the bread- but if you are unsure about yours, spray oil on the parchment first.
  7. 6-8 AM- 2nd Set of STRETCH and SHAPE : (Watch 2nd video -Stretch and Shape video). Loosen the dough from all edges of a bowl using your wet fingers, a wet spatula, or a wet plastic dough scraper, sliding down the sides of the bowl. With both wet hands, carefully pull the dough straight up, in the middle and lift it, stretching straight up in the air- 1-2 feet (see photo) and place it back down, gently folding it on top of itself. In this first stretch, the dough may feel quite loose and runny. This is OK. It should firm up as it stretches and folds. (Note: If your dough breaks here, it is probably over-proofed, bake it anyway. If your dough won’t stretch like the photo and feels too tight or firm, it needs to proof longer). After the first stretch, give the bowl a quarter turn, wait 30-60 seconds, wet your hands again and stretch it up high again, folding over itself in the bowl. Wait 30-60 seconds. (You could repeat this one more time, 15 minutes later). Then, the third time you lift and stretch, you will lift it all the way into your parchment-lined bowl, folding over itself like you’ve been doing. (Alternatively, lift it into your floured proofing basket seam side up. ( If seam up, pinch the seam closed). Sprinkle top with seeds and flour (get the sides too), gently rubbing it to even coat –and add seeds if you like. If using a banneton, sprinkle the seeds in the banneton before adding the dough.
  8. FINAL RISE and PREHEAT OVEN: Place the bowl in the refrigerator for one hour uncovered which will firm up the bread, and make scoring easier and help boost “oven spring”. It won’t rise in the fridge. (You could also keep it in the fridge for 3-4 hours if you want to bake later.) Preheat the oven (for 1 FULL hour) to 500F with your dutch oven inside and lid on (see notes). If you have convection- use it. You can also bake the bread at 45oF or 475F. You want your oven as hot so don’t skimp on the preheat. I usually preheat for 1 full hour.
  9. SCORE & BAKE When ready to bake, place the dough by the stove. Pull out the Dutch oven, close the oven, and remove the lid. Score the bread using a lame, razor blade, (or try scissors dipped in cold water), score the dough swiftly and deeply, at a 45-degree angle, 3/4- 1-inch deep. One deep slash is just fine. Or criss-cross, or crescent shape. (Or feel free to get creative here with wheat patterns, etc., see video). You want to score and transfer as quickly as possible. (Alternately, if using a proofing basket, cover the basket with parchment, carefully flip the dough onto the parchment, score and lift the parchment into the pot).
  10. BAKE. Place the Dutch oven in the middle of the 500°F oven for 20 minutes with convection on, or 25 minutes without convection (or 28 minutes at 450°F). Remove lid. It should be puffed and just lightly golden, and the internal temperature should be 200°F (if not, put the lid back on for a few more minutes). Once it’s 200°F, lower the heat to 450°F, and continue to bake uncovered for 10-15 minutes until deeply golden and the internal temperature reaches 204-208°F. No pale loaves please, let them get golden! (For a less “crusty” loaf, increase covered baking time and decrease uncovered baking time).
  11. COOL: It will smell heavenly. Remove from the dutch oven, let it cool 1 hour on a rack or tilted up on its side (so the bottom doesn’t get soggy) before cutting.
  12. SERVE: This type of bread is always BEST, served toasted! Then lather it with butter, ghee or olive oil. Add mashed avocado and salted tomatoes, almond butter and honey, or use it for Mushroom Toast!
  13. STORE: Store the bread wrapped in a kitchen towel for the first day or two to keep the crust nice and crispy. After that, store in a sealed bag. Or freeze! Make sourdough croutons with leftover bread- great in salads and soups!

Yield

1 loaf

Total Time

13 hours 35 minutes