Sourdough Bread
This Sourdough Bread delivers everything you could hope for from an artisan loaf: a crispy, blistered crust that shatters when you slice into it and an interior so soft and airy you can see the light through each hole. Made with just flour, water, salt, and a live sourdough starter, the long 12–18 hour fermentation does the heavy lifting — developing deep, tangy flavor, improving digestibility, and creating that signature open crumb that makes store-bought bread seem one-dimensional.
Equipment
- Kitchen scale Measuring by weight is essential for sourdough
- Large mixing bowl
- Dutch oven with lid 5–7 quart capacity; essential for steam and crust development
- Banneton proofing basket Or a bowl lined with a clean kitchen towel
- Bench scraper
- Bread lame Or a sharp knife for scoring
- Instant-read thermometer For checking dough and oven temperatures
- Parchment paper Used as a sling to lower dough into the hot Dutch oven
- Wire cooling rack
- Clean kitchen towel
Ingredients
- 500 g bread flour about 4 cups; plus extra for dusting. King Arthur bread flour recommended for best results.
- 350 g water 1½ cups; room temperature (let cold tap water sit 30 minutes before using)
- 100 g active sourdough starter ½ cup; fed and bubbly — should pass the float test before using
- 10 g salt 2 teaspoons
- rice flour for dusting the banneton proofing basket
Instructions
- Combine 500g bread flour and 350g room temperature water in a large bowl and mix until no dry flour remains, forming a shaggy dough. Cover and let rest at room temperature for 30–60 minutes to allow gluten to begin forming naturally.
- Pour 100g of active sourdough starter over the rested dough and use wet hands to pinch and fold it in until fully incorporated, about 2–3 minutes. Sprinkle 10g salt over the surface and continue pinching and folding until the salt dissolves and the dough is smooth.
- With wet hands, perform one set of stretch and folds: grab one side of the dough, stretch it up about 12 inches, fold it over to the opposite side, then rotate the bowl 90° and repeat for 4 folds total. Cover and rest 30 minutes, then repeat the process 3 more times (4 sets total over 2 hours).
- After all stretch and folds are complete, cover the bowl and let the dough ferment at room temperature (70–72°F) for 4–6 hours, until it has increased by about 50% in volume, looks puffy with visible bubbles, and jiggles slightly when the bowl is shaken.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and use a bench scraper to fold the edges toward the center, creating a round shape. Let rest seam-side down for 20–30 minutes while you dust the banneton generously with rice flour.
- Flip the rested dough round, fold it into an envelope shape (bottom third up, sides in, top down), then roll it toward you with your thumbs creating surface tension, and seal the seam. Drag the dough across the counter in small circles until the surface is taut but not tearing.
- Place the shaped dough seam-side up in the prepared banneton, cover tightly with plastic wrap or place in a large bag, and refrigerate for 12–18 hours. The dough is ready when a ½-inch poke slowly springs back but leaves a slight indentation.
- Place your Dutch oven with the lid on in the oven and preheat to 500°F for at least 45 minutes, until thoroughly heated. Keep the dough in the refrigerator while the oven preheats — the cold makes scoring easier.
- Turn the cold dough onto parchment paper, score a confident ½-inch slash at a 30° angle with your bread lame, then lower it into the screaming-hot Dutch oven using the parchment as a sling. Cover and bake at 450°F for 20 minutes, then remove the lid and bake 25–30 more minutes until deep golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 205–210°F.
- Transfer the loaf immediately to a wire cooling rack and let cool for at least 1 hour before slicing, preferably 2–3 hours, so the interior can fully set and the crumb won't be gummy.
Notes
- Starter readiness: Your starter must be bubbly, doubled in size, and pass the float test (drop a spoonful in water — it should float) before using it in the dough.
- Temperature over time: Kitchen temperature dramatically affects fermentation — at 65°F, bulk fermentation may take 8 hours; at 75°F, only 3–4 hours. Watch the dough, not the clock.
- Warm kitchen tip: To maintain 75–80°F during bulk fermentation, place the dough in your oven with just the oven light on.
- Cold water fix: Let tap water sit 30 minutes to reach room temperature before using; cold water can slow fermentation too much.
- Overproofing signs: If you poke the dough and the indentation doesn't spring back at all, it's overproofed and will spread flat instead of rising up.
- No Dutch oven? Bake on a pizza stone or baking sheet and pour boiling water into a metal pan on the bottom rack to create steam. Results won't be quite as crispy but still delicious.
- Storage: Store cut-side down on a cutting board or in a paper bag for 2–3 days. Avoid plastic bags — they soften the crust. Never refrigerate sourdough; it stales faster.
- Freezing: Slice the entire loaf and freeze in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Toast slices directly from frozen with no thawing needed.
- Refreshing day-old bread: Run the whole loaf under water briefly and bake at 350°F for 10 minutes to restore a crispy crust.
- Variations: Swap 100g of bread flour for whole wheat flour, or fold in 100g grated cheese, fresh herbs, walnuts and dried cranberries, or chocolate chips during the final stretch and fold.
Nutrition
Serving: 1SliceCalories: 180kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 6gFat: 0.5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 195mgPotassium: 60mgFiber: 1.5gCalcium: 1mgIron: 10mg
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