This is a recipe for a basic sourdough bread, made with your own homemade sourdough starter. Let the dough rise overnight in the fridge to bake the next morning or mix in the morning for a fresh sourdough bread in the evening.
Sourdough bread is a naturally leavened bread made without commercial yeast. The wild yeast in a sourdough starter makes the bread rise. The only ingredients necessary for making a sourdough bread are water, flour, salt and of course your sourdough starter.
Sourdough has a typical tangy flavor, a chewy texture and a cracked crust. The naturally occurring acids and long fermentation make it more digestible and easier for the body to absorb. However, the best thing about this bread is that it is scrumptious.
Tools & Equipment
- Banneton
- Dutch oven
- Large ceramic or glass dish
- Large pot or bowl
- Parchment paper
- Plastic wrap
- Scoring knife or razor blade
- Small bowl
- Small glass jar
- Silicone spatula
- Wire rack
Recipe Tips
Flour: The more protein your flour has, the more water you can use. If your flour has 10-12% protein use 300g of water and if your flour has 13-14% protein use 325g of water.
Sourdough Starter: For this recipe you will need an active sourdough starter. Your starter should double in size at room temperature within 5-10 hours after feeding. If it does, it is perfect. If not, repeat feeding every 12 hours until it does. I use a 1:5:5 ratio, which means 10g of sourdough starter, 50g of flour and 50g of water. Rye or whole wheat flour works best in a starter. Check out my sourdough starter: Sophie.
Autolyse & Leaven: After the first mixing, the dough rests in the bowl. While resting, the gluten swells and forms chains that create the structure of the dough. This is an important step and essential for a good volume of your bread. The leaven is made with the starter. The character of the leaven is transferred to the dough and finally to the finished bread.
Bulk Fermentation: The key to a great sourdough bread is the control of the fermentation process. The strength, flavor and structure of the dough are determined during this time. This is different for each bread. Therefore, it is more important to consider the appearance and texture of the dough to tell if the fermentation is done (rather than the time it takes).
Ingredients for Basic Sourdough Bread
Step by Step Guide – How to Make Basic Sourdough Bread
Autolyse & Leaven
Combine flour and water with a silicon spatula and then with your hands until fully incorporated. Place the lid on the pot and let the dough rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
Add the active starter and salt and mix until well homogenized, for about 3 minutes. Make sure the sourdough starter is evenly distributed across the dough. Cover and let the dough rest for another 15 minutes.
Place the dough on an unfloured work surface. Take a small sample from the dough and place it in a small glass jar. This will help you determine exactly when the dough is done with the bulk fermentation. Mark with a rubber band to see how the dough increases in size.
Pull the dough out as far as you can and fold it over, that it sticks to itself. Repeat this from each side. Pull the dough across the surface with your hands at a 45° angle. The dough should become nice and round. Wait 1 minute and repeat this 3 times.
Bulk Fermentation
The dough should now be a nice round ball. If not, wait another 15 minutes and repeat rolling the dough into a ball again. Place in a ceramic dish and cover with plastic.
Fold and stretch the dough when it has flattened out quite a bit. Lightly wet your hands with cold water and loosen the dough from the sides of the container. Work the opposite sides, then pull the 3rd side under the dough and fold it on the 4th side. Cover with plastic again.
Repeat the folding and stretching process every 1 1/2-2 hours. This process can take 4-12 hours. Keep an eye on your sample as this is the best way to check the progress of the fermentation. The dough should look bubbly.
Shaping the Dough
Prepare your banneton by dusting it generously with a mix of bread flour and rice flour. Lightly flour your work surface and place your dough on it. Fold the dough like a letter so it sticks together. Gently push out and roll together tightly. Tuck the ends together for an oval loaf.
Carefully turn over, place the dough in the banneton and pinch the bottom seam together. Lightly dust the top and sides of the banneton with flour to prevent the dough from sticking and cover with plastic.
Proofing Stage
An important part of the proofing stage is to inflate the tightened gluten network again. Depending on when you want to bake your bread, you can let the dough proof at room temperature or in the fridge.
Room temperature method: this takes 2-4 hours, done when the finger poke test is passed.
Fridge method: Let the dough proof at room temperature for 1 hour, then transfer to the fridge for 6-24 hours.
Baking
Place the dutch oven in the oven and preheat the oven to the highest temperature of 260°C / 500°F for at least 30 minutes. Carefully invert the dough from the banneton onto a sheet of parchment.
Score the dough, place it with the parchment paper in the dutch oven and cover with the lid. Lower the temperature of your oven to 230°C / 450°F and place the dutch oven inside. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for another 15-20 minutes, until your bread has the desired color. It is done when the core temperature reaches 95°C / 200°F.
Remove from the oven and carefully lift the bread out of the dutch oven by using the ends of the parchment. Allow the bread to cool completely on a wire rack before cutting.
Storage: Simple paper bags and kitchen towels are very good to protect bread from drying out too much. You can store it for 3-5 days at room temperature. Do not keep bread in the fridge. If you keep your bread in the fridge, it will get stale faster compared to keeping it at room temperature.
Freezing is a very good option for long-term storage. Let the bread cool completely and either freeze whole or cut into slices in a ziplock bag for up to 3 months.
My Summary for Basic Sourdough Bread
Difficulty: Intermediate.
Taste: This basic sourdough bread has a distinctive tangy, slightly sour taste but not too overpowering. So good!
Texture: The bread has a crunchy crust and the crumb is a little chewy with holes distributed as evenly as possible
Time: For autolyse and leaven you need about 2 hours, the bulk fermentation took me 9 hours (this depends on the temperature, in my kitchen it was 22°C). Shaping is fast with 10 minutes and for proofing I kept the loaf in the fridge overnight (2-4 hours at room temperature is also an option). Baking takes another 40 minutes or so.
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