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Sourdough Bread

Sourdough Bread

Classic homemade sourdough bread with a crispy golden crust and chewy, tangy interior. Made with just four ingredients and naturally leavened using a wild yeast starter.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Fermentation Time 8 hours
Total Time 1 day
Servings: 10 slices
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: Artisan
Calories: 180
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dough
  • 500 g bread flour or all-purpose flour
  • 375 g warm water 78-82°F
  • 200 g active sourdough starter recently fed and bubbly
  • 10 g fine sea salt

Method
 

  1. Combine flour and warm water in a large bowl. Mix until no dry flour remains. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes (autolyse).
  2. Add active sourdough starter and salt to the dough. Mix thoroughly by squeezing the dough through your fingers until fully incorporated.
  3. Perform stretch and folds every 30 minutes for 2 hours (4 sets total). For each set, grab one side of dough, stretch upward, fold over center. Rotate bowl 90 degrees and repeat 4 times.
  4. Cover bowl and let dough rise at room temperature for 6-8 hours until doubled in size with visible bubbles.
  5. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Shape into a round by tucking edges underneath to create surface tension. Place seam-side up in floured proofing basket.
  6. Cover loosely and refrigerate overnight (8-12 hours) for cold fermentation.
  7. Preheat oven to 450°F with Dutch oven inside for 30 minutes.
  8. Turn cold dough onto parchment paper. Score top with sharp blade in one confident slash about 1/2 inch deep.
  9. Lower dough into hot Dutch oven using parchment. Cover with lid and bake 20 minutes.
  10. Remove lid and bake additional 20-25 minutes until deep golden brown and internal temperature reaches 205°F.
  11. Cool completely on wire rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.

Notes

For best results, use a kitchen scale to measure ingredients by weight. The starter should pass the float test before using. Store baked bread cut-side down at room temperature for up to 4 days, or slice and freeze for up to 3 months.