Sourdough Bread (Printable)
Traditional wild yeast loaf with crisp crust, tangy flavor, and chewy texture
# What You’ll Need:
→ Dough
01 - 3.5 cups bread flour (500g)
02 - 1.5 cups water (350g), room temperature
03 - 0.5 cup active sourdough starter (100g), 100% hydration
04 - 2 teaspoons fine sea salt (10g)
→ Optional for dusting
05 - Rice flour or additional bread flour
# How-To Steps:
01 - In a large bowl, combine bread flour and water, mixing until just incorporated. Cover the bowl and allow the mixture to rest for 1 hour to develop gluten structure.
02 - Add the active sourdough starter and fine sea salt to the autolyse mixture. Mix thoroughly until the dough becomes cohesive and the ingredients are evenly distributed.
03 - Complete 4 sets of stretch and fold technique, spacing each set 30 minutes apart over a 2-hour period. Keep the dough covered between sets to prevent drying.
04 - Cover the bowl and allow the dough to ferment at room temperature for 4-6 hours, or until approximately doubled in volume with visible bubbles on the surface.
05 - Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Shape into a tight round or oval loaf, creating surface tension.
06 - Transfer the shaped dough to a floured proofing basket with seam side facing upward. Cover and refrigerate for 8-12 hours to develop flavor through cold fermentation.
07 - Preheat the oven to 450°F with a Dutch oven inside to ensure proper heat retention for optimal oven spring.
08 - Gently invert the dough onto parchment paper. Use a sharp blade to score the top of the loaf with a decorative pattern to control expansion during baking.
09 - Transfer the loaf with parchment paper into the preheated Dutch oven. Cover with the lid and bake for 20 minutes to create initial rise and steam.
10 - Remove the Dutch oven lid and continue baking for an additional 20 minutes until the crust achieves a deep golden brown color and sounds hollow when tapped.
11 - Transfer the baked loaf to a wire rack and allow to cool for at least 1 hour before slicing to ensure proper crumb structure.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The tangy flavor develops slowly while you sleep, making this incredibly forgiving for busy schedules
- Nothing beats the satisfaction of slicing into a loaf you created from wild yeast and patience
02 -
- Skip the cold proof if you are in a hurry, but the flavor and scoring will suffer noticeably
- Resist the urge to cut into the loaf while it is still warm or the interior will become gummy and dense
03 -
- Weigh your water and flour in grams for consistent results every single time
- Use rice flour in your proofing basket to prevent sticking without adding white flour spots