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Simple Sourdough Bread Recipe

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4.7 from 143 reviews

This simple sourdough bread recipe guides you through the traditional process of making artisanal sourdough bread from scratch using basic ingredients and natural fermentation. With detailed steps including autolyse, stretch and fold, bulk fermentation, shaping, cold proofing, and baking in a Dutch oven, this recipe yields a beautifully crusty loaf with a tender crumb and rich sourdough flavor.

Ingredients

Scale

Main Ingredients

  • 500 g Bread Flour
  • 350 g Water
  • 50 g Sourdough Starter
  • 10 g Salt

Instructions

  1. Autolyse – Premixing The Dough: Weigh out your sourdough starter and water into a large ceramic or glass bowl and mix briefly. Add the flour and salt, then mix everything together to form a shaggy dough. Use a dough scraper or spatula for less mess, as the dough will initially be rough and only just combined.
  2. Rest – Autolyse Stage: Cover the bowl with a plastic cover or damp dish towel and let it sit for 1 hour. This allows the flour to hydrate fully, improving the dough’s texture and gluten development.
  3. Forming The Dough: After autolyse, stretch and fold the dough around the bowl, lifting it to the center to form a smooth ball. This should take about 20-30 stretches. The dough will be sticky but become smoother and shinier as you shape it.
  4. Rest the Dough: Cover the dough again and let it rest for 30 minutes to relax the gluten.
  5. Stretch & Fold – Building Dough Structure: Over the next 2 hours, perform 4-6 sets of stretch and folds, stretching the dough up and folding it over itself 4 times per set, with 15-minute rests in between. This technique strengthens the dough’s gluten network.
  6. Bulk Fermentation: Cover the dough and let it ferment at room temperature until it has risen and shows good air incorporation (about 3-4 hours depending on ambient temperature).
  7. Shaping The Dough: Gently remove the dough onto a lightly floured surface (rice flour or semolina recommended) upside down so the smooth side faces down. Shape into a boule or batard by creating surface tension without deflating the bread.
  8. Place Dough into Banneton: Place the shaped dough seam side up into a banneton basket. Add a light dusting of flour if needed, handling dough gently to preserve gas bubbles formed during fermentation.
  9. Cold Ferment (Proofing): Cover loosely and refrigerate for 5 to 36 hours. Longer fermentation develops deeper flavor and a better crust texture.
  10. Preheat Oven and Dutch Oven: When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 230°C (450°F) and place the Dutch oven inside to heat for about 1 hour, ensuring it is very hot for optimal oven spring.
  11. Baking The Sourdough Bread: Remove dough from the fridge, place on parchment paper, score the top with a lame or razor blade. Carefully transfer the dough with the parchment into the hot Dutch oven, cover with a lid, and bake at 230°C (450°F) for 30 minutes. Then remove the lid and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes at 210°C (410°F) until the crust is deeply browned.
  12. Cooling: Carefully remove the bread from the Dutch oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely before slicing to finish the baking process and set the crumb.

Notes

  • Use rice flour or semolina flour for dusting during shaping to prevent sticking without affecting the dough’s surface tension.
  • Longer cold fermentation (up to 36 hours) improves flavor complexity and crust development.
  • Preheating the Dutch oven thoroughly is crucial to achieving a good oven spring and crust.
  • Handling the dough gently preserves gas bubbles that contribute to the bread’s airy texture.
  • Scoring allows the bread to expand uniformly during baking and adds visual appeal.

Keywords: sourdough, bread, artisan bread, baking, fermented bread, homemade sourdough, Dutch oven bread

Find it online: https://heutigemahlzeiten.com/simple-sourdough-bread-recipe/