Sourdough bread
Sourdough bread rises entirely on a wild starter you keep alive with flour and water, instead of commercial yeast. A slow overnight fermentation creates a thick, shatteringly crisp crust and a chewy, tender crumb full of glossy air pockets, with that signature mild tang. It takes a lot of waiting but surprisingly little hands-on work, and the result is always worth it.
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Prep
- 45 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Rising or chilling
- 19 hr
- Total time
- 20 hr 30 min
- Method
- Oven-baked
Ingredients
Bread dough
Rice flour for the proofing basket
Instructions
Step 1
The night before or early in the morning, feed your starter by mixing a portion of it with equal amounts of flour and water, cover loosely and leave it at room temperature for about five hours so you have 100 g sourdough starter at its peak. Only a starter at its peak is strong enough to raise a large batch of dough well. It's ready when it has doubled, the top is full of bubbles and a spoonful dropped into water floats.
Step 2
Mix 450 g bread flour and 50 g whole wheat flour with most of the 360 g water, holding back about two tablespoons, then cover the bowl and let it rest for about forty-five minutes. This rest lets the flour absorb the water and the gluten develop on its own, so you don't need much kneading. The mixture is ready when it's softer, less sticky and feels stretchy when you pull it gently.
Step 3
Add the prepared starter on top of the dough, sprinkle over 10 g salt and the reserved water, then use wet hands to squeeze and pinch the dough continuously for about three to four minutes. Squeezing and pinching spreads the starter and salt evenly without tearing the gluten network. The dough is ready when you can't see any streaks of starter or grains of salt and it has come back together into one smooth mass.
Step 4
Cover the bowl, and about every thirty minutes, wet your hand, grab one edge of the dough, stretch it up and fold it over to the opposite side, then turn the bowl and repeat four times, doing four rounds in all. Stretching and folding strengthens the gluten and helps the dough hold gas. The dough is ready when, after the last round, it's taut, smooth and holds a round shape in the bowl.
Step 5
Leave the dough covered in the bowl at room temperature for about two more hours, or longer if your kitchen is cool. This is when the starter produces gas and develops its tangy flavor. The dough is ready when it has grown by about half, the top is domed, you can see bubbles along the sides of the bowl and it jiggles when you shake the bowl gently.
Step 6
Gently tip the dough out onto an unfloured counter, use a bench scraper to gather and turn it into a taut round, then let it rest for about twenty minutes. Preshaping tightens the surface and relaxes the gluten before the final shaping. It's ready when it has spread a little but still has a clearly rounded edge.
Step 7
Dust a proofing basket or towel-lined bowl with to taste rice flour, flip the dough over, fold the edges into the center and roll it up tightly toward you to create a taut skin, then set it in the basket smooth side down. A taut skin helps the loaf rise tall instead of spreading. It's ready when it's round and firm, the surface is tight and smooth and you can see a few small bubbles just under the skin.
Step 8
Cover the basket tightly with a bag or plastic wrap and refrigerate for twelve to sixteen hours. The cold slows fermentation, deepens the complex tang and firms the dough so it's easier to score. It's ready when a fingertip dent fills back in slowly but doesn't disappear completely.
Step 9
Put a lidded cast-iron Dutch oven in the oven and preheat at 250°C for about forty-five minutes. A thoroughly heated pot creates a closed, steamy environment that helps the loaf spring up in the first few minutes. The pot is ready when the oven has reached temperature and the pot has heated for the full time.
Step 10
Turn the dough out of the basket onto a sheet of parchment paper, use a razor blade to score one slash about one centimeter deep along the loaf, lift it by the paper into the hot pot, cover and bake at 250°C for 20 minutes. The steam trapped in the pot keeps the crust soft so the loaf can rise as much as possible. It's ready when you lift the lid to find the loaf risen tall, the score opened wide and the crust still pale.
Step 11
Remove the lid, lower the temperature to 230°C and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes. Without the steam, the crust dries out and turns a crisp caramel color. The bread is done when the crust is deep brown, the bottom sounds hollow when tapped and a thermometer in the crumb reads about 96°C.
Step 12
Move the loaf to a wire rack and let it cool for at least two hours before slicing. The crumb is still setting as it cools, and cutting too early leaves it gummy and sticking to the knife. It's ready when the bottom no longer feels warm and the crust makes soft crackling sounds.
Equipment
- Oven
- Deep skillet
- Mixing bowl
- Bench scraper
- Kitchen scale
- Thermometer
- Plastic wrap
- Parchment paper
- Wire cooling rack
- Refrigerator
Tips
- Fermentation time depends heavily on your kitchen temperature, so watch the dough rather than just the clock.
- Rice flour doesn't absorb moisture the way wheat flour does, so it keeps the dough from sticking to the proofing basket.
- If you don't have a Dutch oven, bake the loaf on a hot baking sheet and put a pan of boiling water on the rack below to create steam.
Storage
The bread keeps for three to four days at room temperature, cut side down on a cutting board or wrapped in a cloth bag. You can also slice and freeze it for up to three months, then toast the slices straight from the freezer.
Common problems and how to fix them
- The loaf spread out flat with a dense crumb.
- The starter wasn't strong enough or the bulk fermentation was too short. Feed your starter regularly for a few days before baking and wait until the dough has clearly risen during bulk fermentation.
- The crumb has a few huge holes and the rest is dense.
- The dough was underproofed or not shaped tightly enough. Extend the bulk fermentation and roll the dough more tightly during the final shaping.
- The crust is pale and soft.
- The pot wasn't preheated long enough or the uncovered bake was too short. Heat the pot for the full forty-five minutes and bake until the crust is deep brown.
This recipe is based on the common ratios for this bake and is written entirely in our own words.
