Rustic Sourdough Bread (Printable)
Master traditional sourdough with natural fermentation for a tangy, chewy loaf featuring crispy crust and soft interior.
# What You Need:
→ Dough
01 - 17.5 ounces unbleached bread flour (approximately 3.5 cups)
02 - 12.5 ounces water, room temperature (approximately 1.5 cups)
03 - 3.5 ounces active sourdough starter, fed and bubbly (approximately 0.5 cup)
04 - 0.33 ounce sea salt (approximately 2 teaspoons)
# Steps:
01 - In a large bowl, combine bread flour and water, mixing until just combined. Cover bowl and let rest for 45 minutes to allow flour hydration.
02 - Add sourdough starter and sea salt to the hydrated flour mixture. Mix thoroughly by hand, squeezing and folding dough until fully incorporated and smooth.
03 - Cover dough and let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature to relax gluten.
04 - Perform 4 sets of stretch and folds at 30-minute intervals. For each fold, grasp one edge of dough, stretch upward, and fold over center. Rotate bowl one-quarter turn and repeat until all sides are folded.
05 - After final fold, cover dough and let rise at room temperature for 4-6 hours, or until approximately doubled in size with visible bubbles on surface.
06 - Lightly flour work surface. Turn dough out onto surface and gently shape into a round boule or oval batard, creating surface tension.
07 - Place shaped dough seam side up in a well-floured banneton proofing basket or bowl lined with floured kitchen towel.
08 - Cover and proof at room temperature for 2-4 hours, or refrigerate overnight for 8-12 hours for enhanced flavor development and easier scoring.
09 - Preheat oven to 450°F with Dutch oven or heavy lidded pot inside for at least 30 minutes to ensure proper heat retention.
10 - Turn dough out onto parchment paper. Use bread lame or sharp knife to score top of loaf with desired pattern. Carefully transfer dough and parchment to preheated Dutch oven.
11 - Cover Dutch oven with lid and bake for 25 minutes to create steam and develop oven spring.
12 - Remove lid and bake for additional 20 minutes, or until crust is deeply golden brown and loaf sounds hollow when tapped on bottom.
13 - Transfer loaf to wire rack and cool completely for at least 1 hour before slicing to prevent gummy texture.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The satisfaction of creating something from just flour and water never gets old
- That irresistible aroma filling your kitchen makes the whole process worth it
02 -
- Underproofed bread will be dense while overproofed loaves spread flat instead of rising up
- A cold overnight proof develops incredible flavor and makes scoring much easier
03 -
- Use a kitchen scale not measuring cups, accuracy matters more than you think
- Resist the urge to add more flour, sticky dough often makes the best bread