This Easy Sourdough Bread Recipe will show you step-by-step just what you need to do to become an AMAZING sourdough bread baker!
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Cook Time50 minutesmins
Resting Time10 hourshrs
Total Time11 hourshrs10 minutesmins
Course: Sides
Cuisine: American
Keyword: bread
Servings: 1loaf
Ingredients
½cupActive Sourdough Starter*
2tsp.Sea Salt
1 ¼cupWarm Water
3cupsBread Flour**
1/2tsp.Cornmeal
Instructions
When you're ready to bake your bread, the first step is to feed your sourdough starter. If starter has been stored in the refrigerator, remove from fridge and let it come to room temperature on the counter after feeding for 4 - 6 hours.
Once starter has come to room temperature, and ‘woken up’ a bit, it’s time to start!
Add Active Starter and Water to large mixing bowl, and stir with wooden spoon.
Then add Bread Flour and Sea Salt to bowl, and stir into a shaggy dough. After stirring well with a wooden spoon, get your hands in there to finish combining the dough.
After mixing all ingredients, cover bowl with plastic wrap, and let dough rest for 1 hour.
After 1 hour of resting, remove plastic wrap. To add height and gorgeous air pockets to your finished loaf, it’s time to stretch and fold your dough four times. To “stretch & fold” grab one corner of the dough, pull it up, then fold it over. Rotate the bowl ¼ turn and repeat for a total of 4 times {once on each corner of the dough ball}
Then cover bowl with a light tea towel or flour sack cloth and let it rise for 8 - 10 hours in a warm area of your home, or until it doubles in size. Keep out of direct sunlight. {if it’s chilly inside, I like to place it in the oven with just the oven light on to add a little warmth, just like we did with our Sourdough Starter}
After 8 - 10 hours, lightly flour cutting board or counter and transfer dough to the floured surface by carefully using dough scraper around edges to preserve as many air pockets as possible while removing it from the bowl.
Brush or spray inside of proofing basket {banneton bowl} with cool water, then sprinkle hefty amount of flour on top, shake it around, and let it dry. Then sprinkle a little more flour in proofing basket and shake again, to make sure it’s well floured.
Sprinkle top of dough with a little flour, then with well-floured hands carefully shape dough into ball, adding a bit more flour where it’s too sticky to handle. To shape dough, I like to do 4 more stretch & fold motions {1 on each side}, then 4 more stretch & fold motions {1 from each corner}, then flip dough over {seam side down}, and shape into a ball using my hands and stainless bench scraper {dough cutter} to tuck any extra dough on the sides underneath.
Then, using your bench scraper, carefully place dough ball in proofing basket, seam side UP for the final rise.
Gently drape towel over proofing basket, and let it rest for 1 - 2 more hours in a warm spot of your home. When dough is puffy and growing, it’s ready to bake!
Now cut out a large rectangular piece of parchment paper to fit inside bottom and sides of 5.5 quart – 6 quart dutch oven, place paper in dutch oven, and firmly press creases along the sides. {this will help the paper not indent into your bread while baking} Then trim tall edges around the rim so the lid will fit on nicely. Set parchment paper aside for later.
When dough is ready to bake, preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Sprinkle top of dough in the proofing basket {which is the seam side up} with cornmeal.
Then place cut piece of parchment paper over top of proofing basket, and carefully & quickly, flip dough over out onto paper.
Use a sharp serrated knife to cut two 4" intersecting lines in the top of the dough, like a plus sign. This will give the finished crust a beautiful and dramatic look, and allow the bread to expand when baking.
Then transfer to dutch oven and flatten parchment paper creases again.
Place lid on dutch oven, and bake on center rack for 25 minutes.
After 25 minutes, remove lid and bake for 25 - 30 more minutes, or until bread is a deep golden brown color. IMPORTANT: For the last 10 minutes of baking, prop the oven door open a crack using two small balls of tinfoil. This will allow some moisture to escape, and help develop a gorgeous crispier crust on your loaf.
Once it’s done, transfer to wire rack to cool for 1 - 2 hours. {even though it's hard to wait, allowing it to cool will make sure it finishes the baking process and prevents you from ending up with a gummy loaf}
After it has cooled, slice, slather with butter, build a sandwich, or dip in Bread Dipping Oil... and ENJOY! Beat eaten fresh or toasted within 48 hours.
FRESHNESS TIP: Best eaten fresh within 48 hours. If storing for use within the next two days, allow to cool completely, slice {or leave the loaf whole and slice as you go}, wrap in a flour sack cloth, and place in an old plastic bread bag in the pantry. It's excellent up to 2 days later and makes AMAZING toast, paninis and grilled cheese. :)
FREEZING TIP: If you'd like to freeze your loaf for later, you can either leave your loaf whole or slice it up now so you can just grab a few slices here and there as you need them. Wrap your cooled loaf in 2 - 3 layers of plastic wrap, then wrap in foil and place in a gallon freezer ziploc bag for up to 2 months. When ready to use your bread, just remove the bag from the freezer and allow to come to room temperature on the counter.
Notes
*Make sure to feed your starter after you use it, to replace whatever you took out.
**If you don't have bread flour, just whisk or sift together 3 cups All Purpose Flour with 1.5 tbsp. Vital Wheat Gluten.