Homemade Sourdough Bread, Step by Step
If you love fresh sourdough bread with a golden, crisp crust and a light, airy crumb, this recipe is for you. It’s one of the
simplest homemade sourdough bread recipes, and one of the best, too. It requires only 25 minutes of hands-on work and
no autolyse or preferment.
Ingredients
Instructions
-
Make the dough:
Whisk the starter and water together in a large bowl with a fork or
spatula. Add the flour and salt. Mix to combine, finishing by hand if
necessary to form a rough dough. Cover with a damp towel and let rest
for 30 minutes.
-
Stretch and fold:
After 30 minutes, grab a corner of the dough and pull it up and into
the center. Repeat until you’ve performed this series of folds 4 to 5 times
with the dough. Let the dough rest for another 30 minutes and repeat the
stretching and folding action. If you have the time, do this twice more for
a total of 4 times in 2 hours.
-
Bulk Fermentation (first rise): Cover the bowl with a towel and let it rise
at room temperature, about 8 to 10 hours at 70°F (21°C) or even less if
You live in a warm environment. The dough is ready when it has
increased by 50% in volume, has a few bubbles on the surface, and
jiggles when you move the bowl from side to side.
-
Shape:
Coax the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently shape it into a
round: fold the top down to the center, turn the dough, and fold the top
down to the center, turn the dough; repeat until you’ve come full circle.
-
Rest:
Let the dough rest seam side up for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, line
an 8-inch (20-cm) bowl or proofing basket with a towel and dust with
flour
lour. Using a bench scraper or your hands, shape it again as described in
step 4. Place the round into your lined bowl, seam side up.
-
Proof (second rise): Cover the dough and refrigerate for 1 hour or for
as long as 48 hours.
-
Place a Dutch oven in your oven, and preheat your oven to 550°F
(290°C). Cut a piece of parchment to fit the size of your baking pot.
-
Score:
Place the parchment over the dough and invert the bowl to release.
Using the tip of a small knife or a razor blade, score the dough however
you wish.
-
Bake:
Lower the oven temperature to 450ºF (230ºC). Carefully cover the
pot. Bake the dough for 30 minutes, covered. Remove the lid, lower the
temperature to 400ºF (200ºC), and continue to bake for 10 – 15 minutes
more. If necessary, lift the loaf out of the pot, and bake directly on the
oven rack for the last 5 to 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour
before slicing.
Note
If you were to leave the dough in the fridge for 12 hours or less, which
you can do, the crumb will be tighter and denser.) After you remove the
dough from the fridge, you score it, and transfer it immediately to the
oven, there is no need to do a room temperature proof first.
