Easy Sourdough Bread
A simple, beginner friendly sourdough bread made with just four ingredients. Visual cues at every stage take the guesswork out of fermentation, and two baking methods let you choose your perfect crust.
Servings: 12 slices
Calories: 165kcal
Equipment
- Digital Kitchen Scale
- Large mixing bowl
- Flexible dough scraper
- Banneton or bowl lined with a floured towel
- Lame or razor blade
- Two metal loaf pans or a Dutch oven
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 75 g active sourdough starter about 1/3 cup
- 350 g room temperature filtered water about 1 1/2 cups
- 500 g bread flour about 4 cups
- 10 g fine sea salt about 1 3/4 teaspoons
Instructions
Inital Mix
- Combine the bread flour, starter, and water in a large bowl and mix until a rough, shaggy dough forms with no dry pockets of flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, cover, and rest for 1 hour.
Add the Salt
- Wet your hands, sprinkle the salt over the dough, and rub it across the surface. Pour about a TBS (15g) of water across the top. Starting at one corner, slowly turn the dough under itself while kneading gently until the salt is fully incorporated.
Stretch and Folds
- Perform a set of stretch and folds: with wet hands, grab one side of the dough, stretch it up until you feel resistance, and fold it over to the opposite side. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat until all four sides are folded. Flip the dough smooth side up and cover.
- Repeat the stretch and folds every hour for 3 hours total, then leave the dough covered at room temperature to finish bulk fermentation.
Bulk Fermentation
- Bulk fermentation is complete when the dough has grown by 50 to 70 percent, the surface is smooth and domed, the dough jiggles when you shake the bowl, and a gentle poke springs back slowly leaving a slight indent. Depending on kitchen temperature this can take 4 to 10 or more hours from mixing. Trust the visual cues, not the clock.
Shaping
- Pre shape: turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, gather the edges toward the center, flip seam side down, and cup your hands around the dough, rotating it into a rough round. Rest seam side down for 15 minutes.
- Final shape for a boule: flip the dough floured side down. Fold the bottom third up to the center, then the top third down and over. Fold each side into the center.
- Then roll the dough toward you into a tight cylinder. Cup the loaf and rotate it on the counter to tighten the surface. Place seam side up in a floured banneton.Pinch the final seam closed, taper the ends gently, and place seam side up in a floured banneton.
- Cover the banneton and proof. Room temperature: 2 to 4 hours. Cold retard in the refrigerator: 8 to 48 hours (preferred for flavor and easier scoring).
- For Room Temp Proof: The loaf is fully proofed when it looks puffed and about 50 percent larger, and a floured finger poked 1/2 inch deep springs back slowly, leaving a slight indent that partially fills in.
Scoring
- Lay parchment over the banneton and flip both together in one quick motion. Lift off the banneton.
- Score the loaf with a sharp lame or razor blade, cutting quickly and confidently about 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep. A single slash down the center works beautifully.
Baking
- Dutch oven method: preheat the oven to 450 degrees F with the Dutch oven inside. Carefully lower the scored loaf into the hot Dutch oven on its parchment. Cover and bake 40 to 45 minutes with the lid on, then remove the lid and bake an additional 10 minutes or so until deeply golden.
- Loaf pan method: preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place the proofed batard in a parchment lined loaf pan and flip a second loaf pan upside down on top. Bake 8 minutes with the lid on, remove from the oven and score the bread, replace the lid, and bake another 20 minutes. Remove the lid and bake a final 15 minutes until deeply golden brown.
- Cool the loaf for 3 to 4 hours before slicing. The crumb finishes setting as it cools, and slicing early gives you a gummy interior.
Notes
Seasonal adjustments: In warm summer kitchens above about 75 degrees F, reduce the starter to 60 g and use cool filtered water to slow fermentation. In cool winter kitchens, use the full 75 g starter and room temperature water as written, and find the dough a warm spot if needed.
Crust preference: The longer you bake with the lid on, the thinner the crust. For a thicker, heartier crust, shorten the lid on time and extend the lid off time.
Flour substitution: All purpose flour can replace the bread flour. Expect a slightly softer crumb, a little less rise, and a stickier dough, so wet your hands generously during folds.
Storage: Store cut side down on a cutting board or in a bread bag at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. Freeze sliced with parchment between layers for up to 3 months and toast straight from frozen.
