This simple sourdough loaf is a perfect beginners recipe that is versatile, forgiving, and so fun to make and share. My husband and I start this recipe on a Saturday to have it by dinner on Sunday. The fermentation process that adds nutritive value to the bread can seem intimidating, but once you grow comfortable with this simple loaf you will be able to use the base recipe in almost any kind of bread you want to make.
Equipment:
- 1 large mixing bowl
- Kitchen scale
- Dutch oven
- Proofing basket (not essential, but nice for getting a fluffier loaf)
- Bread lame or a sharp knife
Ingredients for feeding your starter:
- 75 g unfed sourdough starter
- 150 g bread flour
- 150 g filtered water (ideally room temperature, but not a necessity)
Ingredients for boule:
- 150 g of starter
- 250 g filtered water (ideally room temperature, but not a necessity)
- 25 g of olive oil
- 10 g salt
- 500 g bread flour
A lot of sourdough recipes call for ultra-precise measurements, complicated air and flour temperature calculations, and exact mixing/kneading times. However, I have found this basic recipe to be very forgiving especially if you are new to baking or have a busy schedule. Do not worry if your measurements are off by a couple of grams or if you let the dough sit for too long.
Baker’s schedule
- Saturday evening: → using starter ingredients
- Place the starter on your counter to bring to room temperature if you store it in the fridge.
- Discard excess starter from the jar so you have 75 grams remaining (after making a few loaves, you will be able to eyeball this and won’t have to measure each time)
- Once your starter is room temperature, feed your starter with 150 g bread flour and 150 g filtered water. Mix well.
- Cover the jar opening with a small towel or washcloth and leave on the counter overnight. Enjoy some tea, get some sleep.
- Sunday morning: → using boule ingredients
- By now your starter should be bubbling and doubled in size.
- Using a large mixing bowl, measure out 150 g of starter, 250 g of filtered water, and 25 g of olive oil. Mix well.
- Add in 500 g of bread flour and 10 g of salt. Mix well to combine into a sticky, shaggy dough.
- Gently knead the dough, just enough where the dough sticks together and forms a rough ball.
- Cover with a towel, let sit on the counter for about 2 hours (this is called the first rise). Go to church, enjoy some coffee.
- Once home from church, stretch and fold your sourdough 3 times with about 20 minutes in between each fold. After the third fold, shape into a boule and return to the mixing bowl or proofing basket. Let the dough rest on the counter until dinner time this is called the second rise).
- Around dinnertime, after about 6 hours, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place your dutch oven (lid on) into the oven on the middle rack.
- Once everything is preheated, remove the dutch oven. Gently transfer the dough into the dutch oven, seam-side down. Using a bread lame or a sharp knife, make a shallow slice along the top of the bread (this is called scoring and helps with bread expansion while cooking). Place the lid back on and return to the oven.
- Bake with the dutch oven lid on for 20 minutes. No peeking.
- Remove the lid and bake until the crust is as dark as you prefer, about 10-20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and transfer the boule onto a wire rack. Let cool for 30 minutes before slicing and serving (if you can wait that long!)
Baker’s tips
- There are so many ways to make sourdough bread and so many baker schedules you can follow. This recipe is very forgiving so play around and see what works best for you!
- If you keep your starter on the counter or in a cabinet, you will need to feed it every day so the bacterial colonies stay happy, healthy, and active. Starter kept in the fridge only needs to be fed every 7-10 days.
- When discarding excess sourdough, discard away in the trash can. Do not pour discard into the kitchen sink to avoid clogging. You can also use the discard to make all sorts of recipes (like sourdough discard pancakes!) or give it to a friend.
- If your starter develops a brown film on top, this is normal. It just means that your starter is hungry. Pour out the film into the trash and feed with the ingredients above.
Happy baking and be well,
Andi