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Crusty loaf of sourdough bread cooling on wire rack.
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5 from 1 vote

Sourdough Bread

Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
12 hours
Total Time13 hours 20 minutes
Course: Bread
Cuisine: Asian
Servings: 1 loaf
Calories: 1784kcal

Ingredients

  • 100 grams mature starter (feed about ¼ cup and let double)
  • 490 grams unbleached all purpose flour can use up to 200 grams whole wheat and remainder all purpose (490 grams flour is about 4 ¼ cups)
  • 378 grams water divided 368 grams + 10 grams (about 1 ½ cups + 2 tsps)
  • 10 grams fine sea salt about 1 ½ tsps

Instructions

  • Feed your starter. Discard all but about ¼ cup and add 3 Tbsps flour and 2 ½ Tbsps water. Let it sit at room temperature until it has doubled in size and passes the float test. This can take anywhere from 1-8 hours depending on the heat and strength of your starter. You can start this the night before you plan to bake and leave at room temperature overnight. Feed it twice about 8 hours apart. Float test- drop a tablespoon of starter in a cup of water. Starter should float.
  • Autolyse step. - You are going to need to be available to tend to the dough periodically for about 6 hours or so from this point. Mix all 490 grams (4 ¼ cups) of the flour with 368 grams (1 ⅔ cups) of water. Reserve the other 10 grams (2 tsps) for later. It will be a very shaggy dough. Cover and let sit in a warm place for 1 -1 ½ hours. If you fed your starter just before this try to time it so the starter will be mature at the same time as your autolyse will be done.
  • Combine the starter, salt and dough. The remaining 10 grams (2 tsps) of water should be slightly warmer than room temperature. Add the mature starter, 10 grams (2 tsps) water into the autolyse dough. It will be very wet and sticky. Work the mixture with your hands to thoroughly mix it all together.
  • Bulk Fermentation - This step takes about 4 hours and for the first 2 hours you are going to intervene every 30 minutes to stretch the dough. Start by storing your bowl of dough in a warm place- like an oven with a light on or a warming drawer. I heat my oven before the autolyse to 250 degrees and then turn it off. I put my dough loosely covered with a tea towel in the oven. After 30 minutes take the bowl out, wet your hands and scoop out the dough. Hold it on one edge and let the dough stretch downward from its own weight. Grasp it a quarter of the way around and repeat the stretch. You should have stretched it all the way around in 4 'directions'. As it gets thin and 'stringy' during the stretch bring the lower half of the dough up to join the upper half. Return the dough, covered, to the bowl and its rising location. Repeat the 'Stretch and Fold' 3 more times. You will see the texture of the dough change during your stretching exercises from very wet and gooey to more smooth and elastic. (My first loaf I didn't work the dough as much as I should have. This step helps develop the gluten and gives you a stronger dough/rise). During the last 2 hours of the bulk ferment you will leave the dough undisturbed. By the end the dough should have risen by about 50% and will look smooth on the top.
  • Pre-Shape- next you are going to lightly flour your work surface, wet your hands and turn the dough out onto your work surface. Pinch an edge and draw the dough in to the center. Repeat this in 4 or 5 places around the outer edge of you dough ball. Do this a couple of times around. You want to end up with a nice round ball of dough. Lightly flour the top of the dough and let it rest 20-30 minutes.
  • Final Shaping - Turn the dough ball on to its top. Use flour on your work surface as necessary to keep the dough from sticking. You are going to pinch the dough on each of it's 4 'corners', stretch the dough up and fold it into the center. Repeat around the ball. You should notice the skin be getting rounder and tighter and smoother.
  • Proofing- Take a clean tea towel and dust it heavily with flour. You do not want the dough to stick to the tea towel. Place the towel, flour side up in a medium bowl or proofing basket. Place the shaped dough, seam side up, in the tea towel. Loosely cover with the tea towel corners. Place bowl inside a plastic bag and seal. Place bowl in the fridge for at least 12 hours. 16 hours is even better and you can go up to 3 days with this refrigeration.
  • Preheat- Place a dutch oven with its lid in a 515 degree oven and preheat about 45 minutes.
  • Baking- Remove proofed loaf from the fridge. Turn the dough out onto a generous square of parchment paper. Take dutch oven out of the oven carefully. Carefully transfer the parchment paper with the loaf into the dutch oven. Score the top of the dough with a knife. Spritz generously with water. Reduce the oven temp to 500 degrees. Place a baking pan with about a 1" edge upside down on the rack. Center the Dutch oven on the sheet and bake covered for about 24 minutes. Reduce oven to 450 degrees, remove lid and bake another 20-25 minutes or so. Internal temperature of the loaf should read 208 degrees.
  • Allow bread to cool completely on a wire rack.

Notes

Nutrition is for whole loaf.
[nutrition-label]

Nutrition

Calories: 1784kcal | Carbohydrates: 374g | Protein: 51g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 3905mg | Potassium: 524mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 1g | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 23mg