This basic sourdough loaf recipe is perfect for beginners and professionals alike. Airy inside, crusty outside, delicious all the way through. Follow along this basic sourdough loaf recipe to make the sourdough of your dreams.
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What is sourdough?
There is a good chance that you are familiar with sourdough bread. In addition to the rising popularity this bread has seen in recent years, it has been a familiar favorite for many years.
In a few words, sourdough is bread made with fermented grains and natural yeasts, rather than instant yeast. The fermentation process is what gives sourdough its sour flavor and actually makes the nutrients in the bread easier for the body to absorb.
If you’d like to learn more about sourdough and it’s benefits, head over to my post How to Make a Sourdough Starter.
Basic Sourdough Ingredients
As with any sourdough recipe, you will need a sourdough starter.
You will also need:
- Salt
- Water
That’s all! Talk about a basic sourdough recipe.
Make the Sourdough
Mix the dough
This recipe requires an active and bubbly sourdough starter. Basically, this means that your sourdough starter has been fed within the last 4-12 hours and has roughly doubled in size during that time.
Once your starter is ready to use, combine 100g of starter, 10g of salt and 325g of water in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Gently stir this mixture to evenly combine the ingredients.
Next, you will add 250g of bread flour and 250g of all-purpose flour to the mixing bowl. Combine the flour and water mixture until a shaggy ball of dough forms.
Stretch & fold
Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and let it rest for 30 minutes to an hour. Next, perform a set of stretch and folds.
To perform the stretch and folds, simply take one side of the dough, pull it upwards and fold it over towards the middle of itself. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat. Continue two more times, or unit you have made your way all the way around the bowl. Then tuck the seam side of the dough ball under itself. You should now have a smoother dough ball.
Allow the dough to rest another hour and repeat the stretch and fold process. Repeat to reach a minimum of 3 sets of stretches and folds.
Rest
Once you have performed all 3 sets of stretches and folds, allow the dough to rest at room temperature for 4-6 hours.
After the 4-6 hours, lay the dough on a lightly floured surface and perform one last set of stretches and folds. Now you will gently push and pull the dough until the top of the dough ball is tight and smooth.
At this point you can either transfer the dough to a piece of parchment paper (smooth side facing up), or into a banneton basket (smooth side down). If using the parchment method, place the dough onto the parchment paper and transfer into a bowl.
Now cover the dough and place in the refrigerator overnight, or 8-12 hours.
Bake the loaf
When you are ready to bake the loaf, place your dutch oven in the oven and preheat to 450F.
I prefer to place a baking dish with water on the bottom rack of my oven, beneath the dutch oven. This prevents the bottom of the sourdough loaf from burning and provides a great spring in the dough.
Once the oven is preheated, place the dough on a piece of parchment paper if using a banneton. Score the top of the loaf. Place the parchment and dough into the dutch oven and cover with the lid.
Bake for 25 minutes with the lid on and 5-10 minutes with the lid off.
Remove from the dutch oven and allow the loaf to cool for a minimum of 2 hours before slicing. This ensures that the dough cooks completely through.
Tips & Tricks
One of the most helpful tips that I was ever given was to wet buy hands before attempting to handle the bread dough. As simple as it may seem, this trick keeps the dough from sticking to your hands and makes the process much cleaner.
Another important tip is to keep your dough in the refrigerator until you are ready to put it into the oven. The cold dough will rise and keep its shape much better than room temperature dough.
Did you try this recipe
I would be so grateful if you left a rating and review below!
Basic Sourdough Loaf
This basic sourdough loaf recipe is perfect for beginners and professionals alike. Airy inside, crusty outside, delicious all the way through. Follow along this basic sourdough loaf recipe to make the sourdough of your dreams.
Ingredients
- 100g sourdough starter, active & bubbly
- 10g salt
- 325g water
- 250g bread flour
- 250g all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Feed your sourdough starter 4-12 hours before using it to ensure it is active and bubbly.
- Combine 100g sourdough starter, 10g of salt and 325g of water in a mixing bowl. Stir thoroughly to fuly incorporate.
- Add 250g of bread flour and 250g of all-purpose flour to the mixing bowl, mix until a shaggy dough ball forms.
- Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and let it rest for 30 minutes to an hour. Next, perform a set of stretch and folds*.
- Allow the dough to rest another hour and repeat the stretch and fold process. Repeat to reach a minimum of 3 sets of stretches and folds.
- Once you have performed all 3 sets of stretches and folds, allow the dough to rest at room temperature for 4-6 hours.
- After the 4-6 hours, lay the dough on a lightly floured surface and perform one last set of stretches and folds. Now you will gently push and pull the dough until the top of the dough ball is tight and smooth.
- Tranfer the dough to a banneton basket or parchment lined mixing bowl. Cover the dough and place in the refrigerator overnight, or 8-12 hours.
- Preheat your oven to 450°F with the dutch oven inside.
- Bake for 25 minutes with the lid on and 5-10 minutes with the lid off.
- Remove from the dutch oven and allow the loaf to cool for a minimum of 2 hours before slicing.
Notes
*To perform the stretch and folds, simply take one side of the dough, pull it upwards and fold it over towards the middle of itself. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat. Continue two more times, or unit you have made your way all the way around the bowl. Then tuck the seam side of the dough ball under itself. You should now have a smoother dough ball.
Nutrition Information
Yield 1 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 1992Total Fat 7gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 0mgSodium 3902mgCarbohydrates 410gFiber 16gSugar 2gProtein 62g
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