After successfully making Italian Bread, I wanted to try to make other types of bread. One of my priorities was learning how to make sourdough bread.
I tried several different recipes for sourdough bread with mixed results. Some recipes yielded great results but were time-intensive in terms of having to fold the dough every 15 to 30 minutes for hours. I finally stumbled across a recipe that produced consistent, excellent results while being simple and less time-consuming.
To make this sourdough bread you start the night before you intend to bake it. The dough goes through its bulk fermentation overnight. If you want to make this all in one day you can, but you will need to start the process early in the morning so that the dough can bulk ferment during the day.
Also, this recipe calls for using a Dutch Oven, and I highly recommend that you do. I use a Lodge 6 Quart Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven with Lid, but any 6-quart Dutch Oven should work. Additionally, all ingredients are measured in metric weights. I highly recommend getting a digital kitchen scale if you don’t already have one. You should also pick up a Bread Proofing Basket if you don’t already have one.
The original recipe can be found here:
Ingredients
- 70 g Active Sourdough Starter
- 350 g Warm Water (about 105 degrees)
- 500 g Bread Flour (or All-Purpose)
- 10 g Kosher Salt
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1:
If you plan to bake the bread on a particular day, the process starts the day before. You should feed your starter at lunchtime the day before so that it is in peak “bloom” by about 8 PM when you are going to start preparing the dough.
Step 2:
At 8 PM add the 70 g of Active Starter to a mixing bowl. Add the warm water and mix with a fork.
Step 3:
Add the flour and the salt. Mix everything with the fork until the ingredients are combined. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 1 hour.
Step 4:
After resting for an hour, you will work the dough for a few minutes. Gently grab an edge of the dough with your fingers, pull it up and away to stretch it, then push it down into the middle. Rotate your bowl 9o degrees and repeat. Keep repeating until you have rotated the bowl 2 to 3 complete turns. As you do this, the dough will start to feel more like a traditional dough ball. The last thing I do is try to form a clean dough ball by tucking the edges under and in to give the dough ball a nice smooth top.
Step 5:
Cover the bowl with a damp towel and leave it on your counter. Let the dough bulk ferment for 8 to 10 hours. If you started Step 1 at 8 PM or so you will be leaving the dough covered on the counter until the morning.
Step 6:
After 8 to 10 hours turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface so that the top of the ball is down. Using your fingers pull the sides of the dough ball up from opposite sides and pinch them together at the top. Continue this process as you work your way around the dough ball. This will stretch out the dough ball creating a nice smooth, tight ball. Be careful not to overdo it as this will cause the gluten layer you are building to tear. Flip the dough ball over so the top is up and let the dough rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
Step 7:
Move the dough ball to a clean section of your work surface. Using both hands, pull the dough ball a few inches towards you. The front of the dough ball will be pulled under, causing the top of the dough ball to tighten. Rotate the dough ball 90 degrees and move it further away from you if necessary. Pull the dough ball towards you again. Rotate the dough ball 90 degrees and continue repeating this process a few more times. This will give you a nice, tight dough ball. A good video to demonstrate how to handle the dough in Steps 6 and 7 can be found here:
Step 8:
Give your Bread Proofing Basket a good dusting of flour. Place your dough ball into your proofing basket with the top side down, cover it with a damp kitchen towel, and let the dough rest for 1 to 2 hours.
Step 9:
Place your Dutch Oven (with the lid on) into your oven and preheat the oven to 450 degrees. I like to do this about an hour into the dough resting period so that the oven (and Dutch Oven) are very hot when we are ready to bake.
Step 10:
Rip off a square piece of parchment paper. Fold it in half so that you have a rectangle. Using a pair of scissors, round off the two ends of the rectangle so that when you open up the fold of parchment paper, you have a rough circle. It doesn’t have to be a perfect circle (in fact having it be more of an oval will give you two ends to pick the parchment paper up from). Remove the towel from your dough basket and cover the dough with the parchment paper. Try to get the dough ball exactly in the center. With one hand on top of the parchment paper to hold it in place, turn the dough over and out onto the parchment paper so that the top is once again up.
Step 11:
Score the top of the loaf with a bread lame or a very sharp knife. If you want a nice “ear” to form when the bread bakes, make sure to score the bread with your knife or lame at an angle. A straight down vertical score will not form a big ear. Here is a good video to show this an also present some other tips to consider when scoring dough:
Step 12:
Take the Dutch Oven out of your oven, and place the Dutch Oven and lid on a heat-safe surface. Lift the parchment paper and drop it carefully down into your Dutch Oven. Place 2 or 3 ice cubes inbetween the parchment paper and the inside surface of the Dutch Oven on opposite sides of the loaf (4 to 6 cubes in total). The cubes will melt and provide steam inside the Dutch Oven.
Step 13:
PUT YOUR GLOVES BACK ON. The Dutch Oven and Lid are extremely hot. When rushing to get the dough into the oven, it is very easy to forget and reach for the lid (I know from experience). Place the lid back on the Dutch Oven and put the Dutch Oven into your oven for an initial cook of 30 minutes. After the 30 minutes are up, remove the lid and cook the loaf another 20 to 30 minutes. Ours are usually done at the 20-minute mark. Also, watch closely so that the top of the loaf doesn’t burn. If it starts to get dark brown, cover the top with a sheet of aluminum foil.
Step 14:
Remove the Dutch Oven from your oven. Lift out the baked bread by pulling up the parchment paper from opposite sides. Place the baked bread on a wire rack or cutting board to cool for at least an hour.
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