Classic Sourdough Bread (Printable View)

Traditional wild yeast loaf with crackling crust and tender interior. 18-hour fermentation creates signature tangy flavor.

# What You Need:

→ Dough

01 - 3.5 cups bread flour
02 - 1.5 cups water, room temperature
03 - 0.5 cup active sourdough starter (100% hydration)
04 - 2 teaspoons fine sea salt

→ Optional for dusting

05 - Rice flour or additional bread flour for dusting

# How-To Steps:

01 - Combine flour and water in a large bowl, mixing until just incorporated. Cover the bowl and allow to rest for 1 hour to develop gluten structure.
02 - Add active sourdough starter and sea salt to the autolysed dough. Mix thoroughly until fully integrated and the dough becomes cohesive.
03 - Complete 4 sets of stretch and fold technique at 30-minute intervals over 2 hours, keeping the dough covered between each set to build strength.
04 - Cover the bowl and allow dough to ferment at room temperature for 4-6 hours until approximately doubled in volume.
05 - Turn dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Shape into a tight round or oval loaf, creating surface tension.
06 - Place shaped dough seam-side up in a floured proofing basket. Cover and refrigerate for 8-12 hours for cold fermentation.
07 - Preheat oven to 450°F with Dutch oven inside for at least 30 minutes to ensure proper heat retention.
08 - Gently invert dough onto parchment paper. Score the top with a sharp blade. Transfer with parchment into hot Dutch oven, cover, and bake 20 minutes.
09 - Remove Dutch oven lid and continue baking 20 minutes until crust achieves deep golden brown color.
10 - Transfer baked loaf to wire rack and cool for minimum 1 hour before slicing to ensure proper crumb set.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The tangy flavor develops naturally over time, deepening with each batch you bake
  • Your kitchen will smell like an artisanal bakery, making the whole house feel cozy
  • Nothing beats the satisfaction of slicing into a loaf you created from wild yeast
02 -
  • Skipping the autolyse rest makes kneading significantly harder and results in denser bread
  • Cold fermentation in the refrigerator develops deeper flavor and makes scoring easier
  • Not cooling the loaf before slicing will result in a gummy interior, however tempting it smells
03 -
  • Use a kitchen scale for precision since sourdough responds poorly to rough measurements
  • A razor blade or fresh lame cuts cleaner than a dull knife for beautiful scoring

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