Starting with sourdough can be daunting. It can feel like there are SO MANY THINGS to learn all at once…. Starter, Bulk Fermentation, Folds, etc etc etc. But have no fear! You can easily gain confidence and success with this recipe before moving on to more complex adventures! It won’t give you the most optimized artisanal loaf, but it will result in likely the tastiest bread you’ve ever had and open the door to the world of sourdough with an enjoyable, achievable and accessible experience. You’ve got this, new sourdough bakers… I have all the confidence in the world in you!
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Simple Beginner Sourdough Bread Recipe
This simplified recipe will help you gain confidence with the basic sourdough techniques and produce a beautiful medium sized boule.
Equipment
- 1 Sourdough Baking Set If you do not already have the necessary basic tools.
- 1 Linen Bread Bag For storage – optional.
- 1 Bread Knife A must have if you like to cut your bread warm!
Ingredients
- 470 grams Bread Flour
- 75 grams Active Sourdough Starter Peaked and fed within the last 12-24 hours.
- 8 grams Sea Salt
- 340 grams Warm Filtered Water
Instructions
- Combine active starter (ideally just after peaking), salt and warm filtered water together.470 grams Bread Flour, 75 grams Active Sourdough Starter, 340 grams Warm Filtered Water, 8 grams Sea Salt
- Add flour and mix with a dough whisk until just mixed. Cover with a damp towel and let rest for 1 hour. If you have a cold work surface, consider placing your bowl on a towel or oven mitt.
- With wet hands, complete 16 coil folds in your mixing bowl. Since you are only doing one round of these, slap the dough back into the bowl after each fold to help it gain structure. Recover with your damp towel.
- Let your dough rise for ~8-10 hours at warm room temperature. The dough should double in size, have slightly rounded edges where it meets the bowl's edge, and have visible bubbles all around.
- Empty your dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Perform one round of 8 stretch and folds. Cover with a dry towel and let your dough rest for 30 minutes.
- Shape your dough into a loaf shape (don’t overwork it!) and place upside down into a towel lined bowel or a round banneton basket. Cover with a clean towel and let your dough rest another 45 minutes.
- After 45 minutes, preheat your oven to 450℉ (with your Dutch Oven in the oven!).
- When oven reaches desired temperature, place a silicone liner or parchment paper over top the banneton basket and flip it over so the dough is placed right side up on the liner/paper. Lightly flour the top of the dough and score it to your preference (this is important to allow your bread to rise and the fermentation gases to escape). An easy score pattern to start with is a simple, off-centered crescent shape.
- Remove the top lid of your pre-heated Dutch Oven, drop 2 ice cubes in the bottom of the container, place your dough on top of the ice cubes and put the lid back on. Bake for 30 minutes covered like this.
- After 30 minutes, remove the top lid of your Dutch Oven. Continue baking for 20 minutes. Your bread should be golden brown and sound hollow if you tap on it.
- Remove bread from the oven and immediately remove from baking container and place on a cooling rack.
- Allow to cool or serve slightly warm (I recommend this knife if you're going to cut it warm because it won't squish your bread).
Notes
Pro Tip: Feed your starter the morning before your prep. Start prepping your dough by early evening to ensure your dough is ready for an overnight ferment by bedtime. This will let you finish your bread the next morning and have fresh baked bread by breakfast!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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This is my very first bake and I cannot count the mistakes I made but this recipe was so easy and my bread came out incredible! I know I’m hooked and it will get better each time : )
I’ve also tried the chocolate chip discard before I baked and it was perfect so today I’m on to the crackers. I’m SO EXCITED thank you for this!!
Author
I cannot tell you how happy this makes me to read this! Thank you for sharing! You are right – you will definitely be hooked after your first successful bake bc it gives you the confidence to start enjoying the journey and all the learnings that come with it. <3