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This foolproof sourdough bread recipe is the easiest sourdough bread recipe. It will give you a perfect boule or batard every time. I believe the key to this is cold proofing.
This recipe is very simple, but it is a 3 day process. I will break it down accordingly:
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6 Quart Enamel Cast-Iron Dutch Oven
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Preparing the leaven.
What is leaven?
The bread leaven or levain refers to the sourdough starter used in the bread recipe. It is a mixture of flour and water that has undergone fermentation with the help of wild yeasts and beneficial bacteria present in the environment.
The leaven introduces live yeasts and bacteria that interact with the flour, converting sugars into carbon dioxide gas. This gas gets trapped within the dough, causing it to rise and create air pockets, giving the bread its characteristic texture and flavor.
The leaven also brings acidity to the bread due to the fermentation process, resulting in a tangy flavor that is distinct to sourdough bread. Additionally, the fermentation process helps break down certain components in the flour, making it more easily digestible and potentially enhancing its nutritional value.
How to do it.
In this recipe, you will be using 100g of sourdough starter. This can either be unfed or fed. It can be taken directly from the refrigerator or already at room temperature. Add the 100g starter to a bowl along with 100g of flour and 100g of room temperature water. Mix well and cover with some plastic wrap or beeswax wrap overnight. Make sure it is in a warm place in your kitchen. If it is winter, you can place it in your oven with only the oven light on for some extra warmth. DO NOT ACTUALLY TURN ON THE OVEN.
(Don’t forget to feed your starter equal parts flour and water before putting it back away in the fridge. If you used 100g, feed it 50g flour and 50g water to replenish what you used.)
Note: If you have 250g fed and active starter that is already prepared you can skip this step and just use that instead of preparing the leaven. It should be fed 1:1 flour:water.
Day 2
In the morning, add 250g of your leaven/starter, 1000g all purpose flour, and 25g salt to a large mixing bowl and give a stir to incorporate these ingredients. This will prevent the salt from clumping together when you add the water.
Add 650g room temperature filtered water and mix well. I like to use a dough whisk which is not required but a good tool to have. Eventually I will mix with my hands. This is not to knead the dough but just to combine all of the ingredients. Then cover with a large bread board, beeswax wrap, or plastic wrap to autolyse. This basically means we allow the flour to soak up the water and the gluten to activate.
After that half hour is up, perform your first of four stretch and folds. This means we grab the dough from underneath, stretch it up gently, and then fold it in on itself. Imagine doing this top, bottom, left, right each time. That completes ONE stretch and fold.
You will perform a total of 4 stretch and folds about every 30 minutes before you allow the dough to bulk ferment. You will notice the dough begin to develop and rise each time.
After your fourth and final stretch and fold, cover your dough and let it sit on the counter for its bulk rise. This time will vary depending on the temperature of your kitchen. If your house is cold, you can place the covered bowl in your oven with just the light turned on.
Once it has approximately doubled in size we will empty the bowl on a clean and floured surface to begin shaping the dough.
Sprinkle a bit of flour down the center of the dough and use a bench scraper or a knife to split the dough into 2 equal parts.
Place your banneton liners in the bannetons (or a cloth in a bowl) and give them a light sprinkle of flour.
Shape each boule and place in your bannetons.
Place the bannetons in a shopping bag ad rubber band the top closed. Or use a shower cap to loosely cover the top.
Place the covered bannetons in the fridge overnight (up to 3 days) to cold proof. I believe this is the key step to getting a perfect proof and perfect bread every time.
Day 3
Preheat your dutch oven to 500°F. Place a piece of parchment paper on the counter and give it a light dusting of flour.
Once the oven has reached temperature, remove a banneton from the fridge, and flip it over on to the parchment paper.
Score your bread. Make sure the decorative scores are shallow and do a deep score where you want the bread to split. (Optional: Give it a light dusting of flour beforehand to make the scoring design really stand out.)
Carefully pick it up by the parchment paper and place it in the dutch oven.
Put the lid on the dutch oven and bake for 40 minutes. Then remove the lid, reduce the temperature to 450°F, and bake an additional 10 minutes.
Once it is done, it is best to allow it to cool for at least 30 minutes.
Foolproof Sourdough Bread Recipe
5 from 2 reviews
- Author: ASHLEYLYNHOME.COM
- Total Time: 72 hours 50 minutes
- Yield: 2 boules or batards 1x
Description
This foolproof sourdough bread recipe will give you a perfect boule or batard every time.
NOTE: This recipe is a 3 day process. Day 1: prepare the leaven, Day 2: prepare the dough, Day 3: bake.
Ingredients
Scale
- 250 grams leaven/active sourdough starter
- 1000 grams unbleached all purpose flour
- 25 grams salt
- 650 grams water (filtered, room temperature)
Instructions
- Prepare the leaven the night before by mixing together 100g sourdough starter (fed or unfed), 100g flour, and 100g room temperature water. Cover and place in a warm spot of your kitchen overnight.
- Add the 250g of your leaven/starter, 1000g flour, and 25g salt to a large mixing bowl and give a stir to incorporate these ingredients. This will prevent the salt from clumping together.
- Add 650g of room temperature filtered water and mix well. I like to use a dough whisk which is not required but a good tool to have. Eventually I will mix with my hands. This is not to knead the dough but just to combine all of the ingredients. Then cover with a large bread board, beeswax wrap, or plastic wrap.
- Autolyse for 30 minutes. This basically means we allow the flour to soak up the water and the gluten to activate.
- Perform your first of four stretch and folds. This means we grab the dough from underneath, stretch it up gently, and then fold it in on itself. Imagine doing this top, bottom, left, right each time.
- Cover and wait 30 minutes.
- Perform your second stretch and fold, cover, and wait another 30 minutes. Do this a total of 4 times.
- Recover your dough and let it sit on the counter for its bulk rise. This will vary depending on the temperature of your kitchen. If your house is cold, you can place the covered bowl in your oven with just the light turned on.
- Once it has approximately doubled in size we will empty the bowl on a clean and floured surface to begin shaping the dough.
- Sprinkle a bit of flour down the center of the dough and use a bench scraper or a knife to split the dough into 2 equal parts.
- Place your banneton liners in the bannetons (or a cloth in a bowl) and give them a light sprinkle of flour.
- Shape each boule and place in your bannetons.
- Place the bannetons in a shopping bag ad rubber band the top closed. Or use a shower cap to loosely cover the top.
- Place the covered bannetons in the fridge overnight (up to 3 days) to cold proof. I believe this is the key step to getting a perfect proof and perfect bread every time.
- The next morning preheat your dutch oven to 500°F.
- Place a piece of parchment paper on the counter and give it a light dusting of flour.
- Once the oven has reached temperature, remove a banneton from the fridge, and flip it over on to the parchment paper.
- Score your bread. Make sure the decorative scores are shallow and do a deep score where you want the bread to split. Optional: Give it a light dusting of flour beforehand to make the scoring design really stand out.
- Carefully pick it up by the parchment paper and place it in the dutch oven.
- Put the lid on the dutch oven and bake for 40 minutes. Then remove the lid, reduce the temperature to 450°F, and bake an additional 10 minutes.
- Once it is done, it is best to allow it to cool for at least 30 minutes.
Notes
- If you have 250g active starter prepared, you can substitute this for the leaven as long as it is fed a 1:1 ratio.
- If you prefer, you can proof and bake on Day 2. That will not change anything in the recipe.
- If this recipe is too large for you, it can be halved to make just one. As long as the ratios of the ingredients stay the same it can be scaled up or down.
- Prep Time: 72 hours
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Bread
