This simple sourdough bread recipe is ideal for newbies—no autolyse, no lamination folds, simply easy steps and scrumptious outcomes. Right here’s the right sourdough bread I’ve been making each week!
Simple Sourdough Bread Recipe
Baking sourdough can appear type of intense. Between all the flowery phrases, particular gear, and lengthy timelines, it’s simple to really feel such as you want a baking diploma simply to get began. That’s precisely why I wished to share this simple sourdough recipe I take advantage of each week that my household loves!
Why This Sourdough Bread Recipe Works
I first began making sourdough bread in 2020 when Melissa from Bless This Mess despatched me some sourdough starter. Since then, I picked it again up once more and I’ve been baking sourdough for my household each week and promised I’d share how I do it. In truth, I held off for some time as a result of I’m not knowledgeable baker—however this technique has been utterly foolproof. It makes good sourdough bread each time, and it’s easy and beginner-friendly:
- No Sophisticated Instruments Wanted: You don’t want a flowery proofing basket, dough whisk, or baking stone. An everyday bowl, towel, and Dutch oven work simply tremendous.
- Simple Timeline: There’s no complicated autolyse step or break up day course of. You combine the dough, give it some love with a number of stretch-and-folds, let it rise, form it, after which stick it within the fridge. Completed.
- Chilly Proof for Higher Outcomes (and Flexibility): Letting your dough rise in a single day within the fridge not solely improves taste and crumb—it additionally offers you extra management over your baking schedule. You possibly can form at evening and bake within the morning, with out speeding.
- No Starter Guesswork: I stroll you thru methods to feed and time your starter so that you’re not guessing whether or not it’s prepared to make use of. That step alone can take the thriller out of sourdough for newbies.
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What You’ll Want
The Most Vital Step
You don’t want professional expertise, just a bit time and persistence. A very powerful step? Begin with a powerful, lively sourdough starter. You may make this from scratch (a lot of recipes on-line) or purchase it recent and able to use (I linked 2 choices). After you have that, the remainder falls into place, and I’ll stroll you thru it, step-by-step.
The right way to Feed Your Starter (1:1:1 Ratio)
A robust, lively starter is essential to nice sourdough bread! Feeding your starter is easy utilizing the 1:1:1 ratio—equal components starter, flour, and water by weight. Since I bake 2 breads at a time, I feed it 100 grams of every. You possibly can feed it different ratios, however this can rise the quickest. Feed it early within the morning, and it’s able to make dough within the night.
- Weigh your starter: Put 100g of starter in a clear jar and refrigerate use for discard recipes.
- To the jar add 10g heat filtered water and 100g natural all goal flour (I take advantage of natural King Arthur flour, not bread bread flour).
- Combine properly till easy and no dry flour stays.
- Cowl loosely with material or perhaps a paper towel so it breathes and let it sit at room temperature in a heat spot till it doubles in dimension, appears to be like bubbly, and smells pleasantly tangy—normally inside 4–6 hours if saved in a heat spot.
- You possibly can scale up or down as wanted—simply maintain the quantities equal. For instance, 50g starter + 50g flour + 50g water = 150g whole starter.
Sourdough Bread Elements
This Sourdough bread recipe is made with simply 4 substances. Right here’s what you’ll have to make it. See the recipe card beneath for actual measurements:
- Ripe bubbly lively starter that has been fed and has doubled in dimension. Should you don’t have a sourdough starter, that is the recipe I used, however you can even purchase it pre-made right here which is simpler and faster to get began.
- Heat filtered water
- Bread flour, or all goal flour, I want natural King Arthur Bread Flour
- Kosher salt or tremendous sea salt (I like to make use of pink Himalayan sea salt)
How To Make Sourdough Bread
Right here’s the step-by-step directions for making this foolproof sourdough bread recipe. It will make one loaf of sourdough. Scale it up for a number of loaves. See printable instructions within the recipe card beneath.
1. Feed Your Starter:
Begin the day earlier than in case your starter is within the fridge. I take mine out the evening earlier than and feed it. Then within the morning (round 6 a.m.), I discard and feed it once more utilizing a 1:1:1 ratio with heat filtered water. As soon as it doubles in dimension and appears good and bubbly, it’s prepared to make use of—normally by early afternoon.
2. Make the Dough:
In a big bowl, combine collectively the lively starter, heat water, and salt till properly mixed. Add the flour and blend till you’ve got a shaggy, sticky dough, the dough will really feel sticky. Don’t fear if it appears to be like a bit tough at first! Cowl the bowl with a humid towel and let it relaxation for half-hour at room temperature.
3. Stretch and Folds:
After half-hour, moist your hand and gently stretch and fold the dough by pulling one facet up and folding it into the middle. Rotate the bowl and repeat this 4–5 occasions till the dough begins to come back collectively. Cowl and let relaxation for an additional half-hour. Repeat this course of 3 extra occasions (each half-hour). Should you’re brief on time, two rounds will nonetheless give nice outcomes.
4. Bulk Fermentation (First Rise)
After your remaining fold, cowl the bowl and let the dough rise for six–7 hours at room temperature (longer in cooler temps). The dough is prepared when it has grown by 50–70%, has seen bubbles, and gently jiggles once you shake the bowl.
5. Pre-Form:
Flip the dough out onto a clear, evenly floured work floor. Gently form it right into a spherical by folding the sides into the middle, rotating the dough as you go. Let the dough relaxation uncovered for 15 to half-hour (that is known as a bench relaxation). Use your arms to softly pull the dough towards you to create floor stress and a tighter spherical form.
6. Last Shaping:
Mud a proofing basket or medium mixing bowl (lined with a floured towel) generously with flour. You can even spray the bowl with cooking spray and mud with flour as a substitute. Fold the dough into itself once more, rotating as you go, then place it easy facet down into the bowl. Cowl with a towel, bathe cap, or plastic wrap.
7. Chilly Fermentation (Second Rise):
Refrigerate the dough in a single day, or for as much as 24 hours. This chilly proof improves each the flavour and texture—and it offers you a versatile baking schedule (extremely advocate). Need to bake the identical day? Let the dough relaxation at room temp for 1–2 hours till it appears to be like puffy.
8. Bake:
- Preheat your oven to 450°F. Some folks do that with their Dutch oven inside however I don’t as a result of my crust burns on the underside. Each oven is totally different.
- Lower a chunk of parchment to suit the dimensions of your pot. Gently flip the dough onto the parchment (I place the paper on a plate, invert the bowl on prime, and flip fastidiously). Rating the highest of the dough with a razor, lame, or sharp knife. I normally do a easy “X,” however be happy to get artistic.
- Use the parchment to carry the dough into the Dutch oven. Cowl and bake for half-hour.
- Then take away the lid, decrease the oven temp to 400°F, and bake for an additional 25–half-hour, till the crust is deep golden brown and sounds hole when tapped. Cool on a wire rack for at the least 1 hour earlier than slicing.
Variations
When you grasp baking sourdough, mess around with totally different flours like entire wheat flour or entire grain flours.
After Baking: What to Do with Leftover Starter
Should you’re not baking once more the subsequent day:
- Hold 25g of your starter
- Feed it 50g flour + 50g water
- Let it sit out for 1–2 hours, then retailer within the fridge, lined
- Should you are baking the subsequent day, simply go away your newly fed starter at room temp in a single day and repeat the feeding cycle.
Methods To Take pleasure in Sourdough Bread
My favourite technique to eat it’s when it’s recent out of the oven, nonetheless heat with a bit of butter – there’s nothing is healthier! Leftover bread we toast and make avocado toast, mushroom toast, breakfast BLT, grilled cheese sandwiches, tuna sandwiches… the chances are countless!
Sourdough Discard Recipes Coming Quickly!
Yield: 28 slices
Serving Dimension: 1 ounce
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Feed Your Starter: The day that you just’d prefer to make your dough, feed your starter. If it was within the fridge I take mine out the evening earlier than and feed it. Then within the morning earlier than I plan to make my dough or at the least a number of hours earlier than I discard and feed it once more. Your starter will probably be prepared to make use of when it’s at its doubled in dimension earlier than it begins to shrink again down in dimension.
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Make The Dough: To make your bread dough, add your lively sourdough starter to a big mixing bowl with water and salt and blend with a spoon to mix properly. Add the bread flour and blend collectively till a moist and sticky dough types and the substances are full mixed. Cowl the bowl with a humid kitchen towel, and let relaxation half-hour at room temperature.
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Stretches and Folds: After the dough has rested half-hour, use a moist hand to softly pull the nook of the dough close to the facet of the bowl and push it down into the center of the bowl. Repeat this collection, rotating around the bowl, till the dough begins to appear like bread dough and comes collectively in additional of a ball. This could take a few minute of going around the bowl 4 to five occasions pulling and tucking into the middle. Let the dough relaxation, lined for half-hour. You’ll do that 3 extra occasions each half-hour, protecting after every time for a complete of two hours, if time permits. Should you don’t have the time, you are able to do this twice, it’ll nonetheless end up simply tremendous.
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Relaxation (Bulk Fermentation): After the collection of stretches, cowl the dough with a humid kitchen towel and a lid or plate so it doesn’t dry out and let it rise for six to 7 hours at room temperature, or as much as 8 to 9 hours in colder temps. This is named the majority rise. The dough is prepared when it has elevated by 50% to 70% quantity, jiggles once you shake the bowl and has some scattered bubbles seen on the perimeters and prime.
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Pre-shape: Tip the bowl the wrong way up, permitting the dough to fall on a clear evenly floured floor. Gently form it right into a spherical by folding the highest all the way down to the middle, rotate the dough; repeat till you’ve come full circle, you probably have a bench scraper, tuck the sides of the dough into the middle and work across the edges to create stress.
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Bench Relaxation: Flip the ball dough over. Let it relaxation for half-hour. Utilizing your arms, gently pull the dough ball in direction of you, letting its grip on the counter pull it right into a tighter ball. Rotate the dough barely and repeat across the edges till you have shaped a decent ball.
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Shaping: In the meantime, put together a bread proofing basket by dusting it very properly with flour, or you should utilize a medium mixing bowl (about 8 inches throughout) and line it with a clear towel and mud it very properly with flour. Alternatively, in case you don’t need to use a kitchen towel you possibly can put together the blending bowl by generously spraying it with cooking spray after which flour very properly. Going round in a circle, fold the highest all the way down to the middle, rotate the dough; repeat till you’ve come full circle. Place your dough ball, easy prime down, into your put together basket or bowl, and canopy with a bathe cap, plastic wrap or towel.
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Chilly Fermentation (second rise): Refrigerate in a single day or so long as 18 to 24 hours. If you wish to bake the identical day, let the dough relaxation for 1 to 2 hours, at room temperature, or till it is unfold out a bit and appears puffy. (Word: I want the chilly proof technique and refrigerate this in a single day for a lighter and airier crumb.)
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Baking: Preheat the oven to 450° F. Lower a chunk of parchment paper to suit the dimensions of your Dutch oven.
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Gently flip your bread dough out onto a chunk of parchment paper (I prefer to put my parchment paper on prime of a plate, put the paper and plate on prime of my bread basket, and switch it over gently).
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Utilizing the tip of a razor blade, exacto knife, a lame, or perhaps a sharp serrated knife, rating the highest of the dough nonetheless you want – I normally go together with a easy “X”. However be happy to get fancy. Use the corners of the parchment paper to fastidiously switch the dough into your dutch oven. Place the lid on the dutch oven.
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Place the dutch oven within the middle of the new oven and bake 450°F for half-hour. Take away the lid, decrease the oven temp to 400°F and put the dutch oven again within the oven, uncovered, for an additional 20 to half-hour. The bread needs to be browned throughout and sound hole when tapped when it’s executed or reaches an inner temp of 205–210°F.
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Take away the pan from the oven, after which switch the bread to a wire rack and let it cool at the least 1 hour earlier than slicing and serving.
Final Step:
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Sourdough bread is greatest eaten the day of, although it’ll keep recent if lined room temperature as much as 3 days in an hermetic plastic bag or container. You can even refrigerate it for at the least 1 week or wrap it tight and freeze it for as much as 3 months. To freeze, slice it after you let the loaf cool utterly, then wrap it properly in plastic wrap. Let it thaw at room temperature a couple of minutes when able to eat, then toast.
After I make my dough, to “refresh” my starter, I easy feed it. I’ll maintain 25 grams of the leftover starter and blend it with 50 grams of water and 50 grams of flour by weight. If I’m baking tomorrow, I’ll simply go away it on the counter. If I’m not baking once more the subsequent day, I’ll retailer it lined within the fridge till I’m able to bake once more.
My bread weighs about 28 oz utilizing 100 g starter. Dietary information relies on that, for 1 ounce slices. Be happy to eat as a lot as you want.
This recipe is tailored from Alexandra Cooks and Bless This Mess.
Serving: 1 ounce, Energy: 72 kcal, Carbohydrates: 15 g, Protein: 2.5 g, Sodium: 138 mg, Fiber: 0.5 g
