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Simply DoughLectable’s Beginner Friendly Classic Sourdough Bread Recipe

A reliable, no-drama loaf you can bake at home with strong structure, good rise, and classic flavor.

 INGREDIENTS for 1 LOAF

    •  125 g active sourdough starter
    • 325 g warm water (about 90°F – 100°F / 32°C – 37°C)
    • 500 g bread flour or AP flour
    • 13 g fine sea salt

Hydration:  65% – easy to handle, great for beginners.

Step 1 – MIXING OF THE DOUGH

    •  Add water + starter to a bowl. Stir until cloudy & foamy (Bulk Fermentation Begins)
    • Add flour & salt. Mix until no dry spots and dough is shaggy (The dough might seem dry, try to resist adding more water, trust the process, it will come together. Make sure it is mixed very well.  The best tool here would be your hands)
    • Cover bowl and let sit on counter for 5 minutes
    • Go in with damp hands & smoosh dough in between fingers and do some stretch & folds. Do 10 – 20 stretch & folds to build up the gluten.
    • Cover bowl and let sit on counter for 1 hour
    • After 1 hour proceed with your 1st round of stretch & folds. Go around the bowl 10 – 15 times.  (YES, this is way more than the typical 4 times around the bowl.  We are building the gluten.  I promise you will love the end results by doing more stretch & folds than the normal 4 around the bowl.  Trust my process!)
    • Cover bowl & let sit on counter for 30 minutes
    • 2nd round of stretch & folds/coil folds – . Go around the bowl 10 – 15 times or until the whole dough comes completely out of the bowl
    • Cover bowl & let sit on counter for 30 minutes
    • 3rd round of stretch & folds/coil folds – . Go around the bowl 10 – 15 times or until the whole dough comes completely out of the bowl
    • Cover bowl & let sit on counter for 30 minutes
    • 4th round of stretch & folds/coil folds – . Go around the bowl 10 – 15 times or until the whole dough comes completely out of the bowl
    • Cover bowl & let sit on counter until bulk fermentation is complete. This can take 2 to 6 hours depending on the temperature of your home.

Step 2 – WHEN BULK FERMENTATION IS COMPLETE

A surefire way to know sourdough bulk fermentation is complete is when the dough has increased in volume by roughly 50-75% (do not let your dough double in size as your dough will continue growing while in the refrigerator), appears smooth with a domed, slightly jiggly surface, and shows large bubbles on top and along the sides of a clear container. It should feel light, airy, and pull away from the container walls.Dough will be tacky when touched with dry fingers.  A tiny bit of dough stuck to your dry finger is ok.  A large chunk of dough is NOT ok.  It still needs more time to bulk ferment.

Remember, DO NOT WATCH THE CLOCK – WATCH THE DOUGH

BEST WAY TO VERIFY THAT BULK FERMENTATION IS COMPLETE (OPTIONAL)

I use the Aliquot Method for every one of the doughs that I make.  Do some research on social media to see how it is done.  I cannot stress enough how effective this method is.  You will not have any bad loaves if you use this method.

Step 3 – PRE-SHAPE DOUGH (3 techniques for you to try and see which works best for you)

    •  The Bench Scraper Method:Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, then use a bench scraper (or your hand) to pull the dough towards you. The friction between the dough and the counter tucks the edge under, creating a smooth, tight surface.
    • The Letter Fold/Round Method:Gently fold the top third of the dough down, then the sides, and the bottom up to create a rough envelope shape, finishing by flipping it over and tightening it into a round ball.
    • The “Push and Rotate” Method:Push the dough with a scraper while using the other hand to tuck it underneath, rotating it until a taut skin forms.

Step 4 – BENCH REST

Leave your dough ball on the counter covered with a lightly damp towel for 30 minutes for dough to relax before final shaping.

Step 5 – FINAL SHAPING

After the bench rest is complete, you can use 1 of the method above to shape your dough.  Remember you want a nice taut dough ball, but please be careful as to not rip your dough.  Once you have your dough ball nice and taut, place it in either a floured banneton basket of your choosing (betard – oval, or boule – round) or a towel lined bowl.  Place the dough with the seam side up).

Cover your basket with a damp towel or plastic bowl cover/shower cap.  Let rest for 10 minutes then stitch up your dough.  To stich your dough, grab opposite sides of the dough, stretch them up, and cross them over the center like a corset or “stitching” an apron, moving down the loaf.

Step 6 – REFRIGERATOR RESTING

Place your covered basket of dough into the refrigerator to rest for a minimum of 8 hours.  If you want more “sour” flavor of your sourdough, you can leave your dough in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours.  (I do not recommend leaving it in the refrigerator for more than 48 hours.)

Step 7 – BAKING YOUR BREAD

    •  Preheat your dutch/bread oven in your oven to 495 degrees for 45 minutes.
    • Once preheated, take your dough out of the refrigerator and place on a parchment paper, then place on top of a bread sling (the bread sling is optional but I recommend to use one so the bottom of your bread does not get to dark and hard).
    • Score your dough. Make sure you do a deep 45 degree angle expansion score.
    • Please dough into the dutch/bread oven & cover with lid. The dutch/bread oven lid will be on for most of the bake.  Don’t worry, your bread will still brown with the lid on the whole time.  With the lid on the whole time, it will ensure an even bake of your bread.
    • Let dough bake for 12 minutes at 495 degrees.
    • At the 12 minute mark, turn down the oven to 445 degrees for 35 minutes. Keep the lid on your dutch/bread oven.
    • After 35 minutes, take out the dutch/bread oven & check the internal temperature of the bread with a digital thermometer. You want your bread to have an internal temperature of 206 degrees.  If it still has not reached 206 degrees, place lid back on dutch/bread oven and place back in the oven at 5 minute intervals until you get to the desired internal temperature of 206 degrees.
    • Once you get to an internal temperature of 206 degrees and you feel like you want your bread to be more brown, you can then place your dutch/bread oven back into your oven without the lid for a few minutes to get to your desired brownness of the bread. Please watch carefully so it does not burn your bread.

 Step 8 – COOLING YOUR BREAD (The hard part)

Yes, I know, this is the hardest part ever but it is very important that you let your bread cool completely.  Wait a minimum of 1 hour before you cut into it.  Your bread is still cooking internally & the starches needs time to set.

If your bread is still warm or hot and you cut into it, this can lead to a gummy, sticky & doughy interior.  And after all this work to make your beautiful bread, you definitely don’t want this to happen to all of your hard work.

 

I truly hope you enjoy this recipe and have so much fun making your sourdough loaves.  Remember, if you need help at anytime, please reach out to me and I will help you out.

Enjoy – Tammy