This beautiful bread comes together with very little work and a lot of time. Having a solid starter is the most important part to ensure your bread’s success.
Basic Sourdough Loaf
Ingredients
Instructions
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Whisk together active starter and water.
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Add in flour and salt. Combine until a rough dough forms using your hands if needed.
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Cover and set aside. The dough will look scraggly at this point.
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After 30 minutes, perform the first set of stretch and folds or coil folds depending on your preference. This will help to develop structure in the dough. Repeat 3 more times, once every 30 minutes over the next 90 minutes. At this point the dough should start to take shape and be more manageable.
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Cut and flour a piece of parchment paper to rest your shaped dough in overnight. Shape the dough by tipping it out onto a floured surface, stretching it out into a large rectangle. Fold it horizontally in thirds.
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Roll the dough up tightly.
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Pull the dough ball towards you letting it grip the counter to build tension. Place seam side up into the prepared bowl and cover loosely. Let rise for an hour or up to overnight in the fridge.
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Preheat the over to 550F with your Dutch oven inside.
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Place a piece of parchment paper over the top of the proofed dough and gently flip the bowl so that the bread is now upright out of the bowl. dust lightly with flour and score your dough, ensuring at least one 1/2" deep cut to release steam.
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Bake for 30 minutes at 450F, then lower the temperature to 400F, take off the top of the Dutch oven, and let cook an additional 10-15 minutes.
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Remove to a cooling rack. Let rest for at least an hour, preferably two before you cut into the bread. Store for up to 3 days at room temperature or freeze for up to 3 months.
