I’m not sure why it took me so long to get started making sourdough, but I’m so glad the me 4 years ago decided to give it a try. Something about just flour & water intrigued me and felt so simple.
And truly, it is!
I know it can seem intimidating, but believe me if you know me, you know I like simple and chill. Lol.
Here’s how I make a simply loaf of sourdough. This makes a classic round artisan loaf known as a Boule.
I’m going to assume you know what basic terms mean like scoring, stretching and folding, etc. But if you aren’t familiar, a simple quick search on Youtube will answer those questions fast!
What you’ll need:
50g active bubbly starter
300g clean water (room temp)
500g unbleached flour
10g salt
Food scale
Large bowl
Start by feeding your sourdough about 4-6 hours before you want to make up your dough. I typically feed my starter around the time when I am prepping dinner. This way its active and ready for me to mix up the dough before I go to bed, and it’s ready to bake some time the next morning. But you can also feed it before bed, stick it in a cool spot, and mix up dough in the morning….for evening baking.
Once you have fed, active starter, you’ll get your large bowl and weigh out the 300g water. Add 50g starter and it should float. This is how you know it’s active and ready!
Next, add the 500g flour and 10g salt. Mix well, but know that it is going to remain a chunky, shaggy dough for a bit. Cover, and let sit for 20 mins.
After 20 mins, stretch & fold your dough. Fold it on top of itself 3-4 times and then cover again. Now, you can do this step 2-4 times. Not a requirement, but definitely helps make a nice, airy, perfectly risen loaf. Sometimes I do all 3 stretches, sometimes I only do one.
Let sit covered on the counter for 12-14 hours.
The next day, preheat your oven to 435 degrees. While that is preheating, empty your dough on to a lightly floured surface. Stretch it out so you can fold it onto itself in thirds. Basically, you’re making a flat square an folding one side into the middle, and then the other side onto it, making 3 folded sections.
Then turn length wise and roll your dough up like a sleeping bag. At this point, you will begin doing a few “push/pulls” on the counter. Use your two palms to push the ball of dough away, and then do a quarter turn, and use your fingers to “pull” it to you. You are creating tension against the counter top. Do this several times over and over and then place your dough upside down in a proofing bowl. This is just any size bowl thats just a tad bigger than the loaf. Let sit while the oven preheats.
After about 20 mins of proofing, turn your dough out onto parchment paper. Score the loaf and place into a dutch oven (lid needed).
Bake at 435 degrees with the lid on for 23 minutes.
Remove the lid and bake an additional 23-25 minutes until the top is a nice golden color.
Remove, let cool, and slice into your delicious homemade sourdough.
