A simple sourdough recipe

Photo by Rebecca Matthews on Unsplash
This is a simplified sourdough recipe I teach beginning sourdough bakers. When I say simplified that's a relative term. Though this isn't at all complicated it does take time. Since most of that time involves the dough sitting and you observing it I'm calling it a simplified recipe.

If you're new to sourdough baking this is a good place to start and it doesn't require any specialized equipment (like bannetons). All you need are the ingredients, a bowl and a bread pan and you're off to the races.

Another reason this is a good practice recipe is that it makes a single loaf instead of multiples. Making smaller batches at first saves you from being inundated with cast offs if it doesn't work at first. But this recipe does work if you follow it.

My previous sourdough posts can get you started with an overview, a starter and a recipe that uses a bit of commercial yeast as a safety net. Give them a look.

Here's the recipe. Good luck and let me know how you do.

My basic sourdough bread

100 grams (around ¾ cup) sourdough starter
250 milliliters (1 cup) filtered water
1 teaspoon salt
395 grams (3 ¼ cups) of bread flour

  1. Measure starter into a bowl. Add water, salt and bread flour. Mix together until the ingredients are well blended into a very sticky dough. Let rest, covered, for four hours at room temperature.
  2. With wet hands or a bowl scraper, fold the dough over on itself three or four times. Cover again and allow to ferment for an additional four hours at room temperature.
  3. Place covered bread bowl in the refrigerator overnight.
  4. The following morning, take out of the fridge and bring to room temperature by sitting it on the counter for approximately two hours.
  5. Scrape the dough into an oiled bread pan and cover. Allow to rise at room temperature for between five and eight hours.
  6. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
  7. Spray loaf with water immediately prior to placing it in the oven.
  8. Bake in the center of the preheated oven for between 30 and 40 minutes.

See? Simple!

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