Rustic Sourdough Bread (Printable)

Naturally fermented loaf with chewy crust and tangy, tender interior.

# What You Need:

→ Dough

01 - 4 ½ cups unbleached bread flour (approximately 500g)
02 - 1 ½ cups room temperature water (approximately 350g)
03 - ⅓ cup active sourdough starter, fed and bubbly (approximately 100g)
04 - 2 teaspoons sea salt (approximately 10g)

# How To Make It:

01 - Combine bread flour and water in a large mixing bowl, stirring until just incorporated. Cover the bowl and let the mixture rest for 45 minutes to allow gluten development.
02 - Add the active sourdough starter and sea salt to the autolysed dough. Mix thoroughly by hand, squeezing and folding the dough until the starter and salt are completely distributed throughout.
03 - Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 30 minutes to relax the gluten.
04 - Perform four sets of stretch and folds at 30-minute intervals. For each set, grab one edge of the dough, stretch it upward, and fold it over the center. Rotate the bowl and repeat until all sides have been folded.
05 - Cover the dough and allow it to rise at room temperature for 4-6 hours, or until the dough has approximately doubled in volume and shows visible fermentation bubbles.
06 - Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour. Gently turn out the dough and shape it into a tight round or oval loaf, creating surface tension.
07 - Place the shaped dough seam-side up in a well-floured banneton proofing basket or a bowl lined with a heavily floured kitchen towel.
08 - Cover and proof at room temperature for 2-4 hours, or refrigerate overnight for 8-12 hours to develop deeper sourdough flavor.
09 - Position a Dutch oven or heavy lidded pot on the center rack and preheat the oven to 450°F for at least 30 minutes to ensure thorough heating.
10 - Turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper. Use a bread lame or sharp knife to score the top of the loaf with a decisive cut, then carefully lift the parchment and dough into the preheated Dutch oven.
11 - Cover the Dutch oven with its lid and bake for 25 minutes to create steam and develop oven spring.
12 - Remove the lid and continue baking for an additional 20 minutes, or until the crust is deeply golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
13 - Transfer the baked loaf to a wire cooling rack and allow it to cool completely for at least 2 hours before slicing to ensure proper texture development.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The tangy, complex flavor develops naturally over time, deepening with each bake
  • That shattering crust and tender crumb will make you feel like a professional baker
  • Once you master the rhythm, this bread becomes a meditative weekend ritual
02 -
  • Underproofed dough results in dense bread with poor oven spring. When in doubt, let it proof longer rather than shorter.
  • Scoring isnt just decorative. It directs where the bread expands, preventing ugly blowouts. Use your lame at a confident 45-degree angle.
03 -
  • Use an inverted Dutch oven lid as your base for easier dough transfer
  • Place a tray of ice cubes in the oven when you put the bread in for extra steam

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