My first recipe blog!!! One thing I promised myself when I decided to write blog posts and recipes was that I would keep my character count down before giving the info you wanted. So, here’s the beginner recipe. Have fun!
Important note: This might not look like a beginner recipe. This recipe uses methods and equipment that I found bakers from all regions and cultures using. These are the measurements I used on my very first loaf of sourdough. I started weighing in grams, using a thermometer, bannetons, and lames. The process can be as precise and intricate as you want it to be. I did NOT give you all of the info in this recipe, there is so much more we can nerd out on. Use what you have and your bread will taste great! Banneton Bowl, Lame sharp knife. I do recommend weighing in grams over using cups.
Before you start: Glossary, How to make a starter, Tools and Equipment,
You will need:
Do this about 10-12 hours before you want to mix your dough. I recommend feeding it the night before. Feed a 1:3:3 ratio. 25 grams starter, 75 grams flour, 75 grams water.
In a jar, measure out flour, water, and mature starter. Mix until there are no visible dry clumps. Be sure the jar has room in it for the starter to double in size. Loosely cover the jar with the lid.
In 10-12 hours, check your starter to see if it’s ready (has increased in volume, is full of bubbles, and smells like sweet vinegar). When it’s ready, you can prepare to mix your dough!
500 grams All-purpose flour
340 grams water
10 grams salt
150 grams sourdough starter
Using your scale, weigh all your ingredients in separate containers before combining them. Once measured, combine the all-purpose flour, water, salt, and starter in a large mixing bowl. Mix using your hand with the goal of leaving no clumps of dry flour in your dough. When you have no dry flour left, cover your mixing bowl with a kitchen towel or what I call “little hats” and let your dough rest for about 30 minutes. This rest will give the gluten in your dough time to develop which makes the dough stronger and able to hold structure later on!
After the 30 minutes, uncover your dough. Grab hold of the outer edge on the right side, pull the dough up, then fold it into the middle of the dough ball. Repeat the same type of fold for the left, top, and bottom edge. Be careful not to tear the dough when you pull it up. You want to stretch it, but not break it. Take time to feel the dough and make a note of how it feels, the weight, the density, how far it stretched at first, and how it tightens once folds are done. Making these notes will help you to develop insight into your dough and learn what it needs. Remember, it’s alive! Wait 30 more minutes and repeat these folds.
Let your dough rise for 3.5 to 4 hours. If the dough is properly fermented it will be aerated and increased in volume. Here are some things to look for:
It’s okay if you don’t see these things, just give it more time! If it’s a cold day your starter might just be moving a little slowly. See our FAQ page for troubleshooting.
Turn your dough out onto a lightly floured countertop. You’ll want to keep one side of your dough sticky and one floured. The side that meets your floured counter top will be your floured side. So avoid adding flour to the sticky side (currently facing up towards your ceiling) so it stays sticky.
We are going to do a letter fold. Use your bench knife to lift and stretch the top side of your dough down to the middle, sealing the dough to itself. Now, lift and stretch the dough from the bottom side to meet the seam in the middle. Repeat this with the left and right sides of the dough, meeting them into the middle. The dough should be shaped into a tight, little rounded square. If the dough seems very relaxed you can rotate the entire mass of dough 90° and repeat the letter fold process described above to create more tension.
Next, flip your dough over onto an unfloured portion of your work surface so that the sticky side is in contact with the countertop. Using your hands or bench knife, tuck and drag the dough counter clock-wise around in a circle 2-3 times to increase the tension across the surface of the floured (top) side of your dough. This tension will help score your dough and create a good oven spring. It’s proofing time!
Lightly sprinkle flour into your banneton. Use your bench knife to flip your dough over into your banneton, sticky side up. Cover the banneton with one of your “little hats” or a kitchen towel. Now your dough is going to proof 1-2 hours. This is the last rise for the dough before you bake it!
Place a Dutch oven with the lid into your home oven. And preheat your oven to 450°F. It’s important for your Dutch oven to get good and hot before you bake your bread in it.
After 1-2 hours of proofing in a banneton, check see if your dough is done rising, gently poke the dough with your finger and pay attention to how it feels. If it feels airy, pillowy it’s ready to bake! If it feels tight and tense, it needs more time to rise. Check it every 30 minutes until it’s ready. If your dough does need more time, don’t worry! A cold kitchen could make your dough move a little slower, but it’ll get there.
Grab a piece of parchment paper that’s slightly larger than your dough. Remove the “little hat” from your banneton and pour your dough out onto the parchment paper so that the sticky side of your dough is in contact with the parchment. With your lame, slash the dough twice making an “X” across the top. Then take your Dutch oven out, place it on your stove top, and remove the lid. Pick up the edges of the parchment paper that your dough is on and use it to lift the dough into the Dutch oven. Place the lid back on top. The lid will create steam in the Dutch oven to keep the crust of your bread soft so that your loaf is able to rise in the first part of the bake. Put the Dutch oven back into your preheated oven. Set a timer for 25 minutes.
After the 25 minutes, remove the lid from your Dutch oven. You should see that your loaf has risen and is still rather pale in color. Reduce the heat on your oven to 400°F. Bake without the lid on for an additional 15-20 minutes.
Hooray! Your loaf is baked! Remove the loaf from the Dutch oven with oven mitts and place it on a wire rack to cool. Allowing your loaf to cool for 30-45 minutes makes it easier to slice and solidifies the crumb. It’ll be worth the wait!