My Favorite Sourdough Recipe
This is the sourdough recipe I've been using for the past couple months. It's based on this recipe, though I've found that one a bit complicated to share with people new to sourdough, so I've edited this down a bit. Hopefully it's simpler, but if you want pictures and more details, check that one out!
Ingredients
- 1 cup active (ripe/fed) sourdough starter (227 grams)
- 5 cups unbleached bread flour (602 grams)
- 1¾ cups water (397 grams)
- 1 tablespoon salt (18 grams)
Flavor Additions
Pick one of these options or experiment with others!
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder / 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder / 1 teaspoon dried oregano
Instructions
1. Make the dough.
Combine the starter, flour and water in a large bowl. Don't add the salt yet.
Use a large spoon or dough whisk to stir the dough together. Mix until the dough no longer clings to the bowl, and instead forms a ball.
2. Add the salt
If you are pressed for time, you can do this immediately after mixing the dough, but you'll have better results if you let the dough rest for about 20 minutes before adding the salt.
Incorporate the salt by mixing again with the spoon. You may need to use your fingers to help work the salt into the dough until you don't feel the salt crystals anymore.
3. Let the dough rest
Cover the dough in the bowl and let it rest for an hour.
4. Knead the dough
Move the dough onto your countertop. Hold one side of the dough, then gently stretch the other side just until you see the dough "tear" a bit. Fold the dough in half, rotate it, and then stretch and fold the next side.
I usually keep doing this process until I start feeling air bubbles in the dough. Usually 5-10 minutes.
(Another method is to fold each side in, then rest the dough, then fold again, repeating several times - see the recipe I mentioned above. I prefer to do active kneading rather than all the resting).
5. Add your flavor
When you feel like the dough is getting some air bubbles, it's time to fold in your flavors. Stretch out your dough, and spread half of the flavor toppings across it. Fold those in a few times. Then spread the rest of the flavor toppings, and fold those in.
6. Proof the dough
Place the dough in a bowl and cover with a lid, damp towel or plastic wrap.
Sit it somewhere in your kitchen for about 8 hours.
Check to see if it's ready to bake by pressing the dough with a lightly floured or oiled knuckle. If the dough springs right back, allow it to keep proofing. If it's slow to spring back, it's ready.
7. Get ready to bake
Preheat the oven to 480 (if you have a dutch oven, put that in the oven while it is preheating).
Put your dough on your counter, give it a few more stretch and folds for good measure and then start forming it into a ball, seam side down. Place the ball on some parchment paper. Sprinkle some flour on the top. Use a razor blade or something sharp to score the bread across the top (three small slices will do).
8. Bake it
If you have a dutch oven, place the parchment paper in the dutch oven, give it a little spritz of water, and put the lid on.
If you don't have a dutch oven, place the parchment paper on a cookie sheet, give it a little spritz of water, and but a pot upside down over the dough.
Lower the oven temp to 450. Bake for 45 minutes.
Take the lid off, bake uncovered for 15 minutes.
9. Cool the loaf
Remove the loaf from the oven, and let if cool for a couple hours before slicing it.