Easy Every Day Sourdough Bread
Sourdough recipe for everyone, every day. Very little hands-on time and no kneading required.
Ingredients
- 80 grams starter
- 270 grams warm water - about 1 ¼ cup
- 400 grams bread flour
- 12 grams salt about 1 1/2 teaspoons
Instructions
make dough + autolyse
- Turn on the scale and set to grams.
- Place a medium size (3 quart) bowl onto the scale. Zero-out or “tare” the scale to zero.
- Spoon or pour 80 grams of starter into the bowl. Zero-out scale.
- Add 270 grams of warm (90-100 degrees) water to the bowl.
- Zero-out scale.
- Add 400 grams of bread flour and 12 grams of salt to the bowl, mix with dough hook, spatula or clean hands.
- The dough will be rough and shaggy at this stage. Mix any loose bits of flour in the bottom of the bowl into the dough, and scrape down the sides of the bowl to avoid hard bits of dough forming.
- Set the timer and let the mixture sit for one hour, covered in a warm room, 72-78 degrees. This step allows the flour to absorb the water and starter.
- *If short on time, this step can be done in 15 minutes. Mix the starter, water, starter and salt together in a bowl. Let sit for 15 minutes, then proceed with stretch and fold.
bulk fermentation, stretch and fold
- If your room is cool or below 75 degrees, set the dough in a warm place while in the bulk fermentation phase for the next 3 hours.
- Dip fingers into a bowl of water or run under a faucet to prevent fingers from sticking to dough. Place fingers on the edge of the dough, pull a portion of the dough upward about 4-6 inches, then fold back into the rest of the dough. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat until one total rotation of the bowl is complete. Repeat a second time.
- Cover dough and set aside. Set the timer for 30-45 minutes.
- Repeat the stretch and fold 3 more times, about every 30-45 minutes for a total of 4 stretch and fold over a 2-3 hour period of time. The stretch and fold step strengthens the dough and activates the wheat gluten and should take less than 5 minutes each time it is performed.
- I try to allow 4 hours total from the time I mix the dough, to the time it goes into the refrigerator.
Shape and refrigerate
- After the dough has completed bulk fermentation, do one to two more stretch and fold and turn the dough upside down so the bottom (smooth side) of the dough is on top. On a clean surface lightly floured surface, tuck the sides of the dough under until the ball of dough is about 5-6 inches in diameter. Place on a piece of parchment paper in a medium side bowl or banneton, cover and place in the refrigerator. Refrigerate the dough for 6-18 hours. If the dough is placed in a banneton, make sure to cover the bottom of the bowl so the dough is not dried out in the refrigerator.
bake and cool
- One to two hours before baking, remove the dough from the refrigerator. Dust the top of the dough with rice flour and using a razor, sharp knife or lame, score the bread one inch into the dough. Let the dough sit on the counter top for 1 hour. I have let the dough sit on the countertop for two hours without a problem.
- Gently lift the dough into the dutch oven, tuck the parchment paper into the pan and place the lid on the pan.
- Set the rack in the middle of the oven and turn the oven to 450 degrees. Place the covered pan in the oven and set the timer to 50 minutes. After 50 minutes, remove the lid from the pan and continue to bake for an additional 10 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven and allow the bread to sit in the pan for 5 minutes, then carefully lift the bread out of the dutch oven. Let cool for one hour before slicing.
Notes
- Of the suggested tools needed for making sourdough successfully, I highly recommend a good quality scale and a dutch oven. I've linked my preferred brands, but any kitchen store or many departments store will also carry these tools as well.
- If this baking method in this recipe does not work well for you, try preheating the dutch oven for 30 minutes in a 450 degree oven, then place the dough into the dutch oven and cover. Bake for 30 minutes covered, and 15 minutes uncovered. The internal temperature of the bread should be 205-210 degrees.
- I've also included a higher hydration amounts in the recipe notes (below). This higher hydration recipe is easier to stretch and fold, but I believe it is a little more difficult to handle and bake without a risk of doughy center.
- Higher hydration recipe: 80 grams starter, 300 grams water, 400 grams bread flour + a little all-purpose flour for shaping on countertop, 12 grams salt.
- If you feel your dough is not rising enough, leave it on the countertop, covered for 6-8 hours before refrigeration. Everyone's kitchen, water, flour, etc varies a bit. Some days I leave my dough on the countertop overnight. When I do this, I refrigerate for at least an hour before baking.
- If your water is chlorinated, use bottled or filtered water in your starter. I have not had an issue using tap water in the US in sourdough bread, but have had problems with growing starter using tap water in some locations. To remove chlorine, boil water for 5 minutes then let cool completely or let water sit in a pitcher for a full 24 hours (chlorine will evaporate) or simply use bottled water.