Simple Sourdough Bread

Loaf of sourdough bread on parchment paper with a jar of sourdough starter in the background.

This simple sourdough bread recipe is perfect for beginners! This recipe is easy to follow and bakes the most amazing sourdough bread with a golden, crispy crust.

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Baking, Bread

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 4

Cook Time: 1

Total Rise Time: 18

Total Time: 23

Servings: slices

Author: Jamie

Ingredients

▢ 150 grams sourdough starter active and bubbly
▢ 400 grams warm water
▢ 550 grams bread flour
▢ 10 grams salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Feed your starter 4-6 hours before starting the dough. Your starter is active and ready to use when it has roughly doubled in size and is full of bubbles.
Mix the dough and let rest for 30 minutes. Use a kitchen scale to accurately measure your ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, combine 150 grams of active sourdough starter, 400 grams of lukewarm filtered water, and 550 grams of bread flour.
Mix the ingredients using a dough whisk or your hands until fully combined. The dough will look shaggy, which is perfectly normal.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rest in a warm spot for 30 minutes.
Add salt and start the stretch and folds. After the dough has rested for 30 minutes, sprinkle 10 grams of salt evenly over the surface. Use your fingers to gently press the salt into the dough.
Begin the first set of stretch and folds. Gently lift the dough from one side of the bowl, stretch it upward, and fold it over the center. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat. Continue until you’ve completed 4 stretch and folds, working your way around the bowl.
Bulk Fermentation begins (4-6 hours). Cover with a towel and place in a warm place. Repeat the stretch and folds every 30-45 minutes for 4-6 hours.
Towards the end of the bulk fermentation process, I switch from stretch and folds to coil folds.
To coil fold, bring both your hands under the middle of the dough and gently stretch the dough up, then tuck it under the ball of dough. Rotate 90 degrees and repeat 3 more times.
The dough is ready to be shaped once it has increased in size by 50-100%.
Shape the dough. Scrape the dough out onto a clean and lightly floured surface. Stretch the dough out into a rectangle about 8" by 15".
Stretch each corner of the dough out and fold it into the center of the rectangle. Wrap the dough in a similar shape to a burrito, then fold the short sides underneath the dough.
To create tension in the dough, use both hands to push the dough away from you and coax it back multiple times, shaping it into a ball.
Flour the banneton and use a scraper or your hands to flip the dough ball top down into the banneton.
Refrigerate overnight (12-24 hours). Cover the banneton and place the dough in the fridge overnight for around 12 hours. This is the final proof.
Bake the bread. Preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C) and place your Dutch oven inside to heat for 30–60 minutes.
Prepare a sheet of parchment paper by sprinkling it with flour. Take the dough out of the fridge, then turn the banneton upside down onto the parchment paper to release the dough. Optionally, sprinkle the top of the dough with rice flour.
Score the bread. Use a bread lame to score the dough. I prefer to create light, leaf-like patterns along with one deep slash down the center. Feel free to get creative with your designs or keep it simple with a single deep cut.
Why does bread scoring matter? Scoring reveals parts of the dough's interior, creating a crust with varied textures—crisp edges around the cuts and a softer crust in other areas.
Bake the bread! Carefully remove the Dutch oven from the oven and sprinkle 1–2 tablespoons of uncooked rice or cornmeal evenly across the bottom of the pan. Place the parchment paper with the dough on top of the prepared surface.
Cover the Dutch oven and bake for 30 minutes. Then, uncover and bake for an additional 30 minutes. After a total of 60 minutes, your bread will be fully baked.
Remove it from the oven and let it rest for 30–60 minutes to cool before slicing and savoring.

Nutrition

Calories: 212kcal

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