Easy Sourdough Bread
The reliable everyday loaf. Mix, a few stretch and folds, a long bulk ferment, then bake same day or straight from the fridge the next morning.
- Prep Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Bulk Ferment: 8 to 12 hours
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: about 12 hours, mostly hands off
- Yield: 1 loaf
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 60 g active, bubbly sourdough starter (about 1/4 cup)
- 340 g water (about 1 1/3 cups plus 2 tablespoons)
- 500 g bread flour or all-purpose flour (about 3 2/3 cups)
- 10 g salt (about 1 1/2 teaspoons)
Instructions
- Mix. Stir the water, starter, flour, and salt until everything is hydrated. The dough will look shaggy and sticky, which is exactly right.
- Stretch and folds. Over the next 2 hours, do 3 to 4 rounds of stretch-and-folds, about every 30 minutes. Grab one side of the dough, stretch it up, fold it over itself, turn the bowl, and repeat a few times. This builds strength without kneading.
- Bulk ferment. Cover and let the dough rise until it looks puffy and has grown noticeably, usually 8 to 12 hours depending on temperature.
- Choose your path. Same-day bake: after the bulk rise, gently shape the dough, rest 1 to 2 hours at room temperature, then bake. Next-day bake (my usual): after shaping, place the dough in a floured bowl or banneton, cover, and refrigerate overnight. This adds flavor and makes the dough easier to handle.
- Bake. Preheat a Dutch oven to 500°F. Bake straight from the fridge or counter: 25 minutes covered at 450°F, then 20 minutes uncovered until deeply golden.
- Cool before slicing.
Notes
Shaggy dough is fine. A little water on your hands makes it easier to handle. Do not keep adding flour; let the gluten build and the sticky dough will improve over time.
Under-proofed is easier to fix than over-proofed. Overproof rule of thumb: bake it anyway.
Want a soft crust? For a softer, more sandwich-style crust, add 1 to 2 tablespoons honey and 1 to 2 tablespoons melted butter or oil, mixed in with the water and starter at the beginning. If you love a crackly, rustic crust, skip this and bake as written.