Sourdough Bread
breadpastry

Sourdough Bread

A straightforward, naturally leavened loaf with a crisp crust.

Ingredients

  • 450 g bread flour (white, high-grade)
  • 50 g whole wheat flour
  • 350 ml water (plus 25 ml later, when adding salt)
  • 100 g active sourdough starter
  • 10 g fine salt

Tools

  • Large mixing bowl
  • Bowl cover (lid / plate / plastic wrap)
  • Bench scraper (optional, helpful)
  • Clean towel + bowl or proofing basket
  • Parchment paper
  • Razor blade or very sharp knife
  • Oven
  • 2 baking trays (one for bread, one for steam)
  • Shot glass + plastic wrap (for the dough “test”)

Instructions

1. Prepare the starter (if it was in the fridge)

  • Take the starter out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature in a dark place.
  • Feed it: mix 90 g starter + 90 g water + 90 g flour.
  • Wait 6–8 hours, until it reaches maximum rise (about 3x).
  • Use the starter when it’s at peak.

2. Mix + autolyse (30 minutes)

  • In a large bowl, mix 450 g white flour + 50 g whole wheat flour + 350 ml water + 100 g active starter.
  • Cover and rest for 30 minutes.

3. Add salt (and extra water), then rest (30 minutes)

  • Sprinkle 10 g salt over the dough.
  • Add 25 ml of water.
  • Mix by hand until the salt grains fully dissolve and the dough tightens up.
  • Cover and rest for 30 minutes.

4. Set up the “dough test” indicator

  • Pinch off a small piece of dough and put it into a shot glass.
  • Cover the glass with plastic wrap and mark the starting level.
  • When this test dough rises by about 20–30%, it’s a good signal the main dough is ready to shape.

5. Bulk fermentation + folds

  • The dough should increase in volume a bit and feel more elastic over time.
  • Do 3 rounds of folds:
    Gently release the dough from the bowl bottom, then grab an edge, stretch it up, and fold it over the dough; repeat 5–6 times around the dough. Cover and rest 30 minutes.
  • Repeat this fold + 30-minute rest two more times.
  • After the 3rd round, cover and leave the dough to ferment for 3–4 hours.

6. Shape (two-stage)

  • Lightly flour the top of the dough.
  • Lightly flour the table, then turn the dough out with the sticky side facing up.
  • Do a gentle pre-shape: stretch and fold the dough onto itself to form a rough round or oval.
  • Dust the sticky side with flour, flip seam-side down, and tighten the surface with gentle twisting/pulling motions (don’t tear the skin).
  • Flip seam-side up again, cover with an upside-down bowl, and rest 30 minutes.

7. Final shape + proof

  • Shape again (same idea: fold to build structure, then tighten the surface).
  • Prepare a bowl/proofing basket: line it with a towel and dust the towel with flour.
  • Transfer the dough seam-side up into the lined bowl.
  • Cover with plastic wrap.

Optional overnight version:

  • If baking tomorrow morning, refrigerate now.
  • In the morning, take it out and let it warm up and rise for about 3–4 hours before baking.

Room-temperature version:

  • Proof at room temperature for 3–4 hours.

8. Preheat the oven (last 1 hour of proof)

  • Put two trays inside the oven: one on the lowest rack (for steam), one in the middle (for the bread).
  • When there’s about 30 minutes left in proofing, preheat the oven to 230-240°C.

9. Bake with steam, then dry heat

  • Turn the dough out onto parchment paper (so it’s ready to load).
  • Score shallow cuts with a razor (about 1–2 mm deep), so the bread can open up during the first minutes.
  • Prepare either 4–5 ice cubes or about 100 ml of boiling water.
  • Work fast: open the oven, slide the bread (on parchment) onto the middle tray, add ice/boiling water onto the bottom tray, and close the door quickly.
  • Bake 15 minutes with steam (water should be boiling).
  • Bake 20 minutes without steam.

10. Cool

  • Move the bread to a towel and let it cool for 1 hour before slicing.
  • If you cut too early, the crumb can stay gummy and trap moisture inside.

Tips

  • Keep steam moderate: too much steam can make the loaf spread instead of spring.
  • If your dough feels very stiff after salt, don’t add more water than planned—wait 10 minutes and re-evaluate after the dough relaxes.
  • If the crust is still pale after the full bake time, add 5–10 more minutes (without steam).