Description
Discover the perfect beginner sourdough bread recipe that’s easy to follow and results in beautifully baked bread with a crispy crust and tangy flavor.
Ingredients
Scale
- ½ cup active sourdough starter
- 1 ¼ cups lukewarm water
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the yeast starter and lukewarm water; the excitement begins!
- Stir in the flour until it’s well incorporated, then add the fine sea salt to enhance that flavor.
- Use a fork to mix everything together until it becomes stiff. Gently use your hands to bring the dough together to form a ball.
- Place the dough ball in the bowl, cover it with a clean dish towel, and let it sit for 30 minutes.
- After that lovely 30-minute rest, stretch and fold the dough a few times, then re-form it into a ball.
- Cover the dough again with a damp dish towel and let it rise in a warm place overnight, or until it has doubled in size (about 8 hours).
- The next morning, turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Gently fold it a couple of times to tighten it up into a ball, then allow it to sit for an additional 15 minutes.
- Shape the dough into a ball once more, and place it into a well-floured proofing basket or a bowl lined with a floured dish towel. Cover and let rise for another 2-3 hours, or until it doubles in size again.
- Preheat your oven to 450°F. If using a Dutch oven, preheat it in the oven for about 30 minutes.
- If desired, sprinkle some cornmeal in the bottom of the Dutch oven for added texture and flavor.
- Gently dump the dough onto a sheet of parchment paper and place the parchment in the hot Dutch oven.
- Put the lid on and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove the lid and bake for an additional 30 minutes, or until the loaf is beautifully browned and crispy on top.
- Move the loaf to a cooling rack, and allow it to cool completely before slicing.
Notes
You can prepare the dough the night before and bake it fresh in the morning. Use a serrated knife for clean slices.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 0g
- Sodium: 180mg
- Fat: 0.5g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 24g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 0mg