How long to cook sourdough bread?

Nothing compares to a freshly made sourdough loaf for its crunch, tang, and perfect stretch. In this helpful post, I’ll show you how to make Dutch Oven Sourdough Bread from scratch using only 4 ingredients: bread flour, salt, and sourdough starter. Even if you’re new to the world of homemade breadmaking, baking bread in a hot oven and cast iron dutch oven produces a perfect loaf every time, making this my preferred technique. Now, on to the kitchen!.

I continue to be humbled and in awe of what Mother Nature can accomplish with only 4 ingredients and a little human assistance every time I take a fresh sourdough loaf out of the oven. With just four basic ingredients (one of which is water), this homemade sourdough bread recipe creates the most gorgeous, golden, crusty loaf with the softest, stretchiest, and ideal irregular crumb you could ever want.

Although the recipe for this rustic sourdough bread is lengthy (it takes about 24 hours from beginning to end), the majority of the time is spent waiting. Apart from having the patience and willpower to wait until your deliciously smelling, sweet-sour, sour, and yeasty ball of goodness has completely cooled, none of the steps are particularly challenging.

And in contrast to what you might believe, making your own homemade bread doesn’t require much in the way of specialized tools or advanced cooking skills. One of my favorite kitchen tools is a dutch oven, which I like to use to bake my sourdough. Prepare a batch of homemade soup to go with your baked bread once it has finished baking. What a delicious way to spend a chilly day!.

The lack of ingredients in sourdough bread is somewhat shocking. Here’s what you’ll need to gather:

It doesn’t take a lot of kitchen tools to make Dutch oven sourdough bread either. Here’s what I suggest you use:

Why I love this Sourdough Bread Recipe

The dough is prepared the previous evening, proofed on the counter for 10 to 12 hours, and baked the following morning.

It is stretched, folded, and shaped in the morning and given an additional hour to rise before baking for 35 minutes. This bread schedule works well for me because my schedule permits me to be at home in the mornings.

Also very adaptable, it can be put in the refrigerator if circumstances arise that prevent me from baking in the morning, slowing down the process.

On the other hand, you could prepare the dough in the morning and bake it that evening. Up to you.

TIP

Finding a sourdough bread recipe that fits your schedule is crucial when searching the thousands of sourdough bread recipes available online. By doing so, you can easily fit bread-baking into your week without having to rearrange your schedule. Always consider the hands-on time and the proofing times (there are typically two of these) to ensure that it fits with your life.

There are many ways to make Sourdough bread. This recipe may not be appropriate for many of you because of your level of skill, knowledge, and expertise, but if you’re brand-new, it might help you understand a few things. .

To put it simply, it is bread made with a “sourdough starter” rather than commercial yeast. Think of this like “wild” yeast. The starter is what makes the bread rise.

You can make sourdough starter at home (takes 5-8 days) or purchase it here. To maintain it – you’ll feed it flour and water. Like a pet. Yes, you can even name it.

Compared to yeasted bread, sourdough starter bread is so much more flavorful and complex. Due to its fermentation, it is also much simpler to digest.

sourdough starter (either homemade sourdough starter, or store-bought sourdough starter)

bread flour

water

salt

Optional extras: rye flour, fennel seeds, caraway seeds, chia seeds, rice flour

It was a fun challenge to see if I could make bread using only the basics after leaving all my favorite bread “gear” at home.

Here is what you absolutely need:

4.5 to 6-quart Dutch Oven with lid – I use and love this 5.5 Quart Staub Dutch Oven because of its metal knob and dark interior (it’s easy to keep clean). But something as simple and inexpensive as this cast iron dutch oven will work. Here are my top 3 Dutch Oven picks for Bread baking!

High-Temp Parchment Paper- this “If You Care” Parchment Paper does not burn!

large glass or ceramic mixing bowl

measuring cup

Kitchen towel

sharp knife, razor blade or scissors

kitchen scale

thermometer

Here are some optional extras that make this more fun:

Rice flour (for dusting)

dough whisk

Banneton ( proofing basket ) 9-10 round

dough scraper

Lame (scoring blade)

Oven thermometer (to double check your oven is calibrated)

We offer this Sourdough Making Kit at our Bowl and Pitcher Shop if you are interested.

How to make Sourdough Bread (3 VIDEOS!)

***Scroll down to the recipe card for concise instructions.

Feed your sourdough starter first thing in the morning, 8 to 12 hours before making bread dough. Leave it out on the counter and use it just a little bit after it peaks. Always use a slightly “hungry” starter. (Alternatively, use it cold and straight from the fridge within the 7-day window without feeding it; this will make it taste sourer.) If your starter doubles within six hours of feeding, you’ll know it’s active and healthy.

Step two is to weigh the 520 grams of bread flour in a large bowl using a kitchen scale, being careful not to include the weight of the bowl. About 3 1/2 cups of organic white bread flour and 1/2 cup rye flour are what I’m using in this recipe.

THEN, add 2 teaspoons salt and seeds, if desired. I’ve used 1 tablespoon chia seeds, 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds, and 1 teaspoon fennel seeds here. – I love this combination. Yes, you can add other spices and seeds. Get inventive, but I advise being cautious when making the first loaf.

Step three involves stirring the starter down and combining water and 1/3 cup of sourdough starter (90 grams).

It will look like cloudy water.

Step four is to combine the ingredients and stir them with a fork to form a thick dough. Switch to a wood spoon . Using a wooden spoon or wet hands, mix the dough for one minute to incorporate all the bread flour. Just try your best to incorporate all the flour.

It will be thick, shaggy and hard to mix. Add a tablespoon of water at a time to the flour if it absolutely won’t mix in. Whole grain flours can occasionally be “thirstier” than white flour, so you might need to add a tablespoon or two more water at a time. Dough will initially be heavy, thick, and sticky (see image below), but it will become more pliable as it rests and proofs. Cover with a damp kitchen towel , for 15 minutes.

STEP 5: Perform two rounds of “stretch and folds” to help the gluten develop. Do this twice, 15 minutes apart. Watch the first video here below. With wet hands, stretch and fold. Let rest 15 minutes covered, then repeat.

How to Make No Knead Sourdough Bread in a Dutch Oven

The simple, step-by-step instructions for making this amazing bread are given below. You’ll love how easy (and delicious!) this bread is!.

Add the sourdough starter to a large glass bowl. Stir in the water until the starter is completely dissolved. Now add the flour and salt. Use a dough whisk or wooden spoon to stir until a thick and shaggy dough forms. If it’s too thick you can finish mixing the dough by hand. Leave the dough in the bowl, and cover with a clean and slightly damp kitchen towel. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.

Next, activate the gluten by stretching and folding the dough for 15 seconds within the bowl. Here’s my technique (see video below): Grab the edge of the dough, stretch it up and press it down into the center of the dough, then turn the dough 1/4 a turn. Continue stretching the dough as you move in a clockwise rotation.

Then cover the bowl with a clean damp towel, and let it rise in a warm area (75º to 85º F) for 6-8 hours. The dough should double in size and look bubbly as shown below.

Now let’s shape the loaf. First flour your countertop, and tip the dough from the bowl onto the countertop. Stretch and fold the dough again as you did before. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.

In the meantime, line a medium bowl with a towel or use a banneton with linen cover (see photo), and dust heavily with flour. Transfer the dough into the bowl and let it rise for 30 – 60 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 450º (without the dutch oven). Cover the dough bowl with a long piece of parchment paper, and turn it over onto the countertop so that the dough is on top of the parchment paper. It should hold its shape well.

Next, slash the top of the loaf with a lame or sharp serrated knife. This will allow the steam to escape and crust to expand without cracking. Gently lower the parchment paper with the dough into the dutch oven.

Bake the dutch oven with the bread covered for 30 minutes. Then remove the lid and bake for another 20 minutes. Use oven mitts to carefully remove the bread from inside the pot (on the countertop using a trivet is best) and bake the loaf it directly on the oven rack for 10 minutes. This is essential to create that perfectly crisp exterior.

Remove from the oven and let the sourdough bread cool for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving.

You can make the typical round sourdough loaf in a dutch oven. However, you can prepare sourdough bread in an oval pot instead.

Use the same brand of flour for consistent results. I suggest Arrowhead Mills Organic All-Purpose Flour, Wheat Montana Premium All-Purpose Flour, King Arthur All-Purpose Flour (I prefer organic), all of which I purchase from Walmart.

Replace 1/4 teaspoon (up to 1/2 teaspoon) of the salt with citric acid or sour salt to give your sourdough bread an extra kick of tang.

You can make the typical round sourdough loaf in a dutch oven. To make sourdough bread with an oval shape, however, you can substitute a heavy oval pot.

Use a glass bowl to proof the dough. This will enable you to see the bubbles in the dough that indicate when it is ready.

For a successful fermentation, the bread must be kept warm (6 to 8 hours at 75 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit). For advice on how to keep your sourdough dough warm, see the tips below.

If the outside temperature is below 75 degrees, allow the no-knead sourdough dough to rise for an additional 10 hours or more for the bulk rise.

If your dutch oven has a dark bottom, like Lodge or Staub, use an oven-safe trivet or round silpat liner (the one I use is linked) to keep the bottom from darkening.

YOUR FIRST SOURDOUGH (Sourdough Bread For Complete Beginners)