Easy Everyday Sourdough Bread

5 stars

My go-to sourdough bread recipe made using a combination of bread flour and whole wheat flour adding so much flavor! This easy to follow, foolproof recipe is beginner friendly, but also loved by experienced bread bakers. It's perfectly soft and chewy on the inside with a crispy, golden brown crust, and only requires 35 minutes of hands-on prep time with overnight proofing.

Prep Time35

Cook Time40

Inactive Time18

Total Time19 15

Course: Side

Cuisine: American

Servings: loaf

Calories: 2066kcal

Author: Rachel Kochlin

Equipment

Ingredients

Sourdough

100 grams leaven or active starter (see recipe notes)
360 grams water
400 grams bread flour
100 grams whole wheat flour
10 grams sea salt

Instructions

Leaven

Make your leaven about 10-12 hours before you plan to make the dough, then cover and let sit at room temperature overnight. The leaven is ready to use when it’s doubled in size and bubbly.

Sourdough

Mix up the dough. Add 100 grams of leaven and water to a large bowl. Mix until combined and cloudy looking. Add the bread flour and whole wheat flour. Use a dough whisk or a sturdy spoon to mix until combined and shaggy, but no dry flour remains. You may need to use your hands.
Autolyse. Cover and let the dough rest (without salt) for 30 minutes.
Add salt. After the 30 minute autolyse, sprinkle the salt over the dough. Using wet hands, squeeze and fold the dough to work in the salt.
Stretch and fold. With damp hands, grab underneath one side of the dough and pull straight up to stretch the dough without breaking it, then fold over the center. Give the bowl a quarter turn then repeat again with the next side. Repeat this process until you've stretched and folded all 4 sides of the dough (think North, East, South, West). Alternatively, you can do coil folds. Cover the bowl, then repeat this stretch and fold process every 30 minutes over 2 hours, for a total of 4 times. The dough will tighten up as you go along. NOTE: If you don't have time to stretch and fold for 2 hours, just do as many series of stretches and folds as you have time for.
Bulk ferment. After you’re done with your stretch and folds, cover the dough and let it continue to bulk ferment untouched for 2-4 hours. The dough will rise faster or slower depending on the temperature of your kitchen. You don’t have to be overly precise, but the dough is ready when it has increased by 75% in volume (so not quite doubled), has bubbles around the sides and a few bubbles on the surface.
Pre-shape. Scrape the dough out on the counter and use your hands to push and pull the dough to create tension on the surface and work the dough into a ball with a smooth top. Let rest for 30 minutes.
Shape. There are many ways to shape dough, but here is a beginner friendly version. Stretch and fold the left side of the dough over the center, then repeat with the right side. Grab the bottom of the dough and fold over, then roll the dough down to the end with the seam inside. Using your hands, push and pull the dough until the top is smooth, creating tension on the surface and helping the dough hold its shape.
Transfer to banneton basket. Dust the basket and the top of the loaf with flour (I like to use rice flour because it doesn’t burn like all-purpose or bread flour). Using a bench scraper to help, place the dough seam side up into a floured proofing basket. Dust the seam side with flour to prevent sticking then cover tightly with a bowl cover, plastic wrap or seal in a bag.
Fridge ferment. Transfer to the fridge and let slowly ferment overnight for 12-24 hours.
Preheat the oven. Place a dutch oven with the lid on into the oven. Preheat your oven to 500 degrees.
Score. Once the oven is preheated, take the dough from the fridge and remove the plastic wrap or covering. Place a piece of parchment paper over the dough in the proofing basket. With one hand on the parchment, flip the dough out onto the parchment paper and set on the counter. Using a bread lame, culinary razor or sharp knife, score the dough as you wish. You can make one long cut or a cross.
Bake. Grab the edges of the parchment paper and transfer the dough to the hot dutch oven. Cover and place in the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 450 degrees. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove the lid and bake an additional 15-20 minutes until the loaf is a deep golden brown color.
Let cool. Once the loaf has finished baking, remove from the dutch oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before cutting. I know it’s tempting, but cutting the bread while it's still hot will result in a gummy loaf.

Notes

Leaven:

10 grams starter
50 grams water
50 grams bread flour (or all-purpose)

You only need 100 grams of leaven, but I like to make a little extra to account for the leaven that clings to the jar.

Baker's Schedule:

Below is an example of a schedule that works well for me. Adjust the days to fit your schedule/needs, and remember that the times provided are not strict, just an example. Your times may change depending on how fast your leaven rises, how long you bulk ferment and how long you cold proof.

Friday @ 8pm: Make your leaven. Remove your starter from the fridge, and using a separate jar, mix together a 1.5.5. ratio of starter, water and flour. This is also a great time to feed your starter. Let your leaven rise overnight until doubled in size and full of bubbles, about 10-12 hours.
Saturday @ 8am: Mix the dough. Mix your leaven, water and flour. Let rest for 30 minutes, then mix in the salt.
Saturday @ 8:45-10:45am: Stretch & folds. Perform a series of stretch and folds every 30 minutes for 2 hours.
Saturday @ 10:45am: Bulk fermentation. Tightly cover the bowl and let rise on the counter until it's risen by about 75%. For this step, I like to transfer the dough from my bowl to a batter bowl with measuring lines so it's easier to keep an eye on how much the dough has risen. The length of time needed to bulk ferment can vary greatly depending on the temperature and humidity level of your kitchen, but, on average, it'll take 2-4 hours.
Saturday @2pm: Shape the dough. Scrape the dough out onto the counter and ores-shape. Let rest for 30 minutes before doing the final shape, then transfer to a proofing basket. Please keep in mind that 2pm is a rough estimate of time. You will shape the dough once it has risen by 75% or doubled in size.
Saturday @ 2:45pm: Cold proof. Proof the dough in the fridge overnight for 12-24 hours.
Sunday @ 8am: Score + bake. Remove the dough from the fridge, score it, and bake!

Storage:

Room Temperature: Once the loaf has been sliced into, store in an airtight bag for up to 5 days. After a couple days, I think sourdough bread tastes best lightly toasted.
Freezing: You can freeze sourdough bread in an airtight bag for up to 3 months. You can freeze the loaf whole or cut into slices first. I like to slice the loaf, then I can just grab one or two slices at a time and pop them into the toaster to thaw and toast before eating.

Nutrition