How to Make Sourdough Bread
I’ve been on a sourdough bread journey since 2/22/2022, and I have come a long way to get to my crunchy, delicious loaves.
I started off trying to make my own, healthy and bubbly starter, but failed time after time again. I finally took the plunge and purchased a starter from Etsy. After I revived it, I learned my way around creating sourdough and attempted to make my own starter again. I succeeded, and combined both starters (and eventually a third) to create a strong, healthy, bubbly active starter.
If you’re looking for a mother starter, you can purchase some of my Sourdough Frannie here. It comes in an upcycled or thrifted vacuum-sealed glass jar, with detailed instructions on how to revive it, as well as a link to a video.
I also share my bread recipe printed on a card to go into your recipe binder or box.
Here is my step-by-step beginner’s guide for easy, homemade sourdough bread. This recipe is baked in a Dutch oven, and uses a stand mixer. You can mix it by hand using a dough hook.
My Sourdough Bread Recipe
Day One Afternoon: Feed Starter.
Every starter is a little different, so feed your starter like you normally would, 5 hours before baking. If you are feeding your Frannie, feed with 1/2 Cup Water, 1/2 Cup Flour.
Day One Evening: Make Dough.
Add 1.25 Cups Active Sourdough Starter and one cup of warm water to a bowl or stand mixer. Mix thoroughly {about 30 seconds}. Add 2 cups of bread flour. Mix until combined. Add 3/4-1 Tbsp of salt. Mix. Add 1-2 cups bread flour. Mix until your dough forms a ball. At this point it should “clean” the sides of your bowl and not stick to the sides.
Transfer dough ball to a bowl with olive oil. Cover overnight. Let dough rise anywhere from 12-24 hours, depending on how sour you want the bread. The longer the rise, the more sour the bread.
Day Two: Shape your dough & Bake Your Dough
Tip dough out of bowl onto flat floured surface.
Starting at the top, fold the dough over toward the center. Give it a slight turn, and then fold over the next section of dough. Repeat until you have created tension in the dough. Place dough in floured banneton basket. Let it proof for 1-2 hours.
Preheat oven to 500 degrees with your dutch oven inside. Tip the dough out onto parchment paper or a bread sling, and score the top of the dough. When oven is preheated, carefully transfer your dough to the dutch oven and put the lid on. Bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, take the lid off and continue baking until it’s your desired shade of golden brown {For me it’s about 12 minutes}.
Cool completely before slicing & enjoying!
That’s it–easy! No series of stretching and folding, no mixing by hand.
I spend about 20 minutes on day one, feed and mixing the dough, about 10 minutes shaping the dough, and maybe another 10 minutes taking it in and out of the oven.
I worked for a few months perfecting this recipe for our tastes, and how much time I wanted to spend baking, and I’d advise you do the same! Adjust your flour ratio, adjust your water, experiment with how long to rise & proof, and make this recipe your own.
