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Step By Step Sourdough Bread

I won't sugarcoat it — sourdough is a three-day commitment. But it's also the most rewarding thing you can make in a kitchen. The kind of bread that makes your home smell like a Parisian boulangerie, turns a Tuesday morning into something worth waking up for, and yes — will absolutely raise your self-esteem.
Three ingredients. Three days. Two beautiful loaves.
The process is mostly hands-off — long stretches of waiting interrupted by a few minutes of kneading. Once you understand the rhythm of it, sourdough stops feeling intimidating and starts feeling meditative. Like the bread is teaching you patience whether you asked for it or not.
Read the recipe all the way through before you start. Then clear your schedule and enjoy the process.
Course: Bread
Cuisine: French
Diet: Vegan
Keyword: Bread
Servings: 2 loaves
Author: Shelly

Equipment

  • dough scraper
  • blade for scoring the dough
  • 2 large bowls
  • 2 Dutch ovens or oven proof pots
  • Plastic wrap or nylon bag
  • baking paper

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sourdough starter
  • 6 cups bread flour
  • 1 tablespoon sea salt

Instructions

Day 1

  • In a large bowl, using a wooden spoon, mix together 1 cup starter + 1 cup flour + 1 cup water until well combined.
  • Cover loosely with a plastic wrap or bag and store in a warm place overnight (minimum 12 hours).
  • Seal the starter container with a lid and store in the fridge. Feed it at least once a week.

Day 2

  • Add to the same bowl 5 cups flour + 1 tablespoon salt + 2 cups water.
  • Mix together with one hand until a wet sticky dough is formed (don’t be tempted to add flour yet. If the dough is too dry add a little bit of water).
    Knead the dough for 10 mins, it should get less sticky as you knead it. Roll it into a ball, flour the bowl and put it back in the bowl.
  • Cover loosely with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for minimum 14 hours.

Day 3

  • Remove from the fridge. Knead the dough in the bowl, flatten it and fold the corners into the center repeatedly, for 10 minutes.
  • Cut the dough into 2 equal size pieces and shape them into balls or logs, flour them.
  • Line a Dutch oven, heavy pot or loaf pan with baking paper or flour and put the balls in them.
  • Cover the pots loosely with a plastic bag and let the bread proof in a warm place for 4 hours.
  • Preheat the oven to 450°F/220°C.
  • Score the bread with a sharp knife or razor blade. Scoring the bread is not necessarily for decorative purposes; it gives the bread more room to grow during its final rise in the oven without splitting.
  • Put the lids on the pots and bake for 40 minutes.
  • Carefully remove the pots from the oven and quickly remove their lids (keep your hands covered, and don't do this in the oven. You can burn yourself).
  • Bake for 15-20 minutes or until they get a nice golden color. Let them cool completely before slicing.
  • The best way to keep the bread fresh and last last longer is by slicing it, then storing in plastic bags and freezing them.