Easy Sourdough Bread

 

I've had a sourdough starter for nearly a year now, but I've refrained from posting a recipe for a lot of reasons. For one, the sourdough process has always been very variable for me - I love making the sourdough recipe adapt to my schedule, and in turn, I often change the recipe in order to give my sourdough more time to rise or to "reach its peak". 

Like with a lot of things, there is somewhat of a learning curve with sourdough. My first loaves were not nearly as tall as I wanted them to be, and the acidity varied extremely from loaf to loaf. But, in time, adapting to your sourdough is much like building a relationship with another human being - you learn to accommodate each other's quirks. 

This sourdough recipe is meant to be a starting point for making your own tweaks and is relatively no-frills. The dough is on the easier side to handle, as it has low hydration so that you don't have to work with an incredibly wet, sticky dough. Making sourdough is always an experience - whether one of relaxation or discovery - and I hope this recipe sets you on your way!

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Tips: 

- Using bread flour is the easiest way to guarantee a good protein structure and an impressive rise. I tried making sourdough with all-purpose flour for months, but my loaves with bread flour always turn out the best. 

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Easy Sourdough

Makes 1 loaf, about 9 inches

Adapted from the Clever Carrot

Ingredients: 

120g active starter at its peak

250g warm water

25g olive oil (or other neutral-flavored oil)

500g bread flour

10g sea salt

Instructions: 

1. In a large bowl, weigh out 120g starter, and add 250g warm water and 25g olive oil. Mix well, then add 500g bread flour and 10g sea salt. Mix briefly until a shaggy dough forms, then cover the bowl and let sit for 30 minutes. 

2. Knead the dough until it forms a ball. (It's okay if the dough is still shaggy at this point). 

3. Cover the bowl, and let rest for 30 minutes. Then, you have the option to perform a series of "stretch-and-folds". These are optional, but strengthen the dough and help it rise higher. Pull a corner of the dough up, and place it in the center. Turn the bowl 90degrees, and repeat until all four corners have been stretched. Repeat, waiting an hour in between "stretch-and-folds", until the dough has doubled in size. (note: this can take anywhere from 3-12 hours, depending on the temperature and the activeness of your starter)

4. Once the dough has doubled, shape the dough. Fold each corner of the dough into the center, then flip upside down. Gently cup the sides of the dough, and rotate it. This step helps to form surface tension. By the end of this process, you should have something resembling a taut ball. 

5. Place the shaped dough onto a sheet of parchment paper, and cover with a large bowl. Let rest for 30 minutes to an hour. You aren't looking for the dough to double in size, you just want it to look puffy again. Towards the end of the second rise, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place your Dutch oven inside the oven while preheating. 

6. Once the dough has properly puffed up and the oven is preheated, use a bread lame or serrated knife to make slashes in the bread, in whatever pattern you want. Then, place the dough, with the parchment, into the preheated Dutch oven, and put the lid on. 

7. Place the Dutch oven into the oven, and reduce the oven temperature to 400F. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove the lid from the Dutch oven. Bake for an additional 40 minutes with the lid off, or until the bread is a rich golden brown. 

8. Remove the bread from the oven, and allow to cool before slicing! Enjoy!