Super Easy Sourdough Bread | Sourdough Series

During my season of "stewarding", I've tasted and seen the goodness of stewarding a little jar of flour and water. This sourdough starter has brought our family so much joy over the last few years. I love baking some kind of sourdough goodness or a loaf of bread to break with our friends and family. This is a very common recipe, but it is one that I have made several times always with delicious results. 

50g active starter
375g warm filtered water
500g bread flour
10g salt

Using a food scale and a large glass bowl, weigh the starter. Tare, then weigh the warm water. Tare. Weigh the flour. Tare. Weigh the salt. Mix well. 

Keep the dough in the bowl, cover it, and let sit for 30 minutes.

Complete stretch and folds every 30 minutes, over the course of 2 hours. Cover your dough with a damp cloth between each stretch and fold.

Cover with a damp cloth and leave the dough to bulk ferment on your counter overnight (or for 6-8 hours)

Your dough should have visibly risen by 30-50% at the end of your bulk ferment.

The next morning (or after 8 hours), turn the dough out on your counter. Fold it over a couple of times to tighten it into a ball, then let sit for 15 minutes.

Gently shape the dough into a ball once more place into a well-floured proofing basket or a bowl lined with a well-floured dish towel, seam-side up. 

Cover and let rise for 1 (up to 24) hours in the fridge for a cold proof. 

Preheat the oven to 500°F with the dutch oven inside. Once your oven is hot, transfer your cold dough to parchment paper and score. 

Place cold dough in a dutch oven. Put the lid on the pot. Reduce the heat to 450 and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove the lid and bake for an additional 30 minutes, or until the loaf is deeply browned and crispy on top. 

Allow the loaf to cool completely for one hour before slicing it... if you can! ;)