Easy Homemade Sourdough
The most complicated part about sourdough is timing and technique, after that it's just flour, salt, water and yeast. Here's my easy, fool-proof sourdough recipe that covers everything you need to make a loaf at home!
Ingredients
- 234 g of water at 90 degrees Farhenheit Baker's % = 78%
- 60 g of activated starter*** Baker's % = 20%
- 210 g of bread flour + 90g of whole wheat flour Baker's % = 100%
- 6 g of kosher salt Baker's % = 2%
- Rice flour for shaping the dough
Instructions
- Mix - Mix together starter and water with your hand until the starter is fully dissolved and the water is foamy. Add the bread flour, whole wheat flour and water until combined. Cover with a wet cloth and let sit for 20-30 minutes.
- Mix in the salt - evenly sprinkle the salt over the dough, use a wet hand and the Ken Forkish fold-and-pincher method to combine it in. Once combined, scoop and plop the dough back into the bowl a couple of times, allowing it to smooth out. Cover with a damp cloth and let the dough rest for another 20-30 minutes.
- Begin the slap & folds - Pour the dough onto a lightly wet surface, use damp hands to lift, slap and fold the dough. Rotate and repeat until you see the dough begin to tighten into a coil. Cover with a damp cloth, wait 30 minutes and repeat the process. Cover and wait another 30 minutes and repeat the process again.
- Begin bulk fermentation - right after finishing the third set of slap-and-folds, place the dough in a clear or glass container. Cover and let rise at room temperature for 4-5 hours or until almost doubled in size. You can also let it bulk ferment in the fridge for 24-48 hours.
- Shape the dough - Pre-shape the dough on a lightly floured surface, I like to use rice flour for this. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes. Flour a proofing basket with rice flour, and pat rice flour on your hands to do the final shape. Roll the dough into a batard. Seal the seam by pulling it gently against your work surface. Transfer it to the proofing basket seam-side-up. Cover and let proof in the fridge for minimum 12 hours, and ideally 36.
- Bake - Put a dutch oven in your oven and begin heating it to 500 degrees Farhenheit. If you only proofed for 12 hours, remove the dough 1 hour before you bake and let it get to room temperature. If you proofed for 36 hours, only remove it from the fridge right before baking. When the dutch oven has been preheated for about 45 minutes, flip the loaf onto a piece of parchment paper, seam-side-down. Score the top, place in the dutch oven and bake.
- Bake at 500°F for 20 minutes, then move the loaf to a baking sheet and bake for another 10 minutes at 450°F.