My easy Sourdough Bread recipe is ideal for having fun with by itself or utilizing for sandwiches! I’ll be strolling you intimately by each step so you may discover ways to make excellent sourdough like a professional. Recipe features a how-to video!

The Finest Sourdough Bread Recipe
This do-it-yourself sourdough bread is the solely bread we eat in my family anymore. In reality, I make 2-3 loaves every week and hold a stockpile in my freezer always! And when you strive it… nicely, I feel you’ll, too.
That’s as a result of there’s loads to like about sourdough bread. In the beginning, it has a excessive dietary worth and not one of the components (no added sugar, both) you’ll discover in most store-bought breads. It additionally tastes superb: basic, hearty bread (that’s not overly bitter) with a thick, crusty exterior and a gentle, springy inside.
However what I feel you’ll love most about my recipe is how splendidly versatile it’s. It’s supreme each for dipping in soup, serving as a aspect with a salad, or utilizing as a sandwich; it additionally makes an superior grilled cheese that pairs superbly with my tomato soup!

Selfmade Bread is Simpler Than You Suppose!
Making sourdough bread at house is shockingly straightforward, particularly should you use the sourdough starter I shared final week. It is time consuming and you could have endurance, however the work itself may be very approachable.
There’s no kneading concerned; as a substitute, we’ll use a straightforward course of often known as stretching and folding, which develops the gluten very similar to kneading would, however is healthier suited to increased hydration dough like sourdough. There’s additionally no mixer or fancy tools wanted with my recipe — you don’t even want a banneton or a Dutch oven, only a pair of bread pans!
I’m so excited to share this one with you (and I’ve been teasing it lengthy sufficient on Instagram, haven’t I?!), so let’s get began.
What You Want

My sourdough bread recipe has excellent taste, particularly contemplating there are so few components. You will want:
- Sourdough starter. This may be do-it-yourself or store-bought. Clearly, I like to recommend making your personal by utilizing my sourdough starter recipe (this does take over every week to arrange, however it’s price it!).
- Bread flour. I actually suggest bread flour over all function for this recipe. Bread flour has the next protein content material and produces a better-crumbed sourdough bread, in my view.
- Olive oil. A little bit of olive oil helps make the bread completely chewy and gentle. I additionally discover it retains my sourdough softer longer.
- Salt. Salt is essential for taste (unsurprisingly) however it additionally performs another essential roles in sourdough bread. It helps steadiness the acidity from our starter, strengthens the gluten within the dough (essential for form and texture), and it even helps prolong the shelf lifetime of the bread by appearing as a pure preservative.
- Water. The water referred to as for in my recipe will yield a sourdough loaf that’s about 53% hydration. I like this hydration degree; it produces a crumb that’s neither too dense nor too open, that’s not too bitter however continues to be flavorful, and that’s straightforward to form and intensely versatile — we use it for every little thing from dipping in pot pie soup to consuming sandwiches. When you’re snug baking a bread at this hydration degree, you may experiment with rising the water should you’d like. Extra water normally yields a bread with a extra open crumb, a extra tangy taste, and a crumb that’s much less appropriate for sandwiches however good for dipping.
I wrote this sourdough bread recipe with weights as a result of I discover it’s the simplest strategy to make it (identical to with my macaron recipe); nevertheless, I’ve included cup measurements as nicely.
SAM’S TIP: Whereas some individuals prefer to bake their sourdough bread in a dutch oven, I like to make use of a pair of bread pans. It doesn’t look as rustic this manner, however it’s rather more sensible for my household to have a loaf of bread somewhat than a spherical of it. In the event you’re group Dutch oven, don’t fear–I present directions for how one can make sourdough bread in a Dutch oven under.
Keep in mind, that is simply an outline of the components I used and why. For the total recipe please scroll all the way down to the underside of the publish!
Easy methods to Make Sourdough Bread
Make the Dough

- Mix sourdough starter, water, and oil in a big bowl. Make certain your starter is energetic and bubbly earlier than including it.
- Add the bread flour and salt.
- Stir till principally mixed (your dough will nonetheless look shaggy). Don’t over-mix!
- Cowl and let sit at room temperature for one hour.
Stretching & Folding

- Type your dough right into a ball utilizing your arms, the run your arms below cool water.
- Stretch the highest of the dough up and over the underside, then flip the dough 90 levels and repeat. I display this within the video under should you want a greater visible.
- Repeat the stretch and fold course of a complete of 4 occasions, then cowl and place in a heat place to rise for half-hour.
- Let your dough rise till elevated in dimension by 80%, repeating the stretch and fold course of each half-hour.
Assembling

- Deflate and kind your dough into an oblong form on a calmly floured floor.
- Elevate the suitable aspect of the dough, fold it over to the middle, then repeat with the left aspect (like folding a paper in thirds).
- Roll into a good log beginning with the brief finish of the rectangle, then tuck the ends below.
- Place in a greased bread pan, cowl loosely, and place within the fridge to relaxation in a single day.
SAM’S TIP: I like to recommend proofing your dough within the fridge in a single day somewhat than baking immediately (I additionally present directions for baking immediately, although). Proofing in a single day will assist develop the flavour, assist the bread rise higher, and encourage extra fermentation. That being stated, I don’t prefer to let my dough sit within the fridge for longer than 48 hours (absolute max) earlier than baking. Letting it sit too lengthy may cause over-proofing and might compromise the ultimate texture of your sourdough bread. I additionally don’t freeze my dough earlier than baking, so I can’t advise on that.
Baking

- Let the dough relaxation at room temperature whereas your oven preheats.
- Rating the bread about ¼″ deep down the middle.
- Cowl with one other bread pan or an aluminum foil tent.
- Bake at 450F for half-hour, then take away the duvet and bake for 20-23 minutes or till the bread reaches 206-208F.

- Let the bread cool in its pan for quarter-hour.
- Take away the bread from the pan (rigorously, it’s nonetheless sizzling!) and place on a cooling rack. Let the bread cool fully earlier than slicing.
SAM’S TIP: Don’t lower into the bread whereas it’s nonetheless heat (I do know, so arduous, so tempting!). Doing this may make your loaf gummy and dense.

Incessantly Requested Questions
Sourdough is unquestionably one of many extra nutritious forms of bread. It’s a prebiotic-rich meals made by fermenting dough with wild yeast and micro organism (sounds gross however in actuality is scrumptious) and is extra digestible than your commonplace white bread. It additionally has a decrease glycemic index and fewer gluten than regular bread.
Whereas a conventional sourdough bread recipe is clearly not gluten free, sourdough bread is usually tolerated by people who find themselves gluten delicate (however not individuals with Celiac Illness). It is because among the gluten is consumed in the course of the fermentation course of, which makes the bread extra simply digestible.
Comply with my recipe by the rolling and tucking step, then place in a calmly floured banneton (I take advantage of my Kitchenaid mixer bowl lined with a calmly floured kitchen towel, as a result of I don’t even have a banneton). Cowl and let rise in a single day within the fridge.
The subsequent day, rigorously end up your dough onto a big piece of parchment paper and punctiliously decrease this right into a 4.5qt Dutch oven (a bigger one would work, however your bread will likely be flatter and can probably cook dinner quicker). Permit the dough to sit down uncovered whereas the oven preheats, then rating, cowl with a lid, and comply with recipe directions for baking.

I do know that there are lots of sourdough bread recipes on the market and so many various methods to make it, however that is my private favourite model that I’ve rigorously developed over the previous 12 months. I can’t wait to listen to the way you prefer it, I hope you’ll all the time need to hold a loaf in your home, too! ❤️
Take pleasure in!
Let’s bake collectively! I’ll be strolling you thru all of the steps in my written recipe and video under! In the event you do that recipe, make sure you tag me on Instagram, and you too can discover me on YouTube and Fb

Sourdough Bread Recipe
Servings: 1 loaf
Energy: 1820kcal
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Directions
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In a big mixing bowl, mix sourdough starter, water, and olive oil. Stir till mixed.
⅔ cup energetic starter, 1 ⅓ cups heat, 1 ½ Tablesoons olive oil
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Add bread flour and sprinkle salt overtop. Use your (clear) arms or a wood spoon to stir collectively till dough is usually mixed. It can nonetheless be a bit shaggy and shouldn’t be cohesive (don’t over-mix) however no dry patches of flour ought to stay.
3 ⅔ cups bread flour, 2 teaspoons desk salt
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Cowl bowl with plastic wrap and let sit undisturbed for one hour (that is the “autolyse” interval).
Stretch & Fold
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Type dough right into a ball along with your arms.
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Run your arms below cool water (prevents sticking!) and grasp the highest of the dough and stretch it over the underside. Flip the dough 90 levels and repeat. Flip 90 levels and repeat once more, then as soon as extra (4 complete stretch & folds).
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Permit dough to relaxation, coated, in a heat place for half-hour.
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Repeat step 2 above each half-hour as dough rises.
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Permit dough to rise (stretching and folding each half-hour as indicated) till dough has elevated in dimension about 80% (how lengthy this takes relies on the temperature of your kitchen, sometimes mine is prepared inside 4-6 hours).
Forming the Dough
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Evenly grease a 9×5 loaf pan (with olive oil or butter) .
Oil for greasing pan
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When dough has risen sufficiently, flip it out onto a clear, calmly floured floor.
Further flour for dusting work-surface
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Use your arms to softly deflate the dough and pat it into an oblong form. Elevate the suitable aspect of the dough and fold it into the middle (virtually as should you have been closing a e book). Then, elevate the left aspect of the dough and fold it over the primary fold (use a bench scraper if the dough is sticking to your counter).
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Beginning with a thin finish, tightly roll the dough, as should you have been rolling up a cinnamon roll. Tuck the ends below and punctiliously switch to ready bread pan. Don’t fear if the bread doesn’t fill the pan proper now.
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Cowl pan tightly with plastic wrap and switch to the fridge to relaxation in a single day/for 12-24 hours.
Baking
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Take away sourdough from the fridge and preheat oven to 450F. Let oven preheat and dough relaxation (coated or uncovered) for at the least 30-35 minutes earlier than continuing.
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As soon as oven has preheated, uncover bread, make a clear slice (about ¼” deep) down the middle with a pointy knife or bread lame (to attain it) then cowl with one other 9×5 pan (should you don’t have a second pan, it’s possible you’ll as a substitute make a makeshift oven utilizing aluminum foil; tent it as excessive because the bread pan is deep).
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Switch to middle rack of preheated oven. Bake, coated, for half-hour then take away the lid and proceed to bake one other 20-23 minutes/till golden brown and the middle of bread reaches 206-208F (97C).
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Permit bread to chill in pan for quarter-hour earlier than gently turning it out onto a cooling rack (cautious, the pan will nonetheless be sizzling!) to chill for at the least 1-2 hours (till it now not feels heat) earlier than reducing into it.
Notes
To bake the identical day:
Comply with recipe by step 4 below the “Forming the Dough” part. Instantly after transferring dough to pan, preheat oven to 450F (230C). Permit dough to relaxation uncovered whereas oven preheats, at the least half-hour. As soon as oven is preheated, comply with instructions in recipe beginning with step 2 below the “Baking” part. Word that bread is not going to be as flavorful or nutritious & texture is not going to be as nice if it isn’t allowed to sit down within the fridge in a single day.
Storing & Freezing
Retailer in an hermetic container at room temperature for as much as every week.
You may additionally freeze this bread. Freeze the entire loaf by wrapping tightly in plastic wrap after which wrapping in foil. When able to thaw, hold coated fully and defrost at room temperature earlier than unwrapping.
We choose to freeze pre-sliced: Reduce bread into slices and storing in a plastic Ziploc bag (take away as a lot air as you may earlier than freezing). In the event you battle with freezer burn or plan to freeze the bread longer than a couple of weeks, you may individually wrap every slice in plastic wrap earlier than closing within the plastic bag.
Vitamin
Serving: 1loaf | Energy: 1820kcal | Carbohydrates: 364g | Protein: 59g | Fats: 10g | Saturated Fats: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 3g | Monounsaturated Fats: 2g | Sodium: 4678mg | Potassium: 459mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 9IU | Calcium: 81mg | Iron: 4mg
Dietary info is predicated on third-party calculations and must be thought of an estimate solely. Precise dietary content material will fluctuate primarily based upon manufacturers used, measuring strategies, cooking technique, portion sizes, and extra.
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