Simple Sourdough Artisan Loaf
This is a simple beginner Sourdough loaf that everyone will love!
I love that sourdough is making a comeback! Did you know sourdough starter is just fresh yeast, and it used to be the only way folks made bread back in the day?
Fun Fact: Fleischmann’s developed active dry yeast during World War II to meet the military’s need for a quick-acting, shelf-stable yeast. While it revolutionized breadmaking, it also led to a decline in the use of sourdough starters. Sourdough, with its natural fermentation process, offers numerous health benefits when compared to traditional yeast risen bread.
Improved Gut Health: The fermentation process in sourdough bread involves lactic acid bacteria and yeast, which can contribute to a healthier gut microbiome. These beneficial bacteria can aid in digestion, nutrient absorption, and immune function.
Better Gluten Tolerance: Some people find that sourdough bread is easier to digest than traditional bread, even if they have gluten sensitivity or celiac disease. The fermentation process can break down gluten proteins, making them less likely to trigger a reaction.
Slower Rise in Blood Sugar: Sourdough bread tends to have a lower glycemic index than regular bread. This means it releases glucose into the bloodstream more slowly, helping to stabilize blood sugar levels and reduce the risk of insulin resistance.
Increased Nutrient Content: The fermentation process can increase the bioavailability of certain nutrients in sourdough bread, such as iron and zinc.
Natural Preservative: Sourdough’s natural acidity acts as a preservative, extending its shelf life without the need for artificial additives.
Why You Will Love This Sourdough Recipe
There’s something deeply satisfying about reviving traditional recipes and techniques. It’s like stepping into the kitchens of our ancestors, honoring their wisdom and creating something truly special.” Baking sourdough is a timeless skill, and a connection to generations past.
“Sourdough bread can offer several health benefits, including improved gut health, better gluten tolerance, and a slower rise in blood sugar levels compared to traditional yeast-risen bread.”
Its simply delicious! Who doesn’t love a fresh loaf of sourdough bread as a side for soups or at breakfast with a fried egg.
Tips For The Best Sourdough Artisan Loaf
- Prevent the dough from sticking: One of the worst things is to go through all the steps above and then finally when you are ready to bake you try to turn out your loaf to score and it sticks to the side of your banneton and deflates. In order to prevent this I use rice flour, not all purpose when I am preparing my banneton with a tea towel. Sprinkle rice flour all over the tea towel just prior to placing your shaped bread into it.
- Weighing ingredients gives you a more accurate ratio and will yield a consistent loaf everytime.
- Dont add to much flour. When shaping the point is to create surface tension in order to make a tight ball of dough. Too much flour on your work surface will make this task difficult if not impossible.
- Sourdough Starter: Ensure your sourdough starter is mature and active before using it.
- Temperature: A warm environment is ideal for the dough to rise.
- Flour: You can experiment with different types of flour, such as whole wheat or rye, to create different flavors and textures.
- Scoring: The slashes on the top of the loaf help the bread to expand and create a beautiful crust.
What Is Proofing? How to ID an Over-proofed or Under-proofed Dough
- Pro-tip: Bake the bread! If you find yourself with a less than ideal dough, bake it anyway. It may not be what you wanted it to look like but it’ll likely still be delicious. Just bake it, trust me.
- Proofing is the process of allowing dough to rise, which is essential for developing flavor, texture, and structure in bread. During proofing, yeast ferments sugars in the dough, producing carbon dioxide gas that creates bubbles and causes the dough to expand.
- Overproofed dough rises too much, leading to a flat, dense loaf with a more sour taste. To ID overproofing, look for large, irregular bubbles on the surface of the dough and a dough that feels slack and loose. If you over-proofed DONT throw it away! You can turn it into Foccacia!
- Underproofed dough doesn’t rise enough, resulting in a small, tough loaf with a weak flavor. To ID underproofed dough will have small, tight bubbles and feel firm to the touch.
Realistic Bakers Timeline
I generally like to start in the morning so my dough can have its 1st rise while I am around to ensure it doesnt overferment. I am also an early riser, so feel free to adjust the times to soemthing that best fits your schedule.
The Night Before
9pm: Feed my Starter
Day 1:
8am: Start the dough
8:30am: Start the first round of stretch and folds.
9am: Second round of stretch and folds
9:30am : Third round of stretch and folds
10am: Fourth round of stretch and folds. Cover and leave on the counter for the rest of the day for the 1st rise (bulk ferment)
6pm: Punch down and shape the dough. Place into a banneton and then place into the fridge for the cold ferment (2nd rise)
Day 2:
7am: Preheat oven to 475F for 1 hour.
8am: Turn oven down to 400F. Score and bake!
Note: This doesnt have to happen on day two, this can happen up to four days later. I like to make a couple loaves at a time to leave in the fridge to bake later.
What to pair with your sourdough Sourdough Artisan Loaf
I love to serve this loaf on the side of soups and stews like my Dutchoven Beef Stew or my Chicken Bone Broth Soup! One of my favorite things to pair it with is my Shakshuka, Slow cooked onion, garlic, and tomato with creamy poached eggs – it is the perfect vehicle for all of that tomato-ey and egg goodness! Other ideas include:
- Sourdough Grilled Cheese
- Leftover Chicken Sandwhiches
- Avocado Toast
- Butter & Jam!
How to make This Simple Sourdough Artisan Loaf
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Spoon or Clean hands
- Kitchen Scale
- Dutch oven or cast-iron skillet
Ingredients
- Sourdough Starter: 150 grams
- Flour: 500 grams All-purpose flour
- Water: 250 grams warm water
- Oil: 25 grams Avocado oil
- Salt: 10 grams
Step-by-step Instructions
Step 0: Make a sourdough Starter. Learn how with my step-by-step process here.
Step 1: Feed your Starter
- Feed your starter 4-8 hours before. The thing with sourdough is it’s an art and a science. Your home environment and temperature is going to dictate so much about your timeline when it comes to how long it takes your starter to become ripe or for your bread to rise in the bulk ferment phase. It will take time for you to really learn your timelines.
Ways to Fast Track?
- Warming mats. If you garden and have a warming mat, those are the perfect warm spot to jump start things.
- Warm location. A warm (not hot) spot on your stove or dryer. Perhaps near your heater or any other particularly warm spot in your house.
- Microwave. You can put your starter in the microwave with a cup of hot water
- Don’t put it in the oven. I have seen too many starters destroyed in the oven. I promise you will forget its in there or someone in your home won’t realize it’s there and it will get ruined. Just don’t let that be a bad habit you start. Just trust me.
Step 2: Prepare the Dough
- Prepare the Dough: In a large bowl, combine the sourdough starter, flour, water, and salt. Mix until a shaggy dough forms.
- Rest the Dough: Let the dough rest for 30 minutes to fully absorbed the water
- Stretch and folds: Starting with wet hands, gather a portion of the dough, stretch it upwards and then fold it over itself. Turn the bowl 1/4 turn and repeat four times every 30 mins or so.
Step 3: Bulk Ferment (1st rise) & Shape
- Bulk Rise: Cover the bowl with a wet tea towel and allow it to rise on the counter for 8 to 12 hours. Again this is going to depend heavily on your home environment and weather. If it is warmer it will shorten this timeline, colder will take longer.
- Please note: This recipe will yield a stiffer, less hydrated dough which is less susceptible to over-proofing. But keep in mind your recipe, if it is a softer/less hydrated dough, it will be more susceptible to over-proofing and you may want to adjust the bulk ferment time accordingly.
- Shape the Bread: Once your bulk ferment (1st rise) is complete you are going to shape the dough and prepare it for the cold ferment.
- Lightly flour your work surface and turn out the dough.
- Flatten the dough into a rectangle and roll up onto itself to form a log. Then roll up the log again so it forms a ball.
- Gently pull the ball of dough towards you a few times – you are trying to create more surface tension across the top of the loaf. This will increase oven spring (a good rise)
- Place the dough into a banneton or bowl lined with a tea towel that has been sprinkled with rice flour. Place into a plastic bag.
Step 4. Cold ferment (2nd rise)
- Cold fermentation (2nd rise): Once shaped, you can place the dough in the refrigerator to cold ferment for 12-15 hours or up to 4 days. Alternatively you can let it rise 3-4 hours on the counter if you are in a rush. I prefer the cold ferment because that is where you really develop the sourdough flavor. I like to pre make a few loaves and leave them in the fridge until I’m ready to bake.
Step 5: Bake the bread
- Preheat oven: Place a large Dutch oven into your oven, and preheat it to 475F for one hour. When you place your bread in the oven, you will reduce it down to 400F to bake.
- Score the Bread: Remove the bread from the banneton or bowl and place onto a piece of parchment paper. Using a sharp knife or lame score of the dough. This allows for a good rise in the oven.
- Bake the Bread: Be sure to reduce your oven temperature to 400F. Place the dough into the Dutch oven, cover, and bake for 30 minutes. Next, uncover and bake for another 30 minutes. your bread is done when it is golden brown, and sounds hollow when tapped.
Simple Sourdough Artisan Loaf
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Spoon or Clean hands
- Kitchen Scale
- Dutch oven or cast-iron skillet
Ingredients
- 150g Sourdough Starter
- 500g All-purpose flour
- 250g warm water
- 25g Avocado oil
- 10g Salt
Instructions
- Step 0: Make a sourdough Starter. Learn how with my step-by-step process.
Step 1: Feed your Starter
- Feed your starter 4-8 hours before. The thing with sourdough is it's an art and a science. Your home environment and temperature is going to dictate so much about your timeline when it comes to how long it takes your starter to become ripe or for your bread to rise in the bulk ferment phase. It will take time for you to really learn your timelines.
Step 2: prepare the dough
- Prepare the Dough: In a large bowl, combine the sourdough starter, flour, water, and salt. Mix until a shaggy dough forms.
- Rest the Dough: Let the dough rest for 30 minutes to fully absorbed the water
- Stretch and folds: Starting with wet hands, gather a portion of the dough, stretch it upwards and then fold it over itself. Turn the bowl 1/4 turn and repeat four times every 30 mins or so.
Step 3: Bulk Ferment (1st rise) & Shape
- Bulk Rise: Cover the bowl with a wet tea towel and allow it to rise on the counter for 8 to 12 hours. Again this is going to depend heavily on your home environment and weather. If it is warmer it will shorten this timeline, colder will take longer.
- Please note: This recipe will yield a stiffer, less hydrated dough which is less susceptible to over-proofing. But keep in mind your recipe, if it is a softer/less hydrated dough, it will be more susceptible to over-proofing and you may want to adjust the bulk ferment time accordingly.
- Shape the Bread: Once your bulk ferment (1st rise) is complete you are going to shape the dough and prepare it for the cold ferment.
- Lightly flour your work surface and turn out the dough.
- Flatten the dough into a rectangle and roll up onto itself to form a log. Then roll up the log again so it forms a ball.
- Gently pull the ball of dough towards you a few times – you are trying to create more surface tension across the top of the loaf. This will increase oven spring (a good rise)
- Place the dough into a banneton or bowl lined with a tea towel that has been sprinkled with rice flour. Place into a plastic bag.
Step 4. Cold ferment (2nd rise)
- Cold fermentation (2nd rise): Once shaped, you can place the dough in the refrigerator to cold ferment for 12-15 hours or up to 4 days. Alternatively you can let it rise 3-4 hours on the counter if you are in a rush. I prefer the cold ferment because that is where you really develop the sourdough flavor. I like to pre make a few loaves and leave them in the fridge until I’m ready to bake.
Step 5: Bake the bread
- Preheat oven: Place a large Dutch oven into your oven, and preheat it to 475F for one hour. When you place your bread in the oven, you will reduce it down to 400F to bake.
- Score the Bread: Remove the bread from the banneton or bowl and place onto a piece of parchment paper. Using a sharp knife or lame score of the dough. This allows for a good rise in the oven. I like to do this just before placing it into the oven.
- Bake the Bread: Be sure to reduce your oven temperature to 400F. Place the dough into the Dutch oven, cover, and bake for 30 minutes. Next, uncover and bake for another 30 minutes. your bread is done when it is golden brown, and sounds hollow when tapped.
