Easy Sourdough Bread
Learn how to make the easiest sourdough bread with a simple no-knead method and overnight rise. You'll get a crisp crust, soft interior, and bakery-quality flavor every time!
Servings: 1 loaf
Equipment
- Dutch oven optional but recommended!
Ingredients
- 150 grams active, bubbly sourdough starter at peak rise
- 330 grams water
- 10 grams salt
- 500 grams bread flour
Instructions
- [Day 1] Mix the dough. Stir together sourdough starter, water, and salt in a large bowl. Add bread flour and mix until it starts to form a shaggy mass. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let it rest for at least 30 minutes.
- Stretch and fold. Pull dough from one side and give it a long stretch, then fold dough back to the middle. Turn bowl a quarter turn, stretch again and fold back to the middle. Repeat on all four sides, cover the dough back up, and allow it to rest again.
- Repeat. Over the next few hours, you’ll repeat this process of stretching and folding the dough about every 30-45 minutes or so (exact time doesn't matter). Plan to stretch and fold a total of four times, or until dough feels hydrated, smooth, and elastic.
- Cold ferment. After the last stretch and fold, cover the dough back up and place it in the refrigerator overnight.*
- [Day 2] Prep. Remove sourdough from refrigerator and let it warm up a bit at room temperature. Line a large bowl with a tea towel and dust it lightly with flour.
- Shape. Scrape dough out of its bowl onto a clean countertop. Shape dough into a rough ball, pulling it towards you to create tension. Flip dough over, placing seam side up in the towel-lined bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap.
- Proof. Let dough rise until puffy and bubbly, about 1-3 hours**. Preheat oven to 450° F. Place your Dutch oven pan in the oven to preheat during this time, if using.
- Score. Carefully tip dough out onto a sheet pan lined with parchment, seam side down. Remove towel. Score dough with a bread lame or very sharp knife in any desired pattern.
- Bake. Lift parchment paper with sourdough, lowering it carefully into Dutch oven. Bake with lid on for 25 minutes. Remove lid and continue to bake, uncovered, for another 18-25 minutes, or until bread is golden and cooked through and internal temperature is 205 – 215° F.
- Cool. Let bread cool at least an hour before slicing into it.
Notes
*It's optional to let the dough ferment overnight. You could also choose to bake it the same day. After doing the last stretch and fold, let the dough rest for 30 minutes. Then shape it, place it in a bowl lined with a flour-dusted towel, and let it rise and ferment another hour or two. Bake as directed.
** Proofing time can vary based on your starter and room temperature. I like to use the fingertip test to decide if my bread is proofed properly and ready to bake: Gently press the dough with a wet or floured fingertip (so it doesn't stick). If the dough springs back slowly and leaves a slight indentation, it’s ready to bake. If it bounces back immediately, it needs a little more time to rise; if it collapses or stays fully indented, it may be slightly over-proofed.