Sourdough Bread for Beginners
Servings
1
loafPrep time
2
hoursCooking time
50
minutesIngredients
½ cup active sourdough starter
1 ¼ cup lukewarm water
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt
Directions
- In a large bowl, combine the starter and water.
- Stir in the flour, and then add the salt.
- Use a fork to mix everything together until it becomes stiff– then switch to your hands to bring the dough together in a rough ball (Remember: don’t overmix! This is supposed to be a no-knead-style wet dough.)
- Keep the rough dough in the bowl, cover it, and let sit for 30 minutes.
- After this resting time is complete, stretch and fold the dough a few times to form it into a ball. (See the video for a walk-through on how to do this.)
- Cover the dough with a clean dish towel and let it rise in a warm place overnight or until doubled in size (or about 8 hours). I like to make the dough before bed and leave it in my turned-off oven (I leave the oven light on) to rise overnight.
- 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.
- After this resting period is complete, 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. Remember: don’t add too much flour and do not knead the dough!
- Cover and rise for 2-3 hours, or until doubled.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Sprinkle a thin layer of cornmeal in the bottom of a Dutch oven (optional, but this helps the bottom not to scorch).
- Tip the loaf out of the proofing basket onto a sheet of parchment. Lower the parchment into the Dutch oven.
- Place the lid on the pot 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. (For a less crusty finish, bake for the entire time with the lid on.)
- Move to a cooling rack and allow the loaf to cool completely before slicing it.
Notes
- Recipe thanks to https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/
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