Rustic Sourdough Bread

5 from 3 votes

This rustic sourdough bread recipe is truly the heart of sourdough. It is long fermented, has a bold, flavorful crust, and a fluffy inside!

Prep Time40

Cook Time42

Proofing time2

Total Time2 1 22

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: rustic sourdough bread

Servings: loaf

Calories: 180kcal

Equipment

Dutch oven or cast iron
Mixing bowl
Bench scraper
Scoring tool
Food scale
Parchment paper
Oval banneton basket

Ingredients

For the leaven

10 grams sourdough starter
15 grams whole wheat flour
15 grams all-purpose flour
30 grams water

For the dough

500 grams bread flour
10 grams salt
360 grams water
60 grams leaven (from above)

Instructions

Make the leaven

In a mason or glass jar, add in the sourdough starter, all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, and water. Mix using a fork or silicone spatula.
Mark where the mixture sits and cover loosely. Allow it to rest for overnight for 10-12 hours.

Autolyse the dough mixture

The following morning: to a mixing bowl add the bread flour and water and mix until the flour has absorbed all of the water.
Cover with plastic wrap and allow the dough mixture to sit next to the leaven for 30 minutes.

Mix the dough & the leaven together

After the autolyse has been completed, uncover the dough mixture and sprinkle salt over the surface.
Next, spread the leaven onto the surface of the dough.
Dimple the dough using your fingers and mix in the leaven well. I repetitively fold the dough into itself to form a rough ball.
After forming a rough ball, cover the mixture, and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.

Stretch and fold the dough

After the dough has rested for 30 minutes, perform your first stretch and fold.
This is where you scoop your hand under a portion of the dough and stretch it a few inches and fold it to the opposing side. You will stretch and fold all 4 quadrants of the dough.
Once complete, cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.
Perform 4 more stretch and folds within 30-minute increments, totaling 5 stretch and folds.
Once all stretch and folds are complete, cover the dough and let it rest for the remainder of the bulk rise. This can be anywhere from 4-6 more hours.

Pre-shape the dough

Once the dough has increased in size by 75% or more, is jiggy, and has air bubbles it is ready to be pre-shaped. (My dough takes 9 hours from when I first mix it at 70 degrees F.)
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and create a round dough ball by using your bench scraper.
To create a round ball, place the bench scraper under the bottom part of the dough and use a circular motion repetitively. The tension will naturally settle in the middle of the dough, giving it a better oven spring when baked. You can also do this motion using your hands.
After a round ball shape has been created, cover the dough with a towel or bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Final shaping

Lightly flour your oval banneton basket with rice flour or all-purpose flour.
Sprinkle a little flour over the surface of the dough and flip it over.
Gently pat it into a rectangular shape and take the right side of the dough and fold it to the middle. Take the left side of the dough and fold it over the right side pressing the seam down.
At the top of the dough cross the right and left sides over each other. Then, roll it into a log shape and tighten the seams by pressing them together.
Lastly, place the dough in the banneton basket seam side up. You can tighten the seam in the banneton basket if needed. Cover it with a towel or place it in a 2.5-gallon bag and place it in the refrigerator for 12-18 hours.

Score and bake

The next morning place your baking pot in the oven and preheat it to 500 degrees F for at least 30 minutes.
When ready to bake, remove the bread from the refrigerator and invert it on a piece of parchment paper.
Using a bread lame or sharp razor score one curved line on the right side of the dough. Hold your tool at a 45-degree angle and start at the top of the dough going fast all the way to the bottom of the dough. Optional: spray your bread with room temperature water to create beautiful blisters on the crust.
Place the dough in the pan using the parchment paper and bake for 20 minutes covered.
After 20 minutes, remove the lid and reduce the temperature to 450 degrees F and bake for another 22 minutes.
Once the bread is complete, allow it cool on a cooling rack for 2 hours before cutting into it & enjoy your masterpiece!
Any leftover rustic sourdough bread can be stored in your bread bag of choice for 4 days on the counter.

Notes

Baker's schedule: Make sure your sourdough starter has been fed within the past 24 hours.

The evening before you mix the dough: make the leaven and allow it to ferment overnight 10-12 hours. Mix the dough the following day, place in the refrigerator overnight, and bake the following day.

First bulk rise: this can take anywhere from 8-10 hours depending on the temperature in your environment. This recipe was tested at 70 degrees F and took 9 hours.

Second bulk rise: cold proof in the refrigerator for 12-18 hours.

Nutrition