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Sourdough Country Loaf Recipe

Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Fermenting Time: 12 hours
Total Time: 13 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 12
Author: Amy
US Customary - Metric

Ingredients

Ingredients to make ½ cup (100 g)  of Active Sourdough Starter

  • 1 tablespoon (15 g) sourdough starter
  • ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon (50 g) all-purpose flour
  • 3 ½  tablespoons (50 g) water

Dough Ingredients

  • ½ cup (100 g) active sourdough starter
  • 1 ½ cups (360 g) water 30 grams divided
  • ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon (50 g) whole wheat flour
  • 3 ¾ cups (450 g) bread flour
  • 2 teaspoons (10 g) fine sea salt

Instructions

Feed Your Sourdough Starter

  • 12 hours before you plan to mix the dough, add the ingredients to make ½ cup (100 g) of active sourdough starter to a clean jar. Stir until combined, loosely cover the jar and let the starter rise at room temperature. (The ingredients will create a total of 115 g active starter but, because some of it will stick to the sides of the jar during the transfer, we are making a little more than needed.) The sourdough starter is ready to use when it has doubled in size and there are plenty of bubbles on the surface and sides of the jar.

Make the Dough

  • Autolyse (1 hour): In a mixing bowl, add 330 grams of water and 100 grams active sourdough starter, stir to combine. Add 50 grams whole wheat flour and 450 grams bread flour and use your hands to combine the ingredients until there are no dry bits and the dough looks like a shaggy mass. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest on the counter for 1 hour.
  • Add salt (1 hour): Add 10 grams of salt to 30 grams of water in a small bowl and stir to dissolve. Add the salt water to the dough and use your hands to work it in until well combined. Cover the bowl and let rest on the counter for 1 hour.
  • Bulk Fermentation (3-5.5 hours): Perform 3 sets of stretch and folds, 30 minutes apart. To perform a set, while the dough is still in the bowl, pick up one side with a wet hand. Pull it up and over itself. Turn the bowl and repeat this action on 4 sides of the dough until the bowl has come full circle. (See notes)
    Cover the dough and allow to ferment at room temperature for 1-3 more hours according to the following temperatures.
    68°F (20°C) 2-3 hours
    70°F (21°C) 2-2.5 hours
    72°F (22°C) 1.5-2 hours
    75°F (24°C) 1-1.5 hours
    The dough is ready for shaping when it has risen about 20-30% and has bubbles around the edges of the bowl.
  • Shaping: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and use a bench scraper to form it into a loose ball. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes.
    Lightly flour the surface of the dough ball and use a bench scraper to turn it over. Final shape the dough by pulling the side nearest yourself up and towards the center of the dough. Repeat on all fours sides of the dough.
    Flip the dough over, seam-side down, and use your hands to twist the dough on the counter. Cup the dough with your hands and gently pull it towards yourself to create a tight skin on the outside.
    Flour the outside of the dough ball. Flour the inside of a banneton and place the dough ball into the banneton, seam-side up. Cover the bowl with a large plastic bag and let rest on the counter for 30 minutes.
  • Second Rise (8-36 hours): Place the covered dough in fridge to cold ferment 8-36 hours.
  • Score and Bake: Remove the dough from the fridge and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven, with the dutch oven inside, to 500°F (260°C) for 30 minutes.
    Turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper and score the top with a razor. Remove the dutch oven and place on stove-top. Use the parchment paper as a sling and lift the dough up and into the dutch oven.
    Cover, turn oven down to 450°F (232°C) and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the cover and bake an additional 25-30 minutes or until the crust is at the desired color.
  • Let the bread cool on a cooling rack for 2 hours before cutting.
Nutrition Facts
Sourdough Country Loaf Recipe
Amount Per Serving (1 slice)
Calories 157 Calories from Fat 9
% Daily Value*
Fat 1g2%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Sodium 325mg14%
Potassium 53mg2%
Carbohydrates 32g11%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 5g10%
Calcium 8mg1%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Video

Notes

  • This recipe is my original "Beginners Sourdough Recipe" from Amy in the Kitchen, cut in half. Double the quantities for 2 loaves. (Click on the link for the original recipe.)
  • Use the scoop and level technique to measure your flour if you do not have a kitchen scale. To do this, use a spoon to fluff up the flour in the bag. Use a spoon to scoop the flour into a measuring cup until it is heaped on top. Take a butterknife and level off the top. This should give you the most accurate measurement for flour.
  • Take care to be gentle with the dough during the stretch and fold process. Only stretch the dough until it starts to tighten and no more. These 3 sets should take 1.5 hours to complete.
  • Use large silicone gloves when bread baking to protect hands and forearms from burns.
  • During the first rise (bulk fermentation), if your kitchen temperature is warmer than 68°, check the dough 1.5 hours after the last stretch and fold to make sure that it does not over proof. The dough is ready for shaping when it has risen about 20-30% and has bubbles around the edges of the bowl.
  • Tips for baking in warm and/or high humidity areas - When baking in high humidity and/or warmer areas, it's often a good practice to use less water and bake a little longer than the recipe calls for. Reduce the water by 50 grams in the initial mix and then slowly add the remaining water until you achieve the correct hydration level. Bake the bread about 5-10 minutes longer with the lid on, remove the lid and bake until done. This will take some trial and errorLet the loaf cool completely before slicing to prevent the crumb from becoming gummy in texture.
  • Store your bread at room temperature, wrapped in a kitchen towel or beeswax wrap. You can also store the bread, slice down, on a cutting board with a cake stand top covering the bread. It is not recommended to store sourdough bread in the fridge as it will become hard.
  • Freeze full loaves or individual slices wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and inserted into a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.