Bake Your First Loaf

Written By Molly Warren

What You Need:

Ingredients:

  • 100g Active Sourdough Starter

  • 350g of Water, room-temperature

  • 500g Bread Flour

  • 12g Sea Salt, fine

Equipment:

  • Mixing bowl

  • Kitchen scale (for accuracy)

  • Clean kitchen towel (for covering the dough during proofing)

  • Bench scraper (optional! for shaping dough)

  • Sharp knife or bread lame (for scoring the bread)

  • Dutch oven

Step 1: Prepare Your Sourdough Starter

You want to ensure your starter is at peak activity—this means it has been fed and doubles within 4-12 hours. When you go to use it, it should be bubbly and stringy. You can feed it a lower ratio of 1:1:1 (one part starter to one part water to one part flour) if you want it active sooner, or a higher ratio like 1:5:5 if you prefer to feed your starter at night and start your bread the following day (the higher the ratio, the longer it will take your starter to “eat” its flour/food).

I prefer to maintain my starter with a higher ratio so I don’t have to feed it quite so often. When prepping, add 10-20g of extra starter for each recipe so you have some to keep feeding your starter for next time!

Step 2: Mix the Dough

  1. Add the Starter: add 100g of active starter to your bowl

  2. Add Water and Honey: add 350g of room-temperature water to your bowl with the starter. Whisk them together until fully incorporated – it should look like milky water.

  3. Add the Flour: add 500g of unbleached bread flour. Don’t mix it in quite yet!

    • You want to use bread flour or flour with a high protein content. My personal favorite is the Kirkland organic unbleached AP flour from Costco. It’s well-known to be a private-label version of Central Milling’s Artisan Bakers Craft Plus Bread Flour. It’s a great bang for your buck flour if you make a lot of bread!

    • The King Arthur Bread Flour is a great option widely available in grocery stores.

  4. Add the Salt: sprinkle your salt on top of the flour and mix the dry bits a little on top of your bowl.

  5. Mix all ingredients: Using a dough whisk (or clean hands!), mix them until they form a rough, shaggy ball. You’ll want to mix a little more than you think. You should have a little structure, but it will NOT be smooth!

  6. Let it rest: Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and let it sit for 45 minutes (this allows the flour to get fully hydrated).

Step 3: Bulk Fermentation

  1. Stretch and Fold:

    • For the first 2-3 hours of fermentation, do a series of “stretch and folds” every 30 minutes.

    • Grab a portion of dough, stretch it up, and fold it back over itself. Turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat the process 4-6 times.

    • The dough will be sticky, so you can get your hands just a little wet before doing these to keep the dough in the bowl and off your hands!

    • This helps strengthen the dough and builds structure.

  2. Let the Dough Rise:

    • After the series of stretch and folds, cover the dough and let it rise at room temperature for 4-6 hours, or until it has almost, but not quite, doubled in size. This is the bulk fermentation stage.

    • This period can vary depending on how cool/warm your house is! Warmer temps will speed up fermentation, so keep an eye on it. Your dough should have good jiggle; if you push it with your finger, it shouldn’t stick and spring back a little, but not all the way.

Step 4: Shape the Dough

  1. Pre-shape:

    • Gently remove the dough from the bowl onto a very lightly floured surface (I don’t usually need flour on my granite countertops, but sometimes use a small amount of flour). It should fall out of the bowl on its own. Using your hands, form it into a loose ball and let it rest for 20 minutes.

  2. Final Shape:

    • After resting, shape the dough into a tight round or oval loaf (depending on your preference). WATCH YOUTUBE VIDEOS for this! Everyone has a different method, but watching others do it is helpful!

    • Use a bench scraper to tighten the dough by folding the edges under itself.

  3. Final Proof/Cold-Proof:

    • Place your shaped dough into a floured proofing basket or bowl. Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap.

    • Put it in the fridge overnight (up to 36 hours!) This slows the fermentation process and helps develop the sour flavor and texture (typically, the longer the cold-proof, the more sour your bread will be).

Step 5: Bake the Sourdough

  1. Preheat the Oven:

    • Preheat your oven to 450°F (245°C) for at least 30 minutes before baking.

    • Place your Dutch oven inside while preheating.

  2. Score the Dough:

    • Just before baking, use a sharp knife or bread lame to score the top of your dough. This allows the bread to expand as it bakes and helps control the shape.

  3. Bake the Bread:

    • Place your dough in the preheated Dutch and cover it with the lid.

    • Bake for 30 minutes with the lid on.

    • After 30 minutes, remove the lid and bake for another 15 minutes until the bread is golden brown and has a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom. The internal temperature should be between 205-210°F (96-98°C)

  4. Cool:

    • Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for at least an hour before slicing.

Tips for Success:

  • Patience is key: Sourdough is a slow process. Don’t rush the fermentation and proofing times.

  • Starter health: Make sure your starter is active and bubbly before using it.

  • Hydration: The dough can be sticky but should hold its shape. Adjust water content slightly if needed.

  • Flavor development: The longer the proofing, the more flavorful your bread will be. A cold-proof overnight helps develop a tangier taste.

Enjoy Your Sourdough Bread!

Once you’ve completed these steps, you’ll have a delicious, homemade sourdough loaf! Experiment with the process to find what works best for your kitchen and taste preferences. Happy baking!

Molly Warren