🍞 Sourdough Bread Recipe & Process Guide

📊 Ingredients by Loaf Size

Ingredient Baker’s % 1 Small Loaf 1 Regular Loaf 2 Regular Loaves Pizza Crust
🌾 Bread Flour 100% 400g 500g 1000g 300g
💧 Water (80-85°F) 70% 280g 350g 700g 210g
🥖 Starter 20% 80g 100g 200g 60g
🧂 Salt 2% 8g 10g 20g 6g

🌾 Starter Preparation

⏰ 8-10 hours before mixing

  • Feed your starter and let it rise until doubled in size
  • The starter is ready when it passes the float test or has doubled

🥣 Mixing & Initial Fermentation

Set timers so you don’t forget! *See sequential timer schedule in Tips & Terminology section below.*

🌀 Initial Mix

  • Mix water and starter until well combined
  • Add flour, until just combined (rough, shaggy dough) – NO SALT YET!
  • Scrape down sides of bowl
  • Cover with damp towel or lid
  • Set salt on top so you don’t forget!
  • Rest for 1 hour

🤲 Stretch and Fold Series

Perform 4 sets of stretch and folds being careful not to rip the dough:

  1. First stretch and fold
    • Sprinkle salt across top of dough
    • Incorporate salt using fingertips
    • Perform stretch and fold to incorporate salt
    • Perform 4-8 quarter turns
    • If using aliquot method, take dough at this point
    • Rest for 30 minutes
  2. Second stretch and fold
    • Perform 4-8 quarter turns
    • Rest for 30 minutes
  3. Third stretch and fold
    • Perform 4 quarter turns
    • Rest for 30 minutes
  4. Fourth stretch and fold
    • Perform 4 quarter turns

Usually after 4 series, the dough passes the windowpane test (dough stretches thin enough to see light through without tearing).

📈 Bulk Fermentation

  • 4-12 hours fermentation at room temperature
  • Typically done overnight or throughout most of the day
  • Dough should increase by 50-70% in size. If using aliquot, dough is done when reaches the lid.

🔧 Shaping & Final Proof

🔄 Pre-shaping

  • Turn dough onto lightly floured surface
  • Shape into rough round
  • Bench rest: 10-30 minutes

🎯 Final Shaping

  • Shape dough into final form (boule or batard)
  • Add any inclusions (seeds, nuts, etc.)
  • Place seam-side up in proofing basket (banneton)

🧺 Banneton Rest

  • 5 minutes in basket
  • Perform one final pinch to tighten seam

⏳ Final Proof

  • 30-60 minutes at room temperature if baking right away, OR
  • 8-24 hours in refrigerator for cold proof if baking next day

🔥 Baking

Choose one of these baking methods:

🍲 Method 1: Dutch Oven in Conventional Oven

🌡️ Oven Preparation

  • Turn oven on to 450°F and place Dutch oven inside. When oven reaches 450°F, proceed to next steps

👨‍🍳 Baking Process

  1. Turn dough onto two stacked silicone mats (Silpat) placed on a cooling rack
  2. Score the bread with bench knife or lame
  3. Place in hot Dutch oven with 8-10 ice cubes for steam
  4. Cover with lid
🔥 First Stage: Bake at 450°F with lid on for 30 minutes
✨ Second Stage: Remove lid, reduce to 400°F, bake 15-30 minutes until golden brown. Enhance scoring if needed to improve oven spring.
🌡️ Bake until internal temperature reaches 205–210°F (96–99°C)

💨 Method 2: Steam Oven

👨‍🍳 Baking Process

  1. Place dough on baking pan with parchment
  2. Score the bread end to end with double score under ear
  3. Place pan/bread in steam oven using level 2
  4. No preheating required
🔥 First Stage: 400°F steam convection for 20 minutes
✨ Second Stage: 375°F steam convection for 25-30 minutes
🌡️ Bake until internal temperature reaches 205–210°F (96–99°C)

🌬️ Cooling

  • Cool completely on wire rack (at least 30 minutes) with cloth covering
  • Once cooled, store in bread bag or wrap

💡 Tips & Terminology

🌡️ Temperature-Based Schedules

🔥 Warm Environment Schedule (75-80°F+)

Day Phase Time
1 Starter Preparation 4-6 hrs
1 Mixing & Initial Fermentation 3 hrs
1 Shaping & Final Proof • 30-60 min room temp
• 8-24 hrs cold proof
1-2 Baking and Cooling 1.5-2 hrs
Total Either Option • 9-13 hrs room temp
• 17-32 hrs cold proof

❄️ Cool Environment Schedule (65-70°F)

Day Phase Time
1 Starter Preparation 8-12 hrs
2 Mixing & Initial Fermentation 8-12 hrs
3 Shaping & Final Proof • 30-60 min room temp
• 8-24 hrs cold proof
3-4 Baking and Cooling 1.5-2 hrs
Total Either Option • 17-26 hrs room temp
• 25-50 hrs cold proof

⏱️ Sequential Timer Schedule

Timer Purpose Set Timer For
1 Start first stretch and fold (initial mix rest done) 1:00 hours
2 Start second stretch and fold (first rest is done) 1:30 hours
3 Start third stretch and fold (second rest is done) 2:00 hours
4 Start fourth stretch and fold (third rest is done) 2:30 hours

📖 Terminology

  • Quarter turn: 90-degree rotation of dough around the bowl
  • Windowpane test: Stretch a small piece of dough thin enough to see light through without tearing
  • Float test: Drop a small piece of active starter in water; it should float when ready

🧪 Aliquot Method (Optional):

  • Before starting all stretch and folds, place 40g of dough in a 2oz container that has a lid
  • Keep container on top of main dough during the stretch and fold rests and bulk fermentation
  • Bulk fermentation is complete when the aliquot dough reaches the top of the container (doubled in size)

✅ Tips

  • Internal temperature should reach 205-210°F when done
  • The crust should sound hollow when tapped
  • Resist cutting too early – the bread continues cooking as it cools
Happy Baking! 🥖✨