Lauren’s Master Sourdough
Cuisine: AmericanPrep time
2
hoursCooking time
40
minutesThis master sourdough recipe starts with a healthy and active starter and leads to a beautiful airy loaf with a crisp crust on the outside and a soft, open crumb on the inside. Not sure where to begin? Check out my Sourdough for Everyone course to find videos and step by step tutorials of my method and recipes for all things sourdough.
Ingredients
100g bubbly active sourdough starter
375g water, room temperature
20g sugar or honey (optional)
500g bread flour (or all-purpose)
10g salt
Directions
- Combine starter, water, sugar, and flour in a large mixing bowl and work into a shaggy dough. Cover and allow to rest for 15-30 minutes.
- Add salt and work into a smooth but sticky dough, stretching dough with your hands (or a bowl scraper) as you go. Cover and allow to rest for 15-20 minutes.
- Begin the stretch and fold process: using hands wet with cool water, stretch your dough from each side up and over the middle of your dough, going north, east, south, and west until you’ve stretched and folded all sides of your dough in the bowl. Repeat this process every 15-20 minutes for one hour.
- Bulk rise: after sufficient stretching and folding your dough should feel smooth and bouncy under your touch. Cover and allow to rise overnight or for 8-10 hours.
- Shape and rise: In the morning, turn your dough out onto the counter, and using wet hands, stretch your dough thinly across your clean, unfloured countertop. Fold one side of your stretched dough from the edge to the center, repeating with the other side. You should now have an envelope-style rectangle of sourdough.
- Beginning with one end, roll your dough into a thick log and tuck ends under one another, giving a round bowl shape. Build tension and strength in your dough by dragging this round shape along your countertop. Place top side down into a floured proofing basket or bowl. Cover and allow to rise another 1-2 hours.
- Bake in a dutch oven with the lid on at 450*F for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and bake an additional 15-20 minutes or until the top is as golden brown as you prefer. Allow to cool for an hour before slicing, and enjoy!
Notes
- I prefer to use organic bread flour purchased at a local mill- I use Central Milling Company in Logan, Utah. But I’ve also made this recipe using all purpose flour with excellent results- it just may require a bit more stretching and folding.
- This bread can be made ahead and frozen in an airtight bag, or stored in a bread bag for up to five days.
- If you prefer to add fillings to this recipe (I love soaked raisins, herbs and cheese, pickled jalapeños, onions and seeds, etc) just add them when you add the salt, before stretching and folding.
- If you’d like to work a swirl of cinnamon sugar or seasoning into your loaf, spread your seasoning during the shaping stage, when your dough has been stretched and folded into the envelope shape, prior to rolling into a log.
