Artisan Sourdough Bread

Sourdough bread with a tangy flavor, airy crumb, and crispy crust, perfect for any occasion.

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Artisan Sourdough Bread Save
Artisan Sourdough Bread
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Sourdough bread with a tangy flavor, airy crumb, and crispy crust, perfect for any occasion.

  • Preparing Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Served Person: 1
vegan vegetarian white meat free tree nut free nut free contains gluten red meat free shellfish free dairy free pescatarian
bread

Step-by-step

  • Pour the water into a large mixing bowl. Add the fed starter to the water by ripping it into small pieces.
  • Add the flour, and stir the ingredients (a dough scraper works well here) until the dough becomes shaggy.
  • Scrape the dough out of the bowl and smear the dough with the heel of your hand, so that all the flour hydrates and the starter begins to break down. This should only take 1 to 2 minutes. Make sure there are no remaining dry pockets of flour. Return the dough to the bowl. To use a stand mixer, simply mix 1 minute on lowest speed, scraping down the bowl to be sure all the flour is hydrated
  • Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to sit for 30 minutes.
  • Knead the dough by hand for 2 minutes (1 minute on speed 2 using a stand mixer), then place it in an oiled bowl and cover it with plastic wrap.
  • Let the dough rise for 1 hour at warm room temperature; 76?F is ideal. If your room is cooler, let it rise for 75 to 90 minutes.
  • Gently deflate the risen dough by folding it; please watch our video on how to deflate yeast dough for details. Place it folded side down in the bowl, and let it rise for another hour.
  • Fold the dough one more time, and let it rise for 90 minutes. The dough should feel light and airy. If it still feels stiff and cool, give it another fold and one more hour of rising time.
  • Turn the dough out of the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Cut off 8 ounces (about 1 cup, lightly packed), round it up, and place it in a lightly oiled, covered container. Keep it in your refrigerator for up to a week; feed as directed in our Stiff Sourdough Starter recipe when you want to bake bread again. Don't want to maintain another starter in the fridge? See "tips," at left.
  • To preshape the loaf, give the dough a light fold. Place the loaf fold side up on a floured surface, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rest for 20 minutes.
  • Shape the dough into a large round, and let it sit on the table for a minute or two to seal the bottom seam. For details, see our video on how to shape bread.
  • Place the loaf seam-side up in a floured brotform or in a bowl lined with a well-floured dishtowel or cloth napkin.
  • Refrigerate the loaf, covered with plastic wrap, overnight or for up to 24 hours. About 16 to 18 hours of refrigeration is ideal.
  • The next day, preheat the oven to 450?F. If baking in a Dutch oven or other covered baker, gently turn the loaf into the prepared pot, replace the lid, and allow the loaf to rest at room temperature for at least 45 minutes before baking. Loaves baked on a stone or on a baking sheet can be loaded into the oven directly from the refrigerator.
  • Just before baking, brush or spray the loaf with water, and sprinkle it with artisan bread topping or the seeds of your choice, if desired. Use a lame or a very sharp knife to score the bread several times across the top.
  • Bake the bread for 30 minutes. Remove the lid (if baking in a covered baker), and continue to bake for 20 minutes, or until the loaf is a rich golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. A loaf baked on a stone or baking sheet will be done in approximately 40 to 45 minutes.
  • Remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool on a rack before slicing.

Standard commercial yeast formulations rely on fast, aggressive leavening that yields a uniform crumb, whereas wild fermentation builds complexity through extended enzymatic activity. Incorporating whole wheat flour alongside unbleached all-purpose flour introduces natural bran particles that physically disrupt gluten strands, producing an open, irregular interior structure instead of a tight sandwich loaf texture. Smearing the initial shaggy mixture with the heel of your hand ensures rapid hydration without requiring mechanical mixers, kickstarting gluten development before the bulk fermentation phase begins.

Temperature control dictates the metabolic rate of the stiff sourdough starter, making a warm room temperature around 76 degrees Fahrenheit ideal for the initial rises. Folding the dough at designated intervals strengthens the gluten network organically, trapping gases produced by wild yeast and lactobacilli. Allowing the shaped loaf to undergo a long, cold retardation in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours concentrates organic acids, enhancing the characteristic tangy profile while slowing enzymatic degradation.

Baking inside a preheated covered vessel traps ambient steam released by the dough during the first thirty minutes of cooking, preventing premature crust formation and allowing the loaf to expand fully. Removing the lid exposes the surface to dry heat, driving the Maillard reaction until the exterior turns a deep, burnished brown. Tapping the bottom of the finished loaf produces a distinct hollow sound, indicating that the interior moisture has evaporated sufficiently.

Day-old slices stored at room temperature lose their initial crispness as moisture redistributes through the crumb, but applying dry heat in a hot skillet revives the stale crust effectively. Searing leftover pieces in olive oil transforms them into sturdy croutons capable of holding dense dressings without dissolving, utilizing every portion of the loaf efficiently.

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