How to Perfect Homemade Sourdough Bread
Intimidated by homemade bread? Don’t be! We are here with the ultimate bread recipe that you can make at home.
Tangy, soft and sweet, Homemade Sourdough bread is the best go-to recipe for your bread cravings. This is the perfect recipe to make bread at home – that too without a machine!
This recipe is simple and easy to follow, even if you are an amateur baker. The dough rises pretty well and it has a nice crust. It has a bubbly crumb that you will love at the very first bite! There is also nothing else like the delicious aroma of bread wafting through the home.
Sourdough bread is made with naturally occurring yeast from the atmosphere – this is called a sourdough starter. It is like the live culture of flour and water. When you add this to the dough it will begin to rise.
If you want your bread crust to be chewier and bubblier, you should use bread flour, instead of all-purpose flour. The extra gluten in bread flour will make it chewier. As soon as you sink your teeth in the crust, you will be lost in a pool of delicious flavors.
This is a tasty healthy bread that contains higher levels of antioxidants and folate as compared to other breads. Scrumptious flavors mixed with nutrients – can’t get better than that!
Sourdough 101: Making A Sourdough Starter
Before you begin you will need a sourdough starter. This combination of fermented flour and water is the base of your sourdough bread and without it, your bread will not rise the same way or have the same distinct sourdough taste.
Your sourdough starter is a live culture that will need to be fed with flour and water to keep its rising power alive.
Learn more about feeding/managing your sourdough starter here.
What you’ll need…
- All-purpose flour
- Room temperature water
- A jar/container to hold your starter
How to Prepare
- In a 1 L container, combine Add ¾ cup of flour and ½ cup of water with a spatula.
- Place the container in a warm place for 24 hours (optimal temperature: 75°F to 80°F/23°C to 26°C).
- On the 2nd day, remove about half of the mixture. Add ¾ cup of flour and ½ cup of water. Mix well, cover and put back in its place.
- For the next 3 to 5 days, repeat the process in step 3 until the sourdough is ready for baking. Ready meaning when it doubles in size after being fed (usually around the 6th day.)
There are also places that you can purchase sourdough starters, we recommend checking in with a local bakery to see if they offer this as an option.
Can’t wait that long for homebaked goodness? Try this classic banana chocolate bread recipe.
Homemade Sourdough Bread Recipe
Now that you have your starter, let’s make some homemade Sourdough bread!
Prep Time: 3-4 days
Cook Time: 1 hour
Servings: 1 loaf
Preheat Oven: 450°F
Ingredients
- 3 cups bread flour
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 ¼ cup water room temperature
- ⅓ cup bubbly sourdough starter
- White flour for sprinkling
Preparation
Step 1: Mix Your Ingredients
In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt with a whisk. In another bowl, combine the water and sourdough starter with a whisk.
Add the sourdough mixture to the dry ingredients and stir gently until the dry ingredients are completely incorporated.
Step 2: First Rise
Cover and let stand at room temperature for 5 to 8 hours, or until dough begins to puff slightly.
Step 3: Shape & Second Rise
After your dough has risen, put your dough onto a lightly floured surface. This is when you will shape your dough by folding it over towards the center, turning it as your go (like an envelope fold). Be gentle when folding so that you do not push the air out of the bread.
After you have shaped your dough, grab your cooking pot or dutch oven and place parchment (or cornmeal) at the bottom to prevent sticking. Cover and place in your refrigerator for 24 hours.
Step 4: First Bake
Start by preheating your oven to 450° F in preparation for baking. Once your dough has risen, take it out of the fridge and score the top of the dough with 2 inch slashes down the center of the dough, this will allow for the bread to rise better.
Step 5: Second Bake
Add your lid to the pot/dutch oven and place it on the center rack in the oven. Bake the bread for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, remove the lid from the casserole and continue to bake the bread for 20 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
Step 6: Time to Cool
When golden, remove the bread from the oven and let it cool on a rack for at least 2 hours before slicing.
Get Slicing!
Sourdough is an art that can be extremely temperamental, so if you mess up, don’t give up. Eat your mistakes, smile, and enjoy the homey vibes that come with making your own bread.
Once you get the hang of it, you can add other elements like cheese, garlic, chives, or other delicious add ons that will make your bread so good, you’ll never buy a loaf again.
This is the ultimate bread recipe for soup and sandwiches. It’s simply delectable! Just imagine dunking the bread in a bowl of soup. The sour taste of the bread will mix with the flavors of the soup, making it even more amazing!
You can also use this bread for sandwiches. The extra tinge of sourness will make for a super delicious sandwich. Whether you try avocado, salmon, egg, turkey, or any filling you can think of, this bread will make the sandwich ten times better!
Want more delicious bread recipes? Try this zucchini & apple bread recipe.
