Easy Sourdough Loaf
An easy no-knead sourdough loaf
Servings: 8
Calories: 192kcal
Equipment
- Dutch Oven or heavy cast iron pan with lid
Ingredients
- 100 g Sourdough starter I use a starter based on 50% flour 50% water. If you use a heavier or lighter starter, you may need to modify the ingredients. Your starter needs to have been fed about 2-3 hours before you start to make the dough
- 200 ml water tepid
- 340 g strong white bread flour You can use plain flour if you cannot get bread flour, but the crumb may not be as good.
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Put the starter into a large mixing bowl and pour the tepid water over it.
- Add the flour and salt
- Use your hands or a large fork to pull the mixture together into a rough dough
- You should have a sticky mixture. Cover it with clingfilm or a tea towel and leave for 8-10 hours to prove
- Flour a board or worktop
- Scrape the mixture out onto the flour and knock back (see notes) adding more flour as necessary. You want to end up with something that you can shape into a ball.
- If you have a banneton, put the dough in there. If not, coat a tea towel or muslin with flour and put the dough ball into the cloth, then put the cloth into a rounded mixing bowl. Cover. One of the best ways to cover is with a (clean) shower cap - or clingfilm if not. If you want to bake within 3-4 hours, keep the dough at room temperature. If you need to wait for longer put the dough into the fridge where it will happily keep for a further 10-12 hours
- If your dough has been in the fridge, let it come to room temperature while you pre-heat the oven to 225C. Put a large dutch oven into the oven to preheat at the same time
- put a sheet of baking paper on a pizza slide and turn the dough out from the bowl onto the slide. Slash it a couple of times on the top to help to allow the bread to rise.
- take the dutch oven out of the oven and carefully slide the dough into it.
- Bake with the lid on for 25 minutes and then for a further 15 to 20 minutes with the lid removed.
- Turn the bread out onto a wire rack and allow it to cool for at least an hour
Notes
I'm currently experimenting with what 'posh' sourdough bakers call folds. After the first hour of rising, you literally pull the dough up and fold it onto itself in the bowl, then turn 90 degrees and repeat a total of four times. That process is done every half hour for the next 2 hours (!). Then, you leave the stretch and folded dough to rise for the first proving and, instead of knocking back, you do one final stretch and fold before popping into a banneton and leaving overnight. It makes a more classic crumb with those big holes.
Nutrition
Calories: 192kcal