The Best Sourdough Bread Recipe
About this recipe
Sourdough bread is a classic favorite, known for its tangy flavor and chewy texture. This recipe simplifies the process, focusing on just four ingredients and no kneading required. The key to success lies in understanding the dough and its behavior, rather than following strict measurements.
In this video, John Kanell shares his tips for making the perfect sourdough loaf, emphasizing the importance of a well-fed starter and the unique stretch and fold technique that builds dough structure.
Ingredient notes
- Use warm, filtered water at about 90 degrees Fahrenheit; avoid tap water due to its chlorine content.
- The sourdough starter should be fed 6 hours prior to use, ensuring it's active and ready.
- For the bread flour, 500 grams is approximately 4 cups plus 2 tablespoons, but fluff the flour before measuring for accuracy.
- Fine sea salt is used at 16 grams, which is about 2 teaspoons.
Tips from Preppy Kitchen’s video
- Feed your sourdough starter 6 hours before starting to ensure it's hungry and active.
- Perform the stretch and fold technique every 20 minutes to develop the dough's structure; this should be done four times in total.
- Use the poke test to check if the dough is ready to shape; it should bounce back when poked.
Good to know
- How long should I let the dough rise after mixing?
- The dough should rise for 6 to 12 hours at room temperature, or you can refrigerate it for 24 hours for a slower rise.
- What should I do if my dough is too sticky when shaping?
- Wet your fingers with water to help manage the dough and prevent sticking.
- How can I tell if my sourdough starter is ready to use?
- Your starter should be fed 6 hours prior and just starting to fall, indicating it's hungry and active.
- What temperature should the water be for mixing?
- The water should be about 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
No life story here — the video and the recipe are the whole point. All credit to Preppy Kitchen: watch the original on YouTube.
The recipe
Ingredients
Steps
- 1
Feed your sourdough starter 6 hours before making the bread so it is hungry and ready to use.
- 2
Warm 310 grams of filtered water to about 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 3
In a large bowl, combine 120 grams of sourdough starter with the warmed water and mix well.
- 4
Add 500 grams of bread flour and 16 grams of fine sea salt to the mixture.
- 5
Stir together by hand with a spatula until you have a shaggy mixture, ensuring all flour is incorporated.
- 6
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let it rest at room temperature for about an hour.
- 7
After an hour, wet your fingers and perform a stretch and fold technique on the dough, rotating it 90 degrees each time. Repeat this process four times, every 20 minutes.
- 8
After the final stretch and fold, cover the dough and let it rise for 6 to 12 hours at room temperature, or refrigerate for 24 hours for a slower rise.
- 9
Once the dough has risen, perform the poke test to check if it is ready to shape. It should bounce back when poked.
- 10
Gently remove the dough from the bowl, maintaining the top side, and shape it into a ball.
- 11
Place the shaped dough into a floured bowl, cover it, and let it rise for 30 minutes at room temperature, or refrigerate for up to 36 hours for more flavor development.
- 12
Preheat your oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit with a large Dutch oven inside for one hour.
- 13
After preheating, carefully remove the Dutch oven, place the dough inside, cover it, and bake.
Heads up — we had to guess a little:
- The water temperature is inferred based on common practices for sourdough bread making.
Credit where it’s due: this recipe was transcribed from Preppy Kitchen’s original video on YouTube. Follow them there — it’s their dish.
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