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Naturally Leavened Sourdough Bread Recipe

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This recipe guides you through making naturally leavened sourdough bread using ripe sourdough starter, a blend of all-purpose and whole wheat flours, water, and salt. The process includes autolyse, folding, shaping, proofing, and baking with steam to create a crusty, golden artisan loaf perfect for any bread lover.

Ingredients

Scale

Starter and Dough

  • 2 cups (454g) ripe sourdough starter
  • 5 cups (600g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
  • 3/4 cup (85g) King Arthur Whole Wheat Flour
  • 1 3/4 cups (397g) water, at room temperature
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons (15g) table salt

Instructions

  1. Mix ingredients: Stir down the sourdough starter if measuring by volume. Combine the starter, all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, and water in a large bowl. Mix well until all the flour is moistened and a cohesive, soft, tacky dough forms. Adjust water or flour if needed.
  2. Autolyse rest: Cover the dough and let it rest for 20 minutes. This allows the flour to fully absorb water and begins gluten development, making kneading easier.
  3. Add salt and knead: After resting, add the salt to the dough and knead until smooth, supple, soft, and tacky. Then return it to the bowl, cover, and let it rise for 1 hour.
  4. First fold: Turn the dough onto a floured surface. Using a bowl scraper, fold it like a business letter, then rotate the dough 90 degrees and fold again. Return to the bowl, cover, and let rise for another hour.
  5. Divide and rest: Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, divide into two, and gently shape into rounds. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes.
  6. Final shaping and proof: Shape the loaves into tight rounds or bâtards and place seam side up into lined, flour-dusted brotforms or bowls with floured cloths, or on a cloth couche. Cover and proof until light and airy, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
  7. Preheat oven: About 60 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 450°F with a baking stone inside if available. Place an empty cast iron skillet on the oven rack below the stone to preheat for steam generation.
  8. Prepare for baking: When proofed, gently turn the loaves onto parchment, slash the tops with a sharp knife or lame, and slide them onto the preheated stone or a parchment-lined baking sheet if no stone is used.
  9. Add steam: Carefully pour 1 cup of boiling water into the hot cast iron skillet in the oven, using oven mitts to avoid steam burns.
  10. Bake: Bake the loaves until they are crusty and golden brown, approximately 35 to 40 minutes.
  11. Cool and store: Remove the bread from the oven, place on a cooling rack before slicing. Store leftovers in a paper bag or loosely covered with plastic at room temperature for up to a day or freeze for longer storage.

Notes

  • Using a baking stone provides a better crust but is optional.
  • Generating steam in the oven helps develop the crust during baking.
  • Flour dusting in brotforms or bowls helps prevent sticking.
  • Shaping the dough tightly is important for good oven spring.
  • Adjust hydration slightly if needed depending on flour absorption.

Keywords: sourdough bread, naturally leavened bread, artisan bread, homemade bread, sourdough starter, baking, fermented bread

Find it online: https://flavorsbymaya.com/naturally-leavened-sourdough-bread-recipe/