Real sourdough uses nothing but flour, water, salt, and a live culture. It's endlessly forgiving once you understand the rhythm. The starter is alive — feed it and it feeds you. No commercial yeast, no additives, no nonsense.
What You Need
- 450g bread flour (or 400g bread + 50g whole wheat)
- 325g filtered water (room temperature)
- 100g active sourdough starter (bubbly and doubled)
- 9g fine sea salt
Method
- Feed your starter 4–8 hours before baking. It should be bubbly, domed, and doubled when ready.
- Mix flour and 300g water. Rest 30 minutes (autolyse — this develops gluten without kneading).
- Add starter and salt, dimpling it in. Mix by squeezing through your fingers until fully incorporated.
- Perform 4 sets of stretch-and-folds over 2 hours: grab one side, stretch up, fold to center. Rotate. Repeat all 4 sides. This is one set.
- Leave covered at room temperature until dough is light, airy, jiggly, and has grown 50–75%. (3–5 hours at 75°F)
- Gently turn onto unfloured surface. Shape into a taut round or oval by folding edges to center, then flipping and dragging toward you.
- Place seam-side up in a floured banneton or bowl lined with a floured linen. Cover.
- Cold proof overnight in the refrigerator (8–16 hours).
- Preheat oven to 500°F with a Dutch oven inside for 45 minutes.
- Tip cold dough onto parchment. Score with a sharp blade. Lower into Dutch oven. Bake covered 20 min, then uncovered 20–25 min until deep brown.
- Cool completely on a wire rack — at least 1 hour. The crumb sets as it cools.
Tips & Notes
- The starter is ready when a teaspoon floats in water.
- A cold proof (overnight fridge) develops deeper flavor and makes scoring easier.
- If the dough is very sticky, your hands are the problem — use wet hands, not flour.
#sourdough#bread#fermented#flour#baking
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