sourdough bread

Now that you have a healthy starter, it's time to make some bread. This... will test your patience.

ingredients & tools

unbleached bread flour
filtered water
2 large glass bowls
kitchen scale (grams)

day 1 - levain

The night before you plan to bake bread...

add 75 grams of filtered water, 75 grams of bread flour, and 1 heaping tablespoon of sourdough starter
Stir vigorously, scraping down the sides until combined. It will resemble a sticky thick batter
cover with plastic wrap and a dish towel and store in a warm place (70-75ºF)
let sit for 12 hours.

day 2

step 1 - shaggy

add 475 grams of filtered water to your levain
use your hands to mix, breaking up the clumps of levain. Mix until well combined - it should be very watery.
add 700 grams of bread flour and mix with a wooden spoon. The dough should be fairly dry and "shaggy" at this stage. Make sure all of the flour is scraped off the sides of the bowl and the mixture is placed in the center of the bowl.
cover with plastic wrap and a dish towel and store in a warm place (70-75ºF)
mix 50 grams of water with 1 tablespoon of sea salt, let it sit during the next hour (it's okay if it's not entirely dissolved.
let sit for 1 hour (sometimes I forget about it and let it sit for up to 3-4 hours).

step 2 - add salt

add your salt and water mixture
use your hands to mix, pinching and flipping the dough to incorporate the water - the dough will feel loose and watery.
cover with plastic wrap and a dish towel and store in a warm place for 30 minutes

step 3 - stretch and fold

pinch the top edge of your dough, stretch it up, and fold it in half
repeat to all four sides of the dough
cover, store in a warm place, and let it sit for 30 minutes
repeat stretch and fold 3 more times, waiting 30 minutes inbetween

step 4 - cut & shape

cover a clean surface with flour
place your dough on the flour
using a dough scraper, and divide the two in 2
shape your loaf - with the scraper in one hand and using your other hand to twist the loaf, shove the scraper under the edge of the dough to "tighten" the loaf while you spin it around creating a taught round.
repeat to the second half.
cover your loafs with a dish cloth and let them sit for 30 minutes - 1hour

step 5 - proof

dust your loaves with flour and turn them over
use proofing baskets or a cloth in a bowl coated in flour
pinch each side of your loaves and stick them into the center
place your loaves flour side down into your proofing baskets
let your loaves sit for 1-2 hours
bake or put in the fridge overnight
- I recommend refrigerating it!

day 3

step 1 - oven

place your empty Dutch oven (if you have two, put both in) in the oven
preheat your oven to 500º (this might take a while)

step 2 - score your loaves

once the oven is heated, take your loaves out of the fridge
while still in the proofing baskets/bowls, dust the top with flour
gently take your loaves out of their bowls and flip them over onto a floured surface so that the rounded side is on top.
dust the top of your loaves with more flour, taking your hand and smoothing the flour in an even layer.
take a scoring lame or a sharp knife and score your bread (I typically do two perpendicular lines or I follow the shape of the loaf in a crescent shape – you can get fancy with it)

step 4 - bake

place your laves into the preheated Dutch ovens by carefully dropping them into the pans.

bake at 500º for 20 minutes – WITH LIDS ON
reduce the heat to 450º and bake for another 8-10 minutes – WITH LIDS ON
TAKE LIDS OFF and bake for another 7-15 minutes to brown the top (crisp them to your liking)

step 5 - cool

take your bread out of the oven
immediately take your loaves out of the Dutch ovens using oven mitts, and place them onto a cooling rack (so air can get to the bottom)
at this stage, you might think you've messed up because your loaves are rock solid – but as the loaves cool they will become softer
let them cool completely before cutting (cutting into them too soon can make the dough gummy)

keeping your bread fresh

store your bread in tinfoil or a bread bag
what if my bread gets stale?
- fresh bread has no preservatives in it, therefore it is going to get stale within 2-4 days after baking depending on your environment.
  - preheat your oven to 450º
  - take your loaf (whole or half eaten) and run it under the faucet, yes under the water, for about 3 seconds, getting the entire outer layer
  - place your loaf directly onto your oven rack and bake for about 8-10 minutes
  - let it cool, and boom, brand new
can I freeze it?
- I would suggest eating it fresh, but yes it can be frozen
  - I recommend cutting the loaves into slices first, so you can just take a piece out at a time.
  - microwaving the frozen piece for a few seconds and then putting in the toaster will steam and crisp it right up.

sourdough bread

Now that you have a healthy starter, it's time to make some bread. This... will test your patience.

ingredients & tools

unbleached bread flour

filtered water

2 large glass bowls

kitchen scale (grams)

day 1 - levain

The night before you plan to bake bread...

add 75 grams of filtered water, 75 grams of bread flour, and 1 heaping tablespoon of sourdough starter

Stir vigorously, scraping down the sides until combined. It will resemble a sticky thick batter

cover with plastic wrap and a dish towel and store in a warm place (70-75ºF)

let sit for 12 hours.

day 2

step 1 - shaggy

add 475 grams of filtered water to your levain

use your hands to mix, breaking up the clumps of levain. Mix until well combined - it should be very watery.

add 700 grams of bread flour and mix with a wooden spoon. The dough should be fairly dry and "shaggy" at this stage. Make sure all of the flour is scraped off the sides of the bowl and the mixture is placed in the center of the bowl.

cover with plastic wrap and a dish towel and store in a warm place (70-75ºF)

mix 50 grams of water with 1 tablespoon of sea salt, let it sit during the next hour (it's okay if it's not entirely dissolved.

let sit for 1 hour (sometimes I forget about it and let it sit for up to 3-4 hours).

step 2 - add salt

add your salt and water mixture

use your hands to mix, pinching and flipping the dough to incorporate the water - the dough will feel loose and watery.

cover with plastic wrap and a dish towel and store in a warm place for 30 minutes

step 3 - stretch and fold

pinch the top edge of your dough, stretch it up, and fold it in half

repeat to all four sides of the dough

cover, store in a warm place, and let it sit for 30 minutes

repeat stretch and fold 3 more times, waiting 30 minutes inbetween

step 4 - cut & shape

cover a clean surface with flour

place your dough on the flour

using a dough scraper, and divide the two in 2

shape your loaf - with the scraper in one hand and using your other hand to twist the loaf, shove the scraper under the edge of the dough to "tighten" the loaf while you spin it around creating a taught round.

repeat to the second half.

cover your loafs with a dish cloth and let them sit for 30 minutes - 1hour

step 5 - proof

dust your loaves with flour and turn them over

use proofing baskets or a cloth in a bowl coated in flour

pinch each side of your loaves and stick them into the center

place your loaves flour side down into your proofing baskets

let your loaves sit for 1-2 hours

bake or put in the fridge overnight

I recommend refrigerating it!​

day 3

step 1 - oven

place your empty Dutch oven (if you have two, put both in) in the oven

preheat your oven to 500º (this might take a while)

step 2 - score your loaves

once the oven is heated, take your loaves out of the fridge

while still in the proofing baskets/bowls, dust the top with flour

gently take your loaves out of their bowls and flip them over onto a floured surface so that the rounded side is on top.

dust the top of your loaves with more flour, taking your hand and smoothing the flour in an even layer.

take a scoring lame or a sharp knife and score your bread (I typically do two perpendicular lines or I follow the shape of the loaf in a crescent shape – you can get fancy with it)

step 4 - bake

place your laves into the preheated Dutch ovens by carefully dropping them into the pans.

bake at 500º for 20 minutes – WITH LIDS ON

reduce the heat to 450º and bake for another 8-10 minutes – WITH LIDS ON

TAKE LIDS OFF and bake for another 7-15 minutes to brown the top (crisp them to your liking)

step 5 - cool

take your bread out of the oven

immediately take your loaves out of the Dutch ovens using oven mitts, and place them onto a cooling rack (so air can get to the bottom)

at this stage, you might think you've messed up because your loaves are rock solid – but as the loaves cool they will become softer

let them cool completely before cutting (cutting into them too soon can make the dough gummy)

keeping your bread fresh

store your bread in tinfoil or a bread bag

what if my bread gets stale?

fresh bread has no preservatives in it, therefore it is going to get stale within 2-4 days after baking depending on your environment.

preheat your oven to 450º ​

take your loaf (whole or half eaten) and run it under the faucet, yes under the water, for about 3 seconds, getting the entire outer layer​​

place your loaf directly onto your oven rack and bake for about 8-10 minutes

let it cool, and boom, brand new

can I freeze it?

I would suggest eating it fresh, but yes it can be frozen​

​I recommend cutting the loaves into slices first, so you can just take a piece out at a time.​

​microwaving the frozen piece for a few seconds and then putting in the toaster will steam and crisp it right up.​

I recommend refrigerating it!

preheat your oven to 450º

take your loaf (whole or half eaten) and run it under the faucet, yes under the water, for about 3 seconds, getting the entire outer layer

I would suggest eating it fresh, but yes it can be frozen

I recommend cutting the loaves into slices first, so you can just take a piece out at a time.

microwaving the frozen piece for a few seconds and then putting in the toaster will steam and crisp it right up.