Simple Sourdough Bread for Beginners
When learning how to make sourdough bread, it is best to start with a super simple loaf that doesn’t require fancy equipment or techniques. There is always time to advance your skills the more experienced you get. This loaf is the perfect sourdough bread for beginners! It will get you comfortable in working with dough, the fermentation process, the overall timing of your loaf, and the baking process that will work best for your oven.
Why Sourdough Bread?
Have you ever wondered what the big deal was about sourdough?
Sourdough bread is actually an ancient process of making bread that dates back to Egypt 1500 BC that requires a slow fermentation process. Sourdough bread uses a live fermented culture, called a starter culture, in place of commercial yeast to produce a rise.
This slow fermentation process actually works to break down the gluten in the flour making the nutrients more bioavailable as well as making it easier to digest. This is one of the main reasons why I recommend sourdough bread over other types of bread out there.
Choosing Quality Ingredients
Because this recipe is for beginners, I wanted to start you off with very basic ingredients. Down the road, you can begin to explore more ancient flour options like a sprouted grain flour or Einkorn flour as an even healthier alternative. But for now, let’s start with the basics! You can still choose high-quality ingredients so that you can make the most out of your loaf.
Flour: Look for a 100% organic all-purpose flour that is unbleached and unbromated. If you can find a flour that was milled locally, that is even better! It is important to note, however, that locally milled flour is very hard to come by so just do your best.
Honey: Local, raw, unfiltered honey is going to be your best bet. This option will contain the most nutrients and provide you extra benefits when it is local to your area. Always read the label and make sure that the honey was actually produced locally. I have come across some honey labeled as “local” to Missouri when in fact it was produced three states away.
Salt: If you haven’t read my post on how to choose the best type of salt for your health, I would highly recommend checking it out here. I would recommend a white sea salt. Finely ground or flakes will work better for producing an evenly salty product. However, I have used coarse sea salt when in a pinch and it turns out OK (some bites may just be a bit saltier than others).
Water: It is really important to use filtered water when working with your sourdough bread or starter culture. Unfiltered water can contain numerous impurities that can influence the quality and consistency of your bread and starter.
What Will You Need
Flour
Water
Active Starter Culture
Honey
Salt
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Bowl
Baking Schedule For the Loaf
Because sourdough is a slow ferment process, it cannot be a last minute item to throw on the menu. You do need to plan a little bit ahead of time so you can have a freshly fed starter as well as freshly baked bread right when you need it. To have freshly baked bread with dinner, here is what you would do:
Step 1: Feed Your Starter the Night Before
Fed your starter the night before, allowing it to get bubbly overnight. You want to have a starter that is live and active first thing in the morning for your bread!
Step 2: Begin Making Your Dough in the Morning
You don’t need to get up super early or anything however, getting your loaf started between 8-10 AM is a great range to aim for (you can start earlier if that is best for your schedule). This will allow your bread to rise throughout the morning and early afternoon. It also gives you a little cushion time should the rise time take longer than expected.
Step 3: Bake Sourdough Bread in the Afternoon
Bake your bread in the afternoon or early evening, just in time for dinner!
The Process
Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk together warm water, starter, and honey until well combined.
Pour the starter mixture into the flour mixture and mix until it just comes together. You may need to work the dough slightly with your hands to fully mix in all the flour into a shaggy dough. Let rest for 15 minutes.
Lightly flour a flat surface and begin to knead the bread for 7-10 minutes OR until the dough becomes smooth and doesn’t stick to your hands or the surface. Add flour as needed if your dough feels too sticky (anywhere from a few tablespoons up to 1/2 cup).
Butter or oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl.
Cover your bowl with a damp towel and set it in a warm corner of your kitchen. If your kitchen is cold like mine, I place my bread in a homemade proofing box (see the “troubleshooting” section for details). This will help your dough rise. If I feel like the weather is extra dry, I will place a cup of water in the box with the dough to help keep the environment humid. Under the troubleshooting section, I cover how to set up a proofing box in your oven.
Let rest for 2-3 hours. It should look like this – it is bigger but not quite doubled.
After 2-3 hours
After 2-3 hours, you will perform your first Stretch and Fold. Take the edge of the dough and stretch and fold it to the center. Repeat this process on all sides of your dough (check out this video for how to perform a Stretch & Fold).
Place the seam side down in the bowl. Cover and let rise for another 2-3 hours. You can repeat this stretch and fold process once more within that 2-3 hour time frame if you wish. I like to perform it once more within the 2-3 hour window if I have time. However, if I forget or don’t have time, I don’t stress about it.
After 2nd rise of 2 - 3 hours
Once the dough has at least doubled in size, begin preheating the oven to 450F. Place a dutch oven in the oven while it is preheating. Meanwhile, lightly flour a surface. Turn the dough out onto the surface. Gently tuck the sides of the dough under to create a round, smooth loaf. Lightly coat the top of the bread with flour.
Place dough on a square piece of unbleached parchment paper. Take a serrated knife and cut the top once or twice.
Once the oven is hot, place the parchment paper and bread into the dutch oven. Bake covered for 12-15 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for the remaining 12-15 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Let rest for 30-60 minutes before cutting for best results.
Troubleshooting
Bread not Rising
If your bread is not doubling in size, it is possible that your kitchen is too cold or that your starter wasn’t active enough. Not to worry! You can encourage your bread to rise a bit quicker by creating a warm environment for it. We want to do this by either using or creating a Proofing Box. While you can purchase one, it is pretty easy to create at home and I am all for minimal appliances in my kitchen and using what I already own.
Option #1: Your Oven. Place your bowl with bread in the oven, covered with a damp towel, on the top rack of your oven. Boil water and carefully place the pan of water on the bottom rack of your oven. Close the door of the oven and only open it when absolutely necessary. You are basically creating a warm and humid environment.
Option #2: Storage Container and Your Home’s Heat. This is actually the process that I use in the winter. Find a large container with a lid that is big enough to fit your bowl. Place your bowl with bread (covered with a damp towel still) in the container and loosely cover but do not seal it with the lid. Place near a floor vent in your home. Since I normally have to do this in the winter, our heat is on and will normally heat up the container just enough to encourage a healthy rise in the bread. For reference, in the winter we keep our thermostat at 68 F.
Bread Sticking or Burning on the Bottom
Oh boy did I have a hard time with learning this. My first SEVERAL loaves of bread were beautiful on the top but completely chard on the bottom. We literally would have to cut the bottom of the loaf off, it was that bad. If your bread is burning or sticking to the bottom of your pan, there could be a few things going on:
Your pan or oven is getting too hot. Try reducing the heat of your oven slightly. If you can reduce your oven from 450F to 440 F, that would be great. I wouldn’t reduce your oven below 425 F. You need a hot oven to produce a good crust typical of a sourdough loaf.
Add a dusting of flour between your bread and the parchment paper. First off, always use parchment paper between your pan and your bread. This made a drastic difference for me when I baked bread without the parchment paper (I basically needed a crowbar to get the bread unstuck from the pan…). Secondly, add a nice dusting of flour on your parchment paper before placing your loaf down. This can help the bread from sticking.
The Recipe
Ingredients
3 1/2 cups organic all-purpose flour (or 400 – 500 g)
1 1/4 cups warm, filtered water
3/4 cup starter culture, active and bubbly
1 tbsp local, raw honey
1 tsp white sea salt
Directions
Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk together warm water, starter, and honey until well combined.
Pour the starter mixture into the flour mixture and mix until it just comes together. You may need to work the dough slightly with your hands to fully mix in all the flour into a shaggy dough. Let rest for 15 minutes.
Lightly flour a flat surface and begin to knead the bread for 7-10 minutes OR until the dough becomes smooth and doesn’t stick to your hands or the surface. Add flour as needed if your dough feels too sticky (anywhere from a few tablespoons up to 1/2 cup).
Butter or oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and cover with a damp towel. Let rest for 2-3 hours. Place in a warm area of your kitchen.
Check on the dough to ensure it is rising. Take the edge of the dough and stretch and fold it to the center. Repeat this process on all sides of your dough (check out this video for how to perform a Stretch & Fold). Place the seam side down in the bowl. Cover and let rise for another 2-3 hours. You can repeat this stretch and fold process once more within that 2-3 hour time frame if you wish.
Once the dough has at least doubled in size, begin preheating the oven to 450F. Place a dutch oven in the oven while it is preheating. Meanwhile, lightly flour a surface. Turn the dough out onto the surface. Gently tuck the sides of the dough under to create a round, smooth loaf. Lightly coat the top of the bread with flour.
Place dough on a square piece of unbleached parchment paper. Take a serrated knife and cut the top once or twice.
Once the oven is hot, place the parchment paper and bread into the dutch oven. Bake covered for 12-15 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for the remaining 12-15 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Let rest for 30-60 minutes before cutting for best results.