A Spoon Full of Lovin' · January 2025
The Sourdough Journey
A most amazing bread
This was a most amazing bread — I surprise myself every time I bake. There's something almost magical about sourdough: the way a simple mixture of flour, water, and wild yeast transforms over hours into something so deeply flavorful and beautiful. This is my go-to country sourdough loaf, the one I come back to again and again. It takes patience, but every minute is worth it.
Ingredients
- 450g bread flour (about 3½ cups)
- 50g whole wheat flour (about ⅓ cup)
- 375g filtered water, divided (about 1½ cups)
- 100g active sourdough starter (levain)
- 10g kosher salt (about 2 tsp)
- Rice flour for dusting the banneton
Instructions
Autolyse
Mix bread flour, whole wheat flour, and 350g of the water in a large bowl until no dry flour remains. Cover and rest 30–60 minutes. This develops gluten without kneading.
Add Starter & Salt
Add the active levain and remaining 25g water. Squeeze and fold the dough until fully incorporated. Add salt and mix again. The dough will feel sticky — that's normal.
Bulk Fermentation
Over the next 4–5 hours at room temperature (75–78°F), perform 4 sets of stretch-and-folds, 30 minutes apart. After the folds, let the dough rest undisturbed until it has grown 50–75% and feels airy.
Pre-Shape
Turn the dough onto an unfloured surface. Using a bench scraper, gently shape into a round. Let rest uncovered 20–30 minutes.
Final Shape & Cold Proof
Shape into a tight boule or batard. Place seam-side up in a rice-flour-dusted banneton. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 12–16 hours (overnight).
Bake in Dutch Oven
Preheat oven to 500°F with a Dutch oven inside for 45–60 minutes. Score the cold dough with a lame or sharp knife. Bake covered 20 minutes, then uncover and bake 25–30 more minutes until deep mahogany brown.
Cool
Transfer to a wire rack and cool at least 1 hour before cutting. The crumb continues to set as it cools.
Robin's Tips & Variations
- Your starter should be active and bubbly — feed it 4–8 hours before mixing.
- The cold proof can go up to 18 hours for even more flavor development.
- Scoring is both functional (controls oven spring) and artistic — have fun with it.
- A Dutch oven traps steam in the first phase of baking, giving you that gorgeous ear and blistered crust.
- Every kitchen is different — adjust bulk fermentation time based on your room temperature.
Keep baking, keep learning!
If you make this, I'd love to hear how it turned out. Drop me a note on the blog page. Happy cooking — with a spoon full of lovin'!