Tangy Sourdough Bread

4.59 from 12 votes

This bread is what comes to mind when you think of sourdough. Like San Francisco sourdough. It is the quintessential example of sourdough bread. Crispy golden crust with a bit of chewiness. Moist and tender open crumb, and a delectable tanginess that comes only from aged fermentation.

Prep Time25

Cook Time55

Rising and Curing Time:1 2

Total Time1 3 20

Course: Breads

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Homemade Bread, Sourdough

Servings:

Calories: 134kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

1 cup sourdough starter "fed"
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
5 cups all-purpose flour divided
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt or artisan salt
1/4 cup water
4 tablespoons Brown Rice Flour

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prepare the Levain (Leaven Starter)

In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 cup sourdough starter (fed), 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water, and 3 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir vigorously with wooden spoon until combined, approximately 1 minute. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 1 hour. Refrigerate overnight.

Mix the Bread Dough

The next day, remove the levain from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature, about an hour.
In a large mixing bowl, with kneading hook attachment, combine the levain with the remaining 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons granulated sugar, and 2 teaspoons kosher salt. Begin mixing at a low speed, adding up to 1/4 cup water as needed to make a smooth dough. Continue kneading for 5-7 minutes.
Transfer dough to a large greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise until it has doubled. (This may take 2-3 hours).
(Remove the dough at each hour interval to stretch and fold the dough on a smooth surface, envelope-style to work the gluten in the dough. The dough will most likely be sticky, but refrain from using flour. Instead, use a stainless bench scraper to lift the dough from the work space.)

Form Dough into Loaves

Once the dough has doubled, divide the dough in half. Stretch and fold the dough, envelope-style, again using the bench scraper as needed. Form each into a ball. Cover and allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes.
Flatten each ball into an rectangle. Stretch and then fold the dough, envelope-style. Form a nice smooth ball, pinching on the bottom. Slide the bottom of the dough against your work surface to seal the seam.
At this point, you may either place the dough into a Dough Banneton Basket that has been sprinkled with 4 tablespoons Brown Rice Flour or place it on a greased sheet of parchment paper or bread sling. Cover and allow to rise for 1-3 hours until puffy. Halfway through the rising time, preheat oven to 475℉.

Score and Bake the Bread

Uncover the risen dough. If using the Banneton, turn dough out onto a bread sling or sheet of parchment paper. Using a knife or bread lame, slice or or two fairly deep horizontal slashes in each.
Holding opposite sides of the sling or parchment paper, lift the dough and place in a 4-6 quart Dutch Oven. Spritz with water (2-3 times) to help create steam in the oven.
Cover with lid and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.
After this initial baking period, uncover each Dutch oven and reduce the oven temperature to 450℉. Continue baking for an additional 12-14 minutes until golden brown. To prevent your loaves from burning on the bottom, place a baking sheet beneath the Dutch Ovens on a lower rack.
If time allows, you may cure your bread by turning off your oven and cracking open the oven door for 20 minutes. This will give your bread a crackly, crunchy crust.
Transfer bread from Dutch Ovens to wire racks to cool completely before slicing. Makes 2 loaves of bread.

Notes

*Store baked loaves in bread box, bread bags, or in gallon freezer bags. Please note that plastic bags will soften the dough. Store at room temperature for 5-7 days. You may also freeze loaves in gallon freezer bags for up to a month. To defrost, always allow frozen bread to come to room temperature before removing from the bag. Then reheat or toast as desired.

**Alternate Baking Method - Once your dough has gone through the stretch-and-folds mentioned above, you may divide the dough and shape each into a standard loaf form. Place the formed loaf seam-side down into a loaf pan that has been greased and floured (or sprayed with a flour baking spray).

Allow the dough to rise until nearly double, approximately 2-3 hours. Place a pan of hot water on bottom rack to help create steam, along with 2-3 ice cubes right before shutting the door. Bake in preheated 425°F oven for 20-25 minutes, until tops are lightly golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on top with your knuckle. (If using a pullman loaf pan, I will remove the lid after 20 minutes and continue baking the bread for another 5-7 minutes to brown the top.)

Remove loaves from oven and carefully turn out bread from pan to cool on wire racks.

Nutrition