Easy Artisan Sourdough Bread Recipe: Bake Like a Pro at Home!
Experience the joy of baking an artisan-style sourdough bread right at home with this easy-to-follow recipe, perfect for both beginners and seasoned bakers. This bread is ideal for any meal with a crisp crust and an open, airy crumb.
Just a heads up that this recipe, although easy, needs some planning. It takes around 24 hours from start to finish, but most of that time doesn’t require hands-on work. After the recipe, there’s a timetable and more tips for making it successful. It’s a great sourdough recipe for beginners.
Easy Artisan Sourdough Bread
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Spatula
- Plastic Wrap
Ingredients
- 7 ounces bubbly, fed sourdough starter (¾ cup + 1 tablespoon)
- 15 ounces bread flour (3 cups)
- 9 ounces room temperature water (1 cup + 2 tablespoons)
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1½ teaspoons salt
Instructions
- Mix and autolyze. Combine all ingredients except the salt in a large mixing bowl. Then, stir with a spoon or spatula to create a sticky dough. Cover with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap and rest for 30-60 minutes. (Autolyze: This rest period allows the flour to hydrate and begin developing gluten fully.)
- Knead in the salt. After the resting period, measure and add the salt to the dough. Gently knead on the counter (or in the bowl) until the salt is mixed in. Put the dough in a clean, lightly greased bowl. Cover and let it rest at warm room temperature (80-90 degrees) for 1 hour.
- Stretch and fold. After letting the dough rest for an hour, gently stretch and fold it, either in the bowl or on the counter. Then, shape the dough into a round ball again, cover it, and let it rest for another hour. Repeat this process two more times, with an hour between each fold. Finally, cover the bowl and let the dough rest for a final hour at warm room temperature.
- Cool proof. Your dough should now have risen a bit, but it might not have doubled in size. It's time for the second proof, which means letting it rise in the fridge overnight. Sprinkle flour (especially rice flour) generously in a banneton or a bowl lined with a tea towel, and put the dough in it. Cover it tightly with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for 12-18 hours.
- Dutch oven technique for steam. The next part of the recipe that helps the wet dough's tendency to flatten out is steam. A Dutch oven is perfect for this as it traps the steam created by the bread as it bakes. If you don't have a Dutch oven, you can preheat a baking sheet in your oven and pour water on it to create steam.And finally, a secret ingredient called diastatic malt powder helps the dough spring up even more in the oven. It also helps brown the crust.
- Slash. Remember to preheat your oven to 425 degrees in the morning. You can either heat up a Dutch oven or use it cold. Sprinkle some parchment paper with cornmeal, then put your dough in the middle. Carefully remove the basket or bowl. You should have a round loaf with the bottom coated in cornmeal on the parchment. Sprinkle with flour again and make a few cuts with a sharp knife. Put the parchment sheet into a Dutch oven, whether it's hot or cold, and cover it with the lid.
- Bake. Bake with the lid on for 30 minutes, then remove the lid and bake for 20 minutes more.
- Cool. Take the bread out of the Dutch oven and remove the parchment. Let it cool for at least 3 hours before cutting.
Video
Notes
If you’re new to baking bread, it’s best to start with an easier recipe before moving on to sourdough. This recipe needs a mature starter at least a few months old.
Make sure it’s well-fed and bubbly before you begin. I usually feed mine the night before I want to make this bread and again first thing in the morning.
By the way, this takes a long time. It’s so long that there’s a schedule for it.
Day One
5 AM: Wake up and feed the starter.
9 AM: Autolyse (mix everything except salt in a bowl and let it sit for 30 minutes.)
9:30 AM: Knead in salt.
10:30 AM: First fold.
11:30 AM: Second fold.
12:30 PM: Third fold.
1 PM: Shape the loaf, place it in Banneton, and put it in the fridge.
Day Two
9 AM: Preheat oven and remove dough from the fridge.
10 AM: Place dough in Dutch oven and bake.
11 AM: Remove from oven and allow to cool.
5 PM: Serve with dinner.
More Tips:
Using a scale to measure ingredients provides accuracy, especially for the flour and water. This helps you achieve the correct dough consistency every time.
The temperature of your room can impact how your dough rises. If your home is cooler, it may take longer for the dough to proof. An oven with the light on (but no heat) can serve as a warm spot.
When preparing the banneton or bowl for the cold-proof, make sure to use enough flour to prevent sticking and make it easier to transfer the dough to the Dutch oven.
Using a sharp knife or lame, make a clean, quick cut on the dough to allow the bread to expand properly in the oven and give it that beautiful artisan look.
Key Ingredients and Tools
You’ll need a few important tools and ingredients to get the best results for successful sourdough bread.
- Sourdough starter. You’ll need a bubbly, fed sourdough starter to give the bread its tangy flavor and airy texture.
- Banneton. A proofing basket, or a banneton, helps the dough maintain its shape during the final rise. Use a bowl lined with a heavily floured tea towel if you don’t have one.
- Lame or sharp knife. You’ll also need a sharp knife or a lame to score the dough before baking, allowing the bread to expand properly and giving it an artisan appearance.
- Dutch oven. A Dutch oven is essential for creating the perfect baking environment with steam, producing a crisp crust. If you don’t have a Dutch oven, a heavy pot with a lid or a baking stone with an inverted metal bowl over the dough can be used instead.
These items will help you make a delicious and beautifully textured sourdough loaf.
I firmly believe that everyone has their own way of making sourdough bread. Although there is nothing like a good recipe that can be followed exactly, for some reason sourdough bread is different. It is probably something to do with the fact that everyone’s starter is a little bit different, and that technique is so important.
I’m sharing my method and recipe as a starting point for you, in the hopes that you will eventually tweak it and make it your own. I guess that’s why it is called “artisan” not “scienceisan.” It’s more about art than science.
With a bit of patience and following these easy steps, you can have fresh, homemade bread whenever you want. Just take it slow and follow each step carefully for the best results.
By Katie Shaw
Katie lives in Virginia with her husband, three daughters, a chocolate lab, and over thirty chickens. She loves creating simple tutorials for sourdough, bread, and soap. Her recipes, articles, and YouTube videos reach millions of people per year.