Simple Sourdough Bread

Adding sourdough bread to your menu allows you to reap its flavorful benefits and can lead to better digestion. Baking 2-3 times a week helps maintain a happy and active starter, allowing you to bake all of your families favorites!

Sourdough bread can quickly become overwhelming, when you first start out. This recipe was created to help simplify the process and bring about a delicious loaf, that will inspire you to continue learning and baking with your sourdough starter!

Ingredients:

3 cups flour

1 1/2 cups filtered water

1/2 cup active sourdough starter

1 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Activate/feed your starter around 8:30 a.m.
2. Around 12:30 p.m. mix your ingredients- flour, filtered water, sourdough starter, and salt. Place a damp tea towel on top, and let the dough sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
3. Over the next 4 hours, you’ll preform “stretch and folds.” This will help activate the gluten, and strengthen the dough, making it easier to work with. {Note: The dough will be very sticky. It might be helpful to wet your hands, before working with the dough.} Every hour, you’ll want to scoop one side of the dough, lifting and folding it back onto itself. Stretch and fold all four sides of the dough. Let it sit for 1 hour before the next set of stretch and folds. Cover with a damp tea towel.
4. It’s about 5:30 and you should be done with your stretch and folds. The next step is known as the bulk fermentation process. You will be placing your dough in the fridge to allow the yeast and bacteria to slowly continue to work though the dough, creating a light and airy loaf.
5. Generously flour your bread banneton. Place your dough into the floured banneton, cover with a plastic bag and place in the fridge overnight.

The next day!

1. Preheat oven to 500 with dutch oven.
2. Remove your dutch oven, from the oven. Place on your stovetop, and remove the lid.
3. Remove your dough from the fridge. Gently remove your dough from the banneton, by flipping it out onto a piece of parchment paper, carefully.
4. Score your loaf. Using a sharp knife or razor, make one long slice through the dough, straight down the middle.
5. Place your loaf in the dutch oven, with the parchment paper. Add the lid and bake at 500 for 20 minutes.
6. Remove the lid to your dutch oven and drop the temperature to 450 degrees, for approximately 20 minutes. {Note: You can add a cookie sheet underneath your dutch oven, to prevent the bottom of your crust, from burning.}
7. Remove the dutch oven, from the oven and turn oven off.. Add the loaf back to the oven on a rack and crack the oven door. This will allow the loaf to cure, giving you that crispy crackle within the crust.
8. As tempting as it is, do not slice into your loaf until it’s fully cooled.
9. ENJOY!