Homemade Sourdough Artisan Loaf

This delicious homemade sourdough artisan loaf recipe is easy to follow, making a lovely loaf with a golden crispy crust and a light, airy crumb.

Sourdough Starter

Sourdough bread is made using a sourdough starter instead of a commercial yeast or chemical leavening agent.

To make this artisan loaf, you will need an active sourdough starter. This starter is a fermented mix made from flour and water that contains wild yeast and lactobacilli (bacteria). A healthy, active sourdough starter is used to make your bread rise. If you don’t have one, you can easily start one for yourself. 

Though, when starting a new sourdough starter, it will take a couple of weeks to mature to the point of being able to use it for bread. When starting to establish your sourdough starter, it is important to follow the process diligently. Once your starter is mature, you will have more flexibility as it will be more resilient to changes, like missing a feeding or the quantities being slightly out.

Also, with a sourdough starter, comes excess discard. There are many delicious ways to use this sourdough discard, while waiting for your sourdough starter to become strong enough for bread – and anytime after.

When is my Sourdough Starter Ready to Use?

When you want to use your sourdough starter in a recipe such as sourdough bread, then feed it about 4 – 8 hours before intending to use it, letting it stand at room temperature, allowing it to double in volume, with bubbles appearing, breaking the surface. This indicates that the starter is strong and active and ready for use. Remove what you need, feed and then store until next time.

More Sourdough Recipes

• Sourdough Sandwich Bread
• Sourdough Starter Discard Donuts
• Tasty Sourdough Discard Recipes
• Chocolate Brownies
• Sourdough discard pancakes
• Sourdough discard blueberry muffins

Making Sourdough Artisan Bread

There are a few steps involved when making sourdough artisan bread. Here is an overview of those steps.

• Creating a Shaggy Dough – After feeding the starter, combine the ingredients to make a shaggy dough.
• Bulk Fermentation – After creating a dough ball and completing a few sets of stretches and folds to give the dough strength and elasticity, then it is time for a bulk fermentation. This is just a time for the dough to rise.
• Shape and Rest – This is where the dough is shaped into a loaf and then let to rest.
• Proofing the Dough – Once shaped, the dough dough is proofed in the fridge. The dough can be left in the fridge for up to 48 hours if you wish.
• Scoring and Baking – After proofing, the dough needs to be scored and then baked.

Sourdough Issues and Tips 

When making sourdough, there are a few issues that can arise and cause a few issues. 

• Using a weak starter or not using the starter at its peak.
• Using too much water to flour ratio. In hot, humid conditions, you may find that you need to adjust the water or flour when making your loaf. Try using 50g less water and see how that goes. Or, you could try adding an extra 15g of flour.
• Over fermenting the dough.
• Using too much whole wheat flour, rye or freshly milled flour.
• Leaving the bulk fermentation going for too long is a common issue. To prevent over fermenting the dough, use the fridge. If you need to leave or sleep when doing the bulk fermentation, place the dough in the fridge and continue in the morning or when you can. Just remove the dough from the fridge and let it rise until the volume increases at least 50%.
• Using a straight sided vessel when doing a bulk fermentation is highly recommended as judging the rise in a bowl can be tricky.

Stretch and Folds

To complete a stretch and fold, grab the top portion of the dough with both hands and gently pull it up, stretching it without tearing it. Fold this over the opposite edge. Rotate the bowl 180˚ and repeat. Rotate the bowl 90˚ and repeat, and then rotate the bowl another 90˚ and repeat. Gently lift the whole dough and round it in the bowl. This entire process is known as one stretch and fold.

At the beginning, the dough will be quick slack and not stretch that much. As more stretches are done and time has passed, you will notice that it builds more strength and will stretch further. 

If you find that your dough is getting hard to stretch stop performing the stretches. The whole purpose of performing these stretches is to strengthen the dough, but if your dough is already strong enough, it doesn’t need it.

You may want to dip your hands lightly in water if you find that the dough is sticking to your hands. Just be careful not to add too much water to the dough.

Bulk Fermentation

This can be hard to judge and it completely depends on the temperature of your kitchen. At the end of the bulk fermentation, the dough should be well aerated. There will be many bubbles on the surface as well as near the edges of the bowl. The dough also should have rounded edges. If it is flat, it is most likely due to it not having enough strength built through the stretches and folds.

Shaping

Place the dough onto a clean countertop. The dough may be sticky. Using a bench dough scraper, gently shape the dough into a round, by pulling it gently towards you. As you do this, it will create some surface tension and strength. Continue to pick up the dough, place in further back on the bench and gently pull it forwards. 

Before placing the dough into a banneton, lightly sprinkle it with rice flour.

Dust the shaped dough with rice flour and flip it over, placing it in the banneton with the seam side up. Cover and allow to rest.

Proofing Poke Test

After proofing, to make sure that your dough is ready to bake, you can try using the poke test.

Wot do this, press your finger lightly into the dough. A properly proofed dough should spring back very slowly, still leaving a small indentation. 

If it springs back quickly and fully, it is under-proofed.

If the dough doesn’t compress at all or spring back, then it is over-proofed.

Sourdough Bread Schedule

Finding a schedule that works for you can be overwhelming. Just remember, the fridge is your best friend. If you need to, just place the dough in the fridge and pick up where you left off later that day or the next day.

3 Day Schedule

Day 1

• Before bed, make sure to feed your starter.

Day 2

• 8am mix the dough. In a large bowl add the sourdough starter, water and mix. Then add the flour and salt and mix with a dough whisk until all is combined.
• Cover with a tea towel for 1 hour.
• 9am do the first stretch and fold. Cover and set aside.
• 9:30am do the second stretch and fold. Cover and set aside.
• 10am do the third stretch and fold. Cover and do the bulk ferment. The bulk ferment can take from 4 to 8 hours, depending on the climate you live in. The dough should be increased in volume by at least 50%.
• 6pm shape the dough and place into a bowl and cover. Rest on the counter for another hour.
• 7pm place the dough in the fridge overnight.

Day 3

• Preheat a Dutch oven to 230˚C/450˚F.
• Score the top of the dough.
• Place the dough in a Dutch oven that has been lined with baking paper.
• Bake the sourdough for 30 minutes with the top on.
• Remove the lid and decrease the temperature to 210˚C / 410˚F and bake for a further 10 to 15 minutes.
• The internal temperature should be 94˚C/200˚F.

2 Day Schedule

Day 1

• 7am feed your starter.
• 12pm mix the dough. In a large bowl add the sourdough starter, water and mix. Then add the flour and salt and mix with a dough whisk until all is combined.
• Cover with a tea towel for 1 hour.
• 1pm do the first stretch and fold. Cover and set aside.
• 1:30pm do the second stretch and fold. Cover and set aside.
• 2pm do the third stretch and fold. Cover and do the bulk ferment. The bulk ferment can take from 4 to 8 hours, depending on the climate you live in. The dough should be increased in volume by at least 50%.
• 10pm shape the dough and place into a bowl and cover. Rest on the counter for another hour.
• 11pm place the dough in the fridge overnight.

Day 2

• Preheat a Dutch oven to 230˚C/450˚F.
• Score the top of the dough.
• Place the dough in a Dutch oven that has been lined with baking paper.
• Bake the sourdough for 30 minutes with the top on.
• Remove the lid and decrease the temperature to 210˚C / 410˚F and bake for a further 10 to 15 minutes.
• The internal temperature should be 94˚C/200˚F.

Storing Sourdough Artisan Loaf

This loaf will stay fresh for up to 3 days when stored in an airtight container at room temperature. If you live in a warmer climate, you may need to store it in the fridge.

This loaf can also be frozen.

Sourdough Artisan Loaf Ingredients

To make an Artisan loaf, you will need:

• 50g Starter (Active and Fed) 
• 350g Water
• 500g Flour
• 9g Salt

Making Sourdough Artisan Loaf

Making a sourdough loaf involves a few steps.

Shaggy Dough

First, feed your starter.

Proofing the Dough

Baking the Bread