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Sourdough Artisan Loaf

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Course: Breads
Keyword: Bread, Loaf, Sourdough, Sourdough Artisan Bread, Sourdough Bread
Prep Time: 2 days
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Cooling Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 2 days 3 hours 40 minutes
Calories: 1796kcal
Author: S Jones

Equipment

  • Bread Lame
  • Banneton
  • Dutch Oven
  • Kitchen Scales

Ingredients

  • 50 g Sourdough Starter Fed and Active
  • 350 g Water
  • 500 g Flour Bread or Plain
  • 9 g Salt

Instructions

Shaggy Dough

  • First, feed your starter.
    How to Make a Sourdough Starter active and fed
  • Let sit for 4 to 6 hours until it hits it peak rise and is at its more active stage. 
  • In a large bowl add 50g sourdough starter, 350g water, 500g flour and 9g salt. 
  • Mix with a dough whisk until all is combined.
    Homemade Sourdough Artisan Loaf shaggy dough
  • Cover with a tea towel for 1 hour.

Stretch and Folds

  • Stretch and fold. Cover for 30 minutes.
    Homemade Sourdough Artisan Loaf more stretch and folds
  • Stretch and fold. Cover for 30 minutes.
  • Stretch and fold. Cover for 30 minutes.
    Homemade Sourdough Artisan Loaf 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

  • Bulk Ferment for 4 to 8 hours depending on the climate you live in. The dough should be increased in volume by at least 50%.
  • 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.

Shape and Rest

  • Shape the dough and place into a bowl and cover.
    Homemade Sourdough Artisan Loaf shape the dough
  • Rest on the counter for another hour.
  • 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 the Dough

  • Place in the fridge for 10-12 hours or overnight.
    Homemade Sourdough Artisan Loaf proofing the dough
  • 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.

Baking the Bread

  • Preheat a Dutch oven to 230˚C/450˚F.
  • Score the top of the dough. 
    Homemade Sourdough Artisan Loaf scoring the dough
  • Place the dough in a Dutch oven that has been lined with baking paper. 
    Homemade Sourdough Artisan Loaf ready to bake the dough
  • Bake the sourdough for 30 minutes with the lid 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.
  • Allow the bread to cool for at least 3 hours before slicing.
    Homemade Sourdough Artisan Loaf looking down on loaf
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Nutrition

Calories: 1796kcal | Carbohydrates: 420g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 2g | Sodium: 3531mg | Potassium: 101mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 763mg | Iron: 28mg

Nutritional information is an estimate and provided as a courtesy. The values may vary according to the ingredients and tools that are used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed information.

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