Deliciously Easy Sourdough Loaf
It really doesn't get any better than fluffy, crunchy sourdough fresh from your oven.
This has been my most requested recipe ever and I’m so excited to share it with you. Sourdough is a labour of love, the more you practise the better it gets. At the same time its so easy and even my 11 year old niece has mastered this recipe!
Happy baking and send me your bread pics
Sourdough bread
Ingredients
- Approx 60g flour
- Approx 50g water
- 380g water
- 140g starter
- 630g bakers bread flour
- 3 teaspoons salt
- Optional - sesame seeds for top
Instructions
- You'll need to either start a sourdough starter from scratch (lots of recipes online and Cookidoo) or source one online via marketplace ect
- Add flour and water into a jar with sourdough starter and stir until a thick soft paste. Add more flour or water if needed to get consistency you are happy with
- Leave on bench for 3-5 hours until risen and bubbly (its ok if it rises and then dropps back down, as long as full of bubbles)
- Once you have used approx half, place remainder into fridge until you need and then repeat to process about before you use.
- Always use a freshly refreshed starter for each loaf
- See notes below for more info
- Add 140g refreshed sourdough starter and water into Thermomix (leave at least 2 large tablespoon of starter in jar to refresh)
- Mix Speed 3/3 sec
- Add flour and mix speed 4/30 seconds
- Let rest for 1 hour in Thermomix
- Add salt and a splash of water and put into knead mode for 1 min
- Tip out into a large bowl and bring together onto a round shape and cover with a tea towel and rest for 30 mins
- Then follow method below for forming loaf and baking
- Add 140g refreshed sourdough starter and water into a bowl or mixer (leave at least 2 large tablespoon of starter in jar to refresh)
- Mix together
- Add flour and combine until a dough has formed
- Let rest for 1 hour
- Add salt and splash of water and combine together with wet hands or mixer or spatula.
- Once combined, cover bowl with a tea towel and set aside for 30 mins then follow method below for forming loaf and baking
- Every 30 mins for approx 2-3 hours, with wet hands or a spatula fold dough by picking up and edge and lifting up over itself around bowl about 3 times and into itself (see my Website here for full video or quick reel on Instagram and Facebook)
- After 2-3 or so hours once dough has risen and looks fluffy
- Turn out onto bench that’s dusted in flour. Tuck each end into each other and then roll up and form a ball by tucking sides underneath. Pull dough back towards yourself using the tension on the bench. Repeat until you have a smooth top
- Get a large piece of baking paper and dust with flour and put dough on top.
- If using sesame seeds - Wet a hand and touch top of dough to make damp then sprinkle with seeds
- Put dough on paper back inside clean large bowl, cover with tea towel and put inside a plastic bag. Place in fridge overnight or for at least 10 hours.
- Put oven on highest temperature and put your Dutch oven, cast iron or bread tin inside preheat.
- Take a sharp blade or bread lame and score the bread by slashing down bread, off centre to one side. This helps bread expand in oven and form what’s called a sourdough ‘ear’
- Once oven is pre heated, take out cast iron/tin and place dough on paper straight into it. Cover with lid or foil and put back into oven
- Turn oven down to 200 and cook for 40 min
- Take lid off and cook for further 10 minutes. Take out of tin or Dutch oven and return to oven for last 10-15 minutes until perfectly golden
- Let rest on a rack for at least 30 mins before cutting
Notes
Starter - When you get a new starter you may need to refresh more then once to get it nice and bubbly. If you are not happy with starter after a few hours, simply tip out half of starter (and throw away) and start again. You may need to do a refresh more than once if you leave in fridge for over 2 week without using. Once you have a healthy starter and need to discard some you can use this in other recipes. (Search sourdough discard recipe online)
The brand of flour you use can change how wet or dry your uncooked dough can be. I use the bulk flour from Costco but also have used the defiance white bakers flour from Woolworths for this recipe
If dough feels super sticky when you try roll in last steps, next time to make you may need to reduce the water as might be too wet. Same if it is too dry, add more water.
It can be a bit of trial and error
Be careful with bread ‘mix’ boxes as can already have salt in the mixture you will have to reduce the salt you put in.
Don't reduce the salt as helps with the flavour.
Do I need to place in fridge overnight? Yes you need to keep dough in fridge for at least 10 hours so dough can develop and ferment.
You can leave uncooked dough in fridge for up to 48 hours
Focaccia tips - follow recipe above but instead of taking dough out of bowl and placing on paper, add some olive oil into bowl and move dough around so dough is not stuck to the bowl
Put in fridge overnight covered with a t4a towel in a plastic bag
The next morning - take bowl out of fridge and let rest for 1 hour
Add oil to bottom and sides of deep rectangle pan and tip dough into it. Let rest for 30 mins and then add oil to top of dough and press fingers into dough to stretch out and make indentations over top of dough.
Sprinkle with rosemary and flakes salt (or whatever toppings you want) and driizzle with extra oil if needed
Place into a oven preheated to 200 degrees
Bake for 25-30 mins or golden brown
(Turn pan around halfway through to get even cooking)
Let rest for 20 mins before tipping out of pan
Nutrition Facts
Calories
222Fat
1 gSat. Fat
0 gCarbs
44 gFiber
2 gNet carbs
43 gSugar
0 gProtein
7 gSodium
585 mgCholesterol
0 mgThe nutritional information on this blog is generated by an automated system and should be regarded as an estimate. Variations may occur due to product types, brands, and processing. Use this data as a guide and consult a professional for personalised dietary advice. This information is not intended as medical advice.
