Artisan Sourdough Bread

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The Method for Artisan Sourdough Bread

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1. Mix both flours with 340 ml of the water until no dry patches remain. Cover and rest for 1 hour — this autolyse hydrates the flour and begins gluten development with no work from you.

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2. Add the starter and squeeze it through the dough until fully incorporated. Rest 30 minutes.

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3. Add the salt and the remaining 20 ml of water and squeeze through again. The dough will loosen, then come back together.

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4. Over the next 3 hours, perform four sets of coil folds 45 minutes apart: wet your hands, lift the dough from the middle, let it stretch, and fold it under itself, rotating a quarter turn each time.

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5. Continue bulk fermentation at 24 to 26°C / 75 to 79°F until the dough has risen by about 60%, feels airy and jiggly, and shows bubbles on the surface — typically 5 to 7 hours in total.

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6. Turn out gently onto a lightly floured surface and pre-shape into a loose round. Rest, uncovered, for 25 minutes.

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7. Shape into a tight boule or bâtard, building surface tension by dragging the dough toward you across the counter. Place seam-side up in a banneton dusted heavily with rice flour.

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8. Cover and refrigerate for 12 to 16 hours. The cold retard develops flavour and firms the dough for scoring.

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9. Heat a Dutch oven inside the oven at 250°C / 480°F for 45 minutes. Turn the loaf out onto baking paper, score decisively with a blade at a 30-degree angle, and lower it in.

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10. Bake covered for 20 minutes, then uncovered at 220°C / 430°F for 22 to 25 minutes until deep brown. Cool on a rack for at least 2 hours before cutting.

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Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.

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A Few Pointers

• Judge bulk fermentation by rise and feel, not the clock. Kitchen temperature changes everything.
• Score once, deeply and confidently. Tentative scoring produces a loaf that bursts at the side.
• Cutting into a hot loaf gives you a gummy crumb — the starch is still setting as it cools.

What to Serve With It

Good butter and flaky salt · Serve with soup, cheese or olive oil · Use day-old slices for the best toast of your life

Storage

Cut-side down on a board for 3 days, or freeze sliced for 3 months. Never refrigerate bread — it stales several times faster.

Artisan Sourdough Bread Nutrition

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.