Low-Fuss Sourdough Recipe

Since I’ve learned how to make sourdough bread at home, I’ve been able to teach others as well. And when people first ask me for starter, they’re often overwhelmed by two things. First, maintaining the starter, and second, the process of making a loaf. For tips on a low maintenance starter, you can check out my blog post here, but in this post, I’ll be sharing my recipe for a basic sourdough loaf.

I know that sourdough seems delicate and scientific, and with all the information available on the internet, it can be hard to know what’s really important for a successful loaf. But in reality, you can make sourdough work with whatever your life looks like, and it can be as simple or scientific as you want to make it. I choose to keep things simple with a low-fuss process. There are a few general ‘scientific’ things that you may need to change while following this recipe, so I’ll start there.

• Ensure that your starter is active: This is typically 8-12 hours after feeding, and your starter should be bubbly and should have doubled in volume. If you want to double check, you can do a ‘float test’ by dropping a bit of starter into a glass of water. If it floats, it’s ready to bake with. If not, give it a bit more time.
• Dough consistency: If you live in a very humid climate, you may need to add more flour to this recipe, and if your climate is dry, you may need less. This can also change a little depending on the day. If it’s rained recently, you might need a bit more. In any case, I always suggest adding a half-cup less than the recipe calls for, mixing for a bit, and checking the consistency before adding more flour.
• Bulk ferment time: This also can be different depending on your environment. Bulk ferments are generally 8-12 hours depending on the temperature of your home. A good way to check the fermentation is to press the risen dough lightly with your finger. If it bounces back quickly, it is under-fermented, if it doesn’t bounce back, it’s over-fermented, and a slow bounce-back is perfect. All of these can be baked and are safe to eat, but it may affect the texture of your loaf after baking.

It Isn’t Always Hard

The first time you make a loaf, it can be intimidating. It will feel like a lot of information at first, but as you bake more loaves, it becomes second nature. And even if you use this recipe for your regular loaves, you will get into a groove of your own and won’t even need to think twice.

How to make this easy sourdough loaf

Add your active starter, warm water and flour to the bowl of your stand mixer and mix with a dough hook for a minute or so until just combined.

Check your dough consistency. If you need more flour, add it along with the salt. Mix for about 5 minutes until dough is a smooth ball that separates itself from the sides of the bowl.

Remove the dough hook and cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel.

Return to the bowl 4 times, 30 minutes apart to work the dough. I typically do three sets of stretch and folds and one set of coil folds.

Recover your bowl and place in a warm place to bulk rise 8-12 hours.

Shape the dough by stretching flat, pulling the sides to the center to create a ball, and turning on a surface to create tension. Begin preheating your oven during this step.

Place the dough into a floured or lined basket and place in the refrigerator for the remaining preheat time.

Once the oven is ready, flip the dough onto parchment paper, score, and move to a Dutch oven.

Bake covered for 30 minutes, and uncovered for 20 minutes.

Remove the dough from the oven and place the lid back on top. Allow the dough to steam and cool to create a softer crust, easier for slicing.

If you enjoyed this recipe or have any questions, leave a comment or send me a message! I’d love to know how yours turned out! Be sure to snap a photo of your loaf and tag me on Instagram.