🛒 Ingredients
- 500g bread flour (or 400g bread flour + 100g whole wheat)
- 350ml cold water
- 100g active, bubbly sourdough starter
- 10g salt
👨🍳 Step-by-step instructions
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Mix flour with 325ml water and let rest for 1 hour (autolysis).
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Add the sourdough starter and knead for 5 minutes. Add the salt dissolved in the remaining water and knead until incorporated.
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Perform 4 series of folds every 30 minutes. Ferment at room temperature for 6-8 hours.
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Shape the loaf and place in a floured proofing basket. Ferment in the refrigerator for 12-16 hours.
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Preheat the Dutch oven in the oven at 250°C for 1 hour. Pour in the dough, make cuts, and bake covered for 20 minutes + 20 minutes uncovered.
💡 Chef's tip
Temperature is everything in sourdough. At 20°C it ferments slower than at 26°C. Adjust your timing to your kitchen, not the clock.
📝 Our take
Sourdough doesn't get made in a day because natural fermentation needs time to develop acidity, structure, and flavour. The 30-minute autolyse before adding the starter activates gluten without aggressive kneading. The result has an open crumb, a crust that shatters, and a gentle sourness that commercial bread simply can't replicate.
🍷 Wine & food pairing
Extra virgin olive oil with flaky salt for dipping, or room-temperature butter. Also excellent with cured Iberian ham, aged Manchego cheese, or a ripe summer tomato.
Suggested wine: Craft wheat beer or natural cider
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