Beginner Sourdough Bread

I first started with Sourdough bread when we were homeschooling in 2021. I was hooked! My starter is 4 years old now but even a brand new started can bake the most delicious bread! I have tweaked and tweaked this recipe until I found it to make beautiful sourdough bread every time. I hope this blesses your family! Enjoy baking! Robyn xox

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Sourdough Bread Recipe For Beginners

Author: Robyn Jeffery

Here is my tried and tested Sourdough Bread recipe. I hope you guys enjoy making it for your family!

Ingredients

• 200g (1 2/3 cups) Sourdough Starter
• 640g (2 2/3 cups) Warm Water
• 960 (8 cups) Bread Flour
• 4 Tsp (22g) Salt
• 35g Warm Water

Instructions

1. Take 200g of your sourdough starter and mix with 640g of warm water to create a “milky” liquid.
2. Add your 960g of bread flour or all purpose flour.
3. Mix until you get a shaggy dough.
4. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes (autolyse).
5. Next, add your 22g of salt and 35g of water. Mix until a “slimy” dough forms.
6. Begin your stretch and folds. Fill a small bowl with water to keep your hands wet during the process. Grab one side of your dough and stretch it up, then fold it back down to the other side. Keep rotating around your dough, you will do 4 or 5 stretches until the dough gets firm and doesn’t want to be stretched anymore. Then cover and let sit for another 30 minutes. Repeat this process every 30 minutes for 2 hours - a total of 4 stretch and folds. This is important because you are creating the gluten structure within the bread, incorporating air and strengthening the dough.
7. Now you will let your dough sit and do a bulk ferment until it’s double in size. This time will vary depending on the temperature of your house. This could be anywhere from 2 hours to 6/7 hours if your house is colder.
8. Pre-shape your bread. Take the dough that has bulk fermented and place it on your counter. Cut in two (you'll be making two loaves of sourdough bread). Pre-shape each section of dough by doing an envelope fold and then push + pull method. If you need more help on this, I have reels on my instagram and YouTube is also a great place to find the technique for pre-shaping your sourdough bread. Let sit for 30 minutes once your pre-shaped balls are formed.
9. Shape again with the push + pull method (be gentle with the last shape) and set into proofing bowls in fridge for 3 - 12 hours for a cold proof. Cover for cold proof.
10. Preheat oven with cast irons to 500 Fahrenheit
11. Place your proofed dough from the fridge on parchment paper or bread slings. Deep score and then score with decorative designs if desired.
12. Turn oven to 450. Add dough to cast irons and bake 20 minutes lid on and 25 to minutes lid off.
13. Cool before cutting. Enjoy!

Did you make this recipe?

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