Every human alive has the capacity to bake a loaf of bread. It’s written into the fabric of our ancestral story. This easy sourdough Boule is where we continue that story. It comes together with flour, water, salt, naturally leavened yeast, no mixer, and baked in a Dutch oven. Leaving you with a crust that is chewy and firm, and a crumb that is soft and pillowy with just the right amount of tang.
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Below is the printable recipe. If you are interested in the deep-dive version, scroll down. I also answer commonly asked questions and other note worthy ideas.
Easy Sourdough Boule
Ingredients
- 950 grams of unbleached all-purpose flour
- 650 grams of Filtered Water – We use a Berkey Water Filter
- 200 grams of mature sourdough starter Active and bubbly
- 20 g of a good Quality Salt- I use this Pink Himalayan Sea Salt or this Celtic Sea Salt
Instructions
- Make sure your starter has been fed within the last 12 hours- It needs to be active and bubbly. I like to feed my starter before bed, and mix up my ingredients in the morning.
- In the morning, weigh out room temperature filtered water into the bowl that you will be working with for the remainder of this process. Then add you're active starter. The starter will float in the water if it's active. I use a whisk to mix it all together.
- Weigh out the flour and salt and add into the starter/water mixture. At this point I use my hands. I mix it all together until it's fully incorporated. This is not kneading, this is simply mixing it together. It should be kind of a doughy blobby mess at this point. Have no fear. Place a tea towel over your bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes on the counter. This 30 minutes is considered an autolyse. A technical word that means letting the flour soak up the water.
- After your flour has soaked up the water it will be a little easier to work with. Now you will perform a series of stretch and folds. After you perform the first series, cover with a tea towel and let it rest again for another 30 minutes. Then perform a second series of stretch and folds, and cover with a tea towel. Then, after 15 minutes you can do a third set. Every 15 minutes after that until 6 sets of stretch and folds have been performed.
- Stretch and Fold Schedule for a Sourdough Boule:
- After a 30 minute Autolyse Stage- Stretch and Fold
- 30 min. – Stretch and Fold
- 15 min. – Stretch and Fold
- 15 min. – Stretch and Fold
- 15 min. – Stretch and Fold
- 15 min. – Stretch and Fold
- Next, place a damp tea towel or beeswax wrap or plastic wrap over your bowl and let sit on the counter. I use a damp tea towel. Let is rise and ferment on the counter until the evening.
- After your dough has been proofing most or all day, with wet hands turn your dough onto a clean counter top. With a bench scraper cut your dough down the middle so you now have two mounds of dough. Now one at time, pull the sides of the dough into itself and flip over. Then take your hands around the sides and pull towards you and turning at the same time to create a nice round loaf. Do this same technique with the other dough mound. Cover with the tea towel and let sit for 15-20 minutes.
- If you are using bowls, place tea towels inside the bowls. Then uncover your loaves and one at a time slide your bench scraper underneath the loaf and flip into the bowl/banneton basket. Repeat with other loaf. Your loaves should be upside down in the banneton/bowl. Place your banneton or bowls inside the plastic bags and tie the bags, releasing any air.
- Now, you will transfer the plastic bagged wrapped bowls into the fridge overnight.
- In the morning, place the Dutch oven with the lid on, in the oven on the middle rack, and preheat your oven to 500 ℉. While your oven is preheating, take one loaf at a time out of the fridge (unless you have two Dutch ovens, you can only bake one loaf at a time). Turn your dough out of the banneton/bowl onto a piece of parchment paper. When your oven is preheated, take your Dutch oven out of the oven, and take the lid off. Grab both sides of the parchment paper creating a sling around the bread and gently place the bread in the Dutch oven. Place the lid back on, and put the Dutch oven back in the oven. Set a timer for 20 mins.
- After 20 minutes, take the lid off and keep baking until golden brown. This varies depending on your oven, but anywhere from 10-20 minutes. I begin checking the bread at 10 minutes.
- My family can never wait to start slicing into a fresh loaf. But at the very least wait for it to cool enough that you don't burn yourself and ENJOY!
In our great-great grandmothers day, it was not called sourdough. It was just bread. Sourdough is bread, bread is sourdough. It’s simple. Naturally, we’ve over-complicated it, to the point of intimidation and confusion. The bread that you buy in the grocery story is made with factory replicated yeasts that cannot compete with the fierce nature of wild yeasts (sourdough).
There are many things to conveniently purchase in this world. If I could convince you of one thing, it would be that, getting in the habit of baking your own bread will be a magical experience for you and your family.
Why should I bake with sourdough?
The aroma and flavors of this bread are directly reflected in the spirit of your sourdough starter. Do you know what this means? That a loaf of bread created in your kitchen cannot be recreated; it’s one of a kind. It’s made with your sourdough starter. And, no matter where the sourdough originated, in the flora of your home, it takes on a new life. This concept, will forever fascinate me.
Fear not my friends. For the last decade I have wildly marched into the world of baking sourdough bread. I’ve failed, I’ve made HUGE messes, and I’ve been angry. Alas, I’ve wrapped my head around it, and I’ve been baking beautiful loaves of bread for my family ever since. What I’ve learned on the other side, is that- it’s not complicated. I know there are highly trained bakers out there, that might end up giving me a piece of their mind on this subject. But sometimes the proof is in the…bread. It can sound complicated, and you might find the process tedious at first. However, baking baking bread is more of a meditation, a routine, than anything else. And once you get into the flow of that routine, you’ll be off and running.
I will share with you my tried and true recipe, as I’ve cut out unnecessary steps. Don’t worry about hydration levels, and other fancy bread terminology right now. You can learn those concepts when you understand the basics. I want you to know that you can do this. And, you will be better for it. All you need is a little time and a little patience.
What is sourdough?
Sourdough is a “wild yeast.” It’s created using a simple mixture of flour and water. When enough wild yeast is active in a flour and water mixture, it begins to ferment. Every fermentation process is the same. Fermentation is the breakdown of anti-nutrients and sugars found in all foods. In this case, with the flour and water, the wild yeasts are fermenting and breaking down the antinutrients and sugars present in the flour and releasing gas, causing bubbles and a rise.
So lets replay this:
There are two benefits to the fermentation process in sourdough:
- The yeast microbes eat the sugars in the flour. Through that digestive process yeast microbes are breaking down the phytic acid or antinutrients. When the antinutrients of phytic acid are broken down, other nutrients within the grain our now available for your body to process and use! It also weakens the gluten proteins, making it much easier for most people to digest. So basically the yeast is digesting the flour first, making it easier for you to digest it later.
- The wild yeasts that are breaking down, or eating the sugars present in the flour, are now releasing carbon dioxide gas. This carbon dioxide is what causes the bubbles to form and your dough to rise.
What does Boule mean?
Boule means: a round loaf of crusty bread.
Equipment you will need:
- A mixing bowl
- A large tea towel- that fully covers your bowl
- 2 banneton baskets– or 2 bowls with a tea towel in each
- 2 plastic grocery bags
- A Kitchen Scale
- 5.5 qt. Dutch Oven
- Razor (for scoring)
- Whisk
- Parchment Paper
- Bench Scraper
Ingredients you will need for your Sourdough Boule
- 950 grams of unbleached all-purpose flour
- 650 grams of Filtered Water – We use a Berkey Water Filter
- 200 grams of mature sourdough starter (Active and bubbly)
- 20 g of a Good Quality Salt- I use this Pink Himalayan Sea Salt or this Celtic Sea Salt
How to make an easy sourdough boule:
Step One: Feed your starter
Make sure your starter has been fed within the last 8-12 hours. Sometimes more and sometimes less depending on the temperature in your kitchen and how old your starter is. It needs to be active and bubbly. I like to feed my starter before bed, so I can mix up my ingredients in the morning.
Step Two: Weighing your water and starter
In the morning, weigh room temperature filtered water into a bowl. Then add you’re active starter. This is another good check point to ensuring the readiness of your starter. An active starter will float in the water. I use a whisk to mix it all together.
Step Three: Weigh and add flour and salt
Weigh your flour and salt and add into the sourdough starter and water mixture. At this point I use my hands. I mix it all together until it seems fully incorporated. You are not kneading, you are simply mixing it together. It should be kind of a doughy mess at this point. Have no fear. Place a tea towel over your bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes on the counter. This 30 minutes is considered an autolyse. A technical word that means letting the flour soak up the water.
Step Four: A Series of Stretch and Folds
After your flour has soaked up the water, it will be a little easier to work with. Now you will perform a series of stretch and folds. Stretch and folds have changed my life and even when I’m super busy, I know I can fit this in. Also I don’t have to get out/clean my mixer. After you perform your first series, cover with a tea towel and let it rest again for another 30 minutes. Then perform a second series of stretch and folds, and cover with a tea towel. Then, after 15 minutes do a third set. Every 15 minutes after that until six sets of stretch and folds have been performed.
Stretch and Fold Schedule for a Sourdough Boule:
1. After a 30 minute Autolyse Stage- Stretch and Fold,
2. 30 min. – Stretch and Fold
3. 15 min. – Stretch and Fold
4. 15 min. – Stretch and Fold
5. 15 min. – Stretch and Fold
6. 15 min. – Last, Stretch and Fold
How do I perform Stretch and Folds?
You are starting with a semi-wet dough, the way to combat this is to run your hands under Luke-warm water. Starting with wet hands makes it less of a mess. I keep my bowl near the sink, during the stretch and fold process. Grab the dough from it’s underside and pull it up and over into the center of itself. Turn the bowl and do it again. You will continue turning the bowl while stretching and folding until you have performed stretch and folds in a full circle around the dough. This is one series of stretch and folds.
Step Five: Allow to ferment on the counter for 4-12 hours
Next, place a damp tea towel or beeswax wrap or plastic wrap over your bowl and let sit on the counter. You are now free from your dough until the evening.
Step Six: Shape your loaves
In the evening, after your dough has been proofing most or all day, with wet or floured hands, turn your dough onto a clean counter top. With a bench scraper cut your dough down the middle so you now have two mounds of dough. One loaf at time, pull the sides of the dough into itself and flip over. Then take your hands around the sides and pull towards you, turning at the same time to create a nice round loaf. Do this same technique with the other dough mound. Cover with the tea towel and let sit for 15-20 minutes.
Step Seven: Prepare your Banneton Baskets or Bowls with tea towels:
If you are using bowls, place tea towels or cloth napkins inside the bowls. Then uncover your loaves and one at a time slide your bench scraper underneath the loaf and flip into the bowl/banneton basket. Repeat with other loaf. Your loaves should be upside down in the banneton/bowl. My favorite way of transferring them to the fridge is in plastic grocery bags. Unsexy and utilitarian! The bags prevent the loaves from drying out and developing an unwanted skin on the top layer of your loaf. Place your banneton or bowls inside the plastic bags and tie the bags, releasing any air.
Step 8: Bulk Fermentation
Next, you will transfer the plastic bagged wrapped bowls into the fridge overnight. Bulk fermentation in the fridge allows the dough to slowly keep fermenting, and working at breaking down the antinutrients, without over proofing. It also allows for flexibility in your schedule as far as when you want to bake it.
Step 9: Preheating, Scoring, and Baking
The next morning, (there is flexibility in the timing of this) place the Dutch oven with the lid on, in the oven on the middle rack, and preheat the oven to 500 degrees. While your oven and your Dutch oven are preheating, take one loaf at a time out of the fridge (unless you have two Dutch ovens, you can only bake one loaf at a time).
Turn your dough out of the banneton/bowl onto a piece of parchment paper. When your oven is preheated, take your Dutch oven out of the oven, and take the lid off and place on the stove top. Next, grab both sides of the parchment paper creating a sling around the bread and gently place the bread in the Dutch oven. With your mits on, place the lid back on, and put the whole Dutch oven back in the oven. Set a timer for 20 mins.
Step 10: Take Lid off and keep baking
After 20 minutes, take the lid off and keep baking until golden brown. This varies depending on your oven, but anywhere from 10-20 minutes. I begin checking the bread at 10 minutes. It will have a beautiful golden brown crust when it is done.
Step 11: Remove from oven and let cool
My family can never wait to start slicing into a fresh loaf. At the very least, wait for it to cool enough that you don’t burn yourself.
A schedule if you want to mix your ingredients at night:
a.m. Feed starter
p.m. Mix ingredients, stretch and fold and let sit on counter overnight
a.m. Shape loaves and bulk ferment in fridge
p.m. Bake Loaves!
Great explanations on how this works. Bread turned out really good for first time. Lovely pictures too.
Thank you for the kind words Marjie! It makes my day to hear someone enjoying my a recipe! All the love to you!