Place an inverted bowl over the top of the dough. Is it okay to use a nonstick loafpan? I was up fairly early to check on the rye starter which was ready to go by 6:30 am. Preheat to 515°F for at least 30 minutes. Thanks! I’ve been baking sour dough bread for a couple of months now and love it. With the exception of the really hot few weeks during summer, your SD recipe has been a constant part of the family diet. We’re into our 9th month making this recipe and have re-discovered our garlic roaster recently and started adding the roasted garlic (roasted in olive oil and sometimes rosemary) into step #8. So, what’s proofing? I love your site and all of your advice. Everything was going good, until I got to the end of the 1.5 hour proof. Sourdough Pumpernickel Bread is my favorite bread for making a tuna sandwich. Could it be something with the oven? I love this recipe! I love your recipe and super-helpful video! The timing should be the same the shaping. The coffee, cocoa and molasses give it a wonderful richness!! Can I substitute non-diastatic malt powder? Thank you! I had that problem with my first loaf, so just tossed it and decreased the h2o a tiny bit (339g) in the next one. (More about feeding your starter is at How to Feed Sourdough Starter.). Small OXO Spatula â while this isnât essential, a small, easy-to-clean ⦠Love this recipe! with the pizza stone and dutch oven in the oven, preheat the oven to 450 and let stone and dutch oven pre-heat for 30-40 minutes and follow the remaining baking instructions outlined in the recipe above. (For more on creating a proofing area, see the section above, “Proofing sourdough bread.”). This seems straightforward and easy to try! Beginner's Sourdough Bread Recipe; What is sourdough bread? Like a mousse stress toy I’ll find out what happens when I get to the baking step tomorrow (I’ll post the result so any readers can know in case they find themselves in the same pickle…). – It’s confusing when to reduce to 400F (at the start or after 17 minutes) As an alternative – just for testing – I took a cast iron skillet, placed the bread on parchment and then slipped over the boule a stainless steel bowl. Sourdough Baking Resources. (For more on creating a proofing area, see the section above, “Proofing sourdough bread.”). I’m excited to try this recipe (I’m on step 4 now)! Is that correct? Thank you! You don’t have to do the float test if you know your starter is active. Thank you for sharing the step by step directions and the checklist. Hi! Good news is that I have more starter and am trying again. My dough was also sticky throughout all the steps. 2b Stir in the starter and proof for 30 minutes: Add the starter to the dough and stir until loosely incorporated; it does not need to be perfectly stirred in. Thanks for great recipes and website! You can find more easy bread recipes on the Best Bread Recipes page!. Just made this and it turned out PERFECT! Hi there! Would you recommend reducing the temp further? Cut into 8 portion for larger sandwich rolls and 12 portions for smaller rolls. How much rye flower should I add to my starter? The internal temp measured 210F when I took it out of the oven. I read a lot about this and besides adding rye flour to the mix, it is recommended to ferment the dough longer. How to Make Sourdough Starter—Out of Thin Air! Set a timer for 30 minutes. To make homemade sourdough bread, youâll need an active, mature sourdough starter. We’ll have to try it. By yourself. Bread feels a bit moist but seems cooked, not sure if it just needed a bit longer. Or so I thought. Have been playing around with flours, more wholemeal and using rye too – always with a good base of Plain flour and Strong White Bread Flour too. Waiting for post approval and response. Thank you! I’m so sorry it didn’t work! Many different methods will work! You can use the starter once it’s reached it’s reached peak growth and is bubbly. Straight from the fridge to the oven. If I wanted to add herbs or cheese, at what point would I do this? Without bread flour you’d have a very hard time shaping the loaf! 7 Pre-shape the dough and rest for 30 minutes at room temp: At this point the dough should appear bubbly on top and wiggle when shaken. Otherwise it will overproof! Could it be my sourdough starter? I am just waiting for my last stretch and fold before the bulk rise. hi I am sooo excited for this recipe, I literally went to 6 different stores and I couldn’t find whole wheat flour!!! You should have double the starter as well. Making sourdough bread is a process that spans across 3 days. Our perfect sourdough bread? I love baking all kinds of bread, but a basic sourdough loaf is an essential staple at our house. I didn’t have a problem the first time I made the bread, but with the subsequent 2 times, i could not get the dough into a ball shape. It does look like your dough during the folding stages. Can I split this recipe into 2 after I add the starter? The video is priceless. I haven’t tried splitting the dough, but I’d do the full size until pre-shaping (step 7) and then split it. If you have a stick thermometer, check for an internal temp of 205F. Hi! This one really is simple and it works. What I didn’t notice, until I was reading through the comments, was that I should have only used 80 grams of the starter I fed last night! You can use a clean dish towel; or, made a special bread bag for storage out of a large napkin. Every time I I get to the stage of adding 50g AP flour and 50g water it “dies.” Help! IMG_7860.jpg. Wait, add, more warmth? My issue is the dough does not increase in size at all. 400°F for 23 minutes on the rack. I also used 100% bread flour instead of the wholemeal/rye/white mix. This recipe needs to be very exact in order to work. I was wondering if I could a, add a few mls less water, b knead it a little after adding the starter, or c something else. These loaves don’t rise so much… should I vary the techniques with different flours. Hi Alex. About 60 minutes before the bread is ready to bake, preheat the oven with a baking stone in it (if you have a stone) to 450°F. Any thoughts or hints about avoiding that gummy texture? so glad to have finally followed your guided recipe! Can this be baked in a Dutch oven like your rye sourdough recipe? You can definitely make the recipe without a scale, however, since the hydration level is so specific, you may have a very loose or very tough dough if you don’t get it quite right. Are you ready? Does it improve the internal air structure? than yours. Do you think any of the things I mentioned above might affected it? The crumbs do contribute to the color and flavor of the loaf. I’d probably vote for option 1 if I had to choose. OMGness, the smell and taste are even more amazing! This sounds like it was underproofed — either your starter wasn’t full strength for some reason or the proofing temperature changed? (our house is cool as we are in central Alberta). Hi Barb, the markets in my area sell rye flour in the baking aisle. I am going to use Rye flour to make my starter next time. I have been working on this Labor of Love since December…so many failures. Most Important Step: Make A Sandwich. Second using this method much better. You can reuse the checklist five times—after that, print a new checklist and you’re good to go. It wouldn’t really hold its shape before it went into the oven. I made this and it came out amazing! A couple questions….is your starter 100%? Questions: If I just fed my starter, how long do I have to wait to use it? This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. I cooked it exactly as recommended and even left it in a little longer at the end to see if I could get it a little darker. 5 qt or larger is ideal. And as for starter, it was all about the flour. Day 1: ~ 9pm build levain That’s awesome! Add as much of the bread flour as you can by hand then dump the dough onto a floured surface. Please let me know if you tried this or some similar process. However, I think I’m going to give it a go and see what happens. But I went through with the baking anyway and it still came out very good. ! Thanks for your help. If it’s a lot smaller, I’d the same cook time in the dutch oven and then shorten the 400F baking time abit. I feed my starter with equal parts. Google it for exact proportions. I’d keep feeding and try again! My question is do you have a print out of how to make the sourdough bread. Proofing is when you let bread dough rest after you’ve added yeast so that it rises. You can always stick a thermometer into the bread — it should be fully cooked at 190 degrees. Thank you for making it so easy! I used the same flour types and weights as suggested. I made this exact to recipe and it came out perfect. Can you email a picture of the cut bread? Were you using the bread flour as specified? I was thinking I could cut one of the loaves in half and bake them separately to give them each a smaller loaf. However the last three times I have made it, it’s quite flat compared to the other times. I used all 20 grams of the starter that was leftover from my last loaf when I fed with 50 grams of flour and 50 grams of water. I love that I don’t need it anymore, but it was my saving grace when I started making sourdough. Baked it this morning and it’s not bad — but very dense compared to your lovely photos and the crust is very hard to cut through. You donât need to flip the bread. What to do if I can’t get your minimum of 250C? Remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool on a cooling rack for at least 45 minutes. Help! 740 plus 50 grams water at 85°F (29°C) ... (Note: your bread will bake better if you have a baking stone on the oven rack below your bread. They look pretty good and taste pretty good but this last one was a bit salty. https://rstyle.me/n/c8hbzycfipp, My first attempt at sourdough or any bread, there were a few times I thought it wasn’t going to turn out it was so wet. Thanks for the awesome recipe. For the final proofing stage in our sourdough bread recipe, the bread proofs in a basket called a banneton. Hi Alex and Sonja, If we were doing this on a different schedule and didn’t want to refrigerate overnight, about how long do you think it needs to proof at room temp. How do you get yours out without damaging the shape? Because of the current pandemic situation I’m sure. Marion, The full recipe is here: https://www.acouplecooks.com/sourdough-bread-recipe-simplified-guide/#tasty-recipes-23323. These terms refer to the amount of water in the recipe, as compared to the amount of flour. TY! For baking, I’d guess 16 minutes in the dutch oven and 20 or so on the rack. Hi, I’m in the UK so hoping that AP flour is the same as our Plain flour – and then using strong white and strong wholemeal bread flours for the other ones. You can do this, but it will probably be a little over proofed and slightly flat. Any suggestions? Prepare the banneton by rubbing the 50/50 rice flour mixture into all of the grooves of the banneton. Not sure what to do. but when it says 200g APF, does this weight include the flour used to feed the starter? Bread flour makes up the balance so there’s enough elasticity for a good rise on the loaf. I have one issue, my dough is very sticky, and it is really hard for me to mix it with the hands in between proofing. Something like a cast iron pan with a lid would work as well. Also, the dough seemed wetter than usually during and at the end of the proofing on day 2. I would try do about 30ml less water so it’s a more workable dough. However, I travel and can’t take cast iron with me. So glad it worked out for you :), Hello! Have you tried just using a straight razor? I am over the moon! I must’ve watched 20-30 different videos on making this bread and decided yours was the best one and I’m so happy! Thanks for the detailed step by step recipe, notes and video. I generally don’t have issue as long as the blad is super sharp. The high hydration allows it to rise in the oven. I appreciate all your detailed instructions, the video, and your answering my questions! Sourdough starters are a bit of luck and a bit of science. I did increase the hydration to 83%. They tend to vary in protein level / strength. More than excited at this point. Question, I know there’s that little bit of starter left. Thank you for sharing. Hi! The starter should be bubbly and about doubled in size between 9:00 am and 11:00 am the following day. There is no bread flour in New Zealand where I live. I have tried this recipe a few times. I am using a dutch oven to bake and a round banneton. To ensure the bread doesn’t stick to the banneton, the inside is coated with a mix of 1/2 cup all purpose flour and 1/2 cup rice flour, a tip we learned from the Tartine cookbook. I think you’ll still get a good loaf though. To clarify with the doubling, Alex, do you mean: 1) double the ingredients, mix everything everything together, and divide the dough into two loaves at the end? 6 Gently fold and proof for 1 hour 30 minutes: Gently fold the dough in the same way as Step 4, being careful not to deflate built up air in the dough. Thank for simple straightforward recipes that work!! A Couple Cooks has been featured on the TODAY Show, and in numerous national print and online publications, including Washington Post, Huffington Post, Food & Wine, and Bon Appetit. If you’ve made it this far, you’re ready to learn how to make homemade sourdough bread. Dough sticks too much to plastic. Don’t use air tight lid? Be careful to not press the dough or deflate it. I have made it several times and now I make two at a time to give one away. I ended up adding possibly too much flour towards then end so I could at least shape it somewhat. This dough is quite sticky and dense and I find it easier to finish by hand rather than with a dough hook in a stand mixer. With the Dutch oven I’d go a little hotter, maybe 400F. I will flour the top of formed loaf more next time. Also, do you think its the proofing temp? Hi! It will be fine, you’ll just have a little scar on the top of the dough. As two professional home cooks with previous careers in business writing, Alex and I leveraged our skills for making complex processes simple and created our best recipe: the Simplified Guide for Sourdough Bread. Use your hands to gently pull the dough tight and pinch off the seams at the end of the dough. the middle of the loaf had a lot of big bubbles, when i cut the loaf in half it was almost like a cavern in the middle of the loaf. Anything else I could try? You could try a little longer for that portion. I am right now waiting until tomorrow (day 3) to bake it but the dough seems very wet so far. Ready to dive in? Based on Tartine Sourdough Recipe, Slightly Modified, by The Perfect Loaf. After preheating, cut a piece of parchment paper the width of your banneton. Thank you! Whatever the case, while the bread is proofing, be careful not to accidentally turn on the oven for any other reason! Super moist, sour, flavorful, and full of holes :). It’s ever so slightly better, but still a workout. Any ideas why this is happening or how to prevent? I know my starter is active and had a good bulk and proof rise. Or do you not recommend adding any additional seasonings. Should I add more flour and water to make up for it. Thank you for sharing this recipe and method! Awesome recipe and instructions…love the check off list! I used King Arthur bread flour and Gold Medal AP and wheat. Everything seemed to go along as per your instructions and video. Is there something I did wrong or is the crust on this supposed to be a little softer? Maybe I can go without? Worked great and my bread came out perfect. Today is day two for me. If I want to shape this into a round to make a bread bowl, how would I adjust the cook times? It will be slightly more dense, but should work! I’ve just placed the salt now, waiting for the next step… But any advice would be more than welcomed :) Thanks for the instructions. I tried again this week, using a temperature controlled area for proofing where it stayed between 30 and 32 Celsius. I had the skillet. I even used a bit less water than you did… I’ve even passed it on to my nieces. The crust is crisp, the the inside is airy, chewy and not dense. Any suggestions for alternative? before putting it into the preheated Dutch oven. Hi Alex, I’m assuming you mean let the dough sit out at room temp for an extra 15 min rather than an extra 15 min in the fridge. If you don’t have a sourdough starter yet, you can learn how to make sourdough starter at home. Hi Alex, I tweaked the flour ratio and I took another shot at baking the bread. Thanks! I’ve done my research on how to create steam in the oven, since I won’t be cooking in a dutch oven. We’ve been making our friends on Zoom jealous! You are the soul reason I let go of my fears and intimidation of baking sourdough. Are you performing each proof in steps 2-6 in a warm location? This allows it to stretch and open up into the nice crumb in the pictures. I haven’t tested this, but I would assume the dutch oven time would be the same. In this recipe, there are multiple steps that involve proofing, some at room temperature and some in a warm area.