Classic Tangy Sourdough Bread (Printable version)

Traditional wild yeast loaf with tangy flavor, crisp crust and chewy interior

# What you need:

→ Dough

01 - 17.6 ounces bread flour (approximately 3.75 cups)
02 - 12.3 ounces water (approximately 1.5 cups), room temperature
03 - 3.5 ounces active sourdough starter (approximately 0.33 cup), 100% hydration
04 - 0.35 ounce fine sea salt (approximately 2 teaspoons)

→ Optional for dusting

05 - Rice flour or additional bread flour as needed

# How To:

01 - In a large bowl, mix bread flour and water until just combined. Cover and let rest for 1 hour.
02 - Add sourdough starter and sea salt to the autolysed dough. Mix thoroughly until fully cohesive and integrated.
03 - Perform 4 sets of stretch and folds at 30-minute intervals over 2 hours, keeping dough covered between sets to develop gluten structure.
04 - Cover bowl and let dough rise at room temperature for 4-6 hours until approximately doubled in volume.
05 - Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Shape into a tight round or oval loaf, creating surface tension.
06 - Transfer shaped dough to floured proofing basket, seam side up. Cover and refrigerate for 8-12 hours.
07 - Preheat oven to 450°F with Dutch oven inside for at least 30 minutes.
08 - Gently invert dough onto parchment paper. Score top with sharp blade. Transfer with parchment into hot Dutch oven. Cover and bake 20 minutes.
09 - Remove Dutch oven lid and bake additional 20 minutes until crust is deep golden brown and internal temperature reaches 200°F.
10 - Transfer to cooling rack and let rest at least 1 hour before slicing to allow crumb structure to set.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The crust achieves that perfect restaurant quality shatter when you slice into it
  • Your kitchen will smell like an artisanal bakery all morning long
  • The tangy flavor develops beautifully over the long fermentation process
02 -
  • Underproofed dough will be dense and heavy—wait for those visible bubbles on the surface
  • A razor sharp lame or knife is nonnegotiable for clean scores that open properly
  • Cooling for at least an hour prevents the crumb from turning gummy and raw textured
03 -
  • Weigh everything in grams—baking by volume is too inconsistent for reliable results
  • Use parchment paper as a sling to safely transfer hot dough into the Dutch oven

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