Easy Dutch Oven Sourdough

Delicious Sourdough

I have tried many, many sourdough bread recipes. While this one isn't the prettiest, most artisanal loaf, it is a good balance of easy and tasty. We go through about 4 loaves or so a week. It makes great sandwich bread or just a good warm snack with Kerrygold butter. Also, I weigh everything out rather than use cups. It makes for a much more accurate recipe.

This recipe will make 2 loaves of sourdough bread.

Also, if you don't have starter, it's very easy to make. You can find recipes online for it and it only takes about a week if feeding twice daily.

Ingredients

• 100 grams sourdough starter

• 700 grams warm water

• 1050 grams bread flour

• 20 grams kosher salt

• 2 Dutch oven pots, or 1 pot if doing in batches

  
  

Instructions

• Make The Dough. Whisk starter and water in a large bowl. Add the flour and salt. Mix until all the flour is incorporated. The dough will be very shaggy. Cover with a damp towel and rest for 30 minutes. This is the autolyse process.

• Shape The Dough. After the dough has rested, work the dough in the bowl into a rough ball. To do this, grab a portion of the dough and fold it over, pressing your fingertips into the center. Continue to fold dough until the dough begins to tighten. This usually takes a few minutes of folding.

• Bulk Rise. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let rise overnight at room temperature. This will take about 8 to 10 hours (at 70oF, 21oC) at room temperature, or you can use the proof setting on your oven if available to speed up the process. The dough is ready when it no longer looks dense and has doubled in size. 

• Shape. After the bulk rise, remove dough from the bowl and cut in half to make 2 balls of dough. Place onto a lightly floured surface. Shape each into a round. Start at the top and fold the dough toward the center. Repeat until the dough begins to tighten once again and becomes harder to fold, about 2 minutes each loaf.

• Second Rise. Let dough rest for about 1 hour. The dough is ready when it looks puffy, and has risen slightly but has not yet doubled in size. Nearing the end of the rise, preheat the oven to 400F. Put the dutch oven pots (with lids) into the oven to preheat.

• Score. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of olive oil into each dutch oven pot and carefully transfer each loaf into the dutch oven pot. Using a bread lame, or the tip of a sharp knife, score the dough. I typically just do 1 curved slit down the side of the loaf, but you can do whatever you want here.

• Bake. Bake the dough on the center rack, in a preheated 400F oven,  for 30 minutes, covered. Remove the lid and continue to bake for 20-30 minutes. Bread will be done once its browned to your liking.

• Cool. Once baked, remove loaves from pots and let cool on a wire rack 1 hour prior to cutting.