Easy Artisan Sourdough Bread Recipe: For Beginners

Easy artisan sourdough bread recipe for beginner’s. Simple and straight forward step by step recipe for rustic baked sourdough boules. No confusing measurements or terminology.

Remember that easy sourdough starter recipe/technique I gave you guys and gals a few weeks back? All 2 of you. Anyone? Beuller?

Well, I finally baked my first loaf of bread with my new starter. Although it may not have turned out as perfectly as I had hoped, it tasted delicious. I don’t pretend to be the be-all-end-all kitchen food blogger.

I’m human and I make mistakes in the kitchen. And maybe my photography isn’t Food Styler of the Month magazine worthy, but I’m satisfied and proud of myself for what I attempt and accomplish.

When you give zero f*cks about what anyone else thinks, you tend live in your own world of bliss. I’m happy here and I like it this way. Maybe it’s my newfound appreciation for life and limb after a long recovery from a traumatic accident. All I know is that everyday is a gift and I’m so more appreciative of the little things and experiences.

I’ve been regrowing my starter from scratch again, since it turned into a smelly moldy hockey puck, left unattended during my long recovery. In my post about how to grow an easy sourdough starter I said that I rarely, if ever measure my flour or water.

Well, when baking a loaf of bread there’s no getting around the measuring of the flour. However, I sort of eyeball and know how I want to texture of the dough to be by adding increments of distilled water.

Sourdough bread bakers would gasp at how I do this. Remember that time I said I give zero f*cks about what people think? Yup. Still feel that way.

*** Update: Since this post I have learned how to grow and maintain a small sourdough starter. Less waste and quickly measuring my ingredients has given me consistent results.

But don’t worry. If you’re just starting you can take baby sourdough baking steps like I did.

You can read more about the history of sourdough bread here.

The ingredients for this recipe couldn’t be more simple. If you’re all into perfect measurements and hydration ratios, you should probably find the nearest exit outta here. But if you’re feeling like you want to throw some caution to the wind my friend, stick around.

The first thing I did the night before, was feed my starter a large meal of 1 cup of all purpose unbleached white organic flour. I prefer my starter on the drier side compared to a wet starter. As I work more with sourdough, I may dabble with a wetter starter as I get more comfortable.

I left the starter out on the counter overnight. The next morning it had risen and I knew it was active. It was time to mix up my bread recipe. Don’t forget to save a little starter and feed it before placing it back in the refrigerator.

Artisan Sourdough Bread Recipe:

Instructions for Baking a Sourdough Boule:

Once you have mixed and kneaded your dough place it in a covered glass or wooden bowl to rise. You are going to let the dough cycle through 2 rises. The first rise is just a couple of hours. It may not even seem like it has risen, but that’s okay. You’re going to fold your dough a few times to incorporate some air into it.

Side note******This is where I made a little mistake. In the above and below photos my bread was ready to bake. I let it rise way too long the first time, so when I folded it and placed it back in the bowel for a second rise, it was already over proofed. I could tell when I turned it out to slash before baking. When I slashed it, it deflated and spread out a bit. Therefore, it didn’t get a good rise when I baked it in the oven. But you’re going to learn from my mistake. Right? I have since baked another loaf and reshot my photos.

Okay, so pretend I didn’t overproof my bread and I gave it just two hours to initially rise the first time. After two hours, turn your dough out to a lightly floured surface and fold the dough over on itself a few times. It may seem a little wetter than when you placed it in the bowl after the initial knead. You can use a lightly floured bench scraper to fold the dough.

Line your bowl with a paper towel or dish towel heavily coated in flour. This is so your dough won’t stick when you turn it out to bake. Place your dough seem side up in the bowl. This is so you have a smooth top to slash when you turn out your dough.

Cover and let rise until it doubles in size. You can also put your dough into the refrigerator to do a slow rise overnight. Just make sure to bring it to room temperature before baking and make sure it has doubled in size.

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Preheat your oven to 450 degrees and place your cast iron dutch oven with the lid on, on the center oven rack to preheat.

Side note: I personally use a Lodge cast iron Dutch oven and love it, so I highly recommend you use a dutch oven to bake your sourdough boule in. My Dutch oven is a staple in my kitchen and has so many uses. It’s quality made and durable.

When the oven and dutch oven have preheated, line a plate with parchment paper and place the plate over the bowl and turn the bowl upside down gently releasing the dough on to the plate. Before you turn the dough out to the plate, make sure you have given what will be the bottom of the bread a good flour dusting so it won’t stick to the parchment paper

Gently peel off the paper towel or dish towel. This is why it’s so important to heavily flour it, so it comes off easy. Using a lame, razor, or sharp knife, slash your dough with a pretty design. If you’re not comfortable or feeling artistic, just place a few slashes in the middle of the bread to allow the steam to escape.

Lift the dough along with the parchment paper and place it in the dutch oven. Let it bake for 20 minutes at 450 degrees with the lid on. Remove the lid and continue to bake until the bread gets a nice brown crust or the internal temperature is 210 degrees in the center. Remove and cool your masterpiece on a wire rack before slicing.

This bread goes great with soups, to sop up all that broth. Or my fave, banana peppers and sourdough bread. Yum, so good!

Recipe Type: Bread

Author: Sherri @ The Kitchen Prescription

Simple, pretty, and delicious. Nothing beats a loaf of sourdough bread grown from wild yeasts.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup starter
• 2 cups all purpose unbleached white flour
• 1 cup unbleached bread flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 Tablespoons organic raw honey
• 1 cup water (to be used in increments depending on how wet or dry you want your dough)
• Heavy cast iron dutch oven with a lid

Instructions

1. Place starter, flour, and salt, and honey in a large, glass or wooden bowl.
2. Add about half the water and mix the dough and keep adding small increments of water until it becomes shaggy and you can shape it into a ball. I can be a little tacky but shouldn’t overly stick to your hands.
3. Turn dough out to a lightly flour dusted surface and knead for about 10 minutes until it is smooth.
4. Return dough bowl cover with plastic or towel and let rise for about 2 hours.
5. Turn the dough out on a lightly flour surface and fold the dough over on itself a few times.
6. Line your bowl with a paper towel or dish towel heavily floured so the dough doesn’t stick when you are ready to turn it out and slash before baking.
7. Place the dough back in the bowl. Give the top a good dusting of flour. Cover with plastic or towel.
8. Let rise a second time until it doubles in size. Times may vary according to your kitchen temperature or a slow rise in the refrigerator the night before. Bread should be a room temperature before you bake it. Factor that time in.
9. Preheat oven to 450 degrees and place a cast iron dutch oven with lid on in the oven to preheat for 1/2 hour.
10. When oven and dutch oven have preheated place a plate lined with parchment paper over your bowl and gently turn your bread out upside down on the plate…gently.
11. Gently pull off the paper towel or dish towel.
12. Slash your bread into a pretty pattern with a lame, razor, or sharp knife to allow the steam to escape.
13. Pick the bread up by the parchment paper and place into the dutch oven covering with the lid.
14. Bake 20 minutes and remove the lid.
15. Continue to bake at 450 degrees until the bread browns or is 210 degrees in the center.
16. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack before slicing.