The Easiest Sourdough Bread Recipe for The Beginner

I have just started my sourdough journey and want to share easy recipes that have made me successful at it as a beginner myself!

This recipe I put together is the simplest and easiest to follow for just starting out! It is fool proof!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup active sourdough starter

• 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water

• 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons fine sea salt

INSTRUCTIONS

• In a large bowl, combine the yeast starter and lukewarm water. Make sure your water is slightly warmer room temperature. I add mine in the microwave for 30 seconds.

• Stir in the flour, and then add the salt.

• Use a sourdough mixer spoon or just a fork to mix everything together until it becomes stiff– don’t knead or overmix!

• Cover it, and let sit for an hour

• After this resting time is complete, stretch and fold the dough . You want to wet your hands a little bit and pull the dough up from the bowl. Grab one side and stretch it up about 6 -10 inches . Move bowl over and repeat for all 4 sides. You need to stretch it a good 4 times all around.

• Cover the dough with a clean dish towel and wait 30 minutes. Repeat the stretching and fold for another 3 times. You will need to do the stretching and folding 4 times total with 30 minutes wait in between each one.

• let it rise in a warm place overnight or until doubled in size (or about 8 -10 hours).

• The next morning (or after 8 -10hours), turn the dough out on a floured surface.

• Place the dough out into a rectangular shape. Fold in each side. After roll it up into a ball.

• Start laminating it my forming it into a tight ball. You do this by pulling it out and rolling it back to you a couple times.

• gently shape the dough into a ball once more place into a well-floured proofing basket or a greased bowl with the bottom side up. Pinch the bottom together more.

• Cover and rise for 2 hours.

• Preheat the oven to 450°F with the Dutch oven in the oven.

• Sprinkle a thin layer of cornmeal in the bottom of a Dutch oven (optional, but this helps the bottom of your bread not to become over-browned).

• Carefully dump the dough ball out of the bowl onto a sheet of parchment. This is the time you want to score the dough however you want. Sprinkle rice flour over the dough.

• Take the Dutch oven out of oven after it’s preheated. Place the parchment and dough into the Dutch oven.

• Place the lid on the pot and bake for 30 minutes.

• Remove the lid and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until the loaf is deeply browned and crispy on top. (For a less crusty finish, bake for the entire time with the lid on.)

• Move to a cooling rack and allow the loaf to cool completely before slicing