Sourdough bread recipe

The idea of making a sourdough bread can sound complicated. 

However, once you know how to make sourdough, it is very easy to make your own delicious sourdough bread at home!

Why make a sourdough bread?

Sourdough bread has many virtues. Whether it's nutrition, taste, or conservation, you'll find at least one good reason to make homemade yeast.

1. A more digest and healthy bread

First of all from a nutritional point of view: sourdough bread is more digestible than traditional yeast bread. When growing bread, the bacteria in the natural leaven feed on the starch, making the bread more digestible. Because of that sourdough bread glycemic index is lower than traditional bread.

2. A better conservation

Bread made with sourdough, can be preserved better than traditional bread. It can be kept for up to a week (well packaged in a clean tea towel). While the classic bread will only hold 2 days. So you can make your sourdough boule bread on Sunday and enjoy it all week.

3. The baste taste ever

Not convinced yet? This is the best reason to make leaven and make leavened bread. The taste of leavened bread is different from traditional bread. Its flavor is more subtle. In addition, the crumb of leavened bread will be more honeycombed, giving it a pleasant rustic side in the mouth. Finally, the bread crust will be crispier. What you make delicious sandwiches!

How to make your sourdough starter

It will take you 4 days to make your sourdough starter. And only a few basic ingredients are enough: rye flour, water and a pinch of sugar. Find here all the information you need to make your sourdough starter.

Make your sourdough boule bread at home !

Above all, the day before you want to make your sourdough boule bread, it is necessary to feed your sourdough starter. So you have to feed him to be in good shape for your bread. It will swell, plan a container big enough not to overflow.

Rye flour is great to activate it:

100g of rye flour + 100g of water

Mix everything well. Cover with a cloth or a lid without closing. And let rest a whole night.

The next day, your sourdough starter should be bubbling. It is ready to give you the best of himself for your sourdough bread recipe!

More details on making the sourdough starter

Preparation of your sourdough bread recipe

Tools you will need for your sourdough bread

• The kitchenAid (Use the hook): it will save you time and energy. But you can use a Thermomix or a bread machineto knead.
• A pan for the oven, or a baking stone (even better)

Ingredients

• 500 g flour
• 10 g of salt
• 150 g of your homemade sourdough
• 300/350 g of water (Depending on the absorption of your flour)

Preparation of the sourdough bread

1. Autolyse (Not mandatory)

This step makes it possible to launch a first fermentation. Your dough will be more elastic. But if you do not have a lot of time in front of you, skip this step.

In the bowl of your KitchenAid, put 300g of water and 500g of flour. With the hook, knead about 3 minutes, just the time to obtain a paste. And let it rest for 30 minutes. It will start the process of natural fermentation.

2. Kneading with the KitchenAid

Add the salt and the sourdough and always knead for 10 to 15 minutes speed 1 or 2. (No higher than that!)

When the dough comes off, you can stop kneading. If the dough seems too dry, add a little water and knead until you get the right consistency. The dough must always come off the robot hook.

3. Or kneading by hand

With the palm of your hand, knead the dough. At first it will be very sticky then after 10/15 minutes you will have the right texture. Do not stop before, even if you are tired! If you do not knead enough, your sourdough boule bread will not grow properly. Hence the interest of investing in a Kitchenaid, when you do these kind of recipes.

4. Pointing (Pointage): First fermentation

Cover and let push for at least 2 hours in a warm room. The dough will double in size. (it Cana take longer depending on the room temperature, ideally you want to be around 70°F.)

5. Shaping the sourdough boule

Give it the shape you want. Boule, bread, baguette, etc. Do not handle the bread too much, because we have to keep the bubbles inside.

6. Bread Primer (Apprêt): 2nd FERMENTATION

Always in a warm room, let your bread rest for at least an hour. It will swell again.

Baking your sourdough bread

Preheat the oven to 425 °F. Before baking, using a knife make a cross on the top of your bread (or something else). The goal is to cut the bread so that it can grow well in the oven.

During preheating, put in the bottom part of the oven a large enough container with warm water. The water will heat up and steam. It is thanks to this steam that the bread will have a nice golden crust!

The other method to get steam is to throw water in the oven just before baking.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Your bread must be golden brown. Do not open the oven door while baking. You would get the steam out.

After baking, place on a rack and wait for the cooling before tasting it! We must allow time for carbon dioxide to escape.

Making homemade sourdough bread may seem a little long at first, but when you get to a result like that, you know it's worth it!

To taste, slice and enjoy with a good salted butter !!

If you do not have your homemade sourdough starter yet, start! You can use our sourdough starter.

No sourdough or no time to make it? But you still want a good homemade bread, try our French country bread recipe, with or without kneading. It's so simple and delicious!