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Naturally Leavened Sourdough Bread

This bread uses a ripe, active starter for its rise. It doesn't use any yeast, so is a purist sourdough loaf.
Prep Time5 hours
Cook Time45 minutes
Cooldown5 minutes
Total Time5 hours 50 minutes
Course: Bread
Keyword: Baked, Bread
Servings: 2 loaves
Author: Edwin Voskamp

Equipment

  • Cast-iron Forms with Lids or forms that fit in a cast-iron Dutch oven or steam oven

Ingredients

  • 340 g sourdough starter (293g)
  • 290 g all-purpose flour (388g)
  • 64 g whole wheat flour (55g)
  • 297 g water (256g) At room-temperature.
  • 9 g fine sea salt (8g)

Instructions

  • Mix sourdough starter, flours, and room temperature water.
    Knead until mixed thoroughly.
    Cover and let stand 20 minutes.
  • Add the salt and knead it together thoroughly.
    Cover and let stand for an hour.
  • Put on a floured surface, push out to a rectangular square, fold in threes, turn 90 degrees, fold in threes.
    Cover and let stand for an hour.
  • Shape in the rough shapes you want (boule, sausages for rectangular pans).
    Cover and let rest for 20 minutes.
  • Shape, put the seam, crown up in a floured towel or couche, cover, and let rest for 1 hour.
  • Turn on oven to 475F/245C.
    If using a steam oven, turn to 100% steam.
    If using cast-iron baking vessels, put them in the oven to pre-heat.
  • Continue to let the bread rest for another hour.
  • If you use cast-iron, toss them in the pan, put on the lid.
    f you don't use cast-iron, put them on baking paper, slide it directly on a pizza stone into the steam oven.
    If neither, use as heavy a cooky sheet as you have.
    If you don't use cast iron with a lid, put a bowl in with a cup of water (assuming normal oven sizes).
    Bake for 35 minutes total. 
  • If you want a deeper crust, take the lid off.
  • Either way, bake for 10 more minutes.
  • After another 10 minutes (45 minutes total), take the bread out of the oven.
    Take them immediately out of the baking pan or form.
    Put on a rack and let rest for at least 5 minutes.

Notes

Based on a recipe by King Arthur Flour: Naturally Leavened Sourdough Bread, though I use more starter instead of flour, and a bit less salt. The original's ratios are 454:692:85:397:12.5. The one I now use are 340:290:64:297:9, but I've used the one between parentheses of 293:388:55:256:8