Classic Sourdough Bread

This classic sourdough bread recipe creates a delicious loaf with a thick, crunchy crust and a chewy, flavorful interior. Perfect for sandwiches, toasting, or simply enjoying with butter.

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Recipe

Yield: 1 loaf (about 12 servings)

Calories per serving: 150

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Rising Time: 8-12 hours

Baking Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 9-13 hours

Classic Sourdough Bread

Ingredients

• 1 cup (240g) active sourdough starter

• 1 1/2 cups (360ml) water, room temperature

• 4 cups (500g) bread flour or all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons (12g) salt

Instructions

Step 1: Mix Dough

1. In a large bowl, combine the sourdough starter and water. Mix until the starter is dissolved.

2. Add the flour and salt, and mix until a rough dough forms. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Step 2: Knead and Fold

1. Perform a series of stretch and folds every 30 minutes for 2 hours. To do this, wet your hands, grab a section of the dough, stretch it up, and fold it over the rest of the dough. Rotate the bowl and repeat until you've stretched and folded all sides.

Step 3: Bulk Fermentation

1. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise at room temperature for 4-6 hours, or until it has doubled in size.

Step 4: Shape the Dough

1. Gently turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Shape it into a round by folding the edges into the center. Flip the dough over so the seam is on the bottom, and gently shape it into a tight ball.

Step 5: Second Rise

1. Place the dough seam-side up in a well-floured proofing basket or bowl lined with a floured cloth. Cover and let it rise for 1-2 hours, or until it has risen noticeably but hasn't doubled in size.

Step 6: Preheat Oven

1. Preheat your oven to 475°F (245°C) with a Dutch oven inside for at least 30 minutes.

Step 7: Bake

1. Carefully turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper. Score the top with a sharp knife or razor blade.

2. Transfer the dough (on the parchment) into the preheated Dutch oven. Cover with the lid and bake for 20 minutes.

3. Remove the lid and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes, or until the crust is deeply browned and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Step 8: Cool

1. Transfer the bread to a wire rack and let it cool completely before slicing.

Nutritional Information (per serving, 12 servings per loaf)

• Calories: 150

• Carbohydrates: 30g

• Protein: 5g

• Fat: 0.5g

• Fiber: 1g

• Sodium: 400mg

Enjoy this classic sourdough bread with its thick crust and delicious flavor, perfect for any occasion!

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Water flour starter salt

Water and starter mixed

Ingredients mixed together

Dough in bowl

Dough in bowl 1st pinch

Dough in bowl 2nd pinch

Dough in bowl risen (2 hours)

Dough floured parchment paper

Dough covered w cheescloth

dough on floured cheescloth

Dough after 4 hour rising

Transferred to hot dutch oven

In hot dutch oven, scored

In oven, half baked

Fresh out of the oven

Cooled down loaf of bread

Cut with airy bubbles

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Prompt

After making this awesome and easy organic sourdough starter from scratch, it was time to put it to the test, using AI, of course. I absolutely couldn't believe the result! It was one of the best breads I've ever eaten!

I was very impatient and had to start planning for making bread using my very gorgeous AI-generated starter.

So I went to ChatGPT:

my sourdough is progressing nicely. It has now been 4 days and I am seeing bubbles. Can you give me some recipes for when it's ready? I have white flour. My husband loves sourdough bread with a nice thick crust.

It gave me a few recipes (screenshot edited and recipes merged to save space):

I then saw it wanted a cup of starter and I had a bit less so I asked it how to make more-

ok I don't have that much starter, can I just add more flour to the existing one now on day 4? I have about a little less than 1 cup in total and I want to have enough left over for future bread

It explained how to increase starter quantity:

I then asked it for some additional details for the classic sourdough bread:

Please write this classic sourdough recipe including nutritional values number of servings and baking prepping and total time

Scroll to the top for the final recipe.

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