The Absolute Easiest Sourdough Bread Recipe (and how to start your sourdough journey)
Sourdough is all the hype right now, and rightfully so. It’s super versatile (you can literally make sourdough anything) and it has good health benefits as far as bread goes (low gluten, higher protein, low glycemic.) It does come with alot of “rules” however and that can feel really overwhelming to most people. When I started I felt the same way, but I have learned some tricks along the way and have found the easiest sourdough bread recipe and method that is truly foolproof.
How Do I Get Started With Sourdough?
Let’s start with how to start this journey. You will first need a starter (this is just the actual sourdough in the jar.) You can try and make this yourself, but honestly it’s a pain and really hard to do in my experience. I would suggest going to a bakery that sells sourdough and buying one from them or finding someone you know or in your community to get some.
Now this is sourdough starter and this is also what you call your “mother.” They are the same thing, but the mother is just kind of the “mother of all your sourdough.” This is a great time to name your “mother.” Mine is named Theresa. This starter in your jar will now need to be “fed” to keep it alive.
How Do I Feed My Sourdough Starter “Mother”?
Now that your mother is named and you have it in your posession, you will need to keep it alive by feeding it. This is where some people get food scales out and it can get crazy, but I have never done that and it’s been totally fine.
Here’s the “rule” for feeding, if you want to make or bake something out of sourdough within the next 24-48 hours, you will want to keep your mother on the counter and feed her every day (ish). If you don’t want to make anything in the next few days, feed her and then cover her and put her in the fridge. You can store her in the fridge without feeding her for several weeks!
Now let’s talk about how to actually do the feeding part. You will need water and UNBLEACHED flour. If it’s bleached it will kill it so get unbleached. Now you are going to put a few tablespoons of flour in your jar and some water and mix it up. You want it to be the consistency of a thick pancake batter. That’s it! You’ve fed her!
What Do I Do Now That I’ve Fed My Starter?
Now that you’ve fed your starter you can either do this to prep to bake or put her in the fridge until you need her. Assuming you want to bake you will want to feed 8-12 hours before you are going to make your dough. I typically feed at night before I go to bed or right when I wake up in the morning.
Now that it’s fed, keep it in a warmish spot in your kitchen and let it rise. It will double (ish) in size in the next several hours. That just means it will grow taller in the jar. After 8-12 hours and it has risen in its jar, it’s time to make your dough!
How Do I Make My Bread Dough?
You are going to mix about 2 cups of water and1/4 cup of your starter in a bowl. Now add about a tablespoon of salt. After that you will add around 4 cups of your unbleached flour. You want to mix this really good and let it sit 15-30 minutes. Re-feed your starter or mother and set her aside or put her in the fridge for next time!
After 30 minutes or so I will do one tug and tuck. What’s a tug and tuck you ask? This is just taking the side of your dough and pulling it up to stretch it and then pushing it into the middle of the dough ball. Do this around all the edges. If the dough is super sticky and sticks heavily to your fingers, add a little more flour.
Now most people will do tug and tucks for several hours, and you can if you have the time and want to, but I find this is too much effort for bread when I’m trying to keep three kids alive also. So, I do it once, cover it with a tea towel, and leave it to rise on the counter. You will let it rise for about 12 hours.
What Do I Do After My Dough Has Risen?
Now that your dough has risen you are going to want to put your dutch oven (a crock with a lid) in the oven when you turn it on to 425. While the oven is pre-heating and your dutch oven is getting hot you will do a few tug and tucks of your risen dough.
Lay out a piece of unbleached parchment paper on your counter and pull your dough out of the bowl. Some people like to shape their dough on the counter and make it perfect, but I am lazy and it makes a mess so I. just shape it into a ball with my hands in the air and lay it on the parchment paper.
You can also score or cut the top of your bread at this point, and sometimes I do, but most of the time I just leave it as it. When your oven is hot with the crock inside pull out the rack and open the crock. Lay your parchment inside with your dough on it. Add one ice cube under the parchment into the dutch oven and put the lid on. Bake 35-40 minutes or until the top is golden!
Your Easy Sourdough Bread is Ready!
Pull it all out of the oven and take your loaf off of the parchment. I typically set it on my stove or counter to cool and that’s it! You’ve made a sourdough bread loaf! (Or boule as they say.) This may seem like alot, but I promise it is so easy and really hard to mess up! Not every loaf is perfect, but it tastes amazing and you will learn so fast! Stay the course and fall in love with fueling your family with yummy, healthy sourdough goodies!
The Absolute Easiest Sourdough Bread/Boule Recipe
2 cups of water
¼ cup of fed starter
1 tbsp. Salt
4 cups of unbleached flour
- Mix water and starter in a bowl.
2. Add salt and mix in. Mix in flour.
3. Once thoroughly mixed, set aside for 15-30 minutes.
4. Do one set of tug and tucks (stretching dough and folding into itself), cover bowl, and set aside.
5. Let rise for 12 hours. Warm Dutch oven or crock in the oven while it pre-heats.
6. Shape dough into ball and place on unbleached parchment paper. Once oven and crock are preheated, put dough and parchment paper in Dutch oven.
7. Add one ice cube under the parchment paper in the crock and put the lid one. Cook for 35-40 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Take out and let cool.
My Sourdough Schedule
8:00 am- Feed Starter
Sometime Between 4 and 8 pm- Make Dough and Let Rise Overnight
8:00 am Following Day- Bake Bread
Super simple and doesn’t have to be complicated! You can fit making homemade bread into your life, I promise!
If you want to read more about my crazy, chaotic life with three boys and the methods I use to run my home and keep us all sane and timely (so I can make sourdough and other things) click HERE and make yourself at home!
Here is a list of the only things you need for your sourdough journey! These are affiliate links and I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.