Customize this timeline to fit your daily routine. I wake up so early, so I make mine start at 4 or 5 am. You do not have to do that.
Ingredients for Two Loaves of Sourdough Bread
- 190 g Active Starter
- 780 g Purified Room Tempurature Water
- 1060 g Organic Bread Flour
- 4 Tsp Fine Artisan Sea Salt
The Best Golden Sourdough Bread Recipe | Easy for Beginners | 24 Hour Sourdough Bread Timeline
5:30 am
Feed Starter 1/4 cup of starter, 1/4 cup of purified room temperature water, and 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour (not bread flour!) Add a piece of tape near your starter line to track the growth. Set the starter in a warmer area of the house.
12:00 to 1:00 pm
Add the weighed activated starter and water to a large bowl and mix well. Mix in the weighed organic bread flour. You may have to use your hands to combine the ingredients. Add the salt (make sure to add it last, so it does not interfere with the starter.) At this point, the mixture will be very sticky and hard to form into a ball. Cover it with a damp towel, and set it aside for one hour.
1:15 pm
After making your sourdough, feed your starter jar, and place it back in the refrigerator if you do not plan to bake for a few days. If you plan to bake it again the next day, you can leave it out on the counter.
2:00 pm
Wet your hands. Fold and stretch your dough until it forms a large ball. You can do this without bringing your dough onto the countertop. I usually do this step with the dough in the bowl the entire time. (refer to the video for help) Once the dough is formed into a ball, cover it back up with a damp cloth and set it aside for three to five hours. It should double in size at this point. Keep your dough in a warm house (67 to 73.) I have often placed the bread in the oven to rise with the light on.
6:00 pm
Remove the dough from the bowl. Divide the dough into two equal parts. I use a scale to ensure the separated dough weighs the same; otherwise, baking times will change for each. It’s ok if they are a few grams off. Add a little flour to your surface, stretch and fold, and then shape each sourdough into a tight ball. Add flour to the banneton, and place the dough smooth side down into the banneton (proofing basket.) Cover with a damp towel, and place in the refrigerator overnight. The longer it proofs in the refrigerator, the bolder the flavor will become. If you want to add in fillers like cheese, cinnamon, raisins, etc., do this during the last stretch and fold (I shared this in the video.)
You can leave the proofing sourdough in the refrigerator for up to 36 hours, so if you want to bake the bread when you get home the next day instead of the morning time, that will work too!
Some do not proof their sourdough in the refrigerator. I had the BEST results after cool proofing. Whenever I left the bread out, it rose and rose, and I had to do another stretch and fold in the morning before baking.
5:30 am (next day)
Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
Remove the proofed sourdough from the refrigerator. Transfer the dough to a sheet of parchment paper (smooth side up.) Dust with flour, and use your fingers to smooth the surface. Use scissors, a knife, or a scoring tool to add fun designs. Slice the dough about 1/2 inch thick on the top before placing it into the oven. This will form a stunning “ear” on the sourdough bread.
6:00 am
Bake your sourdough bread.
Place the bread (still on top of parchment paper) into a dutch oven with a lid. Bake for 50 minutes. Remove the lid, and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Remember that all ovens cook differently, so pay attention to the bread once you remove the lid. You do not want to go through all of that work and then burn your bread!
7:00 am
Allow the bread to cool on a rack for two hours before slicing.
9:00 am
ENJOY YOUR BREAD!
When do I add my fillers to sourdough bread?
Once you master the art of making a plain loaf, adding in flavors is when the fun begins!
If you add herbs, you can mix those in during your first fold and stretch.
Garlic, rosemary, lavender, oats, cinnamon, thyme, basil, etc.
If you’re making bread filled with cheese, fresh produce, sugar, honey, olive oil, or other fun ingredients, I typically wait until the final stretch and fold and shape to do so.
The key is ensuring the ingredients (other than herbs) are folded into the center and not on the outside. Otherwise, it can stick to the pan or burn at a high temperature (especially when using honey.)
Some ingredients can take the extra heat.
Fun flavors of sourdough bread
Jalapeño & Cheese
Fold in a generous amount of diced pepper jack cheese, sharp cheddar cheese, and jalapeños. Add olive oil, extra cheese, and jalapeños to the score lines before baking.
Cinnamon Honey
Add lines of honey and sprinkles of cinnamon in the center of your folds. Try your best not to get honey on the outside of your dough (honey burns quickly.) If honey intimidates you, use brown sugar instead!
Garlic Parmesan
Add roasted garlic cloves, dried basil, olive oil, and parmesan to the center of your folds.
When your bread is done, add more parmesan and basil to the top, and let it cool. (don’t add parm on top until it is cooked, or it will burn)
Everything But the Bagel
Fold everything but the bagel seasoning in during your first stretch and fold. After scoring, add olive oil and extra everything but the bagel seasoning into the creases.
Cream Cheese & Lox
One of my favorite ways to enjoy sourdough is slicing it, drizzling olive oil over the top, warming it up in the oven, spreading garlic cream cheese on top with a splash of dill, lox, red onion, a lemon drizzle, and capers. Or, if you want to keep it dairy-free, use an avocado spread instead of cream cheese.
Honey Oat
Fold in the oats during the first stretch and fold. Carefully fold in the honey during the final stretch and fold.
