sourdough baking

A light rye sourdough bread with a soft crumb, that you can make at home with active sourdough starter.

Rustic Rye Sourdough Bread

active sourdough starter

slightly warmer than room temperature water

honey

fine rye flour

bread flour

whole wheat flour

salt

Before beginning, it will be helpful to watch...

Before beginning, it will be helpful to watch this SHORT VIDEO to see me make this bread, noticing that the dough will be stickier than normal because of the rye flour, but it will come together - you just have to trust!

Add starter, water, and honey to a bowl....

Add starter, water, and honey to a bowl. Whisk thoroughly until combined, with a fork. Add flours, and mix together first with the fork to start to incorporate, then with your hands until a shaggy dough is formed, and the bits of flour left just disappear. Sprinkle the salt on top and do not mix in, just leave it on top. Cover with a damp cloth.

Autolyse: let dough sit for one hour, covered...

Autolyse: let dough sit for one hour, covered and undisturbed.

Bulk ferment: Now you will knead the salt...

Bulk ferment: Now you will knead the salt that is sitting on top, into the dough for about 1 min 15 seconds. There is no precise way to do this, just think of working the dough through your hands and up against the bowl, push and pull. You will start to feel the dough relax a bit around 1 minute. Continue for about 15 or 30 seconds more. Then leave the dough alone, covered, for 30 minutes. This counts as what would be your first set of stretch and folds.

After those 30 minutes pass, perform a set...

After those 30 minutes pass, perform a set of stretch and folds. Repeat 2 more times.

Now you will let sit, undisturbed and covered...

Now you will let sit, undisturbed and covered with a damp cloth, for about 7ish hours at 70 degrees F. If the temperature in your home is above 70, this will take less time, vice versa. You will know it is finished with its bulk ferment when the dough has risen about double, is smooth and puffy on top, with a few bubbles. It will not be as jiggly as some sourdough you've made before.

At this point, lightly dust your work surface...

At this point, lightly dust your work surface with flour. Put dough onto the work surface, and pre-shape. This video will show you what that means. Let sit for 15 minutes on your work surface.

Then shape your dough, using this method as...

Then shape your dough, using this method as a guide.

Place dough into your flour dusted banneton, (or...

Place dough into your flour dusted banneton, (or flour dusted linen lined banneton) seam side up. (Optional, you can wait 15 minutes after placing it in banneton, and pinch the perimeters of the dough into the center to hold the shape even more, called stitching.) The dough will now go through its final rise. You can do this on the counter, which will take about 2 hours at 70 degrees F for the dough to puff up and be jiggly. It will not double. OR you can do the final rise overnight in the refrigerator, with the banneton covered in a plastic bag or with a very damp cloth. You need this for holding moisture in.

Time to bake. Preheat your oven to 500...

Time to bake. Preheat your oven to 500 degrees F, with your dutch oven preheating inside the oven. When the oven is preheated, flip your dough out gently onto parchment paper and score your dough. If you did the final rise in the refrigerator, take it straight from fridge to scoring. You should score it cold, and DO NOT need to let it come to room temp.

Then put dough into the dutch oven on...

Then put dough into the dutch oven on the parchment, and put cover on. Turn oven down to 450 degrees F and slide dutch oven in. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove cover.

Turn heat down to 430 degrees F, and...

Turn heat down to 430 degrees F, and bake for 25 more minutes, until crust is golden brown and crackly. Remove from oven, and remove bread from dutch oven and place onto a cooling rack.

Wait AT LEAST one hour to cool otherwise,...

Wait AT LEAST one hour to cool otherwise, the interior will be gummy.

An easy, yet decadent recipe for homemade chocolate chip cookies with sourdough starter (so soft and chewy!). The dough can be made in advance and baked straight from the fridge. Recipe adapted from The Cookie Book, by Rebecca Firth. I've also included the original non-sourdough version in the recipe notes below.

Soft and Chewy Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies

tbsp. (115 g) unsalted butter

(210 g) light brown sugar, packed

(96 g) granulated sugar

eggs, room temperature

(158 ml) sunflower seed oil oil

(100 g) bubbly, active sourdough starter OR leftover sourdough discard (100% hydration)

tbsp. milk, room temperature

vanilla extract

(238 g) all purpose flour (see notes below)

(204 g) bread flour

baking powder

baking soda

fine sea salt

(300 g) chopped dark, semi sweet,

chocolate

Rebecca’s

flour flour

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. 

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the oil, sourdough starter, milk and vanilla. Mix well. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, bread flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add this to the wet mixture (in batches) and mix on low speed until just combined.

Fold in the the chocolate chunks with a wooden spoon. Check the bottom of the bowl to make sure the ingredients are fully blended. The dough should be soft and not stick to your hands.

Cover and chill the dough for 1 hr. The dough can be baked cold.

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Set the oven rack to the top third, about 6 inches from the heat source. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

Portion the dough into 2 heaping tbsp. balls (about 30 g each). Then gently roll by hand like a meatball. Place onto the baking sheets 3 across and 4 down, about 2 inches apart. Bake 1 pan at a time.

Bake the cookies for 11-12 minutes. They will be light golden brown when ready. Cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes to set up, and then transfer to a wire rack.

Wow! These photos make me want to make the batter right now, bake tonight and binge on Netflix and cookies! Thanks for including the non-sourdough version. I have'nt had the courage to try that yet.

Hi Emilie. Definitely going to try these right away!   Is it ok to use all-purpose flour?  And for future (my husband doesn't like chocolate chips) what about raisins instead of chocolate chips and a bit of quick oats for oatmeal cookies?  Thank you!

If baking from frozen, do they need to thaw? Or can they go straight in to the oven? How long would you recommend in the oven then if they were still frozen? 
Thank you!!! I baked one half and froze the other. They're SO GOOD!!!!!!!
-R

These were so good!! Didn’t even last a full day in my house!

This is definitely a keeper, great recipe! Just thought I’d point out that this recipe makes a lot more than 30 30g cookies. It made 49 plus all the raw dough I ate lol!!

I made these over the weekend and they were SO good! Perfect recipe for using sourdough starter. Will definitely make again, thank you!!!

I have baked soooo many choc chip cookies recipes over the past 10 weeks of iso life and they’ve all been average. Very average. I made these yesterday and they are phenomenal!!!!! Seriously the best choc chip cookies I’ve ever made.
I used olive oil 😱 as that’s all I had. The raw dough smelt and tasted so strongly of olive oil I was stressed I’d ruined them. But once they were cooked and properly cooled I couldn’t even tell there was olive oil in them.
Not sure I can ever make them again....I literally can’t stop eating them!!!!

thank you x infinity! i came for the beginner sourdough bread tutorial, i stayed for the buttermilk blueberry muffin recipe(i added lemon zest and juice), and now THIS!? my family and coworkers thank you!

Hi Emilie,

I made them today . The only difference was i used canola oil and since my butter was salted i didnt add salt. It was delicious but didnt come our chewy. I made only half the quanitty carefully measuring everything on a scale. I love chewy texture and thats one of the reason i tried this recipe seeing "Chewy" :) Let me know what would have gone wrong. What makes the cookie chewy where i went wrong.

I made these this weekend did times 5 I added 2 12 tsp cinnamon they are so good and soft used only ap flour did 1c unsalted butter 1/2 c rag and 1 cup butter flavored crisco  used a #50 scoop and got about 33 1/2 dozen I also added chopped nuts  to half of the dough the starter I used had been in the refrigerator  for 4 days and was good

I made this using only the weight measurements. 158 ml of canola oil is 144 grams - WAY too much oil, the batter was not usable. for the oil I would go by measure not be weight.

I just made these and they are yummy!  I added about a half cup of macadamia nuts in place of the last half cup of chocolate.  I altered the recipe for high altitude and it worked out perfectly!  The dough is so yummy too with that tablespoon of vanilla and brown sugar in it.  It is the most interesting cookie dough texture and was surprised that it wasn't sticky at all as you said to expect that texture.  I increased oven temp to 360 degrees for 10 minutes baking and decreased the sugar and baking soda content just a tad bc I am at 7,680 elevation.  Thanks for the unique sourdough cookie recipe!  Loving all your sourdough recipes, as I m new to baking with the mother!

Love this recipe. I used coconut oil in the recipe and it turned out wonderful. This is my go to recipe for chocolate cookies. I also only did the cookies with one tablespoon with the hopes they will last longer than a day. My teen and husband love these

I just bought your cookbook! It is fantastic! I have recommended your website to several of my friends. Your sandwich bread has made sourdough work at our house! Carrot cake is fantastic! Cranberry pecan bread was a huge win and the chocolate chip cookies/banana bread were so yummy!!!!!  Thank you so much!!! Your website has made sourdough easy...!

Hello, I just made the cookies and my family really likes it. Soft and chewy as described. Good way to use the sourdough starter. I just want to ask, would it be possible let to omit/reduce the oil and replace/increase it with the butter? I am not sure but it seems to less  buttery-smelling as I'd hoped. Many thanks!

I love how soft and chewy these turned out!  I like a little more butter flavor in my cookies, is the oil what keeps/makes them soft or can I substitute some/all the oil for butter?

These cookies are so yummy! They turned out perfectly. I had Maldon salt so I only added 1 tsp of salt and then used the flaked salt on top of the cookies. It was helpful to read some of the other comments because I would have measured the oil in ml instead of by cups. Thanks for a great recipe and a good way to use up sourdough discard!

Hmm it appears like your site ate my first comment (it was super long) so I guess I'll 
just sum it up what I submitted and say, I'm thoroughly enjoying 
your blog. I as well am an aspiring blog writer but I'm still new to everything.
Do you have any helpful hints for beginner blog writers?
I'd definitely appreciate it.

These are the best cookies I have ever made. Thank you!

I have made this recipe several times now with great success. I will say that three generations of my family unanimously agree that adding the flaked salt to the top of the cookie is the best!! Thanks for another great recipe.

These are absolutely incredible! I've enjoyed all of your recipes and this one might be my favorite so far! I made mine substituting coconut oil and adding heath bar pieces to my chocolate. They had an incredible texture, being crisp on the outside with a chewy middle. Perfectly buttery and not too sweet. Definitely making these again soon. Thank you!

Will never make any other chocolate cookie recipe. These are amazing. We have experimented and now use only the yolks of the eggs to reduce the water content as we prefer them a little less floppy (though still soft and chewy). Depending who’s cooking them we use dark, milk or white chocolate or a mix of all three! I freeze them as dough balls and they cook beautifully straight from frozen. I’m also working my way through your wonderful bread book and loving every recipe.

So good! We froze the cookie dough balls and for a month we have had fresh hot cookies a few times a week. Yum!  I bake at for exactly 12 minutes from frozen - once i baked a little longer and we really missed the melty chocolate center. We wrapped each ball in greased paper and froze in a gallon ziplock. There is probably an easier way but this keeps the balls from sticking together.

Thank you for this comment!! I froze some and was wondering how long to bake, also i freeze mine on a cookie sheet with a little space between them covered in plastic wrap and transfer to a ziplock once frozen

So good! I made 1/2 a batch, but wish I had read the comments about freezing  first. I will definitely make these again.

Very good cookies! My first time baking cookies and it’s super easy and straightforward.

I have cut down sugar by 40% and reduced oil to 60ml (use extra virgin oil) and cookies turned out very well. Thank you for sharing your recipes with us!

So the convection oven will be -20 from the recipe temperature?

Made these today and they taste amazing. However, my dough did feel quite wet and oily. I was careful to follow the recipe to the letter, but when the oil went in, it did feel like a lot. Looking at your photos, yours definitely look less greasy and more crumbly. Mine were like little greasy balls. Still came out tasting great, more cakey and crumbly than chewy I'd say. Any idea what I might be doing 'wrong'? Thanks!

Thanks for your response! I did use bread flour as well as plain. This time I reduced the oil to somewhere between 1/2 and 2/3 cup on the measuring jug (about 120ml). Batter came out absolutely perfect, so I reckon it's just adjusting to whatever flour I'm using! I made them with dark, milk and white chocolate and I'm now slightly worried as I can't seem to stop eating them!!! :D

Sourdough levain is a great way to limit the amount of discard you throw away! It&#x27;s made from sourdough starter you keep in the fridge.

How to Make Sourdough Levain

sourdough starter

flour of choice

water

These buttery, flakey biscuits are the perfect use of your sourdough starter&#x27;s discard. 

Sourdough Biscuits 

all-purpose flour

(1 stick) cold unsalted butter

sourdough starter discard

Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 425ºF. 

Place 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine. 

Grate 1 stick cold unsalted butter on the large holes of a box grater. Add the grated butter to the flour mixture and use your fingers to toss and coat the butter in the flour, breaking up any clumps of grated butter.

Make a well in the flour mixture and add 1 cup sourdough starter. Stir together with a spatula until a rough, shaggy dough forms. 

Scrape the dough out onto a clean work surface. Pat the dough into a 1-inch-thick rough rectangle (about 5 x 7-inches), with a long side close to you. Sprinkle the dough with a little more flour, if needed. Fold the dough in half from top to bottom, then pat it back down into its original shape. Repeat with the folding and patting, alternating folding from each side, the bottom, and the top until you have completed a total of 8 folds. At the end, the dough should be a little springy to the touch.

Pat the dough until 1-inch thick. Use a 3-inch round cutter to cut out 6 biscuits. If you don&#x27;t get 6 the first time around, gather the scraps together into a ball, pat back down until 1-inch thick, and cut out more as needed. Discard the scraps of leftover dough.

Place the biscuits on an ungreased, unlined baking sheet, arranging them so they just barely touch each other. Bake until golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately with butter or jam. 

A naturally fermented sourdough bread that has a fluffy interior and golden brown crust. This is a great recipe for sourdough beginners, and walks you through the entire process of making a basic sourdough bread.

Delicious Everyday Sourdough Bread Recipe

filtered water

organic bread flour

organic whole wheat flour

In a large bowl, mix starter and water with a fork, until starter is dispersed.

Add flours and salt, mixing with a spatula first. Then with your hand until a shaggy dough is formed, just enough so that flour is not visible.

Cover with a damp cloth and let sit for 30 minutes to an hour.

Then perform 4 sets of stretch and folds, 30 minutes apart. You can see a video of how to do this, HERE.

After those stretch and folds are completed over a 2 hour time frame, you will let the dough finish its bulk ferment. This means letting the dough rise on the counter for around 6 hours if your house is at 70 degrees. It will take more time if it is cooler, or less time if it warmer. When your dough has about doubled in size, it is ready for shaping.

Once dough has about doubled in size, has a glossy top and is puffy, you'll gently move the dough out of the bowl onto a floured work surface. Let the dough rest there for 10-15 minutes.

Then, shape the dough. You can watch THIS VIDEO to learn how to shape.

Once shaped, use a bench scraper to put the dough into a flour dusted, linen lined banneton (proofing basket), seam side of the dough facing up.

Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise for a final time, on the counter. This will take about 2 hours, if your house is around 70 degrees. OR you can put it in the refrigerator and let the final rise happen overnight. The dough can be in the refrigerator for 10-12 hours at this stage.

Once your dough has gone through its final rise and has risen slightly and is puffy on top, preheat your oven to 450 degrees F. You can test to see if your dough is ready by doing gently pressing a floured thumb into the dough. If it indents and gradually releases, but still holds a finger shape, you&#39;re ready! If you press your finger in and the indent doesn&#39;t move or release, that means it is overproofed (but still bake i!). If your fingerprint jumps right back up to flat, your dough is underproofed (but still bake it!). Let it ferment in half hour more increments, until ready.

Wait until oven is preheated, then place parchment over the top of your dough and flip over, so that the seam side is now on the parchment paper and you are able to score the top of the dough.

Score the dough with a bread lame, making sure to go at least 1/2 inch deep in a few spots so that dough can release gases. Otherwise your bread will not rise.

Place dough on parchment paper into a dutch oven, and put cover on it. Bake for 20 minutes, covered at 450 degrees F. Then remove cover, and bake for 25 more minutes, until bread is golden brown and crackly.

Remove from oven and place load on a cooling rack. Let cool for AT LEAST ONE HOUR before slicing. Otherwise the crumb will be squished and the texture will be gummy.

https://embed.mediavine.com/videos/mgahrhcrshjqfmu1uxme

A quick video showing how to shape round sourdough bread, also known as a boule. Shaping is important for sourdough baking so that the loaf can hold its shape. Beginners to bread making will be able to see each step necessary.

How To Shape a Round Sourdough Boule

Rye Sourdough Starter is - by far - the easiest sourdough to start. All you need is rye flour and water.

Rye Sourdough Starter (100% Hydration)

rye flour (divided)

water (divided)

You will need: 2¼ ounces rye flour + 2¼ ounces waterUsing a wooden spoon, mix the rye flour and water in a mason jar or non-reactive bowl. Cover loosely and place in a dark place at 70°F for 24 hours. (I put mine up against the counter right next to my stove.)Your unfermented Starter will be the consistency of thick cook dough. It will loosen up over time.

Day 1

You will need: 2¼ ounces rye flour + 2¼ ounces waterAdd the rye flour and water to the starter. Mix with a clean wooden spoon for 30 seconds until the flour has been incorporated. Cover loosely and place in a dark place at 70°F for 24 hours.

Day 2

You will need: 1⅛ ounces rye flour + 1⅛ ounces waterAdd the rye flour and water to the starter. Mix with a clean wooden spoon for 30 seconds until the flour has been incorporated. Cover loosely and place in a dark place at 70°F for 24 hours.

Day 3

You will need: 1⅛ ounces rye flour + 1⅛ ounces waterIf bubbles have started to form and the flour has begun to ferment, discard ⅔ of the mixture in the jar. Add the flour and water to the remaining ⅓ and mix for 30 seconds until the flour is well incorporated. (If the mixture has not started to ferment repeat step 3.)

Day 4

The starter should be mature by this point and is ready to use. Use the starter as needed. After use, see feeding instructions.

If you want to convert your starter to a white flour or whole wheat Starter, you may begin feeding it with all-purpose flour from this point on.

Day 5

The amount you feed your sourdough starter depends on how much of it you have to start with. You want to approximately double your starter each time you feed it. For example, if you have 8 ounces of Starter, you will feed it 4 ounces of water and 4 ounces of flour.

If you have more starter on hand than you anticipate using for baking, you can toss (or share!) a cup or more of Starter and then double what remains. You always want to have at least 8 ounces of Starter leftover after baking to keep the process going.

Healthy Starter can be refrigerated for up to a week between feedings; however, most sourdough experts recommend feeding Sourdough Starter at least twice a week for best results. (Honestly, I often leave it FAR longer with no problems.) 

Read Sourdough Starter: Care &amp; Feeding for tips and advice for the care and feeding of a sourdough starter, including how to maintain it, and how to revive a neglected starter.

Feeding Sourdough Starter

A homemade rye sourdough bread recipe, made with active sourdough starter. Plus, 10 more tasty sourdough bread recipes for home bakers!

Top 10 Sourdough Bread Recipes, plus Rye Sourdough

slightly warmer than room temperature water, (about 80 degrees F)

fine salt

Before beginning, it will be helpful to watch these SHORT VIDEOS to see me make this bread so you see that the dough will be stickier than normal, but it will come together - you just have to trust!

After those 30 minutes pass, perform a set of stretch and folds. Repeat 2 more times.

At this point, lightly dust your work surface with flour. Put dough onto the work surface, and pre-shape. This video will show you what that means. Let sit for 15 minutes on your work surface.

Then shape your dough, using this method as a guide.

Place dough into your flour dusted banneton, (or flour dusted linen lined banneton) seam side up. (Optional, you can wait 15 minutes after placing it in banneton, and pinch the perimeters of the dough into the center to hold the shape even more, called stitching.) The dough will now go through its final rise. You can do this on the counter, which will take about 2 hours at 70 degrees F for the dough to puff up and be jiggly. It will not quite double. OR you can do the final rise overnight in the refrigerator, with the banneton covered in a plastic bag or with a very damp cloth. You need this for holding moisture in.

https://mediavine-res.cloudinary.com/video/upload/t_original/v1609169785/mgahrhcrshjqfmu1uxme.mp4

A delicious sourdough bread recipe that is lightly sweetened with honey and studded with toasted walnuts. The crumb is soft and the  flavor is incredible! Naturally leavened with sourdough starter.

Toasted Walnut and Honey Sourdough Bread

cinnamon

sourdough starter (at its peak)

room temperature water (around 75ish degrees)

raw honey

fine sea salt ((1 1/2 teaspoons))

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread walnuts on a cookie sheet, and bake for 6 minutes, or until they are just fragrant. You can also do this on the stovetop if you prefer. Remove from oven and pour walnuts onto a plate. Toss with cinnamon and let cool. Once cool, coarsely chop the walnuts.

In a large bowl, mix starter, water, and honey. Add flours and salt, stirring with a fork to combine. Then use your hands to combine until dough is shaggy and flour is worked into dough. Cover with damp cloth and let rest for 45 minutes. 

After the rest, mix the dough with your hands for 1 to 2 minutes. Then perform your first set of stretch and folds. You will then let rest for 30 minutes, and perform your 2nd set of stretch folds. 30 minutes later, add walnuts to dough and perform your 3rd set of stretch and folds. (They don&#39;t have to be totally evenly dispersed. This will happen naturally in your next set of folds, and the bulk fermentation.) Let dough rest 30 minutes, then perform your 4th and final set of stretch and folds.

Cover with damp cloth and let rise until dough is almost doubled, about 6-7 hours at 70 degree F temperature. Will take longer if it is cooler in your home. 

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and let rest for 20 minutes. Then you will shape the dough into a circle, as the video shows, pulling the dough gently pulling the dough towards you to create tension. Place into lined banneton, seam side up. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k286724Q-WY

Everyday Sourdough Bread recipe: https://heartbeetkitchen.com/sourdough-bread-recipe-with-starter/

A quick video showing how to shape round sourdough bread, also known as a boule. Shaping is important for sourdough baking so that the loaf can hold its shape. Beginners to bread making will be able to see each step necessary.

For Beginners: Shaping A Round Sourdough Boule

The second rise can happen on the counter, or if it works better for your schedule, overnight in the refrigerator. On the counter it will take about 90 minutes for the second rise, until it has slightly risen and dough is a bit jiggly. If you do the second rise in the refrigerator, remove it in the morning when your oven is preheated. It will have risen properly by then. 

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Turn dough out on a piece of parchment paper, gently, and score the dough fairly simply, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep. Place loaf into dutch oven and cover. (Yes, you can bake this in a cold dutch oven. If you want to preheat you can, but I don&#39;t notice a huge difference in oven spring.)

Bake for 20 minutes, then remove cover and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, until beautifully browned and golden.. 

Remove loaf from oven and place on a cooling rack. Slice and enjoy once fully cooled, at least an hour after removing from oven. 

Using active sourdough starter, you&#x27;ll make the tastiest loaf of Sun-Dried Tomato &amp; Cheddar Sourdough, with pockets of cheese and pops of sweet-tart tomatoes in each bite!

Sun-Dried Tomato & Cheddar Sourdough Bread

filtered water (little warmer than room temp)

Wood River Creamery Cheddar Gruyere Cheese (original

plain sun-dried tomatoes

Add flours, mixing with a spatula first. Then with your hand until a shaggy dough is formed, just enough so that flour is not visible.

Sprinkle salt on top of dough. Cover bowl with a damp cloth and let sit for 40 minutes to an hour. While the dough is resting, rehydrate the sun-dried tomatoes by pouring boiling water over the top of them in a bowl.

Now work the salt into the dough, as you perform your 1st set of stretch and folds. Then let rest for a half hour. Perform 2 more sets of stretch and folds, waiting the 30 minutes in between for each. In essence, you are doing a total of 3 sets of stretch and folds over the course of 1 1/2 hours. 

After you have completed your 3rd set stretch and folds, wait another 30 minutes. 

Drain and rinse the sun-dried tomatoes (important because some brands dry theirs with salt, which needs to be rinsed off or you will have a very salty bread). Pat slightly dry, and chop into pieces.

Now you will add the mix-ins. To do this, use a dough scraper to gently remove your dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Use your hands to gently stretch the dough out into a rectangle about 12 inches X 14 inches. Distribute the cubes of cheese and sun-dried tomatoes over the inside of the dough, leaving about a 1 inch border. Gently pat the ingredients with your hands so that they stick to the dough.

Using lightly floured hands, gently pull one long side of the dough out, and over 1/2 of the dough. Do the same with the other long side of the dough, so both meet in the middle. Now you’ll have long cylinder like log. Gently roll the dough up so it is a round shape and put dough back into bowl. This step doesn’t have to be perfect, it isn’t the final shaping.

Let the dough bulk ferment on your counter, covered with a damp cloth for about 5-6 hours if your house is around 70 degrees. It will take more time if it is cooler, or less time if it warmer. 

When your dough has grown about 40-50%, has a smoother top and bubble or two peaking out the top , it is ready for shaping.

Gently move the dough out of the bowl onto a floured work surface. Let the dough rest for 10-15 minutes. Then, shape the dough. Once shaped, use a bench scraper to put the dough into a rice flour dusted banneton (proofing basket), seam side of the dough facing up.

Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise for a final time, either on the counter which will  take about 2 hours if your house is around 70 degrees - OR you can put it in the refrigerator in a garbage bag, and let the final rise happen overnight. The dough can be in the refrigerator for 8-10 hours at this stage. (If you do the final rise in the fridge, score and bake straight from the fridge. This makes it easier to score and hold its shape.)

Once your dough has gone through its final rise and has risen 30-40% and is puffy on top, you’re ready to bake. You can test to see if your dough is ready by doing gently pressing a floured thumb into the dough. If it indents and gradually releases, but still holds a finger shape, you're ready. If it indents and doesn't release at all, it still needs time to rise. Let it ferment in half hour more increments, until ready.

Preheat your oven with dutch oven inside of it, to 500 degrees F.

Wait until oven is preheated, then place parchment over the top of your dough and flip over, so that the seam side is now on the parchment paper and you are able to score the top of the dough. Score the dough with a bread lame, making sure to go at least 1/2 inch deep in a few spots so that dough can release gases. Otherwise your bread will not rise.

Place dough on parchment paper into dutch oven, and put cover on it. Turn heat down to 475 degees F and bake for 25 minutes, covered. Then remove cover, turn oven down to 435 degrees F and bake for 15-20 more minutes, until bread is golden brown and crackly.

A basic sourdough bread recipe made with 100% all-purpose flour, naturally leavened with sourdough starter. It has a soft and light crumb, with golden crust. Perfect recipe for when you don&#39;t have bread flour.

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Top 12 sourdough baking recipes from across the web

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