Sourdough Bread with Wild Yeast (Print Page)

Traditional wild-yeast loaf with tangy flavor, golden crust, and tender chewy interior

# What You Need:

→ Dough

01 - 2.25 cups bread flour (500 g)
02 - 1.5 cups water, room temperature (350 g)
03 - 0.5 cup active sourdough starter, 100% hydration (100 g)
04 - 2 teaspoons fine sea salt (10 g)

→ Optional for dusting

05 - Rice flour or additional bread flour for dusting

# Directions:

01 - Combine bread flour and water in a large mixing bowl, mixing until just incorporated. Cover the bowl and allow the mixture to rest for 1 hour at room temperature to develop gluten structure.
02 - Add active sourdough starter and fine sea salt to the autolyse mixture. Mix thoroughly by hand or with a dough hook until the dough becomes cohesive and evenly hydrated.
03 - Complete 4 sets of stretch and fold technique at 30-minute intervals over 2 hours, keeping the dough covered between each set to develop strength and structure.
04 - Cover the bowl and let the dough ferment at room temperature for 4–6 hours, or until approximately doubled in volume with visible bubble formation.
05 - Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a tight round or oval loaf, creating surface tension.
06 - Transfer the shaped dough to a floured proofing basket with seam side facing up. Cover and refrigerate for 8–12 hours to develop flavor through cold fermentation.
07 - Preheat oven to 450°F with a Dutch oven inside for at least 30 minutes to ensure thorough heating.
08 - Gently invert the dough onto parchment paper. Score the top surface with a sharp blade. Transfer the loaf with parchment into the preheated Dutch oven, cover, and bake for 20 minutes.
09 - Remove the Dutch oven lid and continue baking for an additional 20 minutes until the crust achieves a deep golden brown color.
10 - Transfer the baked loaf to a wire rack and allow it to cool for at least 1 hour before slicing to ensure proper crumb structure.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • Nothing compares to tearing into a loaf you created yourself, especially when the crackle of the crust echoes through your kitchen
  • The tangy flavor develops while you sleep, making you feel like a bread wizard with minimal morning effort
  • Your house will smell incredible, and neighbors might start appearing at your door with friendly curiosity
02 -
  • Patience with your starter pays off, and trying to bake with an underfed or inactive starter will lead to dense disappointing loaves
  • Scoring the dough isnt just decorative, it directs where the bread expands during oven spring for a beautiful rise
  • Using a Dutch oven creates steam that keeps the crust soft initially, allowing maximum expansion before it crisps up
03 -
  • Use a kitchen scale instead of measuring cups, as accuracy in sourdough baking really does matter for consistent results
  • Rice flour in your proofing basket works better than bread flour for preventing sticking during the final rise

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