Classic Artisan Sourdough Bread

The recipe & method I follow for a classic loaf of sourdough bread

There’s something about walking into a restaurant and being greeted with warm bread before a meal — it feels like an invitation to slow down and savor. My family and I have always been bread lovers, a little bit of bread connoisseurs, really. I wanted that same feeling at home, so I set out to learn how to bake the kind of bread that makes you close your eyes with the first bite — crusty on the outside, soft inside, and so fragrant it fills the whole house.

This is the recipe that started it all for me at Leaf & Loaf Bakery. I bake it as an artisan boule or with my viral Two Pan Method, and every time, it’s the smell of it coming out of the oven that my kids will always remember when they think of home.

Equipment Needed

• Mixer (use code Maria to get $$ off and free shipping)

• Scale

• Bread scoring lame or sharp knife

• Loaf Pans

• Parchment paper

• Silicon oven gloves (use code Maria15 to get 15% off)

• Food thermometer

Ingredients To Feed Your Sourdough Starter

• 8 grams (1 ½ teaspoons) of sourdough starter at peak

  • You can buy some of mine here

• 46 grams (3 tablespoons) of filtered water - room temperature

• 46 grams (⅓ cup) of bread flour

Ingredients for a 900 grams loaf

• 472 grams (3 ¾ cups + 2 teaspoons) of high-quality organic bread flour -13% or more protein content (100%)

• 90 grams (⅓ cup) of active sourdough starter - at peak, fed at a 1:4:4 ratio (19%)

• 328 grams (1 ⅓ cups + 1 tablespoon) of filtered water (70%)

• 10 grams (1 ½ teaspoons) of sea salt (2%)

But first, a word about your sourdough starter:

For this and any sourdough recipe to work out as intended you must start with a starter that is well-established, mature, and well-fed and cared for. Your starter must be at least 14 days old and doubling or tripling after each feeding. I recommend you feed it at a 1:4:4 ratio or higher for this recipe. Use it at peak.

Instructions

Mix starter + 308 g water, then flour, and mix until well combined. Rest 1 hr.
Add salt + the rest of water, mix until combined. Rest 30 min.
Perform 3-4 sets of stretch and folds or coil folds, each every 30 minutes.
Let it rest until bulk fermentation is complete.
Pre shape and rest for 30 minutes.
Final shape and put in your banneton seam side up or in a lined or greased loaf pan seam side down.
Cold proof or counter proof.
Preheat oven to 500F. Score.
Bake 30 minutes covered and 15 minutes uncovered.
Remove from baking vessel and let it cool for 3-4 hours before slicing.

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