How to make Classic Crusty Sourdough without Fancy Equipment
This is a guest article by my sister Lydia! She is an excellent cook that takes her craft to the next level. I was excited to learn how to make a simple classic crusty sourdough loaf from her!
Myth: You need lots of fancy expensive tools to make a decent loaf of crusty sourdough.
Believe it or not, sourdough is much easier to make than you suspect. You actually don’t need any extra fancy equipment (bench scraper, dutch oven, bread lame, banneton basket, bread knife, proofing box, dough whisk, etc.) to make a delicious classic crusty sourdough loaf in your kitchen.
I didn’t need to purchase any tools to make a sourdough loaf that I was proud of. Even some of the few tools I used from my kitchen were not necessary. Here is what I used from my kitchen:
Tools I Used
Kitchen scale (optional)
Large bowl
Wooden spoon (any spoon works, or you can just use your hands!)
Pizza stone
Cast iron pan (or any oven-safe pan/ware works)
Edgeless baking sheet (for transferring dough to hot oven, optional)
Knife (or something sharp)
Kitchen (tea) towel
Dinner plate (to cover my dough bowl)
Meat thermometer (optional)
I believe sourdough is much easier to fit into your busy life than other types of bread!
Making a loaf of sourdough is surprisingly uncomplicated and takes minimal time, effort, and expertise.
My Recommended Timeline
I recommend starting this recipe in the morning, doing your stretch and folds through the day, and then letting it rest in the refrigerator overnight.
Once I mix the ingredients, I leave the dough covered on the counter for the rest of the day (6-12 hours or until doubled, time depends on your house temperature).
I complete rounds of stretch and folds over the time it is sitting on the counter, and each of those rounds only takes 60-90 seconds out of my day!
These stretch and folds make those lovely little pockets of air in the loaf that sourdough is known and loved for.
Before I head to bed, I minimally shape the dough making it look like a round pillow then let it rest in the fridge covered for about 12-15 hours.
The next morning, I fire up my stove and a short time later I have a warm classic crusty loaf of sourdough that is just begging to be cut into and gobbled up.
Classic Crusty Sourdough Recipe
Classic Crusty Sourdough
Ingredients
- 475 Grams All-purpose flour (3 & 1/2 cups)
- 100 Grams Active sourdough starter (1/2 cup)
- 325 Grams warm (not hot) water (1 & 1/3 cup)
- 10 Grams Salt (2 teaspoons)
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients in a bowl with a wooden spoon until combined & dough-like (resist adding more water if it seems dry).
- Cover the bowl and allow it to sit for approximately 30 minutes to allow the flour to properly absorb the water.
- After about 30 minutes, it is time to start stretch and folds. You will do this 4 times, allowing the dough to rest at least 30 minutes between each stretch and fold.
- To stretch and fold the dough, dip your fingers in warm water then grab an end of the dough pulling up to stretch it, then fold it over the rest of the dough. Do this 4 times (one for each “side” of the dough) before covering the bowl and allowing the dough to rest at least 30 minutes before the next stretch and fold. This process activates the gluten, creates those lovely sourdough bubbles in the slice, and replaces the typical kneading of the dough. You may need to bounce the dough as you attempt to stretch it up and out.
- The dough needs to be left out until it has doubled in size which can take anywhere from 6 to 12 hours, depending on the temperature of your house.
- I have a cooler draftier home so like to start this recipe in the morning, and leave the dough out on my counter during the day until I have finished cleaning up the kitchen for the evening and I am about to head to bed.
- After the dough has adequately risen, it’s time to shape the dough! To shape the dough, dust the clean counter with flour and plop the dough on there. Take the sides of the dough and tuck it underneath itself, this makes it more round, springy, and pillow-like. Grab a kitchen tea towel, dust the center of it with flour, and place the shaped dough on the dusted portion of it. Transfer the dough using the towel ends and place it in a bowl, cover the bowl, and put it in the fridge. Allow the shaped dough to rise in the fridge for 12-15 hours.
- About an hour before you are ready to bake your bread, place a pizza stone on the middle rack of your oven and a cast iron pan on the lowest rack and preheat the oven to 500 °F.
- After the oven has been preheating for about an hour, boil some water and then carefully fill the hot cast iron pan on the bottom rack about halfway.
- At this time remove the dough from the fridge, dust it with flour (optional), and score it in some pretty way with something sharp. Place the scored dough on a piece of parchment paper.
- Slide the parchment paper and dough onto the preheated pizza stone (I like to use an edgeless cookie sheet for this step) and bake with the steaming cast iron pan for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, remove the steaming cast iron pan, change the oven temperature to 475º, and bake for another 4 minutes. After those 4 minutes, you can check the internal temperature by sticking a meat thermometer in the bottom of the loaf towards the center. If it reads around 190º your loaf is done.This second portion of the bake can really vary from oven to oven, from as little as 4 minutes to as many as 20! Use the internal temperature of your loaf as your guide!
- Remove your beautiful sourdough loaf from the oven and let it sit for an hour before cutting into it and enjoying the fruits of your relatively effortless labor.
Notes
In my home, we like to butter a slice of this sourdough bread and pair it with creamy chicken noodle soup, use it as breakfast sandwich bread, or slather some peanut butter and eat it with some freshly made hot cocoa!
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