Description
This Easy Overnight Sourdough Bread recipe yields a crusty, tangy loaf made with a simple sourdough starter and all-purpose flour. The dough requires minimal hands-on time, with folds to develop gluten, an overnight rise, and baking in a Dutch oven to achieve a beautiful crust and airy crumb. Perfect for sourdough beginners, this method uses an unfed starter for a more pronounced sour flavor and produces a delicious homemade artisanal loaf.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 90 grams sourdough starter
- 520 grams all-purpose flour
- 12 grams salt
- 1 7/8 cups water
Instructions
- Mix the dough: The night before baking, combine 520 grams flour, 12 grams salt, and 90 grams sourdough starter in a bowl. Pour in 1 7/8 cups water and mix using your hands until the dough comes together, although it will be wet and not smooth. This is expected.
- First rest and folds: Cover the bowl with a towel and let the dough rest for 15 minutes. Then perform about 15 folds by taking a corner of the dough and folding it over the rest, rotating the bowl each time. Wet your hands slightly to prevent sticking. This helps develop gluten.
- Second rest and folds: Cover again and rest for another 15 minutes. Repeat the folding process once more and then cover and leave the dough out overnight to rise.
- Prepare for shaping: The next morning, the dough should have risen and show air bubbles on the surface. Line a mixing bowl with parchment paper and lightly flour it to hold the shaped dough later.
- Shape and fold the dough: Wet your hands, loosen the dough from the bowl edges, and gently lift the center to tuck the ends underneath. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and repeat this folding twice more. Finally, lift the dough and transfer it carefully to the prepared bowl, tucking the ends underneath. Sprinkle the top with flour and refrigerate for 5 hours.
- Preheat oven and Dutch oven: Preheat your oven to 500°F (260°C) using the convection setting if available. Place a Dutch oven inside the oven to heat while it preheats.
- Score and bake: Remove the dough from the fridge and score the surface with a sharp knife, typically a long slash down the center plus smaller slashes on each side. Using the parchment paper, transfer the dough into the heated Dutch oven.
- Bake covered: Bake the bread for 25 minutes with the lid on to trap steam and form a crispy crust.
- Bake uncovered: Remove the lid, reduce oven temperature to 450°F (230°C), and bake for an additional 12-14 minutes to achieve a golden crust.
- Cool: Remove the bread from the oven, allow it to cool enough to handle, then place it on a rack to cool completely. For best texture and flavor, wait at least 1 hour before slicing and serving.
Notes
- You can substitute other types of flour but keep a large portion as all-purpose to maintain the bread’s texture.
- Adjust baking times to get your preferred crust color; longer covered baking will lighten the crust while shortening uncovered baking will reduce browning.
- Using unfed starter gives a more sour flavor, but feeding your starter 8-12 hours before baking is also a common method for a milder taste.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (approx. 70g)
- Calories: 170
- Sugar: 0.2g
- Sodium: 250mg
- Fat: 1.3g
- Saturated Fat: 0.2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.1g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 35g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 6g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
