I’ve baked this loaf, or some variant of it, so many times I’ve lost count. This bread was born when I first got my hands dirty with flour and water. Its parent—if you could call it that—was originally Chad Robertson’s Tartine loaf with his liquid levain, brought to life, not with intensive kneading, but rather a series of folds during bulk fermentation.
My best sourdough recipe has grown since then. It has developed a personality of its own as I’ve expanded my baking repertoire and investigated the many facets of baking naturally leavened sourdough. It’s taken on and lost traits from many great bakers out there, borrowing from their inspiration and giving me a direction to raise this bread into something of my own. This bread is one that doesn’t entirely taste like anything else I’ve had, and yet, still employs many of the same processes and ingredients.
That’s one of the greatest things about bread: it can taste and look dramatically different just by changing the two hands that create it. Calling this post “my best sourdough recipe” is a lofty claim, but honestly, I do believe this is the best bread I’ve made thus far.
I sometimes revisit a discussion I had with a few readers of this site and their comments: “bread is just bread, it’s something to be eaten and is something life-giving, isn’t that enough?” I agree, but when something becomes a passion for you it’s important to set lofty goals and get excited when breakthroughs are made. Isn’t that the definition of a craft and the relentless honing required?
I’ve taken my best sourdough recipe from its most nascent form to its current stage and can trace through the years each change to its formula or process — and I’m sure I’ll be changing things well into the future as it continues to evolve — a work-in-progress.
Yes it’s excessive in some way, but there’s an excessiveness to ambition as well.
John Mayer
Maybe the actual recipe for this bread isn’t the most important part, but rather, the lessons and insights learned along the way as I continually hone my baking proficiency. I’m not claiming this recipe will yield the perfect loaf every single time, but I dare say it comes the closest for me—and that’s exciting.
This bread is the bread that I want to make the most often, the one my family asks for the most often, and the one I share most often. I have a special place for whole wheat bread, and taste-wise, it might make me want to call that my favorite one day, but the versatility of this bread is pretty hard to beat. In fact, I bake this so often that my freezer has an entire shelf lined with pre-sliced loaves wrapped and in bags labeled pane perfetto.
While the actual formula for my best sourdough recipe is simply a mix of flour, water, salt, and levain, there are many nuances here to pay close attention to; here are a few key things to successfully making this bread:
- An active starter
- An autolyse
- A high hydration
- Sufficient dough strength
- A warm and complete bulk fermentation
- A long, cold proof
Before writing this post, I pulled out my trusty notebook (or use my free baker’s note sheet!) and paged through the handwritten (and flour-ridden) pages to find any scribbled “ah-ha” moments or little notes jotted down in the margin, along with a few curse words peppered throughout, and have bundled them up into this entry (sans curse words to keep it clean). A compendium of sorts containing my insights, breakthroughs, and ah-ha moments.
My best sourdough recipe doesn’t require an exotic blend of hard-to-find flour, a complicated multi-step levain build, or the use of a mechanical mixer. It’s built around making this bread in your home kitchen.
My best sourdough recipe is very highly hydrated and can be challenging. When mixing, be watchful for the signs and adjust the dough hydration to suit your environment and flour. If you’re not used to working with high-hydration dough, please start with hydration somewhere in the middle and slowly work up.
Flour Selection
I’ve tried a lot of flour out there (and am an avid user of freshly milled flour), indeed not everything there is, but I’ve ordered enough now that the UPS guy thinks I might have a bakery in my backyard. I have baked some great bread with Hayden Flour Mills, Central Milling, and Giusto’s. I’ve also had great success with King Arthur Baking high-protein white flour.
I have consistently made incredible loaves with Giusto’s flour; I only wish it were organic. Nevertheless, I find myself ordering a box of it here and there and enjoying the results every time. Of course, as I mentioned before, try whatever is local first (sadly, my source for local, organic flour is no longer available) and whatever you like.
When trying new flour, remember to hold back more water than you might otherwise, and then slowly add it in at the end of mixing or throughout bulk fermentation. Now, on to my best sourdough recipe.
Watch Me Make This From Start To Finish
I absolutely love this bread and make it often, but it can be challenging for first-time bakers. Be sure to watch my YouTube video below for a look at how I handle the dough and every step of the process.
If you’re brand new to baking sourdough, check out my Beginner’s Sourdough Bread recipe; it has in-depth information on every step in the baking process. Then come back and bake this!
My Best Sourdough Recipe
Vitals
| Total Dough Weight | 1,800 grams |
| Pre-fermented Flour | 6.4% |
| Levain percentage in final dough | 17.1% |
| Hydration | 85.0% |
| Yield | Two 900g loaves |
Total Formula
The target final dough temperature (FDT) is 78°F (25°C). This dough loves a warm ambient environment. Try to keep the dough at the listed temperatures if possible; use your oven with its light on inside, your microwave with a bowl of steaming water, or a proofer. I use my instant-read thermometer to check the dough temperature periodically throughout bulk.
For more information on how to calculate DDT, monitor temperature, and maintain temperature have a look at my post on The Importance of Dough Temperature in Baking.
| Weight | Ingredient | Baker’s Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 852g | Medium-protein bread flour (~11.5% protein, Giusto’s Artisan Bread Flour) | 90.00% |
| 94g | Whole wheat flour (Giusto’s Organic Stoneground Whole Wheat) | 10.00% |
| 710g | Water 1 | 75.00% |
| 95g | Water 2 | 10.00% |
| 17g | Salt | 1.80% |
| 30g | Ripe sourdough starter (100% hydration) | 3.20% |
As I mentioned above, my best sourdough recipe is an extremely high hydration. If this is your first time working with this recipe, reduce the total water or hold water back during mixing to ensure your dough can handle the addition. The amount of water your dough will handle will vary based on your particular flour and environment—play it safe the first few bakes and work the water up gradually once you get a feel for the dough.
My Best Sourdough Recipe Method
1. Levain – 9:00 a.m.
Build the liquid levain in the morning and store somewhere warm around 77-80°F (25-26°C) ambient for 5 hours.
| Weight | Ingredient | Baker’s Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 30g | Ripe sourdough starter (100% hydration) | 50% |
| 30g | Medium-protein bread flour (~11.5% protein, Giusto’s Artisan Bread Flour) | 50% |
| 30g | Whole wheat flour (Giusto’s Organic Stoneground Whole Wheat) | 50% |
| 60g | Water | 100% |
If you haven’t yet read through my post on my sourdough starter maintenance routine, check it out for some helpful hints on what to look for when your sourdough starter and levain are ripe and ready to use.
2. Autolyse – 12:00 p.m.
This highly hydrated dough can be mixed by hand or with a mechanical mixer (like a home spiral mixer). Either one will yield great results, but here, I’ll discuss mixing this dough by hand.
Mix the flour and water in a bowl until all the dry bits are incorporated, then cover. Ensure all the dry flour is hydrated—store near levain (we want the dough’s temperature to remain warm).
| Weight | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| 822g | Medium-protein bread flour |
| 64g | Whole wheat flour |
| 650g | Water 1 |
3. Mix – 2:00 p.m.
| Weight | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| 95g | Water 2 |
| 17g | Fine sea salt |
| 151g | Ripe liquid levain (see above) |
Add the ingredients to your dough in the mixing bowl that underwent an autolyse. Add the water slowly, in stages, while you’re mixing, and stop adding water if the dough feels excessively wet or soupy at any point.
Perform folds for about 2-3 minutes in the bowl. Grab under one side, pull up and over to the other side, then rotate the bowl a bit and repeat. I do this probably 30 times or so (it goes fast and easy). In the end, the dough should still be shaggy, but it will be more smooth and will start to hold itself together more in the bowl.
If you’re a fan of the slap & fold mixing technique I’ve described in the past, you can do this but be aware that it is difficult at this hydration. It’s best to first slap and fold the dough without adding all the reserved water to get the dough smooth and strong. Then, return the dough to the mixing bowl and slowly add the remaining water while folding the dough.
I find that the correct level of dough strength at this point is important. You want the dough to be smooth, elastic, and strong, but it doesn’t have to be fully developed, and it will still be shaggy. We will continue to strengthen the dough through stretch and folds in bulk fermentation.
Transfer dough to a tub or thick-walled bowl for bulk fermentation.
5. Bulk Fermentation – 2:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.
At 78°F (25°C) ambient temperature, bulk fermentation should go for about 4 hours. Perform six sets of stretch and folds during the bulk. The first three are at 15-minute intervals, and the last three are at 30-minute intervals. After these folds (2 hours and 15 minutes have gone by), let the dough rest for the remainder of bulk fermentation.
I stretch and fold more vigorously at the beginning of bulk than usual since it is extraordinarily slack and extensible (due to this recipe’s high hydration and autolyse). Pick up one side of the dough with both hands and pull it up, just before tearing, and fold it over to the other side. Rotate your container and repeat 4 or 5 times. That is one set.
Above, you can see my best sourdough recipe dough halfway through bulk, after about 2 hours. There is no significant rise as of yet, but the edges are beginning to dome downward, and the dough’s texture is smoothing out slightly. We still have several more folds to do and more strength to build.
It is essential that the dough is kept near 78°F (25°C) as much as possible (minor fluctuations up and down are ok). If temperatures dip down too far, you might have to extend the bulk fermentation duration to compensate, and vice versa. Use your judgment, the signs described below, and be flexible.
At the end of bulk, your dough should look very gassy, with some bubbles here and there, and the edges where the dough meets the bowl should be slightly domed. You can see all these signs in the image above.
When you gently shake the bowl, the entire mass jiggles from side to side—very alive. You’ll also notice that compared with the photo at the beginning of bulk, the dough is smoother and holds its edges, folds, and creases more readily (most of the bumps and ridges you see are due to trapped gasses from fermentation).
6. Divide & Preshape – 6:15 p.m.
Divide the dough into two halves and gently preshape each piece of dough into a round. Then, let the dough rest for 30 minutes, uncovered. Act quickly when handling this dough and rely heavily on your bench knife. I try to use my hands as little as possible when dealing with the dough at this point.
7. Shape – 6:45 p.m.
Lightly flour the top of your dough rounds and flour the work surface. With this recipe use a little more flour on the surface than normal, the dough will be extremely sticky and wet. Flip each round and shape into a batard (see notes below) or boule, whatever your preference.
Here’s a video of how I shape a bâtard. With this dough, be sure to use the “slack dough” shaping method since the dough is such high hydration.
I prefer to shape these as batards, and my shaping method is as follows:
- Flip pre-shaped round
- Fold the bottom up to about halfway
- Fold the left side over to about 3/4 to the right
- Fold the right side over to cover left
- Stretch top up & away from the center and fold down to about half (you’ll now have a “letter”)
- Grab a little of the dough at the sides near the top and stretch it over the center, so the dough crosses. Imagine lacing up a shoe where you first grab your laces and cross them over
- Repeat three times from top to bottom (the result will look like a laced up shoe)
- Take the bottom and gently roll the dough up to the top and try to seal it slightly when done rolling
Alternatively, if the dough feels pretty strong, you could shape it by “cinching” up the dough. For more instruction on how to shape this dough as an oblong loaf, see my post on how to shape a batard (with video!).
After shaping, let the dough rest on the bench for a few minutes and then place it into a banneton that is lightly dusted with white flour. You’ll see above my bannetons give the dough plenty of room to relax and expand in the fridge overnight. If your proofing container is on the smaller side, and you find your dough almost spilling over the edges, it might be time for a larger basket.
8. Proof – 7:25 p.m. to 9:00 a.m., the next day
Cover your banneton with plastic and place it in the refrigerator at 38°F (3°C) overnight.
9. Bake – Next Morning: Preheat oven at 8:00 a.m., Bake at 9:00 a.m.
Preheat your oven to 450°F (230°C). Remove the dough from the fridge (there’s no need to let the dough come to room temperature) and uncover. I scored the dough with a single, long slash to get that dramatic opening when baked. I keep the blade at a reasonably shallow angle so the taut skin created during shaping will “peel” back as the loaf rises.
I steamed my oven in my usual way, described here in my post on how to steam your home oven for baking. But you can also bake in a pot or Dutch oven.
Bake for 20 minutes with steam, then remove your steaming pans if baking on a surface or Dutch oven/combo cooker lid. Then, bake for an additional 30 minutes until done to your liking. I like to bake rather dark, so I sometimes extend this second half of baking until I get the crust I’m looking for.
Once your loaf is done, remove and let cool on a wire rack for 1-2 hours. See my post on the best way to store the bread after it’s baked for a few tips on keeping it on the counter and freezing if you think you won’t get through both loaves in a week.
Conclusion
It’s hard to put into words just how much I enjoy this “my best sourdough recipe.” I bake it almost every week (sometimes multiple times if baking for friends and family), and yet every time I pull it from the oven, I smile. The crust color, the open and light interior, only the smallest perception of sour notes, and the way it crunches when toasted. I could go on and on.
The photos to follow are the results of scattered recent bakes that all followed this process exactly and have a slightly different outcome. You’ll notice some are a bit darker, some have more or less flour on them, some expand differently in the oven, and some are taller and some are shorter—that’s the nature of baking.
With baking, every single bake is different no matter how consistent you try to be. It’s the same with my Dad and his Italian restaurant, and the reason I’ll sometimes get a call in the middle of the afternoon: “hey, the pizza dough is incredible today, you should head over and grab some.”
Crust
As a kid, I was known to take slices of bread, cut out the center, and eat the crust. It used to anger my family because they’d reach into the breadbasket only to find slices of only the soft parts. That’s how much I love the crust! Can you blame me, though?
I enjoy bread with a chunky, chewy crust, but this bread with its delicate and cracker-like crust takes the top spot for me. Even though I bake these rather dark, the crust remains thin and brittle, crackling under the slightest pressure. I love using the “heel” (the very end) of this bread to eat soup or combined with hefty slices of cheese. It’s delicious.
Crumb
I think there’s a balance to be had with bread like this. It’s possible to let the crumb open up too much, but for me, this is just right. Scattered open areas with that translucent webbing spanning from wall-to-wall, a dynamic movement to these areas, almost show you how shaping was carried out.
Taste
This bread has an almost imperceptible hint of sour, and because of this, the wheat flavors from the flour come forward. It has an incredibly tender, soft crumb that almost dissolves in your mouth. It’s one of those rare foods whereupon taking that first bite your mouth begins to water.
In the end, bread is just bread. But it’s also the staff of life and has been for thousands of years. It’s is also more than the sum of the ingredients you add to the mixing bowl. It’s how it makes you feel when you give some to a friend, and they grin ear-to-ear as they take a big bite. It’s the knowledge that you created this thing over a few days that once was a lump on your counter and is now an incredibly delicious food meant to be shared. To me, this is real bread and my best sourdough recipe to date.
Buon appetito!
Print
My Best Sourdough Recipe
- Prep Time: 24 hours
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 24 hours 55 minutes
- Yield: 2 loaves
- Category: Sourdough, Bread
- Cuisine: American
Description
This sourdough bread is one of my favorite recipes. It’s a highly hydrated dough that results in a loaf with an open and lacey interior contrasted by a thin, crispy crust.
Ingredients
Levain
- 30g medium-protein bread flour
- 30g whole wheat flour
- 60g water
- 30g ripe sourdough starter
Main Dough
- 822g medium-protein bread flour
- 64g whole wheat flour
- 745g water
- 17g salt
- 151g ripe levain
Instructions
- Levain (9:00 a.m.)
In a small container, mix the levain ingredients and keep at 78°F (25°C) for 5 hours. - Autolyse (12:00 p.m)
In a medium mixing bowl, add 822g medium-protein bread flour, 64g whole wheat flour, 650g water, and mix until no dry bits remain. Cover the bowl and let rest for 2 hours. - Mix (2:00 p.m.)
To the mixing bowl holding your dough, add 95g water (holding back any as necessary if the dough is too wet), 17g sea salt, and the ripe levain (from step 1). Pinch and mix all the ingredients together and do folds in the bowl for 2 to 3 minutes until the dough smooths and is cohesive. Then, transfer your dough to a bulk fermentation container and cover. - Bulk Fermentation (2:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.)
Give the dough 6 sets of stretch and folds. The first three sets are at 15-minute intervals, and the last three sets are at 30-minute intervals. - Divide and Preshape (6:15 p.m.)
Lightly flour your work surface and scrape out your dough. Using your bench knife, divide the dough in half. Lightly shape each half into a round shape. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes, uncovered. - Shape (6:45 p.m.)
Shape the dough into a round (boule) or oval (batard) and place it in proofing baskets. Cover the baskets with a reusable plastic bag. - Proof (7:25 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. the next day)
Cover proofing baskets with reusable plastic and seal them shut. Then, place both baskets into the refrigerator and proof overnight. - Bake (Preheat oven at 8:00 a.m., bake at 9:00 a.m.)
I steamed my oven in my usual way, described here in my post on how to steam your home oven for baking. But you can also bake in a pot or Dutch oven. Preheat your oven with a combo cooker or Dutch oven inside to 450°F (230°C). Remove your dough from the fridge, score it, and transfer it to the preheated combo cooker. Place the cooker in the oven, cover with the lid, and bake for 20 minutes. After this time, remove the lid (you can keep it in the oven or remove it) and continue to bake for 30 minutes longer. When done, the internal temperature should be around 208°F (97°C). Let the loaves cool for 2 hours on a wire rack before slicing.
Notes
This is a very highly hydrated dough. Don’t add in all the reserved water during mixing if it feels like the dough is becoming overly weak, slack, or soupy.
What’s Next?
If you want more help getting an open crumb with this bread, I’ve created a 100+ page book with step-by-step instructions. Learn the best flour to use, the right fermentation schedule, and all my tips in my Bread Baker’s Handbook.
Are you a TPL Member? If so, the handbook is free for you!
2,142 Comments
Hi, I was wondering if it is necessary to use the dutch oven? I have a combo-steam oven that can inject steam at intervals or cook the whole time with whatever percentage of steam you want.
I have a few friends in another forum that have steam ovens and swear they are the best for baking bread. You definitely should try it.
i have a miele combi steam oven. i made a couple loaves today—one in the steam, one in the regular oven in a dutch oven. the steam oven only goes to 435, so i just put it on a stone at 435 with 100% steam for 20 minutes, then 435 with no steam for 30. for the other one, i put it in a preheated dutch oven at 500 for 20 minutes, dropped it to 450 for 10, then took the lid off and finished it at 450. the dutch oven one was a lot crunchier—great ear, great caramelization. i think the steam oven is great if you don’t need incredibly high heat. but for sourdough, the dutch oven came out a little better.
Hi Maurizio- thank you for your amazing amazing recipes. I’m loving baking thanks to you! Do you think this would fair ok in a loaf pan? Looking for more of a standard bread shape but haven’t tried this high hydration recipe yet. Thank you in advance!!
You’re very welcome, Laura! yes, actually this would make for a great pan loaf given the high hydration.
Hello! I love your sourdough recipes, they never fail! I’ve been looking for tips on baking a large boule, surprisingly I haven’t found much online regarding baking larger loaves in a dutch oven. I have an 8qt dutch oven and I’m planning to bake a 1.5k boule in it (or this whole recipe if it seems like it will fit, I’ll have to see what it looks like when I make it). Do you have any recommendations for adjustments I might need to make to the baking time? I will update when I make it 😀
That’ll work just fine! Just extend the baking time as needed—it will need more time. It’ll be similar to how I bake my miche:
https://www.theperfectloaf.com/einkorn-miche/
Had great results with this approach! Quick question! My levain rose more quickly than I anticipated (peaked 30 min into autolyse) so I decided to make a new levain and feed it 1:1:1. My starter rises very quickly so it will probably peak in about 2 hrs. Do you think extending the autolyse by 30 min to an hour will affect the final bread that much? I’m using T-85 flour so the whole wheat is about 30 percent
Nope, 30m will be okay!
Last weekend I baked my first loaf of bread, using my starter that wasn’t quite mature, and yeast (a different recipe, obviously). It turned out great, but I wanted to make real sourdough bread to lower the gluten content. I chose this recipe and I wanted to let you know how well it turned out, and it was my first time making “real” sourdough! Thank you!!
Fantastic, Jennifer!
What kind of whole wheat flour did you use? If you don’t mind me asking.
Last weekend I baked my first loaf of bread, using my starter that wasn’t quite mature, and added yeast. It turned out great, but I wanted to make real sourdough bread to lower the gluten content. I chose this recipe, and I wanted to let you know how well it turned out, and it was my first time making “real” sourdough! Thank you!
Hello Maurizio,
First I want to say thanks for this recipe and all you technique videos. Helping with my journey so much. I have attempted this twice now and both times I am having trouble with what I think is the gluten formation in the dough. Throughout the entire process the dogh never seems to get smooth and even after a 5 hour bulk fermentation it is so sticky that it tears off with my fingers and tears on teh counter top while pre-shaping. I am assuming I am just over hydrating at the beginning of the dough when I add the Levain. Firs time I only added half the water and the 2 nd time barely 1/3 of the water. Until this recipe I have always used a bread hook on my kitchen aid to mix the dough, would that be a problem to start off here?
I feel like I am all over the place and just shooting in the dark
My last batch had a small crumb and was chewy 🙁
Happy to help, Bob. Using the hook on your KA is the way to go. What I would suggest is to hold back a large portion of the water when you’re mixing, and keep mixing the dough until it strengthens up some, then slowly trickle in the water as you’re continuing to mix. This way, you’ll develop the gluten more upfront before adding in more water (it’s more effective this way).
Hey Maurizio! This is my third attempt, and each time I’ve found that the four hour bulk ferment leaves me with a dough that has bubbles on top, but no doming or increased height. On this try, I decided to wack it into the fridge over night after the 4 hour bulk, brought it out at 7am the next day to come up to room temp (3 hrs approx) and the dough has still not domed or increased in size! I went ahead with (attempting) to preshape, however they’re just big puddles of dough lol. Struggling to see what I keep doing wrong here. I should mention that my house is approx 20c.
I would hold back some of the water, Sophie. If the dough is over hydrated you’ll see less of a dome!
Question! Can you cold ferment this dough for 36 hours instead of just over night to increase the sourness of the dough??
Yes, definitely.
I’ve made this a number of times over the last few weeks and have found that my house was too cold to follow this timeline. I’ve extended the times and have gone to a cold start oven and am having excellent results. The cold start gives on last little boost before it bakes then I remove the lid after 35 mins. Have used cast iron, and clay bakers, both with great crust. I have to use parchment or it sticks. Thanks for the detailed instructions. Very helpful.
Nice mods there, good job adjusting for your kitchen!
Thank you for this simply written recipe! I am a big fan of yours and have your book, but bakers percentages throw me off. Haha.
I appreciate your blog.
Thank you so much, Tara! Have you seen my guide to baker’s percentages?
I am a big fan of yours and appreciate this simple recipe! Your book is great, but bakers percentages really throw me off. Haha.
Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Perhaps others have noticed but this recipe is different than the one in your book. 2 hr. autolyse vs. 1 hr. in your book. Also, your book mentions your preference for rye flour in the levain, but not here. Now, some advice, please: I recently purchased Cairnspring Glacier Peak flour, a T55 flour from yecora rojo, a high protein flour. If I wish to use some rye and rouge de bourdeaux instead as a whole wheat substitute, any suggestions as to ratios among these 3 flours? I typically hydrate at 85%. I’m reluctant to increase but perhaps with these flours I should consider it?
One important item I may have missed in your book or here is the water: tap water typically has chlorine or chloramine, both of which inhibit fermentation, as I understand it. Obvious solution is to use bottled spring water. Another is to leave chlorinated water open in a large bowl for 24 hrs so the chlorine evaporates. Chloramine, a combination of ammonia and chlorine, will not evaporate. One should check with local water utility.
I enjoyed the video very much and look forward to upping my sourdough game.
BTW, I used Sassafras elongated bakers. I prefer this shape to batards or boules. More consistently same size slices.
Some minor differences between book and this recipe, yes. The autolyse time is pretty variable, though ultimately, it depends on the flour you’re using (stronger flour can use a longer autolyse). Glacier Peak is a great flour, it’ll work really well in this recipe. Using rye and RdB will work well, too, but I would be cautious and drop the hydration just a little, maybe 80-82% to start, and see how the dough feels during mixing (add more water if it feels like it can handle it).
In my baking, I use tap water for everything. I do have a filter which filters out chlorine and other things, but it’s all tap here!
Thanks for all the comments, Rob, I hope this helps!
Thanks for the prompt reply, Maurizio. Any suggestions as to flour % of Glacier Peak, rye and RdB? I mill the rye and RdB with my Mockmill. I typically add my levain as part of the autolyse, and then Water 2 and salt at end of autolyse. I like your suggestion of adding the levain along with salt and Water 2 at the end of autolyse, at least to maintain more control over bulk fermentation timing. My main challenge has been over proofing during BF. I’ll let you know how it turns out, including some pics. BTW, I love the taste RdB adds. I highly recommend it. It’s surprising how much taste 5-10% RdB adds. Also lends an interesting dark color to the crumb, more so than other whole wheat varieties I’ve worked with.
Marizio…I couldn’t figure out how to post pics on this site from my Mac but came out beautifully and deliciously. For the 10% WW, I used rouge de bourdeaux which my family is crazy about. I also didn’t create a separate levain but had enough of my starter to use as a levain and also retain as starter. If I were to make double recipe of 4 loaves, then I’d have to make a levain. Curious why your recipe is 1800g vs. Tartine 2000?
Truly, the BEST sourdough bread recipe. Ever.
Thank you for providing this written instruction and video(s). You’ve helped me to “perfect” my loaf, and I am/my family is grateful!
Means a lot to hear that, thank you Ally! Have a great holiday 🙂
I love the information but your website needs work in that it constantly freezes or restarts. I can’t wait to try your recipe tomorrow!
Sorry about that, Harry. The past week I’ve been doing a lot of work on the site to actually make it faster. It should be *much* more stable now!
Thank you for all your content!
I’m writing down a time table and am a bit perplexed by the bulk fermentation time. You say 6 folds, with the 1st 3 at 15 minute intervals, and the remainder at 30 minute intervals. My math shows that would start at 2:15 and end at 4:15, but your instructions say bulk ends at 6:15 pm. I do realize that bulk time can vary per kitchen, but I am trying to find those extra 2 hours.. Thank you!
I just read a comment below that the dough is resting with this extra time. So no need to reply.
Maurizio, Ive been using this recipe for a couple years now. But I want to make it MORE sour. What are your tips for achieving this flavor?
For a sourer flavor profile in your sourdough bread, try these ideas:
– Use more whole grains in your dough mix (whole wheat and whole rye)
– Use your starter when it’s very ripe (it should have a pungent sour aroma), perhaps let it ferment longer than you might otherwise
– Keep your dough warm, 78°F (25°C) or warmer
– Cold fermentation really helps, you can do a cold bulk fermentation (like I do here in this recipe), and then also do a cold proof (retard)
– Use less levain in your dough. It’s counterintuitive, but using less levain (which many of the recipes at my site actually do!) will allow for more total acidity to build up in the dough
– One or a combination of the above will help get you there! Let me know how it goes.
I know I may not know everything about baking, I’m not a retard. That is very rude.
Hey Maurizio,
I’m in Australia and it’s always a bit confusing with temperatures. I only ever bake in a fan forced oven. Are all your baking temperatures for a convection oven? and therefore I should reduce the temp for my hothot fan forced?
Hey Bella. All my baking is without convection (no fan) unless I say otherwise. If you use convection, bake for less time.
Hi Maurizio,
Thanks for this wonderful recipe, this is the best my bread at home has tasted and I really like how you laid it out as a timetable. I was wondering if I could get your help on an issue that stumps me:
The first loaf I put in the oven had a mild amount of spring, but the second loaf that I put in (about an hour after the first) didn’t rise at all and stayed flat.
I followed the recipe and times exactly, and omitted a little less than half the reserve water. The dough temperature was usually 80-81f and my kitchen temp is around 76f.
Is it possible that my dough over-proofed? Can an hour in the fridge also make that big of a difference in oven spring, or is there something else I should be looking at? I’d say flat loaves are my biggest issue on all recipes right now.
Thanks so much for your help!
I would say it was likely a shaping issue between the two, 1hr between the two bakes and in the fridge, not a problem!
Okay attempt number 2 on this upgrade from the beginner loaf and I’m really struggling to get it to develop. I tried stretching and folding more in each set and it’ll stiffen up and then get slack and sticky again during the same set. Does that mean I’m overdoing it? Is it possible to overwork if you’re just doing it by hand? Or maybe I overcompensated on heat because it hit around 85F at one point? Is that hot enough to hurt the yeast or gluten?
No, not possible to over work the dough by hand in my experience. 85F is just fine, too.
Usually spreading in the oven when scoring is a sign of under-strengthened or over-hydrated dough (or a combination of both, as they are related). If you find you’re still getting significant spreading, try first to add in another set or two of stretch and folds during bulk fermentation (or you can knead the dough a bit before bulk begins, check out my guide to the slap and fold kneading technique). If that doesn’t help, reduce the hydration of the dough by 2-5% to bring more strength.
Finally, it’s also possible your dough is over proofing, leading to a breakdown and excessive spread in the oven. If your dough felt strong and you shaped it tightly, try pulling back that final proof time a few hours (if you’re cold-proofing) to see if that helps. If it does, continue to dial in that proof time until you have a strong dough when baking.
I hope this helps!
Hi Maurizio, I just mixed the levain for this recipe and am looking forward to trying the final product! I had a question—I have your book and noticed that a bit of a difference in the timetable between the recipe published there and this one here on the blog. It looks like on the blog version you’ve decreased the overnight proof time to 13 hours 35 mins from 18 hours in the book. I also saw the autolyse time is now 2 hours vs 1:30 in the book. Would you recommend following the recipes with the updates as published on the blog? Thank you!
The amount of final proof time there is very flexible, 12 to 18hrs will work just fine (the fridge is cold!).
Hey friends, Due to unforseen circumstances, I did a cold fermentation last night and a warm fermentation today. The dough is looking and feeling pretty good, if a bit loose, and I am wondering if I should go ahead and shape and proof for a bit and bake today, or should I shape and do another cold fermentation overnight?
You can do either! I would shape, proof, bake that day.
Is it absolutely necessary to let the shaped dough sit from 6:45-7:25 before placing in the refrigerator?
Nope, it’s not!
Is there a reason you always make two loaves at a time?
It’s a more convenient batch size, and since you’re making one, might as well double it. You can halve all the ingredients and only make a single loaf, too.
Okay great! I’ve been making one loaf, but sometimes it feels like there’s not enough to do solid stretch and folds. I didn’t know if that made for a legitimate reason to do two loaves and freeze one
I am from Canada here so I am using Anita’s Organic. They have whole wheat stone ground whole wheat in whole grain and sprouted. I am confused as to which one I could use? Please help! Thanks in advance!
Hey, Sora. I’d go with their stone ground whole wheat for the WW portion of this recipe!