The best artisan sourdough bread has a crusty, delightfully chewy exterior with a light, porous texture inside. Flour, water, sourdough starter and salt are combined together, fermented, and baked in a Dutch oven to make a perfect loaf.
What’s better than freshly baked, crusty, artisan, sourdough bread?
You guessed it. Nothing. Nothing is better.
Especially when it’s sliced up and served with butter, cozied up alongside skillet pork chops or a roasted chicken.
Once you have the flavor of sourdough, it’s hard to go back to its unfermented counterparts. Except, I highly recommend this easy einkorn sandwich bread.
The flavor from the fermented grains adds an extra dimension: sour. Hence, the name sourdough. Yet, somehow, this dimension is absolutely mouthwatering and addictive.
When I’m kneading and folding the dough between my hands, I like to imagine the generation of mothers before me creating bread to feed their own children.
These days, there is such a disconnect from our food. Most people are entirely unaware of how our food is grown, raised, or otherwise made. Little is known of even the ingredients used.
Recipes like this artisan sourdough bread seem daunting or complicated. But many of the best things in life take time, love, and nurturing.
I promise this isn’t as hard as it may seem. You simply need a little time and patience.
This is just like my whole wheat sourdough loaf recipe, but without the oil and honey, and it’s baked in a Dutch oven. I eliminated the oil to step up the crispiness, and I used a proofing basket to make this a more artisan-style loaf.
Benefits Of Sourdough
Sourdough has many benefits. From better digestion to better nutrient absorption, it’s easy to see why it has become a popular ‘trend’.
Sourdough is the process of fermenting grains, allowing the natural yeasts to raise the bread and break down the anti-nutrients.
The anti-nutrient, phytic acid, breaks down with fermentation, increasing nutrients like folate, while helping other nutrients to be more bioavailable.
The fermentation process in sourdough bread and other sourdough products helps lower the amount of gluten present, and helps increase the digestibility of the grains. (source)
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.
Is sourdough bread better for you?
Due to better digestibility and more bioavailability of naturally-occurring nutrients in the grains, sourdough is a better choice than typical bread.
What type of flour can you use to make crusty sourdough bread?
This can be made with all-purpose flour, unbleached all-purpose, and also freshly milled whole grain.
If you use whole wheat flour, you may need to use a little less flour.
You can even use einkorn flour, but you may need more flour and make sure to follow the einkorn baking rules I discuss here.
What is artisan bread?
‘Artisan’ bread refers to fresh, small batch bread- crafted using traditional methods and natural ingredients.
How To Know Your Sourdough Starter Is Ready To Use:
In order to make a delicious loaf of sourdough bread, you need to use an active starter that has been fed within 4-12 hours before using. When you feed your starter, it should double or triple in size.
Take a spoonful of your active starter and drop it into a cup of water. If it floats, then it is ready to use for bread.
Tools you may need:
Scoring tool
Large glass bowl
Measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
1 cup starter
1 1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons salt
4 cups flour more or less depending on the hydration of your starter.
Watch How To Make It:
How To Make Artisan Sourdough Bread
Knead all the ingredients in a stand mixer until stretchy and pulling away from the sides of the bowl.
- It should pass the ‘windowpane’ test. This is when you can take a small piece of dough between your fingers and stretch it out. If the gluten is formed properly, you should be able to stretch it out into a thin layer that you can see through.
- If it doesn’t pass this test and is breaking apart, then place it back into the stand mixer and knead for a few more minutes. You could also do this by hand, but it takes a little more time.
Place in a large, oiled bowl and cover. Cover with plastic wrap, beeswax wraps, or something that is air tight to prevent the dough from developing a hard crust.
Allow to ferment for 8 to 24 hours in a warm place. If you are gluten sensitive and you need that extra fermentation for digestion, then I suggest letting it ferment for 24 hours.
The next day, punch down the dough, shape it, and put in a banneton basket. Allow to rise until doubled (about two to four hours, depending on temperature of house).
Preheat oven to 500 degrees with cast iron Dutch oven inside.
Turn the dough out onto parchment. This just makes it so much easier to lift into the Dutch oven and prevents any sticking.
Optional: Sprinkle with flour and score with a pretty scoring pattern.
Place into the preheated Dutch oven (parchment paper and all).
Optional: Add steam and spray top for a crustier exterior.
Bake 20 minutes with lid on. Remove lid, reduce heat to 450, and bake an additional 20 minutes.
Examples Of Baking Time
10 am: Feed sourdough starter. If your sourdough starter is in the fridge, you will want to feed it at least two times before baking bread.
3-9 pm: Check if sourdough starter is ready for use. It should be bubbly and at least double or triple in size. If you take a small amount and drop it in a glass of water, it should float.
3-9 pm: In a stand mixer with a dough hook, place flour, salt, active sourdough starter, and water. Knead for 5-10 minutes until the dough is stretchy and pulling away from the side of the bowl. Place in a large oiled bowl and cover.
8 am: Punch down dough, shape in the glass bowl, and place in a banneton basket. Allow to rise until doubled (about 2-4 hours depending on temp of house).
10 am: Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Place Dutch oven, with a lid on it, inside the oven while it preheats.
11 am: After the Dutch oven has been preheating for 1 hour, place sourdough bread dough onto parchment paper, dust with flour, and score.
Place dough in Dutch oven and cover with lid. Place it in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove lid, reduce heat to 450, and bake for 20 more minutes until the bread is golden brown.
Allow it to cool and then slice.
How Long Will Sourdough Bread Keep?
Wrap the bread with beeswax wraps, or in a plastic ziplock bag, and store up to two weeks at room temperature.
Fermented whole grain bread keeps longer than unfermented whole grain bread at room temperature. This is because the fermentation process makes the bread less susceptible to mold and fungus. The same scientific principles that make sauerkraut and lacto fermented salsa keep for several months are at work in the sourdough bread.
For longer storage, you can also keep it in the fridge or freezer.
Find More Of My Sourdough Favorites:
- Sourdough Banana Bread
- Sourdough Chocolate Rolls
- No-Wait Sourdough Recipes
- Sourdough Ciabatta Bread
- Sourdough Buns
Artisan Sourdough Bread
The best crusty artisan sourdough bread has a delightfully chewy exterior with a light, porous texture inside.
Ingredients
- 1 cup sourdough starter
- 1 1/4 cup water
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 4 cups flour
Instructions
Knead all the ingredients in a stand mixer until stretchy and pulling away from the sides of the bowl. It should pass the ‘windowpane’ test.
If it doesn’t pass this test and is breaking apart, then place it back into the stand mixer and knead for a few more minutes.
Place in a large, oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap, beeswax wraps, or something that is air tight.
Allow to ferment for 8 to 24 hours in a warm place.
The next day, punch down the dough, shape it, and put in a banneton basket. Allow to rise until doubled (about two to four hours, depending on temperature of house).
Preheat oven to 500 degrees with cast iron Dutch oven inside.
Turn the dough out onto parchment.
Optional: Sprinkle with flour and score with a pretty scoring pattern.
Place into the preheated Dutch oven (parchment paper and all).
Optional: Add steam and spray top for a crustier exterior.
Bake 20 minutes with lid on. Remove lid, reduce heat to 450, and bake an additional 20 minutes.
Notes
If you are gluten sensitive and you need that extra fermentation for digestion, then I suggest letting it ferment for 24 hours.
I highly recommend baking the bread on parchment paper. It just makes it so much easier to lift into the Dutch oven and prevents any sticking.
Make sure to cover the dough with plastic wrap or beeswax wraps, something air tight to prevent the dough from prematurely developing a crust.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1 sliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 225Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 426mgCarbohydrates: 47gFiber: 2gSugar: 0gProtein: 7g
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Meg says
I love this recipe and it’s the only one I’ve had success with…new to sourdough baking here…
I do have a problem with the bottom of my bread getting over cooked…sometimes almost burnt. I bake it in a cast iron dutch oven with parchment paper and still run into thos problem.
Any thoughts?
Morgan says
I’m no pro but maybe just try 450 for the whole time? I have another artisan bread recipe that does 450 for 40 minutes, 20 with lid on and 20 with lid off, so very similar but there’s not the change in temp. I wonder if that would help?
Carole says
Might be a good idea to test your oven temperature. Also, I find that if I use the middle rack, it helps with this problem.
Evan says
Try putting an empty tray or a pizza stone on the shelf below. Thanks Evan
Marissa says
I’m late but in case anyone else runs into this problem. I like to put little cornmeal or rice underneath my parchment paper to coat the bottom of the pan. It raises the loaf above the bottom of the Dutch oven just enough to not burn it seems!
Vicki says
In you sample time schedule above, you said you might need to “feed” the mixture two times before baking the bread if the sourdough starter is in the fridge. Does that mean that you take a cup of starter out at 10:00A.M., feed it with 1 cup flour/water, then in a couple hours, take another cup out, feed it, then 3-9 check to see if starter is ready?
thank you!
Carole says
Feed your sourdough twice a day with at least 8 hours between feedings. This means you may have to do this over a couple of days until your starter is ready. You want your starter to almost double and be nice and bubbly.
Vicki says
Right….BUT do you take out a CUP of the starter out each time you feed it? Take a cup out, put a cup of flour in, wait til it doubles, take a cup out, feed it with a cup of flour.
Thanks
Carole says
Actually, the more your starter increases in volume, the better. Reread the post as the author suggests a “test” to check if it’s ready.
Linda says
Hi Vicki, I just wanted you to know that I have made this recipe several times and I only feed my starter once before I make it. I pull it out of my refrigerator and feed it in the morning and then mix the ingredients in the late afternoon or evening. Once in awhile, I will do the float test to make sure it is viable, but usually I don’t and I haven’t had any trouble with this or any other recipe. I think the float test is applicable when you are first making your sourdough starter in the first week because you need to test it to make sure it is ready. After that, your starter should be viable.
I don’t preheat the dutch oven either. I’ve done lots of research on that and many websites say it doesn’t matter and I’ve found that to be true. I do preheat the oven, and use the parchment paper, but I bake this loaf at 450 degrees and then lower it to 400. If I bake it at 500, like this recipe and a few others suggest, the bottom burns. Lowering the temperature produces a beautiful loaf for me, both on the top of the loaf and the bottom. It looks like a professional loaf of artisan bread. I sure hope this helps!
Meg says
Newer to sourdough baking but loving it. This recipe is the only artisan bread that I’ve done that rose well and had a good shape. Love this recipe!
I do have a problem with the bottom of my bread getting over cooked. I use a dutch over and parchment paper. Any suggestions?
Linda says
Hi Meg,
I agree…this is an amazing recipe!
I was having that “burning on the bottom” trouble too, but now I preheat the oven to 450 (instead of 500) to begin with and then lowered the temperature to 400 and my loaves have come out beautifully. I do use the parchment paper, but I do not preheat the dutch oven. I found that it didn’t make a difference and I wondered if it was because the dutch oven was so hot when I put the bread in that it burned it??
I don’t know if my success is because I live at a higher elevation (6,000 ft.) or not, but give it a try. The bottom has come out perfectly and the top looks like a professional loaf. Hope that helps!
Eliza Christianson says
I was just wondering what the process of feeding the starter twice before baking bread looks like, how long do i need to wait between feedings? Is it once per day, or can I feed it twice in the same day?
Thanks!! 🙂
Cristina says
I think that if you do 100% hydration you can feed it 8 to 12 hours apart. Good luck!
Jessica says
I made the Sourdough starter as instructed and all went well. When I made the Sourdough bread dough, however, after 24 hrs, it hasn’t risen at all. Any suggestions? Thanks so much. Love your blog – so much great information
Mary says
HiLisa! Love your blog! Can I use sprouted spelt for sourdough and for this recipe?
Dana says
I’m new to making sourdough and finally got my starter ready for my first bread! Do I need to use a banneton basket?
Bev says
I’ve made the bread now on my 3rd try. The trick is keeping a wetter dough; however, I’m finding that the end product presents a little gummier than regular breads…Has anyone experienced this and have any solutions? Thanks so much
Jeannie says
Are you waiting long enough to cut into it? I’ve found if I’m too anxious to cut into it, it’s not done cooking and gets gummy.
Bev says
Can someone answer please if their end result bread turns out more moist than regular type breads. Thanks
Mary says
Awesome recipe! Very easy to follow and beautiful results!
Natalie says
My bread did not pass the “window pane” test even after adding more flour and mixing it longer. Is it my starter or I didn’t mix long enough?
Really looking forward to the bread!
Maria says
Hi Lisa!
My husband and I are huge fans and we love watching your videos and growing family! You’ve inspired me to grow a starter and make all kinds of recipes. Yesterday I made your no-knead sourdough and it turned out great! I really want to try this recipe but I have a 9 qt dutch oven and I was wondering if this will affect the baking process? Will the bread maintain its shape or flatten out?
Best of luck with this pregnancy! You’re in our prayers!
XO,
Maria
Crystal says
This recipe turned out amazing. We had it tonight with your potato soup, which was also yummy.
I have a question about the starter you keep on your counter. I would like to keep 2, maybe 3 cups of starter on hand. How much do I feed that daily?
Janae says
I had a fed starter that I put in the fridge over night. Used to make pancakes that morning put back in the fridge and then made the bread tonight. I did that last time and it worked fine. I think if your starter is healthy and you make sure it’s bubbly and happy before in the fridge it works
Sam says
I’m really curious about the kneading and punching down. Wouldn’t this result in a very dense loaf as this is sourdough and not a traditional yeasted dough?
Elizabeth Friesen says
I am so new to using sourdough. But I’m excited that I started. My sister asked me if I put fresh flour in the bread or other recipes, if it’s still true sourdough. I said I don’t know. Can you answer that for me? Thanks in advance. (You probably have addressed it before already but need to know where to find it)
Amy says
Hi Lisa! I’m learning how to use my sourdough starter and I’m having so much fun!! Question: does it work well to double this recipe? I’m used to making more than one loaf at a time. Thank you and I love your blog!!
Lisa says
Yes! I often double it.