Artisan Sourdough Boule

The best classic sourdough boule recipe with 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.

FAQ:

Sourdough Boule Ingredients:

Active sourdough starter – This is a sourdough starter that has been fed 4-12 hours before starting the dough. It has about doubled in size and will pass the float test.

Water – Preferably filtered water.

Salt – I like to use sea salt or pink Himalayan salt. I try to stay away from regular table salt. Iodized salt may leave a bitter taste in the bread.

Unbleached all-purpose flour – I like to use organic all-purpose flour since it doesn’t contain folic acid, a synthetic form of folate that may not be beneficial for a good portion of the population. It’s a whole thing. Bread flour can also be used.

Tools you may need:

Large mixing bowl

Scoring tool – such as a lame, razor blade, or sharp knife.

Banneton basket (optional) Could also use a basket or bowl lined with a tea towel.

Dutch oven

Large glass bowl

Measuring cups and spoons

Bench scraper

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. The original recipe called for this method. I now use the stretch and fold method, which is included below.

• 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.

Bulk Ferment

Place the dough in a large, oiled bowl (I like to use olive oil) and cover bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, beeswax wraps, or something that is airtight 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, you may need that extra fermentation for digestion. This is a delicate balance as you don’t want the dough to ferment too long causing an over-fermented mess. It should at least double in size.

Shaping A Boule

The next day, punch down the dough, turn the dough onto a clean and lightly floured work surface.

Shape it into a round shape, by spinning it towards you and pulling against the counter. Turn over and pull the edges into the center pinching together. This creates tension which gives you a springier final loaf.

Place the dough ball in a banneton basket seam side up.

Allow to rise a second time until doubled – about two to four hours, depending on temperature of house and the maturity of your starter. Or 12-15 hours in the fridge (it will not look like it has risen much, but I promise it will still work).

Preheat oven to 500 degrees with a cast iron Dutch oven inside for an hour.

Sourdough Boule Scoring

Turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper. This just makes it so much easier to lift into the Dutch oven and prevents any sticking.

Sprinkle with flour (use rice flour if you cannot tolerate unfermented grains) and score with a pretty scoring pattern or just a simple slash on top of your loaf to give the bread room to expand. Find my favorite scoring patterns here.

Place into the preheated Dutch oven (parchment paper and all). 

Optional: Add steam and spray top for a crustier exterior. If you do not have a dutch oven, you can bake your boule on a baking stone, pizza stone, or sheet pan, but in order to achieve that crusty exterior, you will need to add a lot of steam.

This can be done by spraying the top with water, and/or adding a couple of ice cubes to a baking dish in the bottom oven rack of the oven.

Bake 20-30 minutes with the lid on. Remove the lid, reduce heat to 450, and bake for 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 the 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 pulls away from the side of the bowl. Place in a large oiled bowl and cover. Or start the stretch and fold method.

8 am the next day: 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). Or place in the

10 am: Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Place a 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. 

12 pm: Place dough in a Dutch oven and cover with a lid. Place it in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the lid, reduce heat to 450, and bake for 20 more minutes until the bread is golden brown. 

Allow it to cool and then slice. 

Find More Of My Sourdough Favorites:

• Sourdough Banana Bread
• Sourdough Chocolate Rolls
• No-Wait Sourdough Recipes
• Sourdough Ciabatta Bread
• Sourdough Buns