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This is my new favourite recipe! Since starting my own sourdough starter in October I have been making this homemade crusty sourdough bread on a weekly basis!
I have made this bread a fair few times now, which has allowed me to get the recipe and the ingredient quantities down to a T – My friends and family love it!
The smell of this bread as it is baking and when it is fresh from the oven is unbelievable! My flatmate and I usually stand over it, literally sit there and watch it cool for about 10 minutes (that´s as long as we can wait) before cutting into and devouring this fresh, crunchy warm bread! We often don´t even put anything on it, perhaps a little butter or soft cheese if we can be bothered and have to stop ourselves from eating the entire loaf then and there!
What do you need to make a Sourdough Bread?
To make this classic sourdough bread, an essential piece of equipment is a proofing basket. For this recipe, you´ll need a small proofing basket/banneton for a 500g (approx. 16-18cm/8inch) loaf. I highly recommend the one I bought, which you can find here.
You will also need some sourdough starter. To read about what a sourdough starter is, how to make your own and how to keep it, read this post here: How to make a Sourdough Starter | Baking Basics #4.
Finally, sourdough bread can be a bit time-consuming to make, so you´ll also need a little time on your hands to make it! Most of it is just waiting time though, so with the correct planning, it really isn’t much of a hassle! We´ll go through an example of my timings next!
A Guide to Timings
Sourdough bread doesn´t necessarily require a lot of hands-on time, but there is a lot of proofing time involved. So, you do need to plan ahead for this slightly. I´d recommend the following timings to make the bread for a Sunday morning breakfast:
Saturday:
10 am: Remove your sourdough starter from the fridge.
2 pm: Feed the sourdough starter.
6 pm: Use the active starter to make the dough. Cover and leave for the first prove.
11-12 pm: Before you go to bed, quickly knock back the dough, shape your loaf and place in a proofing basket to leave overnight.
Sunday:
8 am: Preheat oven and bake.
9 am: And now you have a delicious, fresh, warm, crispy bread for breakfast! And (maybe) some leftovers for an afternoon bowl of soup!
This crusty sourdough bread goes with anything – but here are some of my favourite things to have with it!
This homemade sourdough bread is a real treat for a Sunday morning breakfast. It´s great to eat with egg, meat, cheese or jam/Nutella and would be the perfect addition to a Traditional German Breakfast!
It also goes perfectly with a nice warm bowl of soup and is also great for making sandwiches! Try some of my favourite soup recipes, such as my Thick Vegetable Soup, Red Lentil Soup or Pumpkin Soup!
You can reheat the bread in the oven for a few minutes to crisp up the crust the next day. It also freezes very well and tastes great toasted (once defrosted) eaten with soup or smothered in soft cheese (my favourite is garlic and herb or cracked black pepper).
More Sourdough Bread Recipes
For a twist on this white sourdough loaf, why not also try some of my other sourdough bread recipes?
If you are looking for more non-sourdough bread recipes, check out some of my other recipes:
– Classic Irish Soda Bread
– Cheese and Chive Soda Bread
– Wholemeal Seeded Loaf
– Italian Rosemary Focaccia
– Tomato and Mozzarella Focaccia
Homemade Crusty Sourdough Bread
Recipe
Ingredients:
- 250g sourdough starter (at room temperature, fed and bubbly)
- 375g strong white bread flour
- 10g salt
- 130-150ml lukewarm water
- A little olive oil, for kneading
Method:
- Start by weighing out 250g of your active, bubbly sourdough starter (read about my feeding instructions prior to baking here).
- To the bowl, add the flour, salt and water and mix together with your hands until all the ingredients start to come together. It will still look a bit “shaggy” at this stage.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly oiled surface to prevent sticking and knead for 10-15 mins until smooth. You´ll know it has been kneading enough once it has reached “window-pane-stage”. This is when you can stretch out a piece of dough between your fingers, thin enough that when you hold it up against the light, you should be able to see through it and see the strands of gluten in the dough.
- Return the dough to the lightly oiled bowl and leave to prove for 4-5 hours.
- After the first prove, turn the dough out onto your work surface and knock the air out using your knuckles.
- Shape into a loaf by stretching the sides and folding them into the middle. Flip 180° so that the seam is facing down and rotate between your hands until you have formed a nice round ball. Place into a well-floured proofing basket and leave to prove for a further 8 hours (overnight).
- Preheat the oven to 220°C and place a roasting tray with cold water at the bottom of the oven.
- Turn the bread onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Dust the top with flour and score the top (about 0.5cm deep) using a sharp knife.
- Bake the bread in the preheated oven for 30 mins. Turn down the oven to 200°C and bake for a further 20 mins.
- Leave your Crusty Sourdough Bread on a wire rack to cool completely.
