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Perfect Crispy Crust Sourdough Bread Recipe Easy Homemade Loaf Tutorial

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This sourdough bread recipe yields a perfect crispy crust with a soft, airy crumb. It’s approachable, forgiving, and uses simple ingredients for a bakery-quality loaf at home.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 500g (4 cups) bread flour
  • 350g (1.5 cups) lukewarm water
  • 100g (½ cup) active sourdough starter
  • 10g (2 tsp) salt
  • Optional: cornmeal or rice flour for proofing basket
  • Optional: toasted seeds or cracked grains for kneading in

Instructions

  1. Mix the dough: In a large bowl, combine 500g (4 cups) bread flour and 350g (1.5 cups) lukewarm water. Stir until no dry flour remains. Cover with a towel and let it rest (autolyse) for 30 minutes.
  2. Add starter and salt: Add 100g (½ cup) active sourdough starter and 10g (2 tsp) salt to the dough. Mix thoroughly by hand or with a dough hook until evenly distributed.
  3. Bulk fermentation: Cover the bowl with a damp towel or plastic wrap. Every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours, perform stretch and folds 4 times. After 4-5 hours at room temperature (70-75°F), dough should rise about 50% and look bubbly.
  4. Shape the dough: Lightly flour your work surface. Turn dough out gently and shape into a tight round loaf. Place seam side up in a floured banneton or towel-lined bowl.
  5. Proof overnight: Cover and refrigerate the dough for 8-12 hours to deepen flavor and improve crust texture.
  6. Preheat oven and Dutch oven: About 30 minutes before baking, preheat Dutch oven with lid inside oven to 500°F (260°C).
  7. Bake the bread: Remove Dutch oven carefully. Turn dough out seam side down onto parchment paper. Score the top. Place dough into Dutch oven using parchment. Cover and bake 20 minutes. Remove lid, reduce heat to 450°F (232°C), bake another 25 minutes until golden and crusty.
  8. Cool completely: Transfer loaf to wire rack and cool fully for about 1 hour before slicing.

Notes

Use a hot Dutch oven to trap steam for a crispy crust. Do not skip the overnight proof for better flavor and crust texture. Score the loaf just before baking to control expansion. Let dough rest 30 minutes after refrigeration before baking to improve oven spring. Use filtered water for consistent starter activity.

Nutrition

Keywords: sourdough bread, crispy crust, homemade bread, easy sourdough, artisan bread, Dutch oven bread, bread baking

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