Simple Sourdough Boule Recipe
Master the Sourdough Boule (or Sandwich Loaf, No Judgment)
Alright, my sourdough acolytes—you’ve spent days feeding that jar of flour-water slurry sitting on your counter like a temperamental houseplant. You’ve named it, you’ve obsessed over its bubbles, and now what?
Time to actually bake something.
Welcome to your first sourdough recipe. This is the simple, foolproof loaf you will make again and again until you’re flexing on Instagram. Personally, I like to bake mine in a loaf pan because it gives you uniform, reliable slices for sandwiches (we eat a lot of sandwiches in my house, and I lack the patience for awkward, giant wedge-slices). But if you’re a purist chasing that traditional, crunchy, round Dutch-oven aesthetic? Go for the Dutch oven. You do you.
Let’s get baking.
This does require a little bit of planning, but once you get into the groove you will have your baking days and produce a loaf or two each week. My schedule looks like this:
9:30PM Feed starter 50g starter + 50g water + 50g unbleached all purpose flour
7:30AM Mix all ingredients together
8:00 AM – 10:00 AM: Stretch and fold every 30 minutes, resting in between.
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
4:00 PM – Shape and second rise
7:30 PM – refrigerate for 1 hour.
8:30 PM – Bake
Once your loaf’s in the oven, put that starter to work in my Spinach Pie Sourdough Focaccia or Sourdough Banana Cinnamon Rolls.
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Simple Sourdough Boule Recipe
- Total Time: 11 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf 1x
Description
Your first sourdough loaf, made simple: a golden, crusty boule with a soft, airy crumb. Bake it in a loaf pan for sandwich slices or a Dutch oven for the classic round. Even if you’re new to sourdough.
Ingredients
- 320 grams room temperature water
- 12 grams sea salt
- 125 grams active sourdough starter
- 500 grams bread flour
Instructions
- (6–8 hours prior) Feed your sourdough starter so it’s bubbly and active when you’re ready to mix. You’ll need 125g for this recipe, so make sure you feed it enough so you aren’t leaving your main starter empty.
- In a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer), combine the 320g water, 125g active starter, and 12g salt. Give it a quick whisk to disperse the starter and dissolve the salt.
- Dump in your 500g bread flour. Mix it up using your hands, a trusty wooden spoon, or a dough hook until all the flour is hydrated and there are no dry pockets left. It’s going to look like a shaggy, unpromising mess. Trust the process.
- Cover the bowl with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes. This gives the flour time to absorb the water and start developing gluten on its own (a lazy baker’s favorite step).
- First Stretch & Fold: Time for some dough gymnastics. Wet your hands (unless you enjoy wearing dough like leather gloves). Grasp an edge of the dough, gently stretch it upward, and fold it back over its center. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat. Do this 4 times around the bowl. Pro Tip: You’ll notice the dough getting tighter and harder to stretch as you go around. This is gluten building in real time. Good job. Cover the bowl and let it chill out for another 30 minutes.
- Repeat the stretch & fold every 30 minutes for 3 more rounds. That’s a total of 4 stretch-and-fold sessions over 2 hours. Your dough should be looking noticeably smoother and feeling more elastic by the end.
- Bulk Ferment: Cover your bowl tightly and leave it on the counter for its bulk fermentation. Now, we wait. Depending on whether your kitchen feels like a tropical rainforest or an arctic tundra, this can take anywhere from 5 to 12 hours. You’re looking for the dough to rise, show visible bubbles on top, and feel airy when you gently jiggle the bowl.
- Once bulk ferment is completed, turn your dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently stretch it into a rectangle-ish shape, fold half to the center and fold the other half over the top. Then roll it gently into a ball.
- Lightly flour a tea towel and place it into a loaf pan, banneton, basket or bowl. Place the dough ball seam side up onto the towel and cover with the towel and put it in a plastic bag. Let proof again for 2 hours until puffy. Then place in the refrigerator for an hour or up to 2 days.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F, turn the dough gently onto a large piece of parchment paper, then pick it up by the sides and rest gently into the loaf pan. Score the top with a sharp knife or bread lame. Splash with a bit of water and cover with another loaf pan the same size to seal in the steam. Bake covered for 25 minutes. Then remove the cover and bake for another 20-25 minutes. Cool and enjoy.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Rise Time: 10 hrs
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
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