Artisan Sourdough Bread

I recently discovered the joy of baking artisan sourdough bread. It's a labor of love, but the end result is so satisfying. I've tried several different recipes, but this one is by far my favorite. The bread has a tangy sourdough flavor, an airy crumb, and a crispy crust. It's perfect for any occasion, from a casual family dinner to a special celebration.

The process of making sourdough bread is a bit time-consuming, but it's well worth the effort. The first step is to create a sourdough starter. This is a mixture of flour and water that is fermented by wild yeast and bacteria. Once you have a starter, you can use it to make bread over and over again.

To make the bread, you'll need to mix the starter with flour, water, and salt. The dough will then need to rise for several hours. Once it has risen, you can shape it into a loaf and bake it in the oven. The baking process takes about an hour, and the result is a delicious, crusty loaf of bread.

If you're looking for a delicious and nutritious bread, I highly recommend giving artisan sourdough bread a try. It's a bit of a process, but it's definitely worth the effort.

Step-by-step

• Pour the water into a large mixing bowl. Add the fed starter to the water by ripping it into small pieces.
• Add the flour, and stir the ingredients (a dough scraper works well here) until the dough becomes shaggy.
• Scrape the dough out of the bowl and smear the dough with the heel of your hand, so that all the flour hydrates and the starter begins to break down. This should only take 1 to 2 minutes. Make sure there are no remaining dry pockets of flour. Return the dough to the bowl.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to sit for 30 minutes.
• Knead the dough by hand for 2 minutes (1 minute on speed 2 using a stand mixer), then place it in an oiled bowl and cover it with plastic wrap.
• Let the dough rise for 1 hour at warm room temperature; 76°F is ideal. If your room is cooler, let it rise for 75 to 90 minutes.
• Gently deflate the risen dough by folding it; please watch our video on how to deflate yeast dough for details. Place it folded side down in the bowl, and let it rise for another hour.
• Fold the dough one more time, and let it rise for 90 minutes. The dough should feel light and airy. If it still feels stiff and cool, give it another fold and one more hour of rising time.
• Turn the dough out of the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Cut off 8 ounces (about 1 cup, lightly packed), round it up, and place it in a lightly oiled, covered container. Keep it in your refrigerator for up to a week; feed as directed in our Stiff Sourdough Starter recipe when you want to bake bread again. Don't want to maintain another starter in the fridge? See "tips," at left.
• To preshape the loaf, give the dough a light fold. Place the loaf fold side up on a floured surface, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rest for 20 minutes.
• Shape the dough into a large round, and let it sit on the table for a minute or two to seal the bottom seam. For details, see our video on how to shape bread.
• Place the loaf seam-side up in a floured brotform or in a bowl lined with a well-floured dishtowel or cloth napkin.
• Refrigerate the loaf, covered with plastic wrap, overnight or for up to 24 hours. About 16 to 18 hours of refrigeration is ideal.
• The next day, preheat the oven to 450°F. If baking in a Dutch oven or other covered baker, gently turn the loaf into the prepared pot, replace the lid, and allow the loaf to rest at room temperature for at least 45 minutes before baking. Loaves baked on a stone or on a baking sheet can be loaded into the oven directly from the refrigerator.
• Just before baking, brush or spray the loaf with water, and sprinkle it with artisan bread topping or the seeds of your choice, if desired. Use a lame or a very sharp knife to score the bread several times across the top.
• Bake the bread for 30 minutes. Remove the lid (if baking in a covered baker), and continue to bake for 20 minutes, or until the loaf is a rich golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. A loaf baked on a stone or baking sheet will be done in approximately 40 to 45 minutes.
• Remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool on a rack before slicing.