Country-Style Sourdough Bread
Country-Style Sourdough Bread has a crisp crust and chewy, soft crumb. This version features a round loaf baked in a cast-iron Dutch oven.
I have been making sourdough bread on and off for many years now. I acquired my starter well before everyone was doing it during the pandemic, and posted my first sourdough recipe for it around that time.
While that recipe is very easy and good for sourdough beginners, it’s not the best loaf you will ever make. The fact that it’s no-knead means that the dough doesn’t have a lot of structure, and the bread comes out kind of heavy and dense because of it.
While this Country-Style Sourdough Bread is technically no-knead as well, it uses a folding technique to develop the protein in the dough that gives it a great texture with a chewy crust, but soft and light crumb.
This recipe is a slightly modified version of Tartine’s famous recipe. While I followed their recipe to a T for many years, I eventually realized that the way that some of the steps in their method were structured, as well as the fact that the recipe is written to make two large loaves, didn’t quite work for me, so I tweaked it a little bit.
How to Make Country-Style Sourdough Bread
Instead of writing out the steps to make this chewy, crusty Country-Style Sourdough, I’m going to focus on tips and tricks that will help make your loaves successful. After all, you can find the detailed instructions in the recipe below.
What equipment do I need to make sourdough bread?
When it comes to what equipment it takes to make sourdough bread, it can be separated into two categories: nice-to-have equipment and need-to-have equipment.
Need-to-Have Sourdough Bread Equipment
To make a loaf of fresh sourdough bread, you really only NEED a few things, most of which you probably already have:
- A covered container to mix, fold, and rise the dough. When you’re first getting started with baking sourdough, I suggest simply using a large bowl. If it has a lid, great. If not, cover the bowl with a clean, damp towel.
- Clean dish towel(s) to cover the dough and/or line the container that the dough rests in. Ideally, the towel should be a fairly flat weave with minimal texture. I like plain white flour sack towels.
- A round vessel to store the dough ball as it rests/continues to rise. Ideally, this would have some ventilation, like a colander, though a bowl will work in a pinch, too.
- Something sharp to score the dough with. When you’re just getting started, a sharp paring knife will do.
- A Dutch oven to bake the bread in. Making the best sourdough requires a moist baking environment, and a closed Dutch oven traps the steam from the dough to keep it humid. While there are other methods you could use to keep your oven steamy, this is the easiest way, and I have never had reason to try another method. Your Dutch oven could be enameled or not, but it should be cast iron.
- A good bread knife. For me, this is non-negotiable. When I first started making sourdough, we had a cheap bread knife that was not great. It made cutting these large loaves so difficult and frustrating. When I finally bought a good (though fairly inexpensive) bread knife, I couldn’t believe what a difference it made. Note that these loaves are large, so you’ll want a bread knife that matches the size (around 10″ or 25cm is about right). The one I’ve linked is the exact one that I bought, and I can’t recommend it enough.
Nice-to-Have Sourdough Equipment (How to Level Up Your Sourdough Baking)
- Using a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients is the most accurate way to measure, and I highly recommend it for not only sourdough but all baking.
- Food-safe nitrile gloves will not only keep your hands clean, but will help keep your skin from drying out too. I always find that working with dough dries the skin on my hands out, so I like to wear gloves to prevent it (especially in the winter when it’s a struggle to keep my hands soft).
- A bench scraper is a valuable tool that makes it so much easier to lift, turn, and cut dough of all types. It also makes clean-up so much easier – scrape up any dried dough and/or loose flour before wiping with a cloth.
- A straight-sided Cambro container for dough mixing/folding/rising. The straight sides and measuring lines make it easier to see how much the dough has risen. You can find these in most restaurant supply stores (I bought mine locally at the Costco Business Center).
- A banneton will allow more ventilation than even a colander, and will result in sourdough loaves that are the right shape and easier to score.
- A bread lame is really the best tool for scoring dough. It uses razor blades, which are interchangeable, so you can ensure they’re always sharp.
- While a Dutch oven works just fine for baking round sourdough loaves, if you plan to start baking bread on a regular basis, investing in a combination cooker might be a good idea. This type of pot includes a flat lid with handles at the sides, and it can also be flipped upside down to cook in, like a skillet. This means you can place the dough in the lid instead of the pot, which allows for easier scoring and less risk of burns. When the dough is scored and ready for the oven, place the pot part on (upside down) as the cover and pop it into the oven.
How long does it take to make sourdough bread?
Making sourdough bread is a time investment. However, most of that time is not active, and you don’t need to be present for all of it.
From the time your sourdough starter is ready to use, you can expect a minimum of 7-8 hours until your bread is ready to eat. Plus more time if your kitchen is cold, plus time for your sourdough starter to rise if it hasn’t been fed lately.
About half of that time will be somewhat active, meaning you will need to be around to fold or shape the dough approximately every 30 minutes.
The dough will then be left to rise for another 3-4 hours (or overnight in the fridge) on its own before baking.
Country-Style Sourdough Bread Ingredients
The ingredient list to make sourdough bread is short. Only the basics are needed: flour, water, yeast (from your sourdough starter), and salt.
- Warm water – Use whatever water you normally drink. I recommend warming the water in a microwave-safe measuring cup or bowl, or in a small saucepan on the stove, as warm/hot tap water is more likely to contain contaminants. You want the water to be roughly 75-85°F or 24-27°C.
- Sourdough starter – Your sourdough starter can make or break your loaf. You want it to be active – to raise a loaf of bread, it should be doubling in volume within 6 hours. If it’s not, you will need to go through a few feeding cycles before you try to bake with it. Before baking, make sure your starter has been fed within 12 (ideally) to 24 hours. It should float, not sink in water when you use it. If you don’t have a sourdough starter and are interested in starting, check your local buy and sell/Facebook Marketplace to see if anyone local has one they’re willing to share. If that doesn’t work, try making your own or buy one from a reputable source.
- Bread flour – Using bread flour is absolutely required here. The higher protein (gluten) content of bread flour results in better dough structure, which means a chewier crumb and crust. The one time I accidentally used all-purpose flour to make my bread, it was noticeably different (for the worse).
- Whole wheat flour – On the other hand, whole wheat flour is not required. I like to use part whole wheat flour for most of my breads because I like the color, flavor, and texture that it provides. If you want a completely white sourdough bread, simply replace the whole wheat flour with an equal amount (by weight) of additional bread flour.
- Table salt – I have also forgotten to add salt to my bread on occasion, and it is never a pleasant surprise. Though you don’t really taste the salt in most bread products, you will absolutely notice its absence if you forget it. The bread will be very bland and flat-tasting. It also controls yeast activity to prevent fermentation from happening too quickly, helps to strengthen the gluten development for better texture, and promotes browning of the crust.
Want more bread recipes?
Country-Style Sourdough Bread Nutrition Notes
The nutrition information in the recipe below is for one half-slice, if you cut the loaf into 24 half-slices. Note that these numbers are an average, as some of the slices will be much larger than others due to the shape of the bread. If you cut your slices larger/thicker or smaller/thinner than this, the nutrition information will vary accordingly.
Note that the nutrition information includes the bread only, and not anything that you might serve with it (eg. butter).
This bread is vegan and dairy-free as written.
Country-Style Sourdough Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
- Start with sourdough starter that is active and has been fed within the past 12 to 24 hours (ideally closer to 12). A good rule of thumb is that it should be doubling in volume within 6 hours of being fed before making bread with it. It should also float in water before adding it to the recipe. If it doesn't, feed it and let it ferment for a few hours first.
- Add 375 grams (1 ½ cups) warm water to a large plastic container or bowl, ideally with a lid. Vigorously whisk in 100 grams (7 Tablespoons) sourdough starter until the water is an even milky color.350 grams (1 ⅖ cups) warm water, 100 grams (7 Tablespoons) sourdough starter
- Mix in 400 grams (3 cups) bread flour and 100 grams (1 cup) whole wheat flour and mix until all of the flour is incorporated. I find that the easiest way to do this is with my hands. The dough will be kind of scrappy-looking and not smooth at all at this point. Cover the container and let the dough rest for 25-45 minutes.400 grams (3 cups) bread flour, 100 grams (1 cup) whole wheat flour
- Sprinkle 10 grams (1 ½ tsp) table salt and the remaining 25 grams (⅛ cups) warm water to the dough, and mix again until the water is incorporated and you no longer feel any grains of salt.10 grams (1 ½ tsp) table salt, 25 grams (⅛ cups) warm water
- Cover the container again and move it to a warm spot (if your oven has a proof setting, you can use that. If not, you can use the closed oven with the light on). Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
- Open the container, and with the dough still in the container, pick up the dough from one side and stretch it up, letting the weight of the remaining dough pull it down. Fold the side you were holding down to meet the opposite side of the dough. Turn the dough to pick it up from another side, and repeat this stretching a total of 8 times. Cover the dough again, and place it back in its warm spot to rest for another 30 minutes.
- Repeat the resting/stretching routine 3 more times (a total of 4 times in all) over a course of 2 ½ hours (so that's rest-stretch-rest-stretch-rest-stretch-rest-stretch-rest). By the end of this course, the dough should be soft and pillowy, and have increased by 20-30% in volume. If it's not, repeat the above procedure for another hour.
- Transfer the dough to a clean countertop and dust lightly with flour. Use a bench scraper to turn the dough so that the floured side is on the bottom. Fold the non-floured (sticky) side of the dough in so that the floured side of the dough forms the complete exterior. Form the dough into a taut round by gently cupping your hands around the dough and pulling the edges of the dough under and toward the center to form a ball. Cover the dough with a clean towel and let it rest for 30 minutes.
- Lightly dust the dough round with flour again, and flip it over so that it is flour-side-down again. Picture the dough as a clock. Pick the dough up at 12 (the side furthest from you, and fold it over and gently press it only intself about ⅔ of the way across the dough. Repeat with the remaining sides of the dough (3, 6, and 9).
- Gently pinch the loose ends together at the top to form a tight ball, gently, without squeezing too much of the air from the dough.
- Place the towel that you were using to cover the dough in a round banneton (or small-medium colander) and sprinkle it fairly generously with flour. Place the dough on the floured towel in the banneton, seam-side up. Sprinkle this side of the dough lightly with flour, then fold the towel loosely over the dough so that it is completely covered.
- Return the banneton to the warm spot where it was rising earlier. Let it sit (covered in the towel) for 3-4 hours.
- Place the banneton in the fridge. Leave it there overnight, or for approximately 12 hours. Remove the banneton from the fridge and let it sit in a warm spot for at least 1-2 hours before baking. The dough should return to room temperature.
- 30 minutes before you're ready to bake the bread, move an oven rack to the bottom position and place a cast-iron Dutch oven or combination cooker (it should be at least 4.5 quarts) with its lid on the rack. Heat the oven to 500°F.
- Carefully remove the Dutch oven from the oven, and very carefully transfer the dough to the pot, seam-side down. Use a lame (or very sharp paring knife) to carefully score the top of the dough (you can do any shape you want – an X, a couple of curved lines, a square, etc.). Be careful not to bump your hand against the hot pot.
- Place the lid on the Dutch oven and return it to the oven. Immediately reduce the oven temperature to 450°F and bake for 20 minutes. At this point, the crust will be set and glossy, but pale. Remove the lid from the Dutch oven and cook for 15-20 more minutes, until the crust is golden brown.
- Remove the pot from the oven, and remove the bread from the pot (I prefer to turn the pot over and "dump" the bread onto a towel, but you could also pick it out of the pot with oven mitts). Transfer the bread to a cooling rack and cool for at least 15-20 minutes before slicing.
- Slice the bread to your desired thickness. It is best fresh, but it will still be good over the next couple of days. To keep the crust crisp, avoid placing the entire loaf in an airtight container or bag. Instead, cover only the cut side, and wrap the remaining crust in just a clean towel to prevent any dust from settling on it.
- After a couple of days, if there is still some left, I recommend slicing the remainder and transferring it to a zipper bag or airtight container to store in the freezer. Toast lightly before serving.
Nutrition
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Please Consider Leaving a Review!Recipe modified from Tartine Bread
