Sourdough French Bread

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Sourdough french bread has been one of my favorite breads to make. Crusty with a soft chewy inside, perfect to eat with butter or as a side for meals. This recipe usually makes two loaves of bread or one giant loaf. I often use this sourdough french bread when making cheesy garlic bread.

I like making most of my bread with sourdough starter. The sourdough starter replaces the active yeast one could buy at the store. I find that sourdough bread is healthier and easier to digest. When sourdough is fermented, the dough has time to grow good bacteria. Another benefit is, when the dough is fermented for a longer time, the dough will have less gluten and can make it more tolerable for people to eat.

Ingredients needed to make sourdough french bread are unbleached flour or freshly milled hard wheat, active sourdough starter, filtered water, honey, olive oil, and salt. I measure almost everything out with a kitchen scale.

Feed sourdough starter 4-12 hours before making this recipe. I usually feed mine in the morning before I even know what I want to make.

Start by weighing out 226 grams of active sourdough starter. It must be active and bubbly to give the dough a good rise. Then add in 285 grams of unfiltered water. Water shouldn't have any chemicals in it that will harm the good bacteria we are trying to grow in our sourdough bread.

Add in 21 grams of honey, 30 grams of olive oil, 10 grams of salt and 540 grams of unbleached flour or freshly milled hard wheat. Mix until combined. Cover with lid or plastic wrap and let dough rest for 30 minutes. This will give the flour a chance to absorb some moisture.

To see what grain mill I use and how to mill wheat berries, visit Milling Wheat Berries.

Next start the stretch and folds. This is the method I prefer instead of kneading or using a stand mixer. I start by pulling up one side of the dough by shaking it until it is about 6-12 inches high and fold it over the dough. Press the dough into itself and then repeat on four sides of the dough. That completes one round of the stretch and folds.

Stretch and folds should be 6 total rounds to complete the dough. The first 3 rounds are 15 minutes apart and then second 3 rounds are 30 minutes apart. I follow this loosely when I get busy but in general, as long as I get at least 6 stretch and folds in within 2 hours, it turns out ok.

Test the dough using the window pane method. This means, take a small piece of dough and stretch it between your fingers so it is thin enough you can "see through" it and if it doesn't break apart, there is enough gluten formed. If it breaks apart, I knead the dough for a little while and try again.

After the dough is formed, I cover with plastic wrap and let ferment on the counter for 8-12 hours or over night. The warmer it is, the faster it will rise.

In the morning, or when the dough has doubled in size, I divide it into two pieces on a lightly floured surface.

Next I roll or stretch out the dough into a rectangle shape. Roll it up and form it into a loaf of french bread pinching the seams. Repeat with the other dough.

I place the sourdough french breads on a parchment lined baking sheet, cover and let rise for 2-4 hours. It will be ready when you press the dough and the dough doesn't spring back.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and slice the top with a lame or sharp knife. Bake for 22-25 minutes until golden brown. I also place two ice cubes inside the oven for a crustier loaf. Allow to cool completely before cutting into. The bread continues to bake after pulling it out of the oven.

After the bread cools completely, it is ready to eat or store. I store mine in a plastic bag or airtight container. Bread will be fresh for only a few days at room temperature but also freezes well. Simply place in bag or container and freeze. Once you are ready to enjoy, just pull the bread out several hours before eating.

Yield: 2 loaves

Sourdough French Bread

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Sourdough french bread is chewy and soft inside with a crusty outside. Prefect for making garlic breads or simply eating with butter.

Prep Time 1 day

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 1 day 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 226 grams (1 cup) active sourdough starter
• 285 grams (1 &1/4 cup) filtered water
• 10 grams (2 tsp.) salt
• 21 grams (1 Tb.) honey
• 30 grams (2 Tb.) olive oil
• 540 grams (4 cups) unbleached flour or freshly milled hard wheat

Instructions

1. Feed sourdough starter 4-12 hours before starting recipe. Starter needs to be active and bubbly.
2. Measure out 226 grams of sourdough starter into a large bowl.
3. Add 285 grams of filtered water.
4. Add 10 grams salt, 21 grams of honey and 30 grams of olive oil. Mix well.
5. Add 540 grams of unbleached flour or freshly milled hard wheat and mix until combined.
6. Cover bowl with lid or plastic wrap for 30 minutes.
7. Complete 6 rounds of stretch and folds.
8. First 3 rounds are 15 minutes apart and last 3 rounds are 30 minutes apart.
9. Form dough into ball and cover bowl with lid or plastic wrap for 8-12 hours at room temperature.
10. Once dough has at least doubled in size, cut into two pieces.
11. Roll out one piece of dough on a lightly floured surface into large rectangle shape.
12. Roll the dough up into a long loaf shape and pinch seams together.
13. Place loaf on parchment lined baking sheet and repeat with the other piece of dough.
14. Cover loaves with a towel and let rise for 2-4 hours. Test loaves by pressing a finger into the dough. If it doesn't spring back, it is ready to bake.
15. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
16. Cut slashes on top of the loaves with lame or sharp knife.
17. Add 2 ice cubes to oven for a crustier bread.
18. Bake for 22-25 minutes until golden brown.
19. Allow bread to cool completely before slicing.
20. Store in airtight container.