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Crusty Golden Sourdough Bread with a Soft Chewy Center Recipe

Crusty Golden Sourdough Bread with a Soft Chewy Center Recipe
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★★★★★

5.2 from 26 reviews

This Crusty Golden Sourdough Bread features a beautifully crunchy exterior with a soft, chewy center, perfect for sandwiches, toast, or enjoying plain. Made with simple ingredients, this artisanal bread requires patience and a few techniques like stretch and fold and cold fermentation to develop complex flavors and a perfect crumb.

Ingredients

Scale

Dry Ingredients

  • 4 cups (500g) bread flour or all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons (10g) salt

Wet Ingredients

  • 1⅔ cups (375g) warm water
  • 1 cup (200g) active sourdough starter

Instructions

  1. Mix flour and water: In a large mixing bowl, combine 4 cups of flour and 1⅔ cups of warm water. Stir until a shaggy dough forms, then let it rest for 30 minutes to hydrate the flour fully.
  2. Add starter and salt: After resting, add 1 cup of active sourdough starter and 2 teaspoons of salt to the dough. Mix well until fully combined.
  3. Initial fermentation with stretch and folds: Cover the bowl with a clean towel or plastic wrap. Let the dough sit at room temperature. Every 30 minutes, for 2 hours, perform stretch and folds by pulling one side of the dough upward and folding it over itself. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat three more times.
  4. Bulk fermentation: After the final fold, cover the bowl again and let the dough rise for 6 to 8 hours, until it doubles in size and becomes bubbly and puffy.
  5. Shape the dough: Gently transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Shape it into a round or oval loaf by folding and tucking the edges underneath, creating surface tension.
  6. Proof in basket: Place the shaped dough seam-side up into a floured proofing basket or a bowl lined with a floured towel. Cover and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours for a cold ferment and flavor development.
  7. Preheat oven and Dutch oven: The next day, place a Dutch oven into your oven and preheat to 450°F (232°C) to get it very hot.
  8. Prepare dough for baking: Remove the dough from the fridge and carefully turn it out onto parchment paper. Score the top of the dough with a sharp knife or razor blade to allow for oven spring.
  9. Bake covered: Using the parchment paper, lower the dough into the hot Dutch oven. Cover and bake for 20 minutes.
  10. Bake uncovered: Remove the lid and bake the bread uncovered for another 25 minutes, allowing the crust to become golden and crusty.
  11. Cool before slicing: Remove the bread from the Dutch oven and let it cool completely on a wire rack before slicing to ensure the crumb sets perfectly.

Notes

  • Make sure your sourdough starter is active and bubbly before using for best rise and flavor.
  • Adjust hydration slightly depending on your flour type; some flours absorb more water.
  • Cold fermentation in the fridge helps develop deeper flavor and improves crust texture.
  • Use a sharp blade to score the dough to prevent tearing and allow controlled expansion.
  • Allowing the bread to cool completely helps the crumb finish cooking and prevents gumminess.

Nutrition

Keywords: sourdough bread, crusty bread, artisan bread, homemade bread, sourdough recipe, chewy bread, Dutch oven bread

Find it online: https://leofoster.com/crusty-golden-sourdough-bread-with-a-soft-chewy-center-recipe/