Dutch Oven Sourdough Bread Recipes

SUPER EASY SOURDOUGH BREAD - DUTCH OVEN STYLE

Steps:

• *Initial prep work*
• Dissolve salt into filtered water and set aside
• Combine all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour in large bowl
• Add in sourdough starter and filtered water (with salt dissolved in it)
• Mix everything together by hand until well mixed
• Knead/fold the dough in half, while working the bowl in a circular pattern using quarter turns
• Make about 10-12 folds in total
• Cover bowl and let sit to rise for 12-24 hours
• *After dough has finished rising*
• Preheat oven to 450°F with dutch oven on center rack
• Once oven is preheated, turn temperature down to 415°F
• Quickly form dough into a round shape and place on a piece of parchment paper
• Score the dough and place it (on parchment) into the dutch oven
• Bake with lid on for 20 minutes
• Remove lid and bake for an additional 35-40 minutes
• Move bread to a cooling rack and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes
• Slice a piece off and enjoy!

DUTCH OVEN SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• To begin this bread, you need to set aside about 1 hour at least to take the time to knead and let the dough rest. The rest of the time will be more passive time.
• This recipe only has a small amount of active effort. You need to let the dough sit and take its time. You also need to plan time for this bread. It needs at least 12 hours in the fridge and at the least 3 on the counter.
• What I like to do is to start this dough in the afternoon around 1. I can get all the kneading in by 1:30 and then it needs some rest time. After that it will be sitting in the fridge overnight.
• Take your ingredients and put them in a large mixing bowl. Use a wooden spoon or dough spoon to mix the ingredients together
• It will begin to be too sticky and dense to manage with a spoon.
• Wet your fingertips and begin kneading the dough in the bowl. Lift on corner of the dough and push it into the center of the dough. Rotate the bowl and repeat this process all the way around the dough. If it begins to stick to your hands, dip your fingers in water and repeat. Do this until all the flour is incorporated. `
• Once it is at this point, cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it sit for 10 minutes
• After 10 minutes, remove the plastic and knead. Take one corner, lift it up and push it into the center. Rotate and repeat this all the way around the dough, 4-5 times. The stretching helps develop the gluten
• Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit for another 10 minutes.
• Take the wrap off and repeat the kneading.
• Cover and let sit another 10 minutes.
• Repeat this 5-6 times total
• I like to set a timer and go about my business doing other things and then knead when the timer goes off.
• Once you have done the kneading 5-6 times, its time to let the dough sit and rest for 3-6 hours. Yes hours!
• I put the plastic wrap over the bowl and set it somewhere with ambient temperature. It needs to rise. Double in size.
• I find it takes about 3 hours for mine, but it could take longer depending on your circumstances.
• Once it had doubled in size, its time to shape your dough and prepare it for the fridge!
• First, you will do your last knead and pull. Do this 4-5 times. Take the dough out of the bowl. and lay it on the counter
• Now, you are going to form a ball, first by rolling the dough in on itself. Then flip it over and use the countertop to create tension. Push on the dough ball while rolling it under. You want to turn and roll. You can watch my video to see how to do this. This creates tension on the dough surface and gives it that good crust.
• Let the dough sit and rest for a couple minutes.
• While it rests, its time to get a bowl ready. You can use a regular large mixing bowl, but it is recommended to use a bread banneton proofing basket.
• If you use a bowl, line it with a towel, and flour the towel heavily to prevent the dough from sticking. I like to use wheat flour for this because it tends to not absorb into the dough.
• If you use a bread banneton basket, flour its heavily as well.
• Take the dough and lift it up, flip it over and put the finished side of the dough down into the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and use a rubber band to secure the plastic wrap around the bowl.
• Put the bowl in the fridge and let it sit in there for at least 12 hours. You can go as far as 24 hours.
• When you are ready, take the bowl out of the fridge and let the dough sit on the counter for about an hour. I like to let the oven preheat to 450 degrees while this is happening. Put your dutch oven in the oven to preheat with the oven. You want your pan to be hot.
• Lay out some parchment paper, and take the dough gently out of the bowl and flip it over so the smooth side of the dough is on top. Lay it on the parchment paper
• Cut some slits or designs in the dough to allow for more of a rise. I like to make a swirl. You can use a scoring lame or a sharp knife.
• Immediately take your hot dutch oven out of the oven and take hold of the parchment paper with the dough. Put it inside the dutch oven and carefully place the lid on and put it in the oven to bake.
• If you want, you can add a couple ice cubes on the outside of the parchment paper between the pan and the paper. This will give the crust a bubbly surface and allow more of a rise!
• Bake the dough for 35 minutes. Check around 30 minutes and see if it is done. Tap it, it should feel hollow. You can take the top off of the pan and let it bake if the top is not golden brown.
• Take ti out of the oven when it is done and let it cool completely on a rack before cutting.
• This bread makes the most amazing toast, french toast, grilled cheese sandwiches, and it is fantastic with olive oil and balsamic vinegar!

SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• For the levain: Combine the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, water and starter in a medium bowl and mix to combine. Cover and let sit at room temperature until bubbly and increased in volume by about 20 percent, about 8 hours.
• For the dough: Add the all-purpose flour, water and whole-wheat flour to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Weigh out 7 ounces of the levain (about 1 cup) and add to the mixer (discard any remaining levain). Mix on low until a shaggy dough forms. Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Add the salt to the dough and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes; the dough should feel a bit sticky and wet but look smooth and very stretchy. Scrape the dough into a plastic or glass container about twice its size. Cover and let sit at room temperature until puffed, about 45 minutes.
• Put the dough on a floured work surface, flatten it gently, then fold in thirds like a business letter. Transfer it back to the container. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 45 minutes.
• Repeat the folding process one more time, transfer back to the container, cover and let sit at room temperature for another 45 minutes. After the third 45-minute rest, the dough should feel soft and pillowy; when pressed with a finger, it should leave an indentation that begins to spring back.
• Gently scrape the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide in half using a bench scraper. Shape each piece loosely into a round by gently tucking the edges under. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
• Drape 2 kitchen towels into 2 medium (8-inch) bowls and dust very generously with flour. Dust the top of the dough rounds very lightly with flour and flip over using a bench scraper. Flatten one piece of dough into a circle, then fold the left and right sides of the dough over the center. Keeping tension in the dough, begin folding down from the top edge in 3 segments, sealing the bottom edge with the last fold. Loosely cup the dough and, using your hands and the tension between the board and the dough, pull the bread very slowly towards yourself while creating a taut ball. Gently flip the dough ball over and into one of the prepared bowls. Cover loosely with another kitchen towel. Repeat the process with the second piece of dough. Place both in a warm place to rise until about 1 1/2 times their size, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
• About 20 minutes before baking, position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven, put a 4-quart Dutch oven and lid on the rack and preheat to 500 degrees F. When preheated, carefully transfer the hot Dutch oven to a heatsafe surface with oven mitts (leave the lid in the oven). Flip one round of dough over into the Dutch oven. Using a sharp knife, scissors or bread lame, score the top of the bread in a cross or desired pattern. Return to the oven, immediately cover with the lid and bake for 20 minutes. Lower the temperature to 425 degrees F, uncover and bake until dark brown, about 10 minutes more. Transfer the bread to a cooling rack to cool completely. Return the empty Dutch oven to the oven, raise the temperature to 500 degrees F and let heat for 10 minutes before repeating the baking process with the second dough round.

DUTCH OVEN SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, add the sourdough starter. Mix in the water, stirring until it is completely dissolved. Add the flour and salt. Stir with a dough whisk or wooden spoon until a thick, shaggy dough forms. If the dough is too thick to stir, finish mixing dough by hand. Cover with a clean, damp kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
• Stretch and fold the dough for 15 seconds within the bowl. Grab the edge of the dough, stretch it up and press it down into the center of the dough, then turn the dough 1/4 a turn (see video) and continue stretching the dough in a clockwise rotation. Cover the bowl with a damp towel, and let rise in a warm area (75º to 85º F) for 6-8 hours. The dough should double in size and look bubbly on the surface and under the dough.
• Lightly flour your countertop and pull the dough from the bowl onto the countertop. Shape the dough by stretching and folding it again as you did before. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
• Line a medium bowl with a towel or use a banneton with linen cover, and dust heavily with flour. Let dough rise for 30 - 60 minutes.
• Preheat your oven to 450º (without the dutch oven). Cover the dough bowl with a long piece of parchment paper, and turn it over onto the countertop so that the dough is on top of the parchment paper.
• Slash the top of the loaf with a lame or sharp serrated knife. Gently lower the parchment paper dough into the dutch oven.
• Place the dutch oven in the oven and bake with the bread covered for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for 20 more minutes. Using oven mitts, carefully remove the bread from inside the pot and bake it directly on the oven rack for 10 minutes to crisp the exterior.
• Let cool for at least 1 hour before serving.

BETTER-THAN-BAKERY NO-KNEAD SOURDOUGH

Steps:

• Mix water and salt together in a very large bowl. Add sourdough starter and whisk vigorously to mix and aerate; stir in 3 cups bread flour until smooth. Stir in remaining 3 cups bread flour until dough is completely mixed.
• Cover bowl and set aside until dough is bubbly and increased in volume, 12 to 15 hours.
• Turn dough on to a well floured work surface using floured hands. Turn dough several times to cover with flour. Return dough to an oiled bowl and let rest until dough is doubled in size but not risen enough to collapse, 2 to 3 hours.
• Preheat an oven-safe, lidded Dutch oven (at least 8 quarts) in a 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) oven for 30 minutes.
• Carefully remove Dutch oven using oven mitts and sprinkle cornmeal into the bottom to prevent dough from sticking.
• Gently roll dough out of oiled bowl and into the Dutch oven; replace lid.
• Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove lid and continue baking until crust is lightly browned, about 15 minutes more. Carefully tip loaf out onto a cooking rack to cool completely.