California Sourdough Bread

California Sourdough Bread

A San Francisco–style wild-yeast loaf with a thick, deeply caramelized crust, an open irregular crumb, and a clean lactic tang from a long, cool fermentation. The starter is the soul of the bread — give it time and a steady routine and the loaf will reward you.

Prep

45 min

Cook

50 min

Total

95 min

Serves

1 large loaf (about 900 g)

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •200 g (1 cup) active sourdough starter, fed 4–6 hours before mixing, peaking and domed
• •500 g (4 cups) bread flour, 12–13% protein; or replace 125 g with whole-wheat flour for a half-whole-wheat version
• •375 g (1½ cups) filtered water, around 30 °C / 86 °F; cool, non-chlorinated water is essential for the wild culture
• •11 g (2 tsp) fine sea salt
• •20 g (1 Tbsp) rice flour, for dusting the banneton; prevents sticking without burning the crust
• •1 tbsp neutral oil or melted butter, to grease the Dutch oven base

Steps

1. 1 Feed your starter the night before so it is at its peak (doubled, domed, falling slowly when tapped). Combine 200 g peaked starter, 500 g bread flour, and 375 g warm filtered water in a large bowl. Mix with wet hands or a dough whisk until no dry flour remains. Cover and rest 45 minutes for an autolyse.
2. 2 Add 11 g fine sea salt. Pinch and fold the salt into the dough until fully incorporated, then perform 4 sets of stretch-and-folds at 30-minute intervals (wet hands, lift one side, stretch up, fold over; rotate a quarter turn each time). Between sets, cover and let the dough rest at 24–26 °C / 75–78 °F.
3. 3 Bulk ferment 4–5 hours total at room temperature, until the dough is about 50–75% larger, jiggly when nudged, and shows a domed top with bubbles along the sides. The dough should pass the windowpane test if you stretch a small piece thin.
4. 4 Tip onto a lightly floured counter. Pre-shape gently into a round by tucking the edges underneath; rest 20 minutes uncovered. Final-shape into a tight boule or batard by flipping smooth-side down, stretching the dough outward and folding the sides into the middle, then rolling away from you to build surface tension.
5. 5 Heavily flour a 25 cm / 10-inch round banneton with a 50/50 mix of rice flour and bread flour. Place the shaped dough seam-up, dust the top with rice flour, cover, and refrigerate immediately at 3–5 °C / 37–41 °F for 12–16 hours of cold retard. This slow fermentation is what builds the San Francisco tang.
6. 6 In the morning, place a Dutch oven (with lid) in your oven and preheat to 250 °C / 480 °F for at least 45 minutes. Keep the dough in the fridge until the oven is fully preheated.
7. 7 Turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment, score the top in one swift cut about 1 cm / ¼ inch deep with a sharp lame or razor. Carefully remove the hot Dutch oven, brush its base with 1 tbsp neutral oil, and lower the dough in by lifting the parchment.
8. 8 Cover with the lid, drop the oven to 230 °C / 450 °F, and bake covered for 25 minutes. Remove the lid and bake another 22–25 minutes, until the crust is a deep mahogany brown and the internal temperature reads 96–99 °C / 205–210 °F on an instant-read thermometer inserted into the bottom.
9. 9 Transfer to a wire rack immediately and cool completely — at least 2 hours — before slicing. The crumb sets as it cools; cutting early gives a gummy interior. Eat within 24 hours for peak crust crackle, or store cut-side down on a board for 2 days.