This is my favorite 24-hour sourdough bread recipe which yields two beautiful loaves with a rustic crust and a tangy sourdough flavor. It’s perfect for a weekend baking project and can be enjoyed by 8 people.

The recipe is fairly straightforward, with a mix of flours, water, starter, and salt. The key to this bread is the long bulk fermentation and the shaping technique. The long fermentation allows the flavors to develop and the gluten to relax, making for a light and airy crumb. The shaping technique creates tension in the dough, which results in a beautiful oven spring.

If you’re looking for a delicious and impressive sourdough bread recipe, this is the one for you!

Here are some additional tips for making this bread:

• Use a ripe sourdough starter that is bubbly and active.
• Make sure your water is room temperature.
• Don’t overwork the dough. The dough should be shaggy and sticky, but it should come together in a ball.
• Be patient during the bulk fermentation. The dough will rise slowly, but it will be worth it!
• When shaping the dough, be gentle and don’t overhandle it.
• If you don’t have a Dutch oven, you can bake the bread on a baking sheet with a baking stone. Just make sure to preheat the baking stone well before adding the dough.

I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Ingredients

• 500g Bread Flour
• 500g other Flours (or Bread Flour)
• 750g room temperature water
• 200g bubbly starter
• 20g kosher salt

Autolyse:  30 min. -2 hours

1. Mix your flour and water in a large bowl using a bench scraper. Once it starts to incorporate, use your hands to pinch in the water and mix well.  If you feel it is too dry, add 50g more water and continue pinching dough with your hands. Let rest for 30 minutes or up to two hours covered with a damp towel. 
2. Add your starter to Autolyse. Pinch it in with your hands until well incorporated. 
3. Add 20g salt with 50g of additional water  to Autolyse – again, pinch it in until well mixed.
4. Work the dough. Stretch and fold the dough until you see more uniform texture, increased elasticity and more extensibility. The dough will look very shaggy.

Bulk Fermentation: 4 hours 

1. Cover and rest for one hour.
2. Dampen hands with warm water.  Lift and fold dough onto itself. Rotate bowl 90 degrees and repeat three more times.
3. Cover and rest for one hour.
4. Dampen hands with warm water.  Lift and fold dough onto itself. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat three more times.
5. Cover and rest for one hour.
6. Dampen hands with warm water.  Lift and fold dough onto itself. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat three more times.
7. Cover and rest for one hour
8. Dampen hands with warm water.  Lift and fold dough onto itself. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat three more times.

Divide and Preshape

1. Dust Bannetons with a mixture of 50% rice flour and 50% AP Flour
2. Gently pour dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half with a bench scraper.
3. Pre-shape into Battards or Boules then let rest covered with a clean, dry towel for 15 minutes.
4. Final shape creating tension!
5. Cover with plastic bag or shower cap and proof 1-2 hours.
6. Place in the refrigerator overnight.
7. In the morning, pre-heat oven to 475 or 500 degrees with your dutch oven inside,
8. Take dough out of the refrigerator. Turn it onto parchment paper. Dust with your Rice/AP flour blend and score with lame.
9. After your dutch oven has preheated for one hour, place the bread carefully inside, cover quickly with the lid and place back in oven for 20 minutes.
10. Carefully remove the lid using very good oven mits and let the bread continue to cook uncovered for another 20-30 minutes depending on how dark you like your crust.
11. Remove from oven and let bread fully cool on a wire rack for several hours.