Description
This recipe guides you through baking a perfect, crusty sourdough boule from scratch, emphasizing its deeply satisfying process and delicious results. It’s designed to be approachable for both beginners and experienced bakers, yielding a wholesome, family-friendly loaf infused with rosemary and lemon.
Ingredients
- 400 g strong bread flour
- 100 g whole wheat flour
- 350 g warm water (86-90F)
- 100 g active sourdough starter (100% hydration)
- 10 g fine sea salt
- 15 g fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- Zest of 1 medium lemon (approx 2 teaspoons)
- 15 g black sesame seeds, plus extra for garnish
- 2 g flaky sea salt, for garnish
Instructions
- Feed Sourdough Starter: Feed your sourdough starter 8-12 hours before beginning, ensuring it is vibrant, active, doubled in size, and very bubbly.
- Prepare Autolyse: In a large mixing bowl, combine 400 g strong bread flour, 100 g whole wheat flour, and 330 g of the warm water. Mix until no dry flour remains and a shaggy dough forms. Cover and let rest for 30-60 minutes for hydration.
- Mix Dough Ingredients: Add 100 g active sourdough starter, the remaining 20 g warm water, 10 g fine sea salt, 15 g finely chopped fresh rosemary, and 2 teaspoons lemon zest to the dough. Mix thoroughly by hand for 5-7 minutes, squeezing and folding until all ingredients are well incorporated and the dough feels cohesive and slightly sticky.
- Perform Bulk Fermentation: Cover the bowl and allow the dough to bulk ferment for 4-6 hours at room temperature (72-75F). During the first 2-3 hours, perform 4-5 sets of stretch and folds every 30-45 minutes; gently stretch one side of the dough up and over itself, rotate the bowl, and repeat three more times.
- Pre-Shape Dough: After bulk fermentation, gently turn the aerated, puffy dough onto a lightly floured surface. Preshapethe dough into a loose round, creating gentle surface tension. Let it rest, uncovered, for 20 minutes to relax.
- Shape Boule: Lightly dust your work surface with flour. Gently reshape the dough into a tight boule, building significant surface tension for a good rise. Lightly moisten the top surface with water and sprinkle 15 g black sesame seeds evenly over it, gently pressing them in to adhere.
- Cold Proof Dough: Transfer the dough, seam-side up and sesame-seed side down, into a floured banneton or a bowl lined with a floured kitchen towel. Cover with a plastic bag or shower cap and refrigerate for 12-16 hours for cold proofing.
- Preheat Oven And Bake: Preheat your oven to 475F (240C) with a Dutch oven inside for 45-60 minutes until very hot. Carefully remove the hot Dutch oven, invert the cold dough (sesame-seed side up) into it, and score the top with a sharp razor blade. Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the lid, reduce oven temperature to 450F (230C), and continue baking for another 25-30 minutes, or until the crust is deep golden brown and the internal temperature is 205-210F (96-99C).
- Cool Baked Boule: Carefully remove the boule from the Dutch oven and transfer it to a wire rack. Cool completely for at least 2-3 hours before slicing to allow the internal crumb to set properly and prevent a gummy interior.
Notes
Filtered water is recommended for healthy starter activity. If you don’t have a banneton, a generously floured kitchen towel-lined bowl works well for proofing. All-purpose flour can be used instead of bread flour for a softer loaf. For a bolder flavor, you can increase whole wheat flour to 150g (reducing bread flour by 50g). When performing stretch and folds, moisten your hands with water if the dough is too sticky. Aim for a deep golden-brown, caramelized crust for optimal flavor and crunch. Allow the bread to cool completely for 2-3 hours on a wire rack to ensure the crumb sets properly and avoid a gummy interior.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: General
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (approx 110 g)
- Calories: 250 calories
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 2 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 9 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: sourdough, boule, bread, baking, homemade, crusty, rosemary, lemon, sesame, easy