Bread recipe for beginners : Step-by-Step Sourdough Bread Recipe and Baking Tutorial

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Feed your healthy, active starter. This is typically done the morning before you plan to make dough to eat. Cover and let it rest and grow twice.

Ingredients:
- 570 g warm water (112 F)
- 750 g all-purpose flour
- 200 g active sourdough
- 21 g salt

Step 1 - Autolyse:
In a bowl, mix the flour and water until all the dry bits are incorporated. Cover the bowl and ensure all the dry flour is hydrated.

Step 2 - Mix:
Add 170 g of sourdough and 21 g of salt to the dough in the mixing bowl that underwent autolyse. Knead the dough for 10-15 minutes by hand or 5-10 minutes with a food processor until it becomes smooth. Perform folds for about 2-3 minutes in the bowl by grabbing one side of the dough, pulling it up and over to the other side, and repeating. Repeat this process around 30 times or so. The dough should still be shaggy but more smooth and cohesive.

Transfer the dough to a tub or thick-walled bowl for bulk fermentation. Leave it in a warm place for 40 minutes.

Step 3 - Bulk Fermentation:
Allow the dough to undergo bulk fermentation for approximately 4 hours. Perform 4 sets of stretch and folds during this period at 40-minute intervals. After each set of folds, let the dough rest for the remainder of the bulk fermentation.

1. Stretch
- 40 minutes rest
2. Stretch
- 40 minutes rest
3. Stretch
- 40 minutes rest
4. Stretch
- 40 minutes rest

When gently shaking the bowl, the entire mass should jiggle from side to side, indicating its liveliness. The dough should appear smoother and hold its edges, folds, and creases more readily compared to the beginning of bulk fermentation.

Step 4 - Divide & Preshape:
Divide the dough into two halves and gently shape each piece into a round. Let the dough rest uncovered for 30 minutes. Handle the dough quickly and rely on your bench knife to minimize contact.

Step 5 - Shape:
Lightly flour the top of the dough rounds and the work surface. Flip each round and shape it into the desired bread form.

Step 6 - Long Cold Proof:
After shaping, let the dough rest on the bench for a few minutes, then place it into a banneton lightly dusted with white flour. Store the banneton in the fridge ideally overnight. This extended cold proofing will result in a lighter, more open, and airy crumb.

Step 7 - Bake - Next Morning:
Preheat your oven to 500°F (260°C) along with a Dutch oven. Allow the oven to heat up for approximately 30 minutes before baking.

Remove the dough from the fridge (no need to let it come to room temperature), uncover, and turn it out onto a sheet of parchment paper. Transfer it to the preheated Dutch oven. Bake covered at 500ºF for 20 minutes, then uncover, lower the temperature to 400ºF (220°C), and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes, or until the bread is done to your liking.

Once the loaf is finished baking, remove it from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for 1-2 hours.