No-Knead Sourdough Bread

No-Knead Sourdough Bread

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (227g) fed sourdough starter
  • 1 3/4 cups (397g) lukewarm water
  • 5 cups (602g) Flour
  • 1 tablespoon (18g) salt
  • 2 teaspoons diastatic malt powder or 1tsp yeast, optional for a more golden color and stronger rise

Method:

I highly recommend weighing your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. 

Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl, or a large food-safe plastic bucket.

Mix and stir everything together to make a sticky, rough dough. Just stir with a big spoon or dough whisk until everything is combined.

Leave the dough in the bucket or 6-quart bowl, cover it with the bucket’s lid or a piece of plastic wrap, and let it rise for 1 hour.
 
Gently pick up the dough and fold it over on itself several times, cover it again, and let it rise for another hour.

Repeat the rising-folding process one more time (for a total of 3 hours), folding after the last hour. Then, place the bucket or bowl in the refrigerator, and let the dough rest for at least 8 hours (or up to 48 hours).

When you're ready to make bread, turn the dough out onto a well-floured work surface, and shape it into a rough ball. Leave the dough seam-side up, cover it, and let it rest on a floured surface for 15 minutes.

Next, shape the dough to fit the vessel in which you’ll bake it.

Let the loaf warm to room temperature and rise; this should take about 2 1/2 to 3 hours. It won't appear to rise upwards that much, but will relax and expand.

With a rack positioned in the middle, preheat the oven to 425°F.

Just before baking, dust the loaf with a fine coat of flour and use a lame or a sharp knife to make one or several 1/2” deep slashes through its top surface. If you're baking a long loaf, one arched slash down the loaf lengthwise is nice, or if baking a round, a crosshatch or crisscross pattern works well.

If using a dutch oven remove the cover of the baker and bake the bread for 10 to 15 minutes longer, until the bread is deep golden brown and crusty, and a digital thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf reads at least 210°F. Total cooking time should be 25-30 minutes

Remove the bread from the oven and transfer it to a rack to cool completely.

Store leftover bread in a plastic bag at room temperature for several days; freeze for longer storage.