So, I must say right up front, if you have never worked with a sourdough starter, this might not be the best recipe with which to begin a lasting relationship with this enigmatic compound. Not that a sourdough starter is difficult to build. It’s not. But for someone new to using a sourdough starter and possibly even new to bread baking in general, I would recommend my recipe for Sourdough Bread (no added yeast) as a beautiful way to start a lasting friendship.

However, if you are an experienced bread baker, this recipe from the butterforall.com site (with some changes from me) is amazing! It produces one of the best tasting breads I have ever eaten. And it took probably less than a dollar to prepare. But as I warned above, it takes someone with a bit of experience to navigate all the required steps. Not that the steps are difficult. They definitely aren’t. They’re just a bit messy and could cause frustration if one didn’t have a bit of experience under their belt. But worth the time and mess? Abso-friggin-lutely!!!!

The flavor is magnificent, the crumb perfect, and the crust is as crisp and chewy as anyone baking bread in a regular home oven can expect to produce.

So bake this bread! And while you’re at it – stay healthy, stay happy, and eat well.   

1 c. sourdough starter

1 2/3 c. room temperature water

¼ c. raw honey

2 tsp. kosher salt

¾ c. rolled oats, plus more for shaping the dough into a boule (round)

2¼ c. bread flour, or more as needed, divided

1½ c. whole wheat flour

Day 1:

In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the sourdough starter, water, honey, salt, ¾ cup rolled oats, 1½ cups of the bread flour, and all of the whole wheat flour. Mix all ingredients into a wet and sticky dough. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes. Using the dough hook, knead the dough for about 3 minutes. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and place on your counter to ferment overnight.

Day 2:

Uncover the dough and using your stand mixer and dough hook, add the additional bread flour starting with a half cup. Then add additional flour until most of the dough sticks to the hook, but about a third still sticks to the bottom of the bowl. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel, and let rise for 1 hour. 

Spread a bunch of oats on a baking sheet. (I use a rimmed baking sheet because it keeps the oats from going everywhere!) Deflate the dough and scoop it out onto the oats. (This is a messy job BTW.) Quickly shape the dough into a round so that the oats are covering the dough.  

If you are someone who bakes bread a lot, you might have a banneton. A banneton is a container the helps give structure and shape to dough during its final rise. But I bake bread quite a bit, and have never taken the time to purchase one. I use a plain old ceramic or glass bowl. So if you use a banneton, prepare it to receive the dough as you usually would. If you are using a bowl, give it a light coating of cooking spray and a good dusting of flour. If you have oat or rice flour available, use either of them because they are less sticky than wheat flour.

Place the ball of dough seam side up in the banneton or bowl and cover it lightly with a clean tea towel. Let the dough double at room temperature. This takes about an hour.

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees with either a regular old fashioned cast iron Dutch oven or round bread cloche (clay baker) inside. You want to heat the Dutch oven or clay baker as the oven heats. (Do not use your Le Creuset Dutch oven. The handles, especially on older models are not safe at 450 degrees.)

Cut a rectangle of parchment paper and turn the dough out onto it so the seam side is now down.

Score the dough with a sharp knife in a wide cross pattern. Carefully remove the hot Dutch oven or clay baker from your oven and take the lid off. Gently pick up the dough using the corners of the parchment paper. Lower the dough into the Dutch oven or onto the clay baker and replace the lid. Place back into the oven and bake covered for 25 minutes. (I have found that if I put the hot Dutch oven or clay baker on a baking pan as you see in the picture below, it is much easier and safer to lift in and out of the oven, rather than just the Dutch oven or clay baker itself. You don’t have to do it my way, but it works well for me.)

After 25 minutes carefully remove the lid and continue baking for 20 more minutes. The internal temperature should be about 200 degrees when the bread is removed from the oven.

Carefully lift the bread out of the Dutch oven or off the clay baker. Place the boule on a wire rack and let cool completely before slicing.