Bake a beautiful, crusty sourdough boule with a tangy flavor and airy crumb. This traditional bread takes about 24 hours from start to finish (mostly hands-off fermentation time), with about 30 minutes of active work. Perfect for intermediate bakers ready to master sourdough.
Make sure your sourdough starter is active and bubbly. It should have been fed 4-8 hours ago and have doubled in size. If it hasn't been fed recently, feed it now and wait until it's at peak activity before starting.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the bread flour and water. Mix with your hands or a wooden spoon until no dry flour remains. The mixture will be shaggy. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and let rest for 30-60 minutes. This autolyse period helps develop gluten naturally.
Add the active sourdough starter and salt to your rested dough. Squeeze and mix everything together with your hands, pinching and folding until the starter and salt are fully incorporated. The dough will feel sticky and loose—this is normal.
With wet hands, grab one side of the dough, stretch it up, and fold it over itself. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat. Do this 4 times total (one full rotation). This builds strength in the dough. Repeat this entire process every 30 minutes for the next 2 hours (4 sets of stretch and folds total).
After your final stretch and fold, cover the bowl with a damp towel and let the dough rise at room temperature (70-75°F) for 3-5 hours total from when you first mixed in the starter. The dough should increase in size by about 50% and look puffy with some bubbles on the surface.
Lightly flour your work surface. Turn the dough out gently (don't deflate it too much). Fold the edges toward the center to create tension, then flip it seam-side down. Using your hands or a bench scraper, drag the dough in circles on the counter to create surface tension and form a round ball.
Generously dust a banneton basket or a medium mixing bowl lined with a clean kitchen towel with rice flour or all-purpose flour. This prevents sticking during the final rise.
Place the shaped dough seam-side up into your prepared banneton. Cover tightly with plastic wrap or place the whole basket in a large plastic bag. Refrigerate for 8-16 hours (overnight works perfectly). This cold proof develops flavor and makes scoring easier.
One hour before baking, place your Dutch oven (with the lid on) in the oven and preheat to 500°F. The Dutch oven needs to be fully heated to create the steamy environment that gives sourdough its signature crust.
Cut a piece of parchment paper large enough to lift your loaf. Remove dough from fridge and turn it out onto the parchment (it should come out seam-side down now). Using a sharp knife, lame, or razor blade, score the top of the dough with one deep slash (about 1/2 inch deep) or a decorative pattern. Work quickly so the dough stays cold.
Carefully remove the hot Dutch oven from the oven. Using the parchment paper as a sling, lift the dough and lower it into the Dutch oven. Put the lid on immediately. Bake at 500°F for 20 minutes with the lid on.
After 20 minutes, remove the lid from the Dutch oven and reduce oven temperature to 450°F. Continue baking for another 25-30 minutes until the crust is deep golden brown. The internal temperature should reach 205-210°F if you have a thermometer.
Remove the bread from the Dutch oven using the parchment paper and place it on a wire cooling rack. Let it cool for at least 1 hour before slicing—this is crucial! The bread is still cooking internally and slicing too early will give you a gummy texture. Listen for crackles as it cools—that's a good sign!