Let's get baking.
This recipe is a great place to start using your Dough My God starter. We recommend starting with 1 loaf. You can use wheat flour or spelt for this one interchangably. It's a 70% hydration recipe; anything lower than 70% tends to be a little too stiff. While higher hydration generally leads to a more airy or bubbly crumb in the final product, increasing hydration can make the dough a little hard to handle and takes some practise. If you want to learn more or calculate your own hydration, head over to the DMG baker's calculator.
Select the number of loaves and hydration to automatically adjust the ingredient quantities. Print this recipe with the button at the bottom of the page.
Hydration is calculated using the flour and water in the dough, including the flour and water contained in a 100% hydration starter.
Beginner Sourdough Recipe
550
g
quality baker's flour
370
g
room-temperature water
100
g
active starter at peak rise
12
g
sea salt
50
g
sunflower seeds, pepitas or linseed
(optional)
Mix the starter and water
Its important to make sure your starter has been fed before you bake and at its peak (doubled in volume or more). In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the water and active starter until the starter is mostly dissolved.
Add the flour
Add the bakers flour to the water and starter mix. Combine until a shaggy dough forms with no dry flour remaining.
Autolyse (fermentolyse)
Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
Add the salt
Sprinkle in the salt and mix well, pinching and folding the dough until it smooths out and shows some gluten development (this is the process ofcreating a stretchy, elastic network of protein strands in your dough, which can be seen and felt as it changes from a shaggy mixture to a smooth, pliable structure).
Bulk fermentation with folds
Over the next 3 hours, perform 6 stretch-and-folds or coil folds every 30 minutes.
After the final fold, let the dough rest until it has risen about 50-60% and feels airy and jiggles. Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel when you're not working with it.
Pre-shape
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. If you are making multiple lovaes, use a dough scraper or cutter to separate your dough into equal amounts by weight and then gently shape into a round, pulling the sides of the dough slightly under itself to create some tension in the outer layer. Rest for 30 minutes.
Final shape and proof
Shape into your preferred loaf shape and place seam-side up in a floured banneton/proofing baskets.
While we update our own videos, we’ve included links to Maurizio Leo from The Perfect Loaf demonstrating how to shape both a round loaf (boule) and an oval loaf (batard). Maurizio is a highly respected figure in the sourdough community, and we find his videos clear, practical and easy to follow.
Next, cover lightly with gald wrap, a plastic bag or a tea towel/baking linen and proof overnight in the refrigerator. (Proofing is optional but we highly reccommened it if you have the time).
Bake
Preheat oven with a Dutch oven inside to 250°C. Once the oven hits temperature, leave it for another 30-40 minutes to continue heating the dutch oven. We are aiming for an evenely heated and very hot dutch oven. If you dont have a dutch oven, an oven safe pot with a lid also works well
If you have a dough sling, use it to transfer your loaf into the preheated Dutch oven/pot, score with your dough lame, and cover with lid, leaving the dough sling under your dough, in the dutch oven for the whole bake. Depdending on your dlough lame and dutch oven, you may find it easier to score the loaf prior to placing it in the dutch oven.
Turn the oven down to to 240°C and bake for 30-40 minutes with lid on, then uncover and bake until the crust reaches your desired colour (usually 15–20 minutes more).
Cool
Remove loaf from Dutch oven and cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before slicing, ideally until the loaf is completely cooled.