Fluffy Dutch Oven Sourdough Bread (Step-by-Step Photos!) | Peak to Plate (2024)

If you love making sourdough but you never quite get the fluffy texture you're going for, this is the Dutch oven sourdough bread recipe for you! It's the perfect blend of airy and tangy, with a texture so light you'll feel like you're biting into a cloud (with a perfectly crunchy crust, of course). I make this bread for my family every week and have tested this recipe hundreds of times! It's sure to become one of your favorite bread recipes. Give it a try today!

Why You'll Love This Bread:

It's DELICIOUS: I can tell you for certain that this is the best sourdough bread recipe I've ever made. I've perfected it after testing numerous batches and the outcome is always the most amazing bread with a perfectly crisp golden brown crust and the softest, most flavorful interior.

SIMPLE Ingredients: It's truly incredible that you can make such a delicious loaf of bread using only flour, water, salt, and wild yeast. No commercial yeast or other leavening agents are needed! It amazes me every time!

CONSISTENT Results: This recipe has been tried and tested many times. If you follow the photo tutorial below and practice often, you're well on your way to making perfect sourdough bread, every time!

Ingredient Notes:

• Sourdough Starter: Sourdough starter can either be made at home or purchased in various forms (typically dried). I used this guide for making a sourdough starter and it hasn't failed me yet. You can also ask a baking friend to share some! It's important to note that sourdough starters are all different in yeast cultures, consistency, yeast activity, etc. and it may take time to figure out how your starter works with specific recipes.
• All-Purpose Flour: When choosing a flour to feed your sourdough starter, select an unbleached flour. Bleached flour likely won't ruin your starter, but I get good results with unbleached all-purpose flour.
• Bread Flour: Not all bread flours are created equal. The protein content and type of wheat used can drastically affect the outcome of your bread. I get the best results with King Arthur bread flour which has a higher protein content than most bread flours. That's not to say you can't use any type of bread flour, but you may have to test the recipe a few times and adjust it to your liking.
• Salt: I use Redmond Real Salt for bread, which is unrefined and has a lower sodium content per gram than regular table salt. If you are using refined table salt, cut the salt down to 8-9 g to make up for the higher sodium content.

Specialty Equipment Notes:

• Dutch Oven: A cast iron Dutch oven is the perfect vessel for creating a crisp crust while also allowing the bread to rise during the baking process. You can also use a stoneware bread baker.
• Kitchen Scale: A digital kitchen scale is a baker's best friend. Sure, you can measure out the ingredients with measuring cups. But, to get more precise, consistent results, a digital kitchen scale should be used.
• Long Silicone Spatula: You can stir your sourdough starter with any clean kitchen utensil that works for you. But this long silicone spatula is just the right size and shape to effectively stir the starter and scrape down the sides of the jar.
• Dough Whisk: A dough whisk is great for mixing dough but it isn't necessary. You can mix this dough with your hands or another clean kitchen utensil as well.
• Silicone Bowl Scraper: A silicone bowl scraper is a handy tool for removing sticky dough from a bowl. I highly recommend getting one!
• Bench Scraper: A bench scraper is a handy tool when it comes to shaping sourdough. But, you can also shape sourdough with your hands.
• Bread Lame or Razor: A bread lame is essentially a fancy razor blade holder and isn't necessary for scoring bread. However, a razor blade or sharp knife is essential for scoring the dough.
• Banneton: A banneton is a basket specifically made for proofing bread dough. You can also use a cloth-lined bowl in place of a banneton. Bannetons come in two shapes boule (round) and batard (oval). There are many sourdough kits that contain bannetons and other tools listed above.
• Parchment Paper: Parchment paper is super handy for baking sourdough. It makes a great surface to transfer the dough from counter to Dutch oven to cooling rack and also keeps the dough from sticking to the Dutch oven.
• Bread Knife: A good sourdough loaf can be hard to slice with a typical bread knife due to its crusty exterior and soft interior. I recommend a sharp knife with scalloped teeth like this scalloped offset bread knife. As an added bonus, the offset shape keeps you from rubbing your knuckles on the cutting board!

What is Sourdough Starter and Where Do I Get It?

Sourdough starter is a live culture made by combining flour and water and cultivating the wild yeast present in flour. Starters are typically made beginning with whole wheat flour and gradually switching to all-purpose flour. Wild yeast is more present in the outside of the wheat kernel which is present in whole wheat flour and creates a more robust starter.

You can make your own sourdough starter by following this guide from King Arthur Flour: how to make your own sourdough starter. You can also purchase sourdough starters from various retailers like this starter named "Willa" from Ballerina Farm. Or the easiest route to obtain a starter is to ask a sourdough-baking friend for some!

Step-by-Step Instructions:

How To Feed Sourdough Starter:

Many recipes will tell you to feed your sourdough starter with equal parts starter, flour, and water. But if you start with too much starter, your bread can be overly sour from the lactic acid in the old sourdough starter. Starters should be fed once a week (whether you bake with them or not) and stored in the fridge in between feedings. Follow the simple instructions below to feed your sourdough starter for a mild-tasting bread.

Step 5: Store the starter on top of your fridge or in another warm place.

Step 6: The starter is ready to use when it has doubled or tripled in volume in 6-8 hours. Many recipes will tell you to use the float test to see if your starter is ready to use, but this test isn't always accurate and I suggest using the increased volume of the starter instead.

Pro Tip: Use a rubber band to mark the level of your starter when you fed it so you can see when it has doubled in volume.

How to Make Sourdough Bread Dough:

Making the dough is probably the easiest step in sourdough bread baking. Follow the simple steps below!

Pro Tip: Cover the bowl with a shower cap instead of plastic wrap to cut down on plastic waste. They're easy to clean, fit over the bowl well, and keep the dough from drying out. Just make sure you use a dedicated shower cap for kitchen use. 🙃 Alternatively, a damp kitchen towel can also be used.

How to Stretch and Fold Sourdough Bread Dough:

Stretching and folding is the term used for a no-knead method for making bread dough. The process is quite literally what it sounds like: a series of stretching the dough and folding it over itself until the desired texture is achieved. The goal is to develop the gluten fibers by stretching them which gives your bread structure.

First Round:

Second Round:

See Also

What's the difference between sourdough and soda bread?The 13 Most Common Sourdough Bread MistakesSecrets to a Softer Crust - Bread by the HourHoney Sourdough Bread Recipe

Third Round:

Fourth (Final) Round:

Pro tip: The typical schedule for stretching and folding is 4 rounds over 2 hours. However, you can do it in shorter or longer time periods. The dough needs at least 15 minutes to rest between stretching and folding, but you can also let it rest for up to an hour in between.

How to Shape a Sourdough Boule (round loaf):

Boule translates to "ball" in French and is the term used for loaves of sourdough shaped into a round shape. This is the classic shape that most people use to make artisan sourdough bread.

Pro Tip: If you have trouble with your dough sticking to your banneton, try rice flour to flour the banneton instead of all-purpose flour.

How to Shape a Sourdough Batard (oval loaf):

Batard loaves are my favorite to bake because they typically turn out fluffier than boules. The difference in the shaping process results in a more structured loaf.

The term batard in French means "bastard". At first, French bakers used to shape their bread into only two forms: baguette and boule. The use of term "bastard" in French is commonly used more like "cross-breed." Since batard loaves are somewhere in between baguettes and boules, the name batard was used.

How to Score a Sourdough Loaf:

Scoring your sourdough loaf is where you get to let your creativity run free! A sourdough loaf needs at least one deep score (at least ½" deep) to allow it to expand in the oven.

But, you can also do some decorative scoring if you'd like (1/16-⅛" deep). I like to do one large score on the right side of the dough and several small decorative scores that open up to look like leaves when the bread bakes. You can do as little or as much scoring as you'd like to make your perfect loaf!

See Also

sourdough troubleshooting — Mary Grace Bread

Pro tip: Most recipes will suggest you use a bread lame to score the dough. I find that I can be more precise with just a razor blade. If you choose to go this route, be careful how you hold it so you don't cut yourself!

How to Bake Sourdough Bread with a Dutch Oven:

The magic that makes this sourdough so fluffy is a quick oven-rising process under very high heat. The key is to make sure the Dutch oven is fully preheated before baking the bread.

Pro Tip: Let the bread cool fully before slicing it. The bread continues to bake and set up as it cools. As tempting as it may be to cut into it right away, don't do it! You'll likely end up with gummy slices of bread.

Baker's Schedule:

With longer recipes like this, it can be hard to picture how long it will really take. See below for my typical sourdough baking schedule. Of course, you can adjust the times to fit your schedule.

• 10 am: Feed the starter.
• 6:30 pm: Make the dough. Cover the starter with the lid and refrigerate for up to a week before feeding again.
• 7 pm: Stretch and fold the dough, and cover the bowl.
• 7:30 pm: Stretch and fold the dough, and cover the bowl.
• 8 pm: Stretch and fold the dough, and cover the bowl.
• 8:30 pm: Stretch and fold the dough. Cover the bowl and leave it on the counter overnight.
• 6:30 am (next day): Shape the dough and place it in a floured banneton or cloth-lined bowl. Cover and refrigerate.
• 10 am: Place the Dutch oven in the oven and preheat the oven.
• 11 am: Score dough, reduce the oven temperature and bake. Let the bread cool completely on a wire rack.
• 3 pm: Place the bread in a zippered bag to soften the crust (optional).
• 6 pm: Eat!

How to Store Sourdough Bread:

If you can avoid eating the entire loaf in one day, you're going to want a way to store it! There are several ways you can store sourdough bread depending on how long you want to keep it.

Additionally, the humidity where you live will play a big role in how long your bread stays fresh if you choose an air-permeable option like a cotton bread bag or bread box. If your bread goes stale, try making homemade breadcrumbs!

• Plastic Zippered Bag: A plastic zippered bag will keep your bread fresh for many days at room temperature. However, the moisture inside the bread will penetrate the crust and the crust will have a more chewy texture instead of being crispy.
• Cotton Bread Bag: A cotton bread bag will keep your bread fresh for 2-3 days. The outside will stay crispy but the inside will dry out quickly.
• Bread Box: A typical bread box will keep bread fresh for 3-5 days, but it depends on the box and the type of ventilation used.
• Freezer: To freeze sourdough bread, slice it first. Then, freeze the slices on a sheet pan. Once they are frozen solid, store them in a zippered bag or vacuum-sealed bag for up to 3 months.

What to Serve with Sourdough Bread:

Sourdough bread is fantastic on its own or served with a generous smear of butter. If I can save enough to use for dinner, here's how I like to serve it:

• Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
• Elk French Onion Meatballs
• Venison Sausage and Gnocchi Soup
• Pheasant Noodle Soup
• Mini Elk Steak Sandwiches
• Add mix-ins like in this Roasted Garlic Sourdough

Recipes to Use Day-Old Sourdough:

• French Toast Casserole
• Stuffing with Sausage
• Breadcrumbs
• Croutons

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