Bake Sourdough Every Day in Under 30 Minutes

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Do you love the taste of fresh sourdough but think you don’t have time to bake it every day? This guide will show you how to make a delicious loaf with less than 30 minutes of hands-on work. You can enjoy fresh bread and still have time for your family and other things you need to do.

Simple Steps to Daily Sourdough

Here’s a simple process to bake sourdough bread every day without spending hours in the kitchen.

Feeding Your Starter

• Evening Routine: Feed your starter while you’re making dinner.
• Small Batch: Use the small amount of starter left from your last bake.
• Mix It Up: Add 55 grams of water and 55 grams of strong bread flour to the starter.
• Rest: Mix well, cover loosely, and let it sit at room temperature overnight. This long fermentation makes it ready to use in the morning.

Mixing the Dough

• Morning Start: Mix your main dough around 6:30 a.m.
• Combine: In a bowl, mix 257 grams of room temperature water and 98 grams of your bubbly starter.
• Dissolve: Mix to break the starter down.
• Add Salt: Put in 8 grams of sea salt and mix again.
• Flour Power: Add 388 grams of strong bread flour (about 13.3% protein).
• Mix Well: Combine everything with a spoon until you have a rough dough.

Using strong bread flour and the right amount of water is key. This makes the dough easy to handle.

Quick Kneading

• Relax Dough: Cover the dough and let it sit for 5-10 minutes.
• Knead: Flip the dough out and knead it for less than a minute until it’s smooth.
• Shape: Shape it into a ball, put it back in the bowl, and cover it.

Stretch and Fold

• Prep: Wet your countertop to stop the dough from sticking. A spray bottle works great.
• Stretch: Gently stretch the dough into a large circle. Work around the edges so the dough can relax.
• Fold: Fold one side of the dough over to the center, and repeat with the other side. You’ll have three layers.
• Square Shape: Fold one of the long sides over to the center, and repeat. Fold each corner in. You’ll have a square shape.
• Rest Again: Shape the dough into a ball, put it back in the bowl, and cover it.

Bulk Fermentation

• Room Temperature: Let the dough sit at room temperature.
• Time Saver: If you need to leave, use less starter to slow down the process. This gives you more time to get things done.

Shaping

• Pre-Shape: Shape the dough into a ball to make it stronger.
• Rest: Let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes, not covered.
• Rice Flour: Dust with rice flour to stop sticking.
• Roll It: Roll the dough into a cylinder, tucking the ends in tight.
• Seal: Press the dough down well to seal it.
• Final Rest: Roll the dough in rice flour and put it in a banneton basket.
• Room Temperature Rise: After an hour and a half, the dough should have grown a little.

Overnight Proof

• Fridge Time: Put the banneton in the fridge to finish fermenting. It will sit there until you’re ready to bake the next day.

Baking

• Preheat: Heat your oven to 430°F (220°C) for an hour with a baking stone inside.
• Score: Use the oval shape from the basket to guide your cuts. Hold the blade at a 45-degree angle and make a quick, clean cut from the top center to the right edge, then back to the bottom center.
• Bake: Slide the dough onto the hot stone, cover it with a pan, and bake for 20 minutes.
• Uncover: Take the pan off and bake for another 30 minutes.

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Clean Up

• Basket Care: Clean your banneton basket with a soft brush. Use a harder brush for tough dough bits, but be gentle.
• Dry: Put the basket on a window sill to dry.

Key to Daily Baking Success

This process takes less than 30 minutes of hands-on time. By doing one set of stretches and folds, you can enjoy daily sourdough without being stuck in the kitchen. This method gives you a loaf with a slightly open crumb.

Enjoy Fresh Bread Every Day

With a little practice, you can bake a great loaf of sourdough every day and still have time for everything else.