Turn your sourdough discard into amazingly French bread that's crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. With just a few ingredients, you can bake this crusty, airy, savory French bread that's perfect for dipping and spreading.
Combine starter, water, sugar, oil, and 3 c flour in a medium bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. Stir using a dough whisk or flat beater until a thick, sticky dough forms. This is called a sponge. Cover and let rest for 30 mins.
Add salt to the dough, and slowly add the last 1 cup of flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
Kneading by hand
Add 1 cup of flour on the countertop and knead in one cup of flour at a time until the dough is no longer sticky. Then knead for 10 minutes by hand until the dough is soft, smooth, and elastic. See video below for more tips. You should be able to stretch the dough for 4-5" without it tearing. Use a timer to time kneading and take short breaks if your arms get sore.
Stand mixer kneading
Use the dough hook at low speed to mix the dough until it cleans the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl. Knead in mixer for 5-7 minutes, until a soft, smooth, and elastic dough forms. You should be able to stretch the dough for 4-5" without it tearing.
Overnight rise (fermentation)
Place dough into a large greased bowl turning the dough over, and cover with a clean damp towel or plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place (75º to 85º is ideal) overnight or for 8 hours (or until dough is bubbly and has doubled in size).
Preparing the Sourdough French Bread loaves
Cut the dough in half. Flatten each half to a 5" x 7" rectangle (i use my fingertips to gently deflate or degas the dough). Then tightly roll on the long side. Pinch the ends to seal them.
Place dough on lightly greased french bread pans, or place length-wise on a large parchment lined baking sheet. Cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise for 1 1/2 - 2 hours, until the loaves have increased in size and look puffy.
Preheat oven to 400ºF (205º celcius). Using a very sharp knife or lamé quickly score loaves with 3 - 4 diagonal slashes. Make scores about 1/4" to 1/2" deep.
Bake for 25 - 30 minutes. The loaves should be golden on the outside and sound hollow when tapped.
Notes
See video for hand kneading method and tips. Baked bread will read about 195º when checked with an instant read thermometer.