Sourdough French Bread
This French bread recipe using sourdough starter discard is so easy plus no yeast needed. Check out my tips for a perfect loaf every time!
Servings: 20 slices
Calories: 142kcal
Equipment
- lamé or sharp serrated knife
- French bread pans or baking sheets
Ingredients
- 1 cup (240 grams) sourdough starter discard or fed 12-24 hours prior *see notes below
- 1 ½ cups (283 grams) warm water
- 2 tablespoons (25 grams) sugar See notes for using honey
- ⅓ cup (80 grams) olive oil or any plant-based cooking oil
- 4 cups (500 grams) all-purpose flour divided, or use bread flour
- 2 teaspoons (15 grams) salt
Instructions
Mixing the sourdough bread sponge
- 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 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
This recipe uses a discard or unfed sourdough starter, which means one that was fed 12-24 hours before starting the recipe. Our recipe does not use a starter that's at its peak when mixing the dough. A 100% hydration sourdough starter works best for this recipe.
Do not refrigerate the dough! We are not proofing sourdough in the fridge. If it gets too cold, the fermented yeast will not rise overnight.
Overnight rising guidelines
Rising times will vary according to your room temperature and humidity:
80ºF about 4-5 hour
75ºF about 6-7 hours
70ºF about 8-9 hours
For temperatures under 70ºF it can take up to 12 hours or more
- You can substitute sugar with 25 grams or 3 1/2 teaspoons of honey.
- See video for hand kneading method and tips. Baked bread will read about 195º when checked with an instant read thermometer.
- When my sourdough bread is past its prime, I slice it into cubes and dry or toast it to make sourdough stuffing or slice it for French toast sourdough bread.
- This is a discard recipe, but your discard should come from an active starter fed within the last day (if stored on the counter) or the last week (if stored in the refrigerator). I feed mine within 12 to 24 hours before starting any bread recipes.
- For a clean score, use quick, even motions. Sourdough scoring is only about 1/4" to 1/2" in depth. Side slashes work best for scoring loaves of French bread.
- The scoring of the top is simple but necessary to keep it from cracking. Use a very sharp knife or lamé for sourdough scoring. I prefer to use a lamé or a serrated knife.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 142kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 193mg | Potassium: 27mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 1mg