If you have ever wanted to bake bread but fear that it’s too difficult or you don’t have enough time, I’m here to tell you that after following the below steps in this post you will feel more confident in making your first sourdough bread. Let’s just get one thing out of the way first, yes there are many steps along the way to cutting into your first loaf of bread, but the amount of time per step is minimal, some are as quick as 15 seconds. Yes, 15 seconds! If you have the desire, determination and time you will succeed in baking your first sourdough bread. If you are like me and always like additional resources, our inspiration for making Sourdough Bread came from watching Joshua Weissman make his. Here is the link, he has some amazing recipes and videos: Joshua Weissman’s Sourdough Bread
Last week I posted Sourdough Starter Recipe + Worksheet and if you made your own, or even purchased a starter, you have completed the first critical step. Now it’s time to make the dough.
Tips For Baking Bread With Kids
Since this recipe will have you weigh the ingredients, your older kitchen helpers (6yrs+) will enjoy spooning the different flours and salt into the bowls and watching the scale reach the target amount. If you are working with a little kitchen helper (ages 3-5) you may want to use oversize bowls and spoons, that will make it easier for them to scoop and make their target.
Bread Baking Equipment
There are a few items that you will need to begin your bread baking adventure. I have been using these products and have had great success. They are all not necessary, like the proofing box, but given our kitchen environment (not ideal temperature) we needed to make sure we had the exact proofing space. We, my husband and I, started our bread baking using a dutch oven and used parchment to lower the loaves into the pots. We have since transitioned to a Lodge Combo Cooker and haven’t looked back. For us, it was easier to turn out the dough on the flat cast iron and then place the lid on top. The design also allows the bread to steam inside causing some great oven spring. Here are the items I recommend. These are affiliate links so any purchases will support my coffee habit, thank you.
Large Scale
Banneton Proofing Baskets (2) Bench Scraper and Lame Package
Glass Jar
Proofing Box
Combo Cooker
Time to Start Baking Your First Sourdough Bread!
To make this process as organized and as stress free as possible, I have created this: My Sourdough Bread Schedule (See below for your free download) . Use this sheet as your steps to follow along to time out proofing and folding your bread. On the morning of your bake, preheat your oven to 500°. You will bake the bread, lid on, for 20 minutes. You will then reduce the temperature to 450° and remove the lid and bake for an additional 20-30 minutes or until a mid-deep brown color (I like to go for an internal loaf temperature of around 208 degrees). I have also created a video to watch the process in action.
Make and Taste 