You’ve heard of leavening agents used to make baked goods rise, but have you heard of naturally leavened sourdough bread? Here’s how to make this delightful recipe!
Table of Contents
- What Is Naturally Leavened Sourdough?
- Naturally Leavened Sourdough Bread Recipe
- What to Serve With Naturally Leavened Sourdough
- Naturally Leavened Sourdough is Great!
- FAQs
Naturally Leavened Sourdough Bread Recipe
- Total Time: 5 hrs 35 mins
- Yield: 2 loaves 1x
Ingredients
- 2 cups of active sourdough starter
- 5 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup of whole wheat flour
- 397g of room-temperature water
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Combine the starter, flour, and water in a large bowl, and mix well. Add more water if necessary to create a soft and sticky dough.
- Cover the dough and let this rest for 20 minutes. This step will allow the flour to absorb all the water, which strengthens the gluten structure and enables easier kneading.
- After this add salt, and knead until the dough is smooth and supple. When fully kneaded, place the dough in a bowl, cover, and let this rest for 1 hour.
- Fold the dough, and transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Use a bench scraper to fold the dough into a letter shape. Turn the dough a quarter of the way, and flatten it slightly. Repeat the letter fold, then return the dough to the bowl. Cover and let this rise for another hour.
- Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into two. Shape this into two neat rounds, then cover and rest for 20 minutes.
- After resting, shape the loaves into tight rounds, and place them seam-side up in bowls lined with parchment paper or floured cloths. Cover and let them rise for bulk fermentation until they’re light and airy for 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
- An hour before the dough is ready to bake, preheat the oven with a baking stone, or Dutch oven in it to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. For the perfect crust slide a cast iron skillet on the lowest oven rack to preheat.
- Once the loaves have risen sufficiently, gently transfer them onto parchment paper, and score them with a sharp knife or bread lame. Lift the parchment paper with the loaves into the oven.
- Pour 1 cup of boiling water into the cast iron skillet.
- Bake the bread for 35-40 minutes until it’s a wonderful golden brown. Remove the loaves from the oven, and let them cool before slicing.
- Store any leftover bread in a paper bag, or loosely covered in plastic for a couple of days. Or freeze to keep for longer.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 4 hrs
- Category: bread
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 90 kcal
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Protein: 3 g
What Is Naturally Leavened Sourdough?
The terms naturally leavened refer to the dough or bread requiring no assistance from commercial yeast to create a rise and instead makes use of natural yeasts. It uses an active starter which is essentially a combination of fermented flour and water that contains wild yeasts and bacteria to rise. This contributes to the wonderful tangy flavors, and chewy textures of certain loaves, like sourdough bread.
The fermentation process is very essential for naturally leavened bread, as time and patience are required for the yeasts and bacteria to work together and do their thing, in this case, help produce a good rise.
Is Naturally Leavened The Same As Sourdough?
Naturally leavened can also be known as sourdough as it requires natural yeasts from a starter or levain. This helps leaven the dough and produce that wonderful oven spring you seek from a sourdough recipe.
Naturally Leavened Sourdough Bread Recipe
This sourdough loaf is just as delicious as any other, except for its unique flavor, subtle tang, and rich texture. A special loaf like this deserves all the attention it can possibly get, especially since it doesn’t even require a pinch of commercial yeast. This is the perfect sourdough recipe for beginners!
- Type: Bread
- Cuisine: American
- Recipe yield: 2 loaves
- Calories: 90kcal
- Preparation time: 20 mins
- Cooking time: 35-40 mins
- Total time: 5H35M
Ingredients
- 2 cups of active sourdough starter
- 5 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup of whole wheat flour
- 397g of room-temperature water
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt
Instructions
- Combine the starter, flour, and water in a large bowl, and mix well. Add more water if necessary to create a soft and sticky dough.
- Cover the dough and let this rest for 20 minutes. This step will allow the flour to absorb all the water, which strengthens the gluten structure and enables easier kneading.
- After this add salt, and knead until the dough is smooth and supple. When fully kneaded, place the dough in a bowl, cover, and let this rest for 1 hour.
- Fold the dough, and transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Use a bench scraper to fold the dough into a letter shape. Turn the dough a quarter of the way, and flatten it slightly. Repeat the letter fold, then return the dough to the bowl. Cover and let this rise for another hour.
- Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into two. Shape this into two neat rounds, then cover and rest for 20 minutes.
- After resting, shape the loaves into tight rounds, and place them seam-side up in bowls lined with parchment paper or floured cloths. Cover and let them rise for bulk fermentation until they’re light and airy for 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
- An hour before the dough is ready to bake, preheat the oven with a baking stone, or Dutch oven in it to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. For the perfect crust slide a cast iron skillet on the lowest oven rack to preheat.
- Once the loaves have risen sufficiently, gently transfer them onto parchment paper, and score them with a sharp knife or bread lame. Lift the parchment paper with the loaves into the oven.
- Pour 1 cup of boiling water into the cast iron skillet.
- Bake the bread for 35-40 minutes until it’s a wonderful golden brown. Remove the loaves from the oven, and let them cool before slicing.
- Store any leftover bread in a paper bag, or loosely covered in plastic for a couple of days. Or freeze to keep for longer.
Nutrition
- Calories: 90kcal
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Protein: 3g
- Fat: 0g
- Saturated fat: 0g
What to Serve With Naturally Leavened Sourdough
Now that you’ve baked your naturally leavened loaf, you’re probably just as eager to devour it, and we don’t blame you!
Not only is sourdough bread incredibly delicious, but it is super versatile. You can enjoy this as a sweet or savory treat, and you’ll love every bit of it!
- Soups: Sourdough bread makes the perfect dipping tool for hot and hearty soups. From vegetable to thick meaty soups, the best way to soak up all those gorgeous flavors is with a slice of naturally leavened sourdough. Try these soups on my blog: Creamy Cauliflower Soup and Butternut Squash Soup
- Stews: Another great accompaniment for sourdough bread is delicious stews. Hearty and warm, the perfect winter dinner, just got better. Load your slices of sourdough with meats, or veggies, soaked in a flavorful stew sauce, and indulge in its scrumptious depth.
- Fries: The simplest of accompaniments are these salty fries. But you can easily elevate this snack by using sweet potatoes to create a flavorful treat. (Potatoes can also be used for sourdough, did you know? Check out my potato sourdough recipe!)
- Lasagna: Lasagna is just fantastic on its own, but when accompanied with a tart companion, the results are even better. Use your sourdough bread as a tool to soak up the meaty creamy flavors, and savor every bite!
- Sandwiches: One of the easiest options to consider, is sourdough sandwiches, because why on earth not? Load your sliced toast with anything you fancy, from cheese to turkey bacon and sliced tomatoes, your lunchtime treat just got interesting!
- French toast: A great breakfast option. Transform a simple sourdough toast into a scrumptious breakfast treat, with flavors like cinnamon, and honey to delight your taste buds.
Naturally Leavened Sourdough is Great!
Naturally leavened bread makes the perfect option for you and your family to enjoy at the dinner table. Try this recipe today!
You can also try this no-knead sourdough bread, for another natural method of sourdough bread baking.
FAQs
Is Naturally Leavened Bread Healthier?
Absolutely! Naturally leavened sourdough bread is much healthier than regular bread for many reasons, the main one being that it is so much easier to digest due to the lower glycemic index.
Does Naturally Leavened Bread Have Yeast?
Yes, it does. The natural leaven contains both yeast and bacteria, which work together to provide taste and rise to the final loaf.
Is Naturally Leavened Sourdough Bread Gluten Free?
Unfortunately, sourdough bread isn’t gluten-free, although people who suffer from gluten sensitivity are able to tolerate it. This is because sourdough is able to break down some of the gluten in the flour, making the loaves easier to digest. So instead of sourdough being gluten-free, it is relatively low in gluten. Although if you’re very sensitive to gluten, I wouldn’t advise eating sourdough bread as this can potentially harm you.
Instead, opt for sourdough bread that uses gluten-free ingredients, i.e. gluten-free flour.
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