It took me months of trial and error to find an easy recipe for an everyday sourdough boule. This recipe is so simple that it requires less than 5 minutes of work in the evening and less than 5 in the morning to make healthy and delicious homemade sourdough.
There is no kneading required. You need two simple techniques: stretch and fold, and shaping a sourdough boule. Search on YouTube for demonstrations of these techniques.
The only tools you need are a digital kitchen scale and a heavy pot (preferably a Dutch oven). A banneton and bench scraper are useful but not necessary.
Ingredients
350g wheat flour (white or whole wheat both work. I use freshly milled whole wheat, nothing beats the taste!)
265g filtered water
1/2 tbsp salt
75g bubbly sourdough starter (I will cover starter creation and maintenance in another post)
Rice flour for dusting (optional)
In the evening, mix starter with 240g warm water. Whisk until well combined. Add flour. Mix with a spoon until a rough shaggy dough is formed. Cover with plastic wrap for 30 minutes. Dissolve salt in 25g hot water as soon as you cover dough, and set aside.
After 30 minutes, add salty water to dough, and dimple dough with your fingers until water is incorporated.
Do one round of stretch and folds. Cover dough with plastic wrap overnight.
In the morning, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Shape it into a boule. Prepare a banneton, or bowl lined with a linen kitchen towel, by dusting it with rice flour or wheat flour. Place boule into it, seam side up. Cover with plastic wrap for 30 minutes, and preheat oven to 450°F.
Turn bowl or banneton over onto parchment paper. Cut a slash in your boule using a serrated knife. Place boule on parchment paper into your Dutch oven. Place Dutch oven into oven. Bake covered for 20 minutes, then uncovered for 30 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack. Slice and enjoy! If you have leftovers on day 1, store in a sealed ziploc bag at room temperature for day 2, or slice and freeze.