country loaf

This sourdough country loaf recipe produces a slightly open, even crumb with a mildly sour flavor. Delicious as toast, dipped in soup or hearty sandwiches!

Sourdough Country Loaf Recipe

sourdough starter (levain) (active)

+ 2 teaspoons whole wheat flour

bread flour

fine sea salt

starter

Prepare sourdough starter in advance: You will need to prepare the &quot;levain&quot; before you begin mixing the dough. To a clean jar add 12g starter (1 tablespoon) + 50g water (1/4 cup) + 50g flour (1/3 cup) and let rise until doubled. Depending on the temperature of your kitchen and the maturity of your starter, this can take anywhere from 4-12 hours.

Autolyse (1 hour): In a mixing bowl, combine 330 grams of water and 100 grams active sourdough starter, stir to combine. Add 50 grams whole wheat flour and 450 grams bread flour and use your hands to combine the ingredients until there are no dry bits and the dough looks like a shaggy mass. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest on the counter for 1 hour.

Add salt (1 hour): Add 10 grams of salt to 30 grams of water in a small bowl and stir to dissolve. Add the salt water to the dough and use your hands to work it in until well combined. Cover the bowl and let rest on the counter for 1 hour.

rise

Bulk Fermentation (3-5.5 hours): Perform 3 sets of stretch and folds, 30 minutes apart. To perform a set, while the dough is still in the bowl, pick up one side with a wet hand. Pull it up and over itself. Turn the bowl and repeat this action on 4 sides of the dough until the bowl has come full circle. (See notes)Cover the dough and allow to ferment at room temperature for 1-3 more hours according to the following temperatures. 68°F (20°C) 2-3 hours70°F (21°C) 2-2.5 hours72°F (22°C) 1.5-2 hours75°F (24°C) 1-1.5 hoursThe dough is ready for shaping when it has risen about 20-30% and has bubbles around the edges of the bowl.

shape

Shaping: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and use a bench scraper to form it into a loose ball. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes. Lightly flour the surface of the dough ball and use a bench scraper to turn it over. Final shape the dough by pulling the side nearest yourself up and towards the center of the dough. Repeat on all fours sides of the dough. Flip the dough over, seam-side down, and use your hands to twist the dough on the counter. Cup the dough with your hands and gently pull it towards yourself to create a tight skin on the outside. Flour the outside of the dough ball. Flour the inside of a banneton and place the dough ball into the banneton, seam-side up. Cover the bowl with a large plastic bag and let rest on the counter for 30 minutes.

Second Rise (8-36 hours):  Place the covered dough in fridge to cold ferment 8-36 hours.

bake

Score and Bake: Remove the dough from the fridge and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven, with the dutch oven inside, to 500°F (260°C) for 30 minutes.Turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper and score the top with a razor. Remove the dutch oven and place on stove-top. Use the parchment paper as a sling and lift the dough up and into the dutch oven. Cover, turn oven down to 450°F (232°C) and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the cover and bake an additional 25-30 minutes or until the crust is at the desired color.

cool

Let the bread cool on a cooling rack for 2 hours before cutting.

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Sourdough Country Loaf Bread Recipe is an easy, no knead recipe made with sourdough starter, no yeast necessary. This homemade bread is made with whole wheat flour and bread flour.  All of our recipes are tested with quality flour for consistent results.

Sourdough Country Loaf Bread

This jalapeño cheddar sourdough bread recipe makes a crusty artisan loaf, loaded with cheddar cheese and spicy pickled jalapeños. It can be enjoyed alongside soups, as the base for a spicy grilled cheese sandwich or on it’s own for a tasty snack.

Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough Bread Recipe

sourdough starter (active, not stirred down)

jalapeños (pickled

sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)

Prepare starter

Prepare sourdough starter in advance: You will need to prepare the starter before you begin mixing the dough. To a clean jar add 25g starter + 100g water + 100g flour and let rise until doubled. Depending on the temperature of your kitchen and the maturity of your starter, this can take anywhere from 4-12 hours. *See notes.

Prepare Sourdough Starter

Autolyse

Autolyse: In a mixing bowl, combine 330 grams of water and 100 grams active sourdough starter, stir to combine. Add 50 grams whole wheat flour and 450 grams bread flour and use your hands to combine the ingredients until there are no dry bits and the dough looks like a shaggy mass. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest on the counter for 1 hour.

Add salt

Add salt: Add 10 grams of salt to the remaining 30 grams of water in a small bowl and stir to dissolve. Add the salt water to the dough and use your hands to work it in until well combined. Cover the bowl and let rest on the counter for 1 hour.

Bulk ferment

Bulk fermentation: Perform 3 sets of stretch and folds, 30 minutes apart, over the first hour and a half. Add the shredded cheddar cheese and jalapeños to the dough during the second set of stretch and folds. Keep the bowl covered between sets. Once finished with the third set of stretch and folds, cover the dough and allow to rise at room temperature for an additional 2-3 hours. (Alternatively, you can cover the dough and let it rest in the fridge for up to 36 hours.)How to perform a set of stretch and folds: While the dough is still in the bowl, pick up one side with a wet hand. Pull it up and over itself. Turn the bowl and repeat this action on 4 sides of the dough until the bowl has come full circle.

Rise

Shape and Second Rise: Turn the dough onto a floured surface and shape into a rough ball. (The outside of the dough will not be smooth). Flour the top of the dough and place into a floured proving basket, top-side down. Allow to rise at room temperature for 2-3 hours or until it has risen about 20%-30%.

Preheat

Preheat: Preheat the oven, with the dutch oven inside, to 500° for 30 minutes.

Bake

Score and Bake: Turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper and score the top with a razor. Remove the dutch oven and place on stove-top. Use the parchment paper as a sling and lift the dough up and into the dutch oven. Cover with the lid, turn oven down to 450° and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake an additional 20-25 minutes or until the crust is at the desired color.

Cool

Cool: Let the bread cool on a cooling rack for 2 hours before cutting.

Prepare the Dough

Sourdough bread is even more delicious when loaded with salty olives, crunchy walnuts, and sweet roasted garlic. This olive and walnut sourdough bread can be served alongside soups or enjoyed as a hearty snack all on its own!

Olive and Walnut Sourdough Bread Recipe

sourdough starter

all-purpose flour

water

water (30 grams divided)

+ 1 tablespoon whole wheat flour

olives

walnuts (rough chopped)

basil

garlic

olive oil (for roasted garlic)

12 hours before you plan to mix the dough, add the ingredients to make ½ cup (100 g) of active sourdough starter to a clean jar. Stir until combined, loosely cover the jar and let the starter rise at room temperature. (The ingredients will create a total of 115 g active starter but, because some of it will stick to the sides of the jar during the transfer, we are making a little more than needed.) The sourdough starter is ready to use when it has doubled in size and there are plenty of bubbles on the surface and sides of the jar.

Feed Your Sourdough Starter

Roast garlic: Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Cut the top of the head of garlic off, drizzle with olive oil and loosely wrap in foil. Bake for 45 minutes. Let cool.

Add the sliced olives, walnuts, roasted garlic and dried basil to a bowl and set aside.

Prepare Add-ins

Bulk fermentation - Perform 3 sets of stretch and folds, 30 minutes apart, over the first hour and a half. Add the olives, walnuts, roasted garlic and dried basil to the dough during the second set of stretch and folds. Keep the bowl covered between sets.*To perform a set, while the dough is still in the bowl, pick up one side with a wet hand. Pull it up and over itself. Turn the bowl and repeat this action on 4 sides of the dough until the bowl has come full circle. Once finished with the third set of stretch and folds, cover the dough and allow to rise at room temperature for an additional 2-3 hours.

Shape and Second Rise - Turn the dough onto a floured surface and shape into a rough ball. (It will not be smooth). Flour the top of the dough and place into a floured proving basket, top-side down. Allow to rise at room temperature for 2-3 hours or until it has risen about 20%-30%.

Score and Bake: Preheat the oven, with the dutch oven inside, to 500°F (260°C) for 30 minutes.Turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper and score the top with a razor. Remove the dutch oven and place on stove-top. Use the parchment paper as a sling and lift the dough up and into the dutch oven. Cover, turn oven down to 450°F (232°C) and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the cover and bake an additional 25-30 minutes or until the crust is at the desired color.

Make the Dough

Oh my goodness! I’ve made at least 20 recipes from Little Spoon Farm and this was the best yet! I served it with Boursin cheese mixed with butter and a rustic Italian bracciole. Amazing! It will definitely be on my next charcuterie board too!

LOVE! My husband called this boule “A work of art!” I have made your sourdough chocolate chip cookies and sourdough sandwich bread on repeat at home. I finally ventured out and started making the dough on a Sunday Afternoon. After finishing Step 4 - Shape and Second Rise. I put it into the refrigerator covered with a beeswax cover until Monday Afternoon. Took it straight out the refrigerator and started Step 5 at 3:30 pm. We sliced it around 6:30 pm and WOW! Delicious!!
Thank you for sharing your recipes!

Wonderful recipe! Turned out great! 👍 

I omitted the garlic and added some dried oregano. Very tasty. 

Thanks!

Such an easy recipe to follow and the loaf turned out perfect! I’ve been using a pretty intensive recipe from NYT for a basic sourdough so it was nice using this + I got such a beautiful bread AND did not spend all day on it. Thank youuuuu :-)

Amy, I want to thank you for publishing so many sour dough recipes - both sweet &amp; savory - We do enjoy sour dough bread - the olive &amp; walnut with roasted garlic is great!  I will admit that my spouse doesn't enjoy a hard crust - he likes the crust soft &amp; chewy, so I do not make use of the cast iron pan anymore.  I bake in two loaf pans...

Great recipe! My best loaf ever (background: have been regularly baking sourdough for 7 years). Highly recommend this recipe.

I’ve made this several times and it always is great!

I absolutely love this recipe!  All this loaf needs is a pat of butter or a quality olive oil for dipping.  I will be making this a lot!

I made bread now few times using your recipe. Is so easy and very straightforward. I have tried so many different methods but yours are the best . Thank you

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Sourdough Country Loaf Recipe

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Top 3 country loaf recipes from across the web

The most viewed country loaf recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Sourdough Country Loaf Recipe

Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough Bread Re...

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The most viewed country loaf recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine