Lazy Girl Artisan Sourdough Boule Recipe
This simple artisan sourdough recipe makes a delicious boule with incredible flavor, perfect for even the laziest bakers to enjoy effortlessly.
Oh the woes of sourdough.
Besides how grateful I am that traditional bread making skills are all the rage now, I am still amazed at it’s going out of style in the first place. This basic homemaking skill should have never been lost to an entire generation. Thankfully there are those of us trying to bring it back to life.
I’m busy and I love getting things done so if a daily task becomes too time consuming I will cut it off faster than crust on a picky toddlers sandwich. (If you never cut it off, your kids will never know it was an option, wink wink)
So when it came to sourdough, like almost all modern women, I never learned or had interest until the dreaded spring of 2020 and then, like everyone else, I suddenly had interest and all the time in the world to master this simple yet forgotten task. Two years later and I am so glad I stuck with it! I have this lazy sourdough bread recipe memorized and some nights if I’m in a rush I mix, wait, add the rest and cover. I don’t even stretch and fold (sacrilege I know) and guess what in the morning I proof and bake and still have a gorgeous artisan loaf.
Do I need a scale to weigh ingredients?
Yes! You’re going to want to use a kitchen scale.
I know, I dreaded this too. I would always ask myself “What would Mary do?” and think, “2000 years ago there were no scales living in the kitchen cupboard.”
Sourdough unlike modern yeast breads is not a dump and bake recipe. An artisan sourdough boule recipe is art! That’s what makes it so difficult. Consistent loaves come from touch and sight of the process. This is why I recommend weighing and purchasing bread flour at the start. You need to know what you’re looking for before you can start going off grid with your recipe.
Finding a great sourdough recipe is like finding a needle in a hay stack. Everyone has one but they aren’t all great, or consistent. I personally tried three about 30 times, manipulating the ingredients and process before settling on the one I will share with you today.
I’m a “no muss no fuss” kind of lady, so here is my no muss no fuss lazy girl artisan sourdough boule recipe.
Equipment needed for an artisan sourdough boule
- Fed sourdough starter
- Scale
- Bread flour (Bob’s Artisan is my favorite for beginners)
- Home milled flour (optional) a 50/50 ratio is best any higher and you’ll need to proof longer with an end result that is denser. I’d avoid this until you’ve had 10 successful loaves.
- Water or whey
- Salt
- Kitchen towel
- Bannaton basket (optional)
- Glass bowl – You want to avoid metal. The reaction between metal and starter cultures can negatively impact your rise.
- Wooden spoon – Again avoid using a metal spoon, even when feeding your starter.
- Hands
- Olive Oil
- Bread Lame or oiled knife
- Dutch Oven
Now before we begin there are all these terms about hydration and ratios for starters…just use a well fed starter. It will look thick and bubbly and smell like bread.
I begin my loaves late in the evening, therefor I feed my starter in the morning. You’re going to want to feed your starter approximately eight hours before you begin baking.
How to make an artisan sourdough boule
Begin with a large glass bowl. Place the bowl on a kitchen scale, tare and set to grams.
Add your sourdough starter. Tare again. Add your flour. Tare again. Add your water less 50g (212g). Mix together. I usually start with a wooden spoon and then switch to my hands and knead into a general ball shape, incorporating all the flour. The dough should be very dry. Rest for 10-15 minutes. After this you will sprinkle the top of your loaf with 2 tsp of salt. I use fine Himalayan. I could get into the nitty gritty on salt but I’ll just leave you with this: use a natural sea salt that has not been altered. Ask yourself is this salt the same as it was 2000 years ago? If so than use it, if some company has added things to it–Don’t.
Add the remaining 50g of water. If, like me, you make bread at night and want to clean up after you start this process, 50g of water is 1/4cup. So put that scale away guilt free. Now punch your dough down into the salt water mix and leave it to absorb for 10 minutes. Now stretch and fold. Do this 2-3 times at 10 minute intervals. After your last stretch and fold, flip the dough so the smooth side is up and coat with 1-2 tbsp of olive oil. Cover with a tea towel and rest on the counter for 8-12 hours. This is a 70% hydration dough so it will be wet and there may be extra water surrounding the dough ball. Texture is something we are looking for here. The dough should feel smooth and silky.
After the long rise.
After fermenting overnight, your dough should be risen, double and bubbly. This is always where the magic happens in bread. If you find your loaf has not doubled, continue your long ferment. Approximately 12 hours is what you will need, however depending on the temperature in your kitchen and type of flour you used you may find variations in your rise time.
How do I shape my sourdough boule?
Visuals are your very best friend with artisan loaves. I love using a glass bowl when baking bread. As a result, you will see tons of bubbles throughout the loaf. Before shaping, flour your bannaton basket or proofing basket. For over a year I would remove my dough and then wash my glass bowl, line with a clean tea towel and flour it as my proofing vessel. You do not need all the special equipment to make a beautiful loaf of bread! Remove your dough to a floured surface and begin a series of stretch and folds to shape your dough. You will find your rhythm the more you practice shaping. Once my dough is no longer sticky, I flip it over seem side down and continue to pull the dough into a tight ball, always in the same direction to form a smooth surface. Place your shaped sourdough boule into a floured banneton basket smooth side down. Cover with a tea towel and proof on the counter. Again, the timeline on this varies from thirty minutes to four hours. The reasoning is personal preference, time, convenience and flour used. The denser the flour, i.e. fresh milled whole wheat, the longer the proofing time.
How do I score and bake my artisan boule?
Once your dough has proofed, preheat your oven to 450ºF and place your dutch oven inside. I personally use a cast iron skillet or the Xtrema Dutch Oven because they are non-toxic. You want your baking vessel to be hot to aid oven spring.
Flip your dough onto parchment paper, it should be round and hold its shape. Grab your lame or oiled knife and carve away a design that brings you joy. I opt for one large expansion score and then the classic wheat pattern.
Place your artisan sourdough boule into your pre-heated dutch oven. Cover and bake for twenty minutes.
After twenty minutes remove the lid, decrease your oven temperature to 400ºF and continue to bake another twenty minutes.
Once baked, remove from the dutch oven and cool on a cutting board. Refrain from diving butter knife first until the loaf has cooled. (It is still baking). Voila! You have succeeded in learning a traditional skill and creating a lazy artisan sourdough boule.
Pair this loaf with soup or my Skillet Ratatouille with Meatballs for a wonderful hearty dinner.
Lazy Girl Artisan Sourdough Boule
Ingredients
- 140 g Fed Sourdough Starter
- 375 g Bread Flour
- 262 g Water
- 10 g Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
Instructions
- Feed starter eight hours before beginning the bread, allowing for a thick and healthy starter.
- Using a kitchen scale, add starter and flour to bowl.
- Add water less 50g (1/4 cup) to starter flour mix, and combine. Rest 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle with salt and pour in remaining 50g water.
- Punch down dough into water allowing absorption and rest 10 minutes.
- Begin a series of stretch and folds every 10 minutes until dough is soft, silky and holds a general shape. Approximately 3 times.
- Drizzle loaf with oil and cover with a tea towel. Bulk Ferment 12 hours or until doubled.
- Remove dough from bowl and place on a well floured surface. Begin shaping.
- Shape into a ball until a smooth tight surface forms and dough retains shape.
- Preheat oven to 450ºF and place dutch oven inside to pre-heat.
- Place in floured banneton basket smooth side down and cover with towel. Proof 45 minutes.
- Transfer dough onto parchment paper and score. Place in preheated dutch oven, cover with lid and bake 20 minutes.
- Uncover, decrease oven temperature to 400ºF and bake an additional 20 minutes or until browned.
This looks really good. I have a go to recipe, but I am going to give this one a try:)
I love lazy recipes! Especially if they are so delicious. Thank you for sharing!!