Need a sourdough starter?  Check out my starter recipe, linked below!

• ⅔ cup active starter bubbly, active, fed (150g) • 1 ⅓ cups warm 90F water (315g) • 1 ½ Tablesoons olive oil (18g) • 3 ⅔ cups bread flour (450g) • 2 teaspoons table salt (13g) • Oil for greasing pan • Additional flour for dusting work-surface

Combine sourdough starter, water, and oil in a large bowl. Make sure your starter is active and bubbly before adding it.

Add the bread flour and salt.

Use your hands to stir together until dough is mostly combined. It will still be a bit shaggy and should not be cohesive (don’t over-mix) but no dry patches of flour should remain. 

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit undisturbed for one hour (this is the “autolyse” period).

Form dough into a ball with your hands.

Run your hands under cool water (prevents sticking!) and grasp the top of the dough and stretch it over the bottom. 

Turn the dough 90 degrees and repeat. Turn 90 degrees and repeat again, then once more (four total stretch & folds).

Allowing dough to rest, covered for 30 minutes before repeating the stretch and fold process every 30 minutes until dough has increased in size 80%.

When dough has risen sufficiently, turn it out onto a clean, lightly floured surface. Use your hands to gently deflate the dough and pat it into a rectangular shape.

Lift the right side of the dough and fold it into the center (like closing a book). Then, lift the left side of the dough and fold it over the first fold. 

Starting with a skinny end, tightly roll the dough, as if you were rolling up a cinnamon roll.

Tuck the ends under and carefully transfer to prepared bread pan. Don’t worry if the bread doesn’t fill the pan right now.

Cover pan tightly with plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator to rest overnight/for 12-24 hours.

Remove the dough and let the dough rest at room temperature while the oven preheats to 450F.  Make a clean slice ( ¼” deep) down the center with a knife.

Then cover with another 9×5 pan. Transfer to center rack of preheated oven.

Allowing bread to bake covered for 30 minutes before removing lid and continuing to bake for another 20-23 minutes or until golden brown.

Allowing bread to bake covered for 30 minutes before removing lid and continuing to bake for another 20-23 minutes or until golden brown.

Removing bread form oven and allowing bread to cool in the pan for 15 minutes.

Removing sourdough bread from pan to a cooling rack and allowing bread to cool at least 1-2 hours before cutting and enjoying.