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Classic King Arthur Sourdough Recipe

Bake a loaf using this classic King Arthur sourdough bread recipe and get a beautiful and delicious loaf time after time.

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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
5 hours 30 minutes
Serving Size 2 loaves

Ingredients

For the Leaven

  • 2 Tablespoons starter
  • 1 cup King Arthur All Purpose Flour
  • 1 cup room temperature water

For the Dough

  • 2 cups sourdough starter
  • 5 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
  • 3/4 cup King Arthur Whole Wheat Flour
  • 1 3/4 cups room-temperature water
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons salt

Instructions

For the Leaven

  • Combine 2 tablespoons of starter, 1 cup of King Arthur Unbleached All Purpose flour, and 1 cup of room temperature water into a claen jar and stir. Allow it to rise and ferment for 8-12 hours or overnight.

For the Dough

  • After your starter has doubled, place 1 3/4 cups of room temperature water into a large bowl. Add 2 cups of your active starter to the water and stir. Mix in 5 cups of King Arthur Unbleached All Purpose flour and 3/4 cup of King Arthur Whole-Wheat flour into your bowl. Mix well until all bits of flour are moistened and you’ve formed a soft tacky dough.
  • Cover with a damp towel and let rest for 20 minutes.
  • After letting your dough rest, add 2 1/2 teaspoons of salt and knead the dough for an additional 4-5 minutes. You want a soft dough that’s somewhat tacky. Place the dough back into the bowl, cover with a plate or plastic wrap and let your dough rise for 1 hour.
  • After an hour, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Fold it like a business letter. Then do a quarter turn and fold it again and once more. Place to dough back into the bowl and let it rise for an additional hour.
  • Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and divide in half with a dough scraper. Gently shape it into two rounds by gently cupping the dough, pulling and twisting it towards you while building surface tension.
  • Leave each round on the counter and cover with an upside down bowl. Allow 20 minutes for the rounds to rest. Then, place each round into a fabric lined banneton basket sprinkled with rice flour. Cover and rise for 2 1/2 hours
  • About half an hour before baking, place your dutch oven inside the oven and preheat to 450°F. At the end of the rising time, turn your rounds out onto a piece of parchment paper. Using a bread lame, razor blade, or sharp knife, make 2 deep diagonal slashes into the rounds. Carefully remove the dutch oven and place a loaf inside using the parchment paper as a sling. Be careful and replace the lid.
  • Bake with the lid on for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes until the crust is golden brown.

Notes

*Be sure to preheat again before baking your second loaf.
Allow the bread time to cool on a cooling rack for 1-2 hours before slicing. If you cut into your loaves too early the dough will be gummy.