American · Breads & baking

Beginner sourdough boule

Name: Beginner sourdough boule
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 19 h 20 min
Yield: 1 round loaf
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1/2 cup (100 grams) ripe 100%-hydration sourdough starter; 1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon (370 grams) lukewarm water; 3 3/4 cups (450 grams) bread flour; 1/2 cup (50 grams) whole-wheat flour; 2 teaspoons (10 grams) fine sea salt; Rice flour or all-purpose flour, for dusting

A naturally leavened round loaf with a crackling crust, moderately open crumb, and gentle sourdough tang.

About 19 hr 20 minTotal

About 1 hr 20 minActive

$Cost

AdvancedDifficulty

Makes 1 round loaf

Equipment

Proofing basket or towel-lined bowl
Use a hot sheet pan under an inverted oven-safe metal bowl for the covered phase.
Best value covered pot
Lodge Essential Enamel 6-Quart Dutch Oven · EC6D43
View at Amazon
Another workable path: Use a hot sheet pan under an inverted oven-safe metal bowl for the covered phase.
Paid links. As an Amazon Associate, Kwilt earns from qualifying purchases.
How we chose
Research-backed · reviewed Aug 2026
We matched capacity, lid fit, oven rating, heat retention, maneuverability, care, stable model identity, and usefulness outside bread baking. Kwilt has not baked with this pot.
Lodge Essential Enamel 6-Quart Dutch Oven · EC6D43: The six-quart capacity, heavy cast-iron body, and fitted lid create the enclosed high-heat environment used by these bread methods while remaining useful beyond baking. Trade-off: At more than thirteen pounds it is demanding to move when hot, and the enamel needs gentler utensils and hand washing.
Another workable path: Bake on a preheated heavy sheet pan under an inverted oven-safe metal bowl, keeping face and hands clear when removing the hot cover.
Sources
Lodge six-quart Essential Enamel specifications
Amazon exact product listing

Ingredients

1× recipe · Makes 1 round loaf

1/2 cup (100 grams) ripe 100%-hydration sourdough starter
1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon (370 grams) lukewarm water
3 3/4 cups (450 grams) bread flour
1/2 cup (50 grams) whole-wheat flour
2 teaspoons (10 grams) fine sea salt
Rice flour or all-purpose flour, for dusting

Instructions

Confirm the prerequisite: use starter that was fed, doubled, looks bubbly, and is just beginning to flatten. Mix starter and water, add both flours, and stir until no dry flour remains. Cover and rest 30 minutes, then pinch and fold in salt until evenly dispersed.
For the next 2 hours, perform four stretch-and-fold sets 30 minutes apart: lift each side of dough and fold it over the center. Then cover and continue bulk fermentation until the dough has risen about 50%, looks aerated at the edges, and jiggles—typically 2 to 4 more hours depending on room and starter.
Turn onto an unfloured counter, preshape gently into a round, rest 20 minutes, then shape by drawing the dough toward you to tighten the surface without tearing it. Place seam-side up in a well-floured towel-lined bowl or proofing basket.
Cover and refrigerate 8 to 16 hours. Put a in the oven and heat to 475°F for 45 minutes. Turn cold dough onto parchment, score one confident 1/2-inch-deep slash, and lower it into the hot pot.
Bake covered 20 minutes, reduce to 450°F, uncover, and bake 20 to 25 minutes until richly browned and at least 208°F. Cool completely for 2 hours. This is the batch's one project recipe and assumes an established healthy starter; creating a starter is a separate multi-day job.

Broad fermented-bread traditionNo single origin · modern home-baking boule

From the table

About this recipe

Bread leavened by naturally maintained communities of yeast and lactic-acid bacteria long predates commercial baker’s yeast and cannot be assigned to one modern nation. Flour-and-water starters were one of several ways bakers sustained fermentation, with local grains, climate, vessels, and household practice producing many distinct breads.

The contemporary home sourdough boule is a modern synthesis: high-hydration dough, repeated folds, cold proofing, scoring, and a covered pot make artisan-bakery cues reproducible in a domestic oven. This recipe is explicitly for a baker who already has an active starter; cultivating that starter remains a separate multi-day job rather than a hidden prerequisite.

Sources

Dinner does not stop at the recipe