Overnight Sourdough Bread
Homemade bread is a true masterpiece of the kitchen. This beautiful bread takes time but is straightforward and so worth it. It's just like sourdough, but by using an overnight starter, it takes just a fraction of the work. This versatile artisan loaf can be served simply with a pat of butter or as part of a larger meal.
Servings: 1 loaf
Ingredients
For the poolish
- 1 cup bread flour
- 1 ½ tsp instant dry yeast
- 1 cup warm water
For the bread
- 3 ½ cups bread flour
- ½ tsp instant dry yeast
- 3 tbsp wheat germ
- 1 cup water
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Prepare the poolish: In a bowl, combine the flour and instant yeast. Stir and add the warm water. Mix to combine and dissolve the yeast. Cover and allow the poolish to ferment for 8 hours.1 cup bread flour, 1 ½ tsp instant dry yeast, 1 cup warm water
- For the bread: In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the poolish, bread flour, instant yeast, wheat germ, and water. Mix on low until the dough is combined, 4-6 minutes. Add the salt. Mix on medium until the salt is incorporated, 2-3 minutes. The dough will be sticky and wet.3 ½ cups bread flour, ½ tsp instant dry yeast, 3 tbsp wheat germ, 1 cup water, 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
- Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl. Cover and allow to rise in a warm place for 1 ½ hours. During the resting and rising, stretch and fold the dough three times. Think of the dough as a compass with four quadrants: north, east, south, and west. Starting with the north, grab the dough with oiled hands. Stretch it up towards the sky and fold it over the dough to the south. Repeat with each quadrant. After 1 ½ hours, on the final stretch and fold, cover the dough and allow it to rise until it is doubled, 1-1 ½ hours.
- Once doubled, punch and knead the dough into a ball. Prepare a proofing bowl with plenty of flour and place the smooth side of the dough ball down in the bowl. Flour the top and cover. Set the bread aside to rise for 1 hour.
- During the rise, preheat a Dutch oven in a 475°F oven. After an hour, remove the Dutch oven from the heat.
- Turn out the bread onto a piece of parchment paper. Make a ½-inch deep half-moon cut in the top of the bread and carefully use the parchment to set the bread into the hot Dutch oven. Add 4 ice cubes to the Dutch oven and cover with the lid.
- Return to the preheated 475°F oven and bake covered for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and bake until the crust is golden brown and the internal temperature of the bread reaches 205°F to 210°F, 15-20 minutes. Remove the bread from the oven and set on a cooling rack to cool before slicing.
Video
Notes
Using high-protein flour works best for this recipe. Bread flour works best, but all-purpose can also work. Some versions of all-purpose flour also contain high levels of protein, depending on the brand.
Adding salt later is important to make the bread rise properly. Salt can inhibit yeast, so it needs time to work into the dough. Adding the salt later allows it time to do so.
Folding the dough during the initial rise allows the bread to develop its structure. It pushes the protein strands to stretch out and develop further.
Nutrition
Serving: 0.1loaf | Calories: 233kcal