Who says you can't enjoy the rich taste of artisan sourdough bread in a smaller, more manageable size? Meet your new go-to: the Small Sourdough Bread. Perfect for small families or those craving fresh bread daily, this recipe packs all the flavor and texture you love in a delightful mini loaf.
Imagine slicing into a small, freshly-baked loaf of sourdough, perfect for today and just as good the next day. This small sourdough bread recipe uses wild yeast, offering a unique flavor that enhances any meal. It can fit effortlessly into your routine, ensuring best results in every bite.
Although this is a small batch sourdough recipe, you can easily double or tripple it and bake one loaf the same day and save the other one (or two) in the fridge to bake the day after. That way, you'll have fresh bread in the house for two or three days!
For more ideas, also check out my Speedy Same-Day Sourdough and Long-Fermented Sourdough Bread recipes.
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Ingredients
- All-purpose flour: essential for the dough structure, all-purpose flour ensures a balance between a soft interior and a firm crust, crucial for a good sourdough loaf.
- Active sourdough starter: Replaces commercial yeast, vital for leavening the bread and creating air bubbles. It adds a distinct sourdough tang.
- Water: Warm water makes the starter a little more active quicker, aiding in fermentation and texture. You can also use cold water if you want your bread to take its time and maybe develop more sourness.
- Salt: Not just for taste, salt controls yeast activity and strengthens the dough, a little bit goes a long way. I like to use real salt without unnecessary additives.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Small Sourdough Bread
Start mixing: In a large bowl, combine water, salt, and sourdough starter. Mix thoroughly to ensure the starter is well dispersed in the water.
Add Flour: Introduce the flour to the bowl and mix. Expect the dough to be very sticky, which is normal at this stage.
Autolyse phase: Let the mixture rest for at least 30 minutes. This allows the flour to fully absorb the liquid, known as the autolyse process.
Begin bulk fermentation: After autolyse, the bulk fermentation starts. For the first two hours, perform 3 to 6 sets of stretch and folds or coil folds every 20 to 40 minutes. The more sets, the better, but 3 will suffice.
Bulk ferment time: The duration of the bulk ferment depends on your kitchen's temperature. Typically, with a slightly larger amount of starter (like in this recipe), it lasts about 6 to 9 hours at room temperature. Make sure to cover your dough with something airtight (a wet kitchen towel, plastic wrap, or a plastic bag), so it doesn't dry out!
Shape the dough: After the first rise, shape your dough into a small loaf. Begin on a lightly floured surface, stretching the dough slightly, then pinching the ends together both vertically and horizontally.
Second Rise: Place the dough in a tea towel-lined banneton basket, seam side up. Cover it airtightly and let it rise again for about 2-3 hours at room temperature or overnight in the fridge.
Score: Make 2 slashes across the top of the dough with a sharp knife or a razor blade.
Bake the bread: Place the dough on parchment paper or a bread mat, score it, then transfer it to a preheated dutch oven. Bake at 460°F (238°C) for 23 minutes, remove the lid, and continue at 440°F (227°C) for another 8 minutes for a golden brown finish. Cool on a wire rack to avoid a soggy bottom.
Admire the open crumb! OK, this step is not at all necessary, but still. I highly recommend you do it and than pat yourself on the back!
Hint: use your bench scraper whenever you have a hard time handling the dough! It's great for moving the dough around, for shaping the dough, and also for cleaning your work surface after you are done!
Variations & Add-ins
- Whole Wheat Flour: Swap about 20% of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat for a nuttier flavor. Adjust water as whole wheat absorbs more.
- Rye Flour: For a deeper taste, replace part of the all-purpose flour with rye flour. It gives a distinct flavor and darker crumb. Just don't go over 15%, because this recipe is not suited best for handling a dough that contains hat much rye flour.
- Bread Flour: Want a chewier texture? Use bread flour instead of all-purpose. It’s higher in protein, perfect for a more structured loaf. It is likely you will have to slightly tweak the hydration, so this is not what I recommend for beginners.
- Whey: If you have leftover whey (I always have some from making homemade yogurt), use it instead of water for added tang and nutrition. It enhances the sourdough's complexity.
💭Crucial Success Tips
- Handling Sticky Dough: If the dough is too sticky, wet your hands before handling it. This makes shaping easier and helps you achieve that perfect loaf without the dough sticking to your fingers.
- Rising Time: Let the bread rise for a sufficient amount of time, especially during the second rise in the proofing basket. This is key to a well-structured loaf with good volume. Although some recipes instruct for just 30 minutes or 1 hour of the second rise, try to go longer as this was never enough for my loaves!
- Dough Rest Before Shaping: After transferring the dough to a work surface, let it rest for about 10 minutes. This brief dough rest helps to relax the gluten bonds and makes for easier shaping, making the dough more elastic.
- Oven Spring Technique: For an impressive oven spring, throw an ice cube or a splash of water into the Dutch oven right before baking. The steam created is essential for a well-risen, crusty loaf.
FAQ
Absolutely! If you don’t have a dutch oven, you can still bake a great sourdough loaf. Use a baking sheet lined with parchment paper instead. To mimic the steamy environment of a dutch oven, place a metal tray or a oven safe pan on the bottom rack of your oven and pour a cup of boiling water into it as you put the bread in (my favorite way to do this is with a cast iron pan!). This will create steam that helps the bread rise and develop a crusty exterior.
Yes! Again, you will have to replicate the steamy conditions of a dutch oven. So just as I described in the quetsion above, position a metal tray or an oven-safe pan (I personally love using a cast iron pan for this!) on the bottom rack of your oven. As you place the bread in, pour a cup of boiling water into this tray or pan. This technique generates steam, crucial for helping with the oven spring and creating a delicious crust on your loaf.
The crust should be a deep golden brown, and the loaf will sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. You could also check with an intermal thermometer; it should read around 200°F (93°C).
If your starter doesn't float, it might not be ready for baking. BUT this is not always true! I go into detail about this in this post. Basically, sometimes the float test can be very unreliable. It is actually better to look for volume increase and bubbly texture.
More Sourdough Recipes
Looking for other sourdough recipes like this? Try these:
📖Printable Recipe
📖 Recipe
Small Sourdough Bread Recipe
Jump to VideoEquipment
- 1 kitchen scale or measuring cups and spoons
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 banneton basket or a bowl to use for proofing
- 1 dutch oven or a loaf pan
- 1 tea towel
- 1 bread mat or parchment paper
- 1 razor blade or sharp knife
- 1 Dough scraper optional
- 1 Cooling rack optional
Ingredients
- 200 grams all-purpose flour
- 133 grams water
- 67 grams sourdough starter active
- 4 grams salt
Instructions
- Start mixing: In a large bowl, combine water, salt, and sourdough starter. Mix thoroughly to ensure the starter is well dispersed in the water.
- Add Flour: Introduce the flour to the bowl and mix. Expect the dough to be very sticky, which is normal at this stage.
- Autolyse phase: Let the mixture rest for at least 30 minutes. This allows the flour to fully absorb the liquid, known as the autolyse process.
- Begin bulk fermentation: After autolyse, the bulk fermentation starts. For the first two hours, perform 3 to 6 sets of stretch and folds or coil folds every 20 to 40 minutes. The more sets, the better, but 3 will suffice.
- Bulk ferment time: The duration of the bulk ferment depends on your kitchen's temperature. Typically, with a slightly larger amount of starter (like in this recipe), it lasts about 6 to 9 hours at room temperature. Make sure to cover your dough with something airtight (a wet kitchen towel, plastic wrap, or a plastic bag), so it doesn't dry out!
- Shape the dough: After the first rise, shape your dough into a small loaf. Begin on a lightly floured surface, stretching the dough slightly, then pinching the ends together both vertically and horizontally.
- Second Rise: Place the dough in a tea towel-lined banneton basket, seam side up. Cover it airtightly and let it rise again for about 2-3 hours at room temperature or overnight in the fridge.
- Score: Make 2 slashes across the top of the dough with a sharp knife or a razor blade.
- Bake the bread: Place the dough on parchment paper or a bread mat, score it, then transfer it to a preheated dutch oven. Bake at 460°F (238°C) for 23 minutes, remove the lid, and continue at 440°F (227°C) for another 8 minutes for a golden brown finish. Cool on a wire rack to avoid a soggy bottom.
Video
Notes
- use your bench scraper whenever you have a hard time handling the dough! It's great for moving the dough around, for shaping the dough, and also for cleaning your work surface after you are done!
- if the dough is too sticky, wet your hands before handling it. This makes shaping easier and helps you achieve that perfect loaf without the dough sticking to your fingers.
- let the bread rise for a sufficient amount of time, especially during the second rise in the proofing basket. This is key to a well-structured loaf with good volume. Although some recipes instruct for just 30 minutes or 1 hour of the second rise, try to go longer as this was never enough for my loaves!
- after transferring the dough to a work surface, let it rest for about 10 minutes. This brief dough rest helps to relax the gluten bonds and makes for easier shaping, making the dough more elastic.
- for an impressive oven spring, throw an ice cube or a splash of water into the Dutch oven right before baking. The steam created is essential for a well-risen, crusty loaf
Nutrition
Baking Schedule
OPTION 1: Early Morning Start, Evening Bread
- 6:00 AM - Mix up the dough
- 6:30 AM - Start stretch and folds
- 7:30 AM - 2:30 PM - Bulk rise (6 - 9 hours depending on room temperature)
- 2:30 PM - Shape and begin second rise
- 4:30 PM - Place bread in the oven
- 5:01 PM - Remove bread from oven to cool
OPTION 2: Late Morning Start, Next Day Bread
- 10:00 AM - Mix up the dough
- 10:30 AM - Start stretch and folds
- 11:30 AM - 6:30 PM - Bulk rise (6 - 9 hours depending on room temperature)
- 6:30 PM - Shape and start second rise overnight in the fridge)
- Next Day 8:00 AM - Bake the bread
- 8:31 AM - Remove bread from oven to cool
How to Store Sourdough Bread
Sourdough bread stays fresh for about 3-4 days at room temperature. Wrap it in a cloth or store it in a bread box. For longer storage, slice and freeze it, then toast slices directly from the freezer when needed.
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