Small Sourdough Bread Recipe

Small sourdough bread loaf cut in half, showing the crumb inside.

Meet your new go-to recipe: the Small Sourdough Bread! Perfect for small families or those craving fresh bread in the form of small loaves that are big on taste!

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 31

Additional Time 11

Total Time 11 51

Servings 10 slices

Calories 79

Equipment

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 1 ⅔ cups
135 grams water ½ cup + 1 tablespoon
65 grams sourdough starter active, ½ cup
4 grams salt

Instructions

Mix the dough. Combine the water, salt, and active sourdough starter in a bowl. Stir to disperse the starter, then add the flour and mix until no dry flour remains. The dough will be sticky.
Rest for 30 minutes. Cover the bowl and let the flour absorb the water. Bulk fermentation—the first rise—starts when you mix the starter into the dough, so this rest counts toward that time.
Stretch and fold. After the rest, perform 3–6 sets of stretch and folds or coil folds during the first two hours, spacing them about 20–40 minutes apart. Keep the dough covered between sets.
Finish the first rise. Leave the dough covered at room temperature until it has noticeably risen and looks airy and puffy. Allow approximately 6–9 hours from mixing, including the rest and folds. Follow the dough rather than waiting for an exact number of hours.
Shape. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and let it rest for about 10 minutes. Gently stretch it, bring opposite edges together, and pinch to form a small loaf.
Final proof. Place the loaf seam-side up in a floured, tea towel-lined banneton or bowl. Cover and let it rise for about 2–3 hours at room temperature, or refrigerate overnight. If refrigerated dough still looks underproofed the next day, let it finish rising at room temperature before baking.
Preheat and score. Preheat the oven with your Dutch oven inside to 460°F (238°C). Turn the proofed loaf onto parchment paper or a bread mat and make two slashes across the top with a sharp knife or razor blade.
Bake and cool. Carefully transfer the loaf into the hot Dutch oven. Cover and bake for 23 minutes. Remove the lid, lower the temperature to 440°F (227°C), and bake for another 8 minutes, until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack and let it cool before slicing.

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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

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