Easy Sourdough Discard Bread
An easy, same-day recipe for Sourdough Discard Bread - a great way to use up some of your sourdough discard for a delicious loaf with a crusty exterior and light and fluffy interior!
Servings: 10
Equipment
- Dough whisk optional
- Bread lame optional
- Parchment paper or silicone dough sling
- Dutch oven or baking sheet
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups warm water about 110℉ (43℃)
- 1 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 200 grams (about ¾ cup) sourdough discard unfed, at room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, sprinkle the yeast on top of the warm water. Let sit for 5 minutes until foamy. If your yeast does not foam, the yeast is dead, and you'll need to start over with fresh yeast.
- Add the remaining ingredients and mix (using a wooden spoon, a dough whisk, your hands, or the stand mixer) until combined and no dry spots remain. The dough will be wet and shaggy.
- Knead & Rise. Slightly wet your hands so the dough doesn't stick to your fingers. Gather an edge of the dough, pull up, and fold it over into the center. Turn the bowl and repeat, working around the bowl, making 12-14 folds, until the dough feels sturdier and is pushing back. Turn the dough over in the bowl so the seam side is down. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise for 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 450℉ (230℃), and place your Dutch Oven with a lid in the oven to warm up.
- Shape the dough. Transfer the dough to a very lightly floured surface (wet your hands if needed to help scoop the dough from the bowl). Do a few additional folds, gathering the dough from an outside edge, pulling up, and folding over into the center. Turn the dough in a circle, making folds around the dough until it feels sturdier (about 4-5 folds).
- Create surface tension. Wipe the flour from your countertop (or move to an area with no flour), and turn the dough over so the seam side is down on the countertop. Cup your hands around the dough, and gently pull the loaf towards yourself, letting the dough seam pull on the countertop to create surface tension. Rotate the dough and repeat, slowly tightening the dough. Repeat until you have a tall, round ball (about 5-6 pulls). Place the loaf on a piece of parchment paper (this will go into your Dutch Oven). Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for 30 minutes.
- Score. Using a sharp knife or a bread lame, score the loaf by cutting a seam down the length of the loaf for steam to escape while baking. The cut should be about ¼-½ inch deep. Don't overthink this! And frankly, if you'd rather not score the loaf, the bread will create its own natural seam as it bakes.
- Bake. Carefully pick up the parchment paper and the dough and transfer both into your hot Dutch Oven. Cover with the lid and bake covered for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake uncovered for an additional 10-15 minutes until browned and crusty. It's hard to resist, but do not open your oven while the bread is baking, and do not remove the lid before 30 minutes.
- Cool. Remove the loaf from the Dutch Oven and let cool fully on a cooling rack (at least 1 hour) before slicing.
