Sourdough Bread in a Loaf Pan

Yield: loaf

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 1

Rise Time: 20

Total Time: 21 10

This Sourdough Bread in a Loaf Pan gives you a crispy golden crust and soft, chewy crumb without a Dutch oven. Made with active sourdough starter and baked using two standard loaf pans, it’s an easy way to make homemade sourdough bread with basic kitchen equipment.

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Equipment

Ingredients

50 grams active sourdough starter 1/4 cup
350 grams water, room temperature 1 1/2 cups
500 grams bread flour 3 1/2 cups + 1 teaspoon
10 grams salt 1 1/2 teaspoons

Instructions

Make the Dough:

Mix together the active, bubbly sourdough starter and the room temperature water in a straight-edge mixing bowl until it looks like a milky liquid. I love using my Danish dough whisk for this step.
I prefer using a straight edge bowl so I can clearly see when my dough has rise by 75%.
50 grams active sourdough starter, 350 grams water, room temperature
Next, add the bread flour and salt. Be sure to mix until all of the flour is incorporated. The dough will look rough and shaggy, not like a uniform dough ball.
500 grams bread flour, 10 grams salt
Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a reusable shower cap, and let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes before you move onto the next step.

Stretch and folds :

With slightly wet fingers, grab a section of the dough and stretch the bread dough above your bowl. Then fold it over on top of the dough.
Rotate your bowl clockwise a quarter of the way and repeat identical stretch and fold. Repeat the process until you come full circle, about 6 stretch and folds in total. You will notice the dough will start to look much smoother than before.
Doing stretch and folds develops gluten in your dough, which is what allows your bread to rise beautifully while it bakes.
Cover the dough and let rest for another 30 minutes.
Repeat the identical stretch and fold process three more times (for a total of 4 different rounds), waiting at least 30 minutes between each stretch and fold.
Cover the dough after each stretch and fold.

Bulk Fermentation :

Now this is the most finicky part of sourdough. There isn’t a set time for your bulk ferment. It is greatly dependent on the temperature of your environment and dough. The warmer it is, the faster your dough will ferment. The opposite is true for cooler temperatures.
Bulk fermentation begins the moment you mix your dough and continues until you shape your dough.
In an environment of 70 degrees, doughs will typically bulk ferment for a total of 12 hours, but again, you will have to look for the signs that your dough is done fermenting, rather than the clock. Warm temperatures will be faster, while cooler will be slower.

Here’s what to look for:

The dough should have increased in size by 75%
The dough looks light, airy and jiggles when shaken.
The dough should easily pull away from the bowl.
There should be visible bubbles on top of the dough.
The dough doesn’t tear when you do a windowpane test.

Pre-Shape :

Once your dough has completed its bulk fermentation, it's time to shape! With slightly wet fingers, gently release the dough from the sides of the bowl. Be careful not to pop all of those lovely bubbles!
Tilt the bowl and leave gravity to do the work to move the dough on the counter.
Shape the dough by doing another round of stretch and folds until you have gone full circle.
With a bench scraper or your hands, turn the dough upside down, so the seam is now on the counter. Lightly dust the top with some flour.
Cover the dough with your mixing bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes.
This pre-shape helps to create extra tension, just before shaping which helps for a beautiful rise.

Prep Loaf Pan:

While you are waiting for the dough to rest, lightly grease a 8.5x4.5 inch loaf pan. Set aside.

Final Shape :

After 30 minutes of rest, flip the dough, with the seamed side up. Stretch the dough into a large rectangle on your work surface, then roll the bread dough into a log, like you would a cinnamon roll. Curl the ends of the sourdough bread under itself and pinch the seams together.
Flip the dough over again, seam side down.
With a bench scraper or just your hands, carefully scoop up the dough and lay it seam side down into your prepared loaf pan and cover it with plastic wrap or a reusable shower cap.

Second Rise :

Place your loaf pan in the fridge for cold proof for 8-72 hours. If you'd like to skip the cold proof, read the NOTES below.
Placing your dough in the fridge slows down the fermentation process, which deepens the flavors of your loaf. It also gives you flexibility in when you want to bake your bread. But don’t wait too long! If left in the fridge for too long, your dough will over-ferment, causing the dough to not be able to rise.

Score :

Pro-tip: 30 minutes before baking, place your dough in the freezer. This tightens the dough. which makes for easier scoring. At the same time, place an 8x8 inch metal pan with 1 inch of boiling water in your oven and preheat to 425 degrees F.
After 30 minutes, remove sourdough from the fridge or freezer.
Remove the plastic cover and with a lame / razor blade or sharp knife, score down the center on top of the dough. This is necessary for your bread to be able to expand while baking.
Then place another 8.5x4.5 inch metal loaf pan on top of your dough to create a “Dutch oven” effect. Refer to the photos above!

Bake:

Bake the bread covered for 30 minutes. Then remove the top loaf pan and continue to bake for another 15-20 minutes. If your crust is browning too quickly, cover it with a piece of aluminum foil and continue to bake.
Once golden brown and the internal temperature is between 205 - 210 degrees F, remove the loaf pan from the oven.
Carefully pour the sourdough bread out of the loaf pan and place it onto a wire rack to cool.
Allow your homemade bread to cool for 1 hour before cutting into it.
Once the hour is up, slice and enjoy!

Notes

Ingredients & Substitutions

Bread flour — Bread flour gives you the best results. It gives you the best crumb and texture, but if you only have all-purpose flour, you can use it 1:1. The loaf may be slightly shorter and have a tighter crumb.
Filtered water — Use filtered water for the dough and sourdough starter. You sure can use tap water, but let it sit out for a while before mixing the dough. I used room temperature water. If you use cooler water, this will slow down the rise time.
Sourdough starter—This bread uses an active sourdough starter as a natural leavener, so there’s no commercial yeast. Make sure it’s a bubbly, active starter that has been fed within the last 4–12 hours and is at its peak before mixing the dough.
Salt – Salt seasons the bread dough and also affects bulk fermentation. When you’re mixing the dough, avoid putting the salt directly on top of the starter because it can interfere with its activity.

Tips:

Give it time in the fridge—I like to cold-proof this pan loaf for 8–72 hours because it gives the bread more flavor and lets you bake it when it works for you. If you prefer to bake the loaf in the same day, let the dough rise at room temperature until it reaches the rim of the pan, then bake it the same day. In my 70 degree F kitchen, the second rise took about 3 hours.
Try your favorite sourdough inclusions—You can use this same method for all kinds of Sourdough Inclusions, including cheese, garlic, herbs, or whatever else sounds good. Add your chosen inclusions at the point in the recipe when you normally add them, then shape the dough and place it in the loaf pan for the final proof. Depending on what inclusions you might need to extend your bake time. Continue to bake until an internal temp of at least 205 degrees F is reached!

Nutrition

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