Sourdough Discard French Bread Recipe
Yield: 2 loaves
Made in just 2 hours, this Sourdough Discard French Bread has a soft airy crumb, incredible flavor, and that homemade quality you simply can’t get from a store-bought loaf.
Ingredients
- 200 grams sourdough discard, room tempearture 2/3 cups
- 430 grams water 1 3/4 cups + 1 Tablespoon
- 50 grams olive oil scant 1/4 cup
- 25 grams sugar 2 Tablespoons
- 800 grams bread flour 5 3/4 cups
- 10 grams instant yeast 1 Tablespoon
- 18 grams salt 1 Tablespoon
Instructions
Mix Dough
- To the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook, add the warm water, sourdough discard, olive oil and sugar. Use a Danish dough whisk to mix until you have a milky liquid. My water was 105 degrees F. Any hotter than 120 degrees F can kill the instant yeast. If you use cooler water, the dough will take longer to rise.200 grams sourdough discard, room tempearture, 430 grams water, 50 grams olive oil, 25 grams sugar
- Add the flour, instant yeast and salt to the wet ingredients. Mix on low speed for 2-3 minutes until the ingredients are fully combined.Alternatively, you can mix and knead the dough by hand. I would increase the time from 15 to 20 minutes.800 grams bread flour, 10 grams instant yeast, 18 grams salt
- Increase the speed to medium low and continue to knead for 10-15 minutes. The dough should be pulling from the sides of the bowl, be smooth and tacky to the touch - not sticking to your hand.
First Rise
- Remove the dough from the bowl, divide it into two even pieces (750 grams) and place the dough into two lightly greased bowls. Cover with a plastic cover and wait until they have doubled in size, typically 1-1½ hours, depending on the temperature of your dough and environment.I love these straight-edge bowls because it allows me to clearly see when the dough has doubled in size.
Shape
- Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down to remove all of the air bubbles. This helps to keep a tight crumb. Then, place the dough on a clean work surface.
- Stretch or roll one of the dough balls into a large rectangle with a rolling pin, about 13 inch x 9 inch, doesn’t have to be exact . Starting with the longest side closest to you, roll the bread dough into a log, like you would a cinnamon roll. Curl the ends of the French bread dough under itself and pinch the seams together. Repeat with the second dough ball.
Second Rise
- Gently place the shaped loaves onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet with the seam sides down. With a lame or very sharp knife, cut 4-5 slashes onto each shaped dough. Cover the dough with a plastic cover or plastic wrap and allow it to rise until the dough has risen and looks puffy. This took 30-60 minutes in my 70 degree kitchen. It is tempting to rush this step, but don’t! If your loaf has not risen properly, it will be dense and gummy.
- While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 375 degree F. Just before placing the loaves in the oven, brush the tops of each loaf with an egg wash.
Bake
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the internal temperature has reached 190 degrees F. If the tops are browning too quickly, cover it with a piece of aluminum foil and continue to bake.
- Remove the loaves from the hot oven and allow them to cool until room temperature before slicing. For an extra soft crust, rub butter on the top of the warm loaves. Enjoy!We also love turning this into the best Sourdough Garlic Bread!
Notes
MAKE-AHEAD Options
If you are looking to prepare this Sourdough Discard French Bread the night before and bake them the following day– here are some options and tips! Option 1: Prepare the dough and once it has doubled in size, cover the bowl and chill in the fridge overnight. The following morning, shape the sourdough French bread loaves and allow them to rise and get fluffy in a warm place before baking as normal. Since the dough is cool from the fridge, the second rise will take longer to complete. Option 2: Prepare the dough and shape the French bread the night before, then pop the covered baking sheet into the fridge overnight. Pull out the unbaked loaves to allow them to rise and get fluffy in a warm place. In my 70 degree F kitchen this took about 1-2 hours. Option 3: Prepare the dough and shape the loaves, then pop the covered baking dish into the freezer overnight. Once frozen solid, cover the sourdough French bread with plastic wrap and aluminum foil and store for up to 3 weeks for the best results. When ready to bake, place the frozen French bread on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Cover and place them in the refrigerator the night before. The next day, take them out of the fridge and allow them to rise in a warm place until fluffy. Again, in my 70 degree F kitchen, this took about 1.5-2 hours.Ingredients & Substitutions
- Sourdough discard: I used fresh, room-temperature sourdough discard that was no more than 1 to 2 days old, but you can use discard that has been sitting in the fridge a little longer. Older discard will give the French bread a tangier flavor. If you use discard straight from the fridge, expect the rise time to take a little longer since the dough starts out cold. You can also use the same amount of active sourdough starter for this homemade bread. Make sure you measure by grams so the amount stays the same.
- Bread Flour – I used bread flour for this recipe. I recommend bread flour because it has a higher protein content than all-purpose flour and gives you a chewier French bread. All-purpose flour works just fine for this sourdough bread, too.
- Instant Yeast – This homemade French bread recipe uses instant yeast, not active dry yeast. Active dry yeast needs to be dissolved in liquid to activate, and it takes longer for the dough to rise. I like that you can add instant yeast straight to the dry ingredients, and it works much faster. If you prefer 100% sourdough bread, try my original recipe for Sourdough French Bread, but be ready to wait a little longer. Both recipes give you fresh bread the same day you start the dough, unless you chill it overnight.
- Sugar – Adding a touch of sugar to the dough of this sourdough discard bread helps create a softer crumb. You can swap the sugar for the same amount of honey in grams, or you can leave it out altogether.
- Olive Oil – Olive oil helps create a super soft crumb in this French loaf. You can also substitute it with any neutral oil.
Nutrition
Serving: -4g | Calories: 1820kcal | Carbohydrates: 324g | Protein: 53g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 19g | Sodium: 3512mg | Potassium: 449mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 8IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 4mg
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