Rustic sourdough bread with a crispy crust

A hearty, aromatic sourdough loaf with a crunchy crust and an airy crumb. Perfect for sharing at the table or keeping for the week.

📝 Ingredients

• 50 g active sourdough starter (for the preferment)
• 200 ml lukewarm water (for the preferment)
• 200 g wheat flour (for the preferment)
• 300 g active sourdough starter (ripe and bubbly)
• 350 ml lukewarm water
• 500 g wheat flour (type 550)
• 10 g fine sea salt
• Rice flour for dusting the proofing basket

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Prepare the sourdough starter: stir 50 g active starter into 200 ml lukewarm water in the mixing bowl. Add 200 g wheat flour and mix briefly. Cover and leave at room temperature for 8 hours (or use an active starter that is already ready).Combine 300 g active sourdough starter with 350 ml lukewarm water in the mixing bowl of the stand mixer. Add 500 g wheat flour (type 550) and 10 g salt.Attach the dough hook and knead the dough on medium speed for 8 to 10 minutes until it is smooth, elastic and pulls away from the bowl.Spoon the dough out of the bowl, shape it into a ball and place it in a lightly oiled mixing bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and let rise for 4 hours at room temperature.Fold the dough once every hour: lift the bottom, stretch it out and fold it over the top. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat this 4 times. Do this a total of 3 times during the rise.Lightly dust the work surface with flour. Remove the dough from the bowl and gently shape it into a tight round or oval loaf. Place it in a proofing basket dusted with rice flour (banneton) or in a bowl lined with a tea towel.Cover the proofing basket and place it in the fridge for a cold final proof of at least 8 hours, up to 16 hours. This gives the bread its characteristic tang and improves the crust.Preheat the oven to 250°C (conventional oven). At the same time place a cast-iron pot with lid in the oven and let everything heat thoroughly for at least 45 minutes.Remove the pot from the oven. Carefully tip the dough out of the proofing basket onto a sheet of parchment paper. Score the top diagonally with a sharp knife or lame (a cut about 1 cm deep). Lift the dough with the parchment and place it into the piping-hot pot. Put the lid on.Bake 20 minutes with the lid on at 250°C. Then remove the lid, lower the temperature to 220°C and bake another 20 to 25 minutes until the crust is deep golden brown.Remove the bread from the pot and let it cool on a rack for at least 1 hour before slicing. A little patience here really pays off: the inside will be perfectly baked and delicious.