Sourdough & Starters · ALWAYS FREE
Simple sourdough boule
A lean round sourdough loaf with a crisp crust and gently open crumb, made with an already active starter.
Ingredients
Volumes are approximate. For baking, use a scale; Metric keeps the specified gram weights.
Let’s make it
- Start with a mature starter that reliably doubles after feeding; the time to establish a new starter is not included. Mix the 15.87 oz flour, water and starter in a bowl until no dry flour remains. Cover for 30 minutes.
- Add salt and pinch and fold the dough until evenly incorporated. Over the next 90 minutes, give 3 sets of folds spaced 30 minutes apart: lift and fold each of the four sides into the center. Keep covered between folds.
- Continue covered fermentation at about 72–75°F (22–24°C) until the dough is airy, rounded at the edges and increased roughly 50–75% in volume. Including the folds, allow about 4–6 hours from mixing, sometimes longer. Use the dough’s development, not only the clock.
- Dust the work surface lightly with part of the 0.529 oz flour. Turn out the dough, shape a loose round and rest for 20 minutes. Tighten gently into a boule without tearing. Put seam-side up in a well-floured towel-lined bowl, using the remaining dusting flour. Cover and refrigerate for 8–12 hours.
- Place a 16 cups + 14 tbsp + 1 ½ tsp–21 cups + 2 tbsp + 0.42 tsp oven-safe Dutch oven with its lid in the oven and preheat to 450°F (230°C) for 30 minutes. Check the pot and knob are rated for that heat. Turn the chilled dough onto baking parchment rated for 450°F, score one curved cut about 1 cm deep, then lower carefully into the hot pot.
- Bake covered for 25 minutes, uncover carefully away from your face, and bake for another 20–25 minutes until deeply browned and the center is about 205–210°F (96–99°C). Move to a rack and cool for at least 2 hours before slicing into 10 portions.
- The 22-hour estimate includes the cold proof and cooling; actual fermentation can need longer. Never eat raw starter or dough. Keep fully cooled bread at room temperature in a bread bag for up to 2 days or freeze slices.
Estimated nutrition
Per serving · 1 of 10- Calories
- 185 kcal
- Protein
- 6.2 g
- Total carbohydrate
- 37.3 g
- Total fat
- 0.9 g
- Total sugars
- 0.2 g
Calculated from the listed ingredients and yield. Brands, draining, cooking and portioning can change the result. Not a laboratory analysis.
Calculation notes & sources
Estimated from listed ingredient amounts and identified food-composition profiles, divided by the stated number of servings. Not laboratory analysis or kitchen testing. The ingredient-sum method uses raw or cooked food profiles matching the ingredient state. Moisture gain/loss does not change the stated serving count. No general cooking/fermentation nutrient-retention factors are applied. Unless a discard/absorption blocker is listed, all measured pan fats and sauces are assumed consumed. Actual amounts left in pans, on utensils or during cooking can reduce intake. Optional additions are excluded when noted. Calories are kcal. Protein, total carbohydrate, total fat and total sugar are grams. Total carbohydrate includes fiber; these are not net carbs. No %DV or FDA-compliance claim. Null means unavailable, never zero. Sodium and fiber are omitted because retention, brands, rinsing and missing source rows make them less reliable here. 100 g starter at 100% hydration modeled as 50 g water and 50 g flour, split 25 g bread flour /25 g whole-wheat flour per the linked starter recipe. All 15 g dusting flour counted; fermentation losses not modeled.
View the ingredient calculations · Source 1Why it’s in this collection
- Vegan: Bread flour, water, salt and a flour-and-water sourdough starter; the dough has no dairy, eggs or honey.
Required label checks: The starter must contain only flour and water; an enriched or milk-fed starter is not equivalent.
Supporting reference · Supporting reference
Calculations are estimates from the specified ingredients and portions. Brands, trimming, substitutions, and cooking losses change the result. This is recipe guidance, not individualized nutrition or medical advice.
Times are estimates. Images illustrate the dish; check ingredients and portions for your needs.
Use a food thermometer for meat, fish, and egg dishes. Refrigerate perishable food within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F (32°C). Reheat leftovers to 165°F (74°C). Safe cooking temperatures · USDA leftover guidance
