Simple Sourdough French Bread Recipe
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Jul 12, 2022 • 3 min read
Learn how to make sourdough French bread with a crusty exterior and a soft, chewy crumb. You can use sourdough french bread for toast or sandwiches.
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What Is Sourdough French Bread?
Sourdough French bread is a loaf made using a sourdough starter, or natural yeast. Typical French bread uses commercial yeast—using a sourdough starter takes less time and adds tartness. French bread is usually wider than a French baguette with a softer crust, allowing you to make it into toast or use it as sandwich bread. Unlike baguettes, some French bread dough recipes contain fat, usually oil, for a soft texture.
3 Tips for Making Sourdough French Bread
When making sourdough French bread, consider these baking tips:
- 1. Use the window pane test. After kneading the dough, use the windowpane test to tell you if the gluten in your bread dough has fully developed. If it has, you should be able to stretch the dough thin enough to see through it—like a window.
- 2. Score the bread. Score your bread before baking. Scoring with a lame (pronounced “lahm”), sharp blade, or kitchen scissors prevents your sourdough bread recipe from cracking, as it allows gases to escape while the loaf bakes. You can also score bread to create a decorative design.
- 3. Add ice cubes. If you want a crispy exterior, cover a cookie sheet with ice cubes and place the tray below the loaves in the oven to create steam.
Bready for More?
We’ve got you covered. All you knead (see what we did there?) is The MasterClass Annual Membership, some water, flour, salt, and yeast, and our exclusive lessons from Apollonia Poilâne—Paris’s premier bread maker and one of the earliest architects of the artisanal bread movement. Roll up your sleeves and get baking.
Sourdough Starter French Bread Recipe
makes
2 loavesprep time
25 mintotal time
55 mincook time
30 minIngredients
Note: This recipe includes 10 hrs of inactive time
- 1
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine all of the ingredients.
- 2
Attach the dough hook and knead the dough for 10 minutes at medium speed, or until the dough is stretchy and pulling away from the side of the bowl. Alternatively, you can knead the dough by hand until a shaggy dough forms. The dough should be elastic and pass the windowpane test.
- 3
Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, such as a large mixing bowl, and cover the bowl with a clean tea towel or plastic wrap. Let the dough rest overnight in a warm place, or at least eight hours, until it has doubled in size. The rise time will depend on how warm the proofing environment is.
- 4
After the fermentation, punch the dough twice to let out any air bubbles.
- 5
Transfer the dough to a floured surface and shape the dough into two thin rectangles, about a quarter to half-inch thick. Fold the loaves in half, lengthwise, then fold the sides in to seal the loaves.
- 6
Transfer the loaves to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, placing the loaves seam-side down.
- 7
Cover the loaves with a towel and let it rest again at room temperature until it has doubled in size and looks puffy. This can take up to 2 hours.
- 8
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Using a very sharp knife or lame, quickly score the top of the loaves with 3 to 4 diagonal slashes, which will release steam when the loaves bake.
- 9
Bake the loaves for 25 to 30 minutes until they are golden brown.
- 10
Cool the loaves on a wire rack before cutting.
Bready for more? We’ve got you covered. All you knead (see what we did there?) is The MasterClass Annual Membership, some water, flour, salt, and yeast, and our exclusive lessons from Apollonia Poilâne—Paris’s premiere bread maker and one of the earliest architects of the artisanal bread movement. Roll up your sleeves and get baking.