Roasted Garlic Sourdough

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Roasted garlic sourdough: perfectly fluffy sourdough bread studded with velvety smooth morsels of roasted garlic. As it bakes, the kitchen fills with an irresistible aroma of earthy roasted garlic and toasty sourdough bread. This savory bread has the BEST flavor and makes the perfect side dish or base for gourmet sandwiches. Give it a try today!

roasted garlic sourdough with 2 slices on wood board.

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Why You'll Love This Recipe:
Ingredient Notes:
Equipment Notes:
Step by Step Instructions:
Recipe Variations:
What to Serve with Garlic Sourdough:
Recipe FAQ's:
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Why You'll Love This Recipe:

Simple Ingredients: Transform dutch oven sourdough bread into a flavor masterpiece with the addition of 2 ingredients: garlic and olive oil. For another twist on this classic recipe, try sourdough pizza dough!

Big Flavor: This bread is a dream for garlic lovers. Experience the amazing flavor packed into every delicious slice, thanks to the infusion of savory roasted garlic!

Versatile: This garlic sourdough bread recipe is the perfect side dish for any meal.
You can dip the delicious crisp crust into a comforting soup. You can also use it as a flavor-packed base for gourmet sandwiches.

Ingredient Notes:

roasted garlic sourdough ingredients with labels.

Garlic: To make roasted garlic, you need whole garlic bulbs. Keeping the cloves in the skins protects them from burning during the roasting process.
Bread Flour: Not all bread flours are created equal. The protein content and type of wheat used can drastically affect the outcome of your bread. I get the best results with King Arthur flour which has a higher protein content than most bread flours. That's not to say you can't use any type of bread flour, but you may have to test the recipe a few times and adjust it to your liking.

Equipment Notes:

Dutch Oven: A cast iron Dutch oven is the perfect vessel for creating a crisp crust while also allowing the bread to rise during the baking process. You can also use a stoneware bread baker.

Step by Step Instructions:

How To Make Roasted Garlic:

Slow-roasting garlic intensifies its natural sweetness, creating a mellow and aromatic flavor that elevates this loaf of sourdough bread. You can also make extra to use for other dishes too!

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a small baking dish with aluminum foil. Cut the top ¼-½" off every bulb of garlic.

Step 2: Cut the root ends off too if the garlic doesn't sit flat on the bottom.

drizzling olive oil over heads of garlic.

Step 3: Place the garlic bulbs in the foil-lined dish. Drizzle with olive oil.

Step 4: Spread the olive oil over each bulb of garlic. Then, sprinkle with sea salt.

Step 5: Fold the aluminum foil over the garlic to seal them into a packet. Be careful not to let the foil touch the cut edges of garlic because they will stick to the foil.

Step 6: Roast for 1-2 hours, or until each clove is golden brown and the juices are starting to caramelize. The roasting time will depend on the size of both the bulbs of garlic and the cloves inside the bulbs.

squishing roasted garlic cloves out of skins.

Step 7: Let the garlic cool until it is cool enough to handle. Remove the cloves from the skins. You can squeeze from the bottom to remove all the cloves or you can also remove them individually.

roasted garlic cloves in small glass bowl.

Step 8: Refrigerate the roasted cloves in an airtight container until ready to use.

Pro Tip: For best results, make sure the foil packet is sealed well. This helps provide moist heat to the garlic which helps keep it from burning.

How to Make Sourdough Bread Dough:

Making the dough is probably the easiest step in sourdough bread baking. Follow the simple steps below!

pouring sourdough starter into metal bowl. — **Step 1:** To a large mixing bowl, add 125 g of active sourdough starter.

pouring water into bowl with sourdough starter. — **Step 2:** Add 350 g of lukewarm water.

mixing sourdough starter and water with dough whisk. — **Step 3:** Whisk the mixture with a dough whisk until the starter is somewhat dispersed in the water. It doesn't have to be a homogenous mixture.

mixing sourdough dough with dough whisk. — **Step 4:** Add 10 g of salt and 500 g of bread flour.

mixing shaggy sourdough dough with dough whisk. — **Step 5:** Stir with the dough whisk until a shaggy dough forms.

bowl covered with white shower cap. — **Step 6:** Cover the bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Pro Tip: Cover the bowl with a shower cap instead of plastic wrap to cut down on plastic waste. They're easy to clean, fit over the bowl well, and they also keep the dough from drying out. Just make sure you use a dedicated shower cap for kitchen use. 🙃

How to Stretch and Fold Sourdough Bread Dough:

Stretching and folding is the term used for a no-knead method for making bread dough. The process is quite literally what it sounds like: a series of stretching the dough and folding it over itself until the desired texture is achieved. The goal is to develop the gluten fibers by stretching them which gives your bread structure.

First Round:

removing sourdough dough from bowl with bowl scraper. — **Step 1:** After the dough has rested for 30 minutes, remove the dough from the bowl with a bowl scraper.

first round of sourdough folding. — **Step 3:** Fold the ends together, turn the dough 90 degrees, and stretch the opposite ends. Repeat this process 2-3 more times or until you can feel resistance from the dough when you try to stretch it.

sourdough dough ball in bowl after first round of stretching and folding. — **Step 4:** Fold the dough one more time and place it back in the bowl, seam side down. It won't be pretty at this point and that's ok! Cover and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.

Second Round:

Third Round:

Fourth (Final) Round:

fourth round of stretching. — **Step 1:** Stretch and fold the dough 3-4 times. Look how stretchy the dough is! It should be fairly supple at this point.

sourdough dough ball in bowl after fourth round of stretching and folding. — **Step 2:** Form the dough into a ball and place it in the bowl, seam side down.

sourdough dough in bowl after bulk fermentation. — **Step 4:** After 10-12 hours, the dough should be doubled (or even tripled) in size. Many recipes will tell you the dough is over-proofed if it triples in size but I find that it makes deliciously fluffy bread this way!

Pro tip: The typical schedule for stretching and folding is 4 rounds over 2 hours. However, you can do it in shorter or longer time periods. The dough needs at least 15 minutes to rest between stretching and folding, but you can also let it rest for up to an hour in between.

Shaping:

The instructions below are for shaping a batard (oval) loaf. See the recipe card for instructions on shaping a boule (round) loaf.

Step 1: The next morning, remove the dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured work surface.

Step 2: Gently pull the dough into a large rectangle (about 10" x 16") if you're shaping a batard or into a large circle if you're shaping a boule.

placing roasted garlic cloves on sourdough.

Step 3: Arrange the roasted garlic cloves all over the dough.

Step 4: Lightly press the cloves into the dough to keep them from moving when you shape the loaf.

Step 5: Fold the bottom long side of the dough into the center.

Step 6: Fold the top long side of the dough into the center to form a thin rectangle. Don't overlap the sides.

Step 7: Fold the short end of the rectangle over itself and start rolling the rectangle into a cylinder.

rolling garlic sourdough into short cylinder.

Step 8: As you roll the dough into a cylinder, gently stretch the sides to start to form a longer cylinder.

tucking edges under roasted garlic sourdough.

Step 9: Fold the short ends of the dough under the dough ball.

using bench scraper to shape loaf of garlic sourdough.

Step 10: Use a bench scraper to pull the long sides of the dough under the bottom and shape the dough into a more uniform cylinder. This creates surface tension on the outside of the loaf which helps it rise better in the oven. Repeat on both long sides of the dough ball until a uniform cylinder is formed. The outer layer of dough should be stretched tight around the inside dough.

Step 11: Place the shaped dough seam-side up in a floured banneton or cloth-lined bowl.

Step 12: Seal the bottom edges of the dough ball together. Cover the banneton and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours for a really crispy crust. The sweet spot is around 3-4 hours for this recipe.

Pro Tip: Make sure you spread the garlic cloves evenly on the dough rectangle so all the garlic doesn't end up in the center of the dough.

Baking:

This sourdough bread is baked in a Dutch oven. See below for specific instructions!

Step 1: Place the Dutch oven in a cold oven and preheat it to 500°F. Preheat for at least 1 hour.

scoring loaf of garlic sourdough with razor.

Step 2: Place the shaped dough, seam side down, on a piece of parchment paper. Score it with a razor blade, bread lame, or sharp knife. It needs at least one big slash on the side of the dough to let out steam as it rises.

Step 3: You can add decorative scoring as well, but it isn't necessary.

Step 4: Place the dough on parchment paper in the preheated Dutch oven and cover it with the Dutch oven lid. Reduce the oven heat to 450°F. Bake for 23 minutes.

half baked roasted garlic sourdough in dutch oven.

Step 5: Remove the lid and bake for an additional 12 minutes.

loaf of roasted garlic sourdough on cooling rack.

Step 6: Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool completely on a wire rack.

Pro Tip: Let the bread cool fully before slicing it. The bread continues to bake and set up as it cools. As tempting as it may be to cut into it right away, don't do it! You'll likely end up with gummy slices of bread.

Recipe Variations:

While this garlic sourdough is delicious on its own, you can add a few different ingredients for extra flavor.

Cheese: Hard cheeses like parmesan cheese, asiago cheese, or pecorino romano are great additions. Add some freshly grated cheese over the top of the roasted garlic during the shaping process.
Herbs: Fresh herbs like rosemary and thyme are a great complement to the roasted garlic. You can mix chopped herbs with a little olive oil, then spread them over the dough before adding roasted garlic.
Butter: If you don't want whole garlic cloves in your bread, you can make garlic herb butter and spread it over the dough before shaping. Smash the roasted garlic into a paste and mix it with butter (and herbs, if desired).
Sun-Dried Tomatoes: Sun-dried tomatoes are packed with flavor and go great with roasted garlic. Sprinkle some among the garlic cloves before shaping.

roasted garlic sourdough loaf and slices on wood board.

What to Serve with Garlic Sourdough:

Roasted garlic sourdough is an excellent addition to any meal. It's the perfect dipping bread for hearty soups or it makes a great base for grilled cheese sandwiches. Or serve them alongside a charcuterie board or tapas-style dinner. No matter how you choose to serve it, you're going to love this savory sourdough loaf!

inside view of loaf of roasted garlic sourdough.

slice of roasted garlic sourdough in hand.

Recipe FAQ's:

Does roasted garlic taste different?

Roasted garlic tastes much different than fresh garlic. The pungency of fresh garlic is replaced by a delicious roasted, savory flavor and velvety smooth texture.

What's special about sourdough bread?

Sourdough bread is special because it doesn't use commercial yeast or other leavening agents like baking powder and baking soda. It relies on wild yeast and bacteria from active sourdough starter to rise.

What inclusions to add to sourdough?

Lots of tasty inclusions can be added to sourdough during the shaping process. Savory ingredients like roasted garlic, hard cheeses, herbs, and sun-dried tomatoes are great additions. Or you can add sweet ingredients like dried fruit and chocolate.