No Knead  Sourdough Bread

Learn how to make delicious homemade no knead sourdough bread!

Stretching and folding is the term used for a  no-knead method for making sourdough bread. 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.

Add 125 g of active sourdough starter to a large mixing bowl. Add 350 g of warm water to bowl. Stir with a dough whisk or fork to make a slurry.

Add flour and salt and stir with a dough whisk. Alternatively, you can use your hands to combine the ingredients. The dough will be shaggy and that's ok! The ingredients will come together more during the stretching and folding process. Cover the bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes.

After the dough has rested for 30 minutes, remove the dough from the bowl. Grab onto two ends of the dough and stretch it in opposite directions. 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.

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.

Stretch and fold the dough for a total of 4 rounds over 2 hours. The dough should be supple and stretchy by the fourth round.

Cover and let the dough rise for 10-12 hours. 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!

Shape the dough into a boule or batard (see recipe link below for full tutorial). Place the dough ball, seam side up, in a floured banneton. Cover and refrigerate for 1-24 hours

Score the bread with a bread lame or razor blade. I like to do one large score on the right side of the dough and several small decorative scores that open up to look like leaves when the bread bakes.

Place the scored bread dough on parchment paper into a preheated Dutch oven.

Place the lid on the Dutch oven and place it in the oven. Bake at 450 degrees F for 23-25 minutes.

Remove the lid and bake for an additional 12-14 minutes or until the crust is crispy and golden brown.

Remove the bread from the Dutch oven and let it cool on a cooling rack. Slice and enjoy once the bread is fully cooled.