Dutch Oven Sourdough Bread Recipe (Master Recipe)

I’m sharing my master Dutch Oven Sourdough Bread Recipe for beginners, a deceptively simple boule formula that invites you to explore endless flavor and shaping variations.

I’ve been tinkering with a Dutch Oven Sourdough Bread Recipe that I call my master boule. I start with high protein bread flour and a lively active sourdough starter, but what really surprised me was how forgiving the method is.

Beginners keep asking if it’s hard, and I keep saying no, you just watch the dough change and learn rules by breaking them. This recipe is a base you can riff on, so expect to make mistakes and discover better tricks each time.

If you like crackly crust and open crumb, this will make you curious enough to try it tonight.

Ingredients

• Bread flour: gives structure and chew, mostly carbs and protein, good for rise
• Water: hydrates dough, controls texture and crumb, no calories or nutrients
• Sourdough starter: adds tangy sour flavor, wild yeasts and bacteria, may aid digestion
• Salt: boosts flavor, tightens gluten, tiny minerals but mostly sodium, not sweet
• Whole wheat or rye: adds fiber and nutrients, gives deeper flavor and denser crumb
• Rice flour or cornmeal: dusts banneton to prevent sticking, adds slight texture only
• Extra flour for dusting: helps handling and shaping, adds carbs, dont overuse or dough dries

Ingredient Quantities

• 500 g bread flour (about 4 cups) use high protein bread flour if you can
• 350 g water (about 1 1/2 cups) — room temp
• 100 g active sourdough starter (100% hydration, recently fed)
• 10 g fine sea salt (about 1 3/4 tsp)
• Optional 30–50 g whole wheat or rye flour for flavor
• Extra flour for dusting and shaping (about 50–100 g)
• Optional rice flour or cornmeal for dusting the banneton or work surface
• Optional oil or non stick spray to grease the Dutch oven

How to Make this

1. In a big bowl mix 500 g bread flour (or swap 30–50 g for whole wheat or rye for flavor) with 350 g room temp water until there are no big dry bits, cover and let sit 30 to 60 minutes for an autolyse.

2. Add 100 g active, recently fed sourdough starter and 10 g fine sea salt, mix until incorporated, the dough will be sticky, let rest 30 minutes.

3. Do a series of stretch and folds to build strength: every 30 minutes lift and fold the dough 4 times around the bowl, repeat for about 2 hours (3 to 4 sets), then leave to bulk ferment at room temp until the dough is puffy and about 30 to 50 percent risen, usually 2 to 5 hours depending on temp.

4. Lightly flour your bench with the extra 50–100 g flour, turn the dough out, pre-shape into a loose round, rest 20 to 30 minutes uncovered to relax.

5. Final shape the loaf into a tight boule by cupping and rotating on the counter, dust a banneton or bowl with rice flour or cornmeal (or regular flour) and place the dough seam side up, cover and proof: 1 to 3 hours at room temp or refrigerate overnight 8 to 12 hours for better flavor.

6. About 45 minutes before baking preheat your oven to 500 F with the Dutch oven inside so it gets screaming hot, you can lightly oil or spray the pot if you like, or line with parchment for easier transfer.

7. When ready, turn the dough out onto parchment so the seam is down, score the top with a sharp blade about 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep to control the oven spring, then lift the dough with the parchment into the hot Dutch oven and cover.

8. Bake covered at 500 F for 20 minutes to trap steam, then lower the oven to 450 F, remove the lid and bake another 20 to 30 minutes until the crust is deep golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.

9. Remove loaf to a wire rack and cool at least 1 hour before slicing so the crumb sets, store at room temp a few days or freeze slices for longer.

Equipment Needed

1. Digital kitchen scale (for weighing flour, water and starter)
2. Large mixing bowl, about 4 to 6 liters, for autolyse and mixing
3. Bench scraper or dough scraper, to fold, preshape and divide the dough
4. Banneton or proofing bowl (or a bowl lined with a well floured towel or dish cloth)
5. Dutch oven with lid, oven safe 4 to 6 quart, for baking the loaf
6. Parchment paper, to transfer the dough into the hot pot easily
7. Sharp blade or lame, or a very sharp paring knife, for scoring the top
8. Oven mitts and a wire cooling rack, to handle the hot pot and cool the bread

FAQ

Dutch Oven Sourdough Bread Recipe (Master Recipe) Substitutions and Variations

Here are some handy swaps I use when i’m missing an ingredient:

• Bread flour (500 g): Use 500 g all-purpose flour plus 25–30 g vital wheat gluten to mimic high protein bread flour; or swap 100 g of the bread flour for whole wheat or rye for more flavor, but add 10–20 g extra water because whole grains soak more.
• Water (350 g): Replace up to 100 g with milk (same weight) for a softer, richer crumb; or try sparkling water (same weight) to help open the crumb slightly. Keep total water weight the same.
• Sourdough starter (100 g, 100% hydration): If you dont have starter, add 1/2 to 1 tsp instant yeast and include the 50 g flour plus 50 g water that the 100 g starter would have contributed; expect much faster rising times. If you have a rye starter, you can use 100 g of that but reduce additional rye/whole wheat in the formula a bit.
• Rice flour or cornmeal for dusting: Use semolina or fine cornmeal (both give texture and dont stick), or just dust with regular flour or a thin layer of fine polenta if thats what you have.

Pro Tips

1. Feed your starter so it is very bubbly and active before you mix. If it looks sluggish give it a warmer spot, or feed again, because using a weak starter just drags the whole bake out and you wont get good oven spring.

2. Dont keep adding flour to make the dough less sticky, you lose oven spring that way. Instead wet your hands or bench lightly to shape, and rely on the stretch and folds to build strength. The dough will feel messy at first but it firms up as it rests.

3. Watch the dough not the clock during bulk ferment. Look for a puffy texture and a slow bounce back when you poke it, rather than trusting exact hours, because room temp and starter activity change everything.

4. For better flavor and easier scoring proof in the fridge overnight when you can. Cold proof also firms the dough which makes a tighter shape and cleaner score, just warm it a bit if it feels stone cold before you bake.

5. Get the pot screaming hot and score decisively with a very sharp blade. A shallow hesitant cut will close up, a confident single cut gives a nice ear and good oven spring. Let the loaf cool at least an hour so the crumb finishes setting before you slice.