A Non-Baker's Guide To Making Sourdough Bread

Step by Step Recipe to Make Perfect Sourdough Bread. Soft, Chewy, Airy but intense cream-colored crumb inside & Dark, Crispy, Caramelized & slightly sour crust outside. Kneading, Mixing, Proofing and Baking will have no secrets for you any more.
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[@Lebanonic]

This video is simply why I am a Patreon Bravo Alex x

[@FrenchGuyCooking]

+Irene Shaw 🙏

[@theprojects6640]

Alex French Guy Cooking Alex are you black?

[@cierrablue]

The Projects: Why would you ask that? Why would you care? What does it matter? He's French. That's all you really need to know.

[@patriciaprice3767]

How to knead dough

[@MsObsidian1]

The Projects 😧

[@adavis5646]

Why is this so intimidating? I feel like i'm about to drop my starter off for its first day of school.

[@Sangejzer]

nailed it xD

[@annasssokol]

jesus totally I was so proud of myself when I made the starter.. I was like.. see, I raised you and then I was like shit what do I do now

[@Johann757]

haha very relatable

[@HussiAli123]

@@annasssokol eat it

[@chriscowan8749]

@@annasssokol LOL me too..

[@angrylaller]

Someday I want to find someone who loves me as much as Alex loves his bread!

[@Ermude10]

Good luck! You'll need it.

[@nathg899]

🙋🏻‍♀️

[@MsBeckylynn]

Mee too!

[@rohan224519]

but can you love him/her back that much?

[@writofmandamus]

A sennnnnsual experience!

[@theolschoolblues]

hey sorry for posting a non food related comment but i want you to know your vids have helped with my depression. Sometimes you just need to see someone with a passion for life to get you out of a bad mood.!

[@Elethia441]

Love it! He's definitely fun and peppy to watch, and he's also pretty brilliant and interesting.

[@KevinBrazier]

me too

[@BoshkArt]

David Walkenstein me too!!!!! Me tooooooooo))))))))) He was born to do it

[@poppykok5]

Hi David...It's now January 2018, & I'm really hoping your depression is fading & that you're feeling much better now...Do you have any interest in cooking as it's a truly wonderful way to relax & be creative...On top of then having something deliciously tangible for your efforts... : ) I hope this finds you in good spirits...

[@cranberry6pointOh]

Yep.

[@jesperj86]

2tbs starter, 100gram water, 100 gram breadflour. Wait 4 hours 30 min. or until it doubles in size. In warm room 1 part starter, 2 parts water, 3 parts breadflour 200 gram starter, 400 gram water 600 gram breadflour, mix Let it rest 30 min - 1 hour 12 gram salt, and a bit of water to dissolve the salt. Stretch and fold for 10 min. (grap, turn, slap, rol. 3:40 ) Rest for 4 hours in a warm room(~30C) Fold outside to center Cover with plastic rest for 30 min. Fold like an envelope, top to bottom, bottom to top and rol over, push dough in all directions. Put a kitchen towel in a bowl and flour it. put the dough in seam on top Let it rest in fridge (8 - 24 hours) Get the dough out 2 hours before baking Preheat dutch oven 250C (~30min) Place the dough on a big circle baking paper, seam down. make a shallow cut on top. Put the dough in the dutch oven, and spray in some water. Set oven to 220C bake the for 25 min. with the lid on. Remove the lid and bake for another 20-25 min. Let the bread cool down. Enjoy your fresh bread!

[@dinatanjung3347]

thank youuu 😁

[@dfkl]

I'm struggling to figure out the weight of the "2tbl spoons" of starter I should as reference. What is the right proportion of starter, in grams, to be activated by 100g of water + 100g of flour? The thing is my starter looks much thicker (not as light) than the one Alex is using there, so I'm unsure about the right amount of starter I should be using... Can anyone help me with that?

[@jesperj86]

@@dfkl I use around 10 to 15 grams. the thickness of the starter depends on a lot of thinks but mostly water to flower proportion. if it's always very stiff then add a little bit more water before the last feeding, (the day before the start of the recipe) this way it is more runny and you can pour it. like Alex does. Good luck

[@marinakion5923]

HELP! Is 24 hours in the fridge OK? I can't bake it before coming back from work tomorrow evening, which will make it 22-23 hours roughly. Thanks!

[@alexolsensmith385]

@@marinakion5923 24 hours should be ok but no longer!! let us know how it goes :)

[@titusdaniel]

This and the “sourdough master class” from Patrick are the two best processes I’ve found on KZbin. You did an excellent job of simplifying the system, Alex. I had already learned from Patrick’s, but I’m using your proportions and some of your techniques now with great results. Thank you!

[@nd496]

To all those who have followed this recipe exactly to find that their dough is sticky/runny: I had the same issue. I wonder if Alex is using a higher protein flour than I am (my flour is something like 12% and I see that his is labeled 13% in the vid). Anyway, yesterday I experimented with very good results. I CUT the initial water by 50g. Then, I carefully measured 10g of water and dissolved the salt in it before adding to the flour/water/starter mix. The recipe turned out wonderfully. [I'll add that this seems like a really flexible recipe: just prior to the overnight fermentation in the fridge, as I did the final shape, I added in chopped Kalamata olive and finely minced, fresh rosemary from the garden. The final results are EXCELLENT.]

[@m4rvinmartian]

Thanks!

[@Blackdogmountain]

Have made two delicious breads so far and have developed a sense of caring friendship with my sourdough starters, thank you!!

[@God4445]

Is it still alive? It's been a year.

[@janecollette9504]

My favorite flour to use is definitely freshly ground white wheat flour. I grind it myself, and use it while it's still warm from the grinding. It is amazing to work with, it rises very quickly and the flavor is something you cannot duplicate, it is so full of nutrition . It makes the best bread, bar none. I loved your show, I learned a lot , you have inspired me to make bread again, thank you, french man who likes to make bread.

[@TheLUCYCAT]

Having an intense relationship with this "sour" dough. So loving, so gentle, so understanding of it's kneads.

[@tomwales6528]

Alex, I made this sourdough yesterday and after 25 minutes I opened the cast iron pot. Oh my god, it turned out so perfect I was amazed! After it cooled i cut into it and discovered a light soft bread with oh so many beautiful holes in it! The crust was crispy and chewy. Thank you for such a wonderful recipe and technique!

[@anarch0capitalist]

Getting back into making sourdough after several years and rediscovered this gem of a video. Thanks again for the tutorial!

[@Razilation]

"let it cool down completly before slicing" *steam rises from bread after slicing*

[@danirich7247]

That's the hardest part

[@jonahfonts]

Very best bread. Love it! Will make it!

[@twiho]

This.

[@observer698]

OMG how did you see that, I had to go back to see the steam :D

[@HayesChristina]

@@observer698 Me too!

[@SallyGreenaway]

Oh my - what a beautiful bread! I can almost taste it! Bravo - I am plucking up the courage to try my first sour dough bread, and your series is just what I need to inspire me and show me how to do it. THANK YOU!

[@genevievekoffman5313]

I just made this and I am so so happy with how it turned out! I've tried so many times with other recipes but yours is the one success! Merci bcp Alex!

[@michellerose3021]

You made my evening, I was so frustrated with my big amount of starter you use lots and I love this. I am not up after first stretch and fold (4) hours I hope I can do as many strengthening stretch and folds as possible and hope in the morning I will bake a magical loaf. I have been baking sourdough for many years but took 2 years away until today. Thank you , my magical friend

[@Will-sh8kl]

After 4 failed attempts using different sourdough recipes, I finally nailed it with this one. Thank you Alex! Great way to create this type of bread.

[@genevietrinh3305]

Will lol I failed with this recipe..I did well on Joshua Weissman’s advance recipe

[@mangorango7659]

Technically both Alex and Joshua have same technique

[@snehabanerjee1286]

Dear Alex, thankyou so much for helping me impress my german mother in law with your sourdough bread. you know the recipe is solid when you can get an authentic DDR resident nodding about the quality and practicality. Your explanations about the types of flour and their hydration properties were invaluable..i went with t he 450 type and the 650 type flour available in gerrman supermarkets for my starter...from a gal who only knew how to make rotis and naan....:) love from all lost indian students worldwide. hugggggggggg.

[@masha7377]

Sneha Banerjee thanks for mentioning the german Flour types! I find the different numbers so confusing ;)

[@Caffeine.And.Carvings]

Sneha Banerjee hey. wanted to start a starter tomorrow as well for a nice rustic tasting bread. which Supermarkt did you go to ?

[@snehabanerjee1286]

hey Toffsen 100..i usally go to kaufland or edeka. They have a nice variety of regular and bio variety of flour. And recently to my pleasant surprise i also discovered that dm (the drogerie) has many kinds of flour as well..from roggen to dinkle etc. and happily all bio. so if you have a well stocked big dm filiale in the neighbourhood it might be worth your while to check it out! all the very best for your starter! cheers! :)

[@Caffeine.And.Carvings]

Ein großen Kaufland und nen niegelnagelneuen großen edeka direkt um die ecke =) werde ich montag nach der arbeit mal vorbeischauen wie dort das sortiment ausssieht. Sosnt eventuell das ganze korn von dm und dann mit der kaffeemühle mahlen =) Thanks for the detailed answer.

[@masha7377]

Toffsen100 Es gibt ja auch eigene Alnatura (die Bio Marke von dm) Läden. Ansonsten hat jeder Biosupermarkt verschiedene Getreide in Voll- und "Halb"korn. :) aber pass bloß auf keine Dinkelbrot-Backmischung zu kaufen! Das war eine Katastrophe!

[@jackpaice]

I wholeheartedly adore your way of making a totally comprehensive tutorial, where you yourself are learning to avoid pitfalls. Unlike other tutorials that show you a sorta basic overview of a method, you get down and dirty and show us your mistakes and every single step, which is really cool if you don't have a grandma who showed you this stuff (or something). Much love for your channel man, congratulations on a truly inspiring and transformative approach!

[@lsteiner]

I am thoroughly impressed with your expertise in the art. Having now seen how much effort is involved in making sourdough bread, I shall to continue enjoy that which others have prepared for me!

[@sidewalkslam]

Thanks so much for the recipe, Alex! Love this video and how you explained all the steps so succinctly. I think I just about watched it 12 times before I dare to attempt it myself. For those of you living in hot, humid climates like I am (currently 34 °C and 80% humidity where I'm at, Singapore!), you may want to consider reducing the amount of water which goes into the first step, or try adding it bit by bit to the flour + starter mixture just in case it gets too wet. I had to use a 200g starter, 350g water for 600g of flour compared to Alex's 200 x 400 x 600g ratio. The dough still appeared slightly wetter than the video's, but luckily it got much better when it come to the 2nd proofing!

[@thehappypear]

Great job as always Alex 👍🏻😄🙌🏼

[@FrenchGuyCooking]

Luv you guys

[@ingridgillette5573]

I love the simplicity of this and especially enjoy slap and folds. Thank you so much!

[@barbaricrawr4190]

This is exactly the video I've been looking for! The most clear of "here's how you use your starter..." "here's exactly how to knead" etc. Merci!!

[@Antnelson13]

I LOVE your channel! Thank you so much! I'm making this bread tomorrow!

[@FrenchGuyCooking]

pleasure !

[@mi2ube]

“Enjoy it naked” I like the way you described eating the bread, I could here the passion in your voice.

[@RyanFerreri]

This is the best tutorial on making sourdough bread I have ever seen. The closeup shots of how things should look are great. Thanks so much.

[@LTD.Edition]

I don't think I've ever found better cooking videos than what you produce. Absolutely love them!

[@Aizuboy]

Seriously, you've got one of my favorite channels! Keep up the great work!

[@SD-tl4wf]

Thank you for making these videos, they have helped me so much. I have always had a love for baking, but lost the ability to find joy in anything during my battle with PTSD. My therapist advised me to find a creative hobby and I chose to start baking again. I wanted to challenge myself further and decided to start bread making. That's when I found your sour dough videos and managed to get perfect bake with your instruction. Seeing your true joy in baking reminded me of the person I used to be and realized how much I missed having that passion for baking. It's been the most soothing thing putting energy into kneeding, having to have patience for each step and ending up with a tangible piece of my hard work. I have gained so much pride in my new found skills and mastering bread making has changed my life. I'm in a much better place now, my good days and bad days are 50/50 compared to 25/75 I was having.

[@dagmarsobota5337]

I’ve just baked my very first loaf of sourdough bread! I’ve followed the recipe and it came out insanely good!!! Thank you for explaining every single step in way that is very easy to follow. You’re amazing!!!

[@renatarussell229]

I’ve never baked a bread in my whole life, I followed your video and it came out just perfect! Thank you!

[@Louise-qk2po]

Alex, your technique for folding the bread dough is fantastic. My bread looks like it is on steroids. So I named it Herman.

[@kohakuaiko]

Louise, Herman is actually the name of a specific type of sourdough. My family kept some in the fridge for years until it died of an ice storm.

[@PlayaSinNombre]

I know you can not replace your beloved pet starter, but there is an organization that gives away samples of a starter from the Oregon Trail. You can find the contact info at carlsfriends.net/

[@ampp3692]

Did you get a soft bread?

[@blackbogbrewing3186]

Herman is a sweet sourdough with milk in place of water. My family has been making it for years

[@carmelgerdsen2399]

Wow, interesting, I'm feeling inspired

[@carmelunderwood2356]

I cook well but have steered clear of baking, for decades. I've been wanting to make sourdough for a few years now but didn't have the confidence. I dabbled on net from time to time looking at various 'methods', then finally came across your vid! I watched it several times, rewound parts of it lots of times, then took the plunge. Can't believe it, my sourdough turned out fabulously! I had psyched myself up for a fair bit of trial and error, so with this loaf that I baked this morning, that both hubby and I prefer to what I can purchase, I'm really stoked. Thank you Alex. I'll share this vid and check out the terms of 'patreon' in short order. Cheers to ya! :)

[@FrenchGuyCooking]

+Carmel Underwood So Glad it helped 🙏

[@carmelunderwood2356]

Hey Alex, I asked this question somewhere else but didn't word it very well, sorry - I'm wanting to know if the patreon fees are in USA dollars so I can correctly calculate the conversion before committing. I'm presuming you're not referring to Euros but am wanting confirmation, thanks.

[@bonniesweitzer8702]

So much detail! Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

[@elvabautista7820]

Many Thanks for this video! For all of those who are not bakers this is the one to follow. My sourdough came on point!

[@nynkek]

This turned out so good! Thank you :) My starter needed a lot longer to pass the float test, so keep that in mind when you're planning to bake a bread ;)

[@kpimm1918]

I made the perfect loaf of sour dough bread. It failed the firs time but the second time it was perfect... beautiful crust and crumb. Based on your video. wish I could share but the picture is on Face book. Beautiful bread. Unfortunately I had to slice it up and share at work tomorrow. It was a piece of art.

[@onbrokenwingz07]

Wanted to come back and say that I've been following this video for the last five years and it produces a perfect sourdough loaf every time. Have yet another going into the fridge tonight. Thanks again, Alex!

[@jonasbose7963]

Hey Alex, I just finished my first sourdough bread according to your recipe and you were right: the crust is absolutely outrageous, fantastic, sensational! Thx a lot. Keep on the great work.

[@therealrikux3]

As perfect as the loaf is, i would really love to see the fails that you've mentioned. Maybe some can learn from that mistakes. I think i may try to setup a sourdough starter, that loaf just looked beautiful :)

[@torridice]

Riku yea! Maybe a second channel for the less polished stuff and a glimpse at the things you are still working on

[@TheStallion234]

It's totally worth it. The bread tastes so much better with a natural starter and taking your time rising, proofing, and fermenting the dough overnight. No comparison

[@bibbabibba1975]

Everyone's first loaf is usually a flat, dense, black disk. It takes some time and practice to get a loaf like his ;)

[@sky1arks995]

Eric Kelly I tried making a loaf a while back; it literally turned out as a solid block of gluten, even shaving it was too dense to eat! XD edit: I have now made my first try with this recipe, and it turned out beautifully!! almost a replica of the video.

[@judytisdale4685]

Wellcher Visounnaraj there’s already a video on it. look up “ A Frenchman’s guide to making sourdough starter “

[@DongLabUTHSCSA]

Hey Alex/chat, if I have my starter going well and not in the fridge, can I skip the first step of making a sub starter? (use 200g of my original starter I have going?) I imagine that I can, just wanted to know if that would be a problem since my starter is made with the 50/50 flour mix you recommend on not bread flour like you did in this video's sub starter. Thanks for any insight, and great videos!

[@uncurlygirl]

What an absolute delight to watch. I'm reviving my starter immediately. This joie de vivre was exactly what I needed today!

[@davidmoore1264]

Mr Alex Sir! Thank you for this tutorial! I have tried several other recipes for making a good sourdough bread and this is the first one that actually worked! Bread was fantastic and everything I had hoped it would be! Thanks for the video!

[@morenolanza8922]

Hi Alex!! I really love your work, you're such an awesome and inspirational person!! Do you think that i can use terracotta pot instead of a cast iron one? ^^" I can't afford it, so i wonder if i can use my old pot. thank you!!

[@FrenchGuyCooking]

Go for it.

[@DudeCoffeeandSmoke]

Moreno Lanza like a tagine? hmmm .... 🤔

[@pavel9652]

Quote: Don't skip the resting period, it is crucial (...) In fact do not skip any step in this recipe, because I already did it. Me: Instant sub! ;]

[@tonyyak3990]

Hi Alex Thank you for this great video and for teaching me this method. I made my first loaf today and it was as good as any shop bought sourdough bread I’ve had. My family thought it was amazing. Keep up the great work!!!

[@CjHAnderson]

I've been baking with my own sourdough starter for 12 years and I've learned a bunch from this series. Bravo!

[@godito]

Brilliant video! Just binged all three episodes in this series to not lose continuity. I do have a question, if you have suggestions. I live in Chile, and we have mediocre flour. Chile consumes a lot of bread, so wheat production is insufficient, and we import some from other countries. It's not great wheat, and we produce not-so-great flour. I do know of some "organic" sources, but they are unreliable. We do have bread and pastry flours, but they are very expensive. We can, however, get some 00 italian flour, which is what I have generally been using to make bread (and pizza, and pasta, of course), but it's white, I might have to check if it's bleached, and we don't get that kind of quality in whole wheat. Do you have any suggestions on what to do to get great results in making sourdough starter? Thanks, and keep up the good job!

[@MntyPythnKillerBunny]

You can find great bread flour on Amazon. Here's one of the ones that I bake with: www.amazon.com/King-Arthur-Unbleached-Flour-5-pounds/dp/B0047YX0J8

[@lanzji1345]

carlos garcia: as far as I know, bleaching is not allowed in the European Union, so if the 00 type flour is coming from Italy, there's a good chance is unbleached. I'd say you can make a good sourdough bread this way too. If you want some more body to the bread, you can try a German trick: replace part of the flour by breakfast cereals (not granola or so, but simple rolled flakes): pour the water of the recipe boiling over the flakes, let it cool down and then add the rest. You might need a little more water, as it seems the breakfast flakes will hold more water. Anyway, you would need to do some experimenting... but that's a big part of the fun, no?

[@DudeCoffeeandSmoke]

carlos garcia ive been running a sour dough starter here on plain white flour with reasonable success. however when i add a tablespoon of wholemeal organic flour the activity increase is very clear. if in doubt, try. It's worth 5 mins a day for a couple of weeks to see what you get 😉

[@tasmedic]

I'd maybe use the commonest wheat flour you can get, and maybe use a rye flour recipe. Rye has much less gluten than wheat flour, so if your wheat flour is poor, rye recipes may be closer to what you need. I wouldn't go ordering special flour from overseas, this might limit how often you bake, and make your bread more expensive to make, too. I'm sure with some practice, you'll get the perfect loaf.

[@anastasiaionas9617]

You could use 20-50% rye flour in your starter, it activates it really well. Maybe start with 50% then go down to 20%. So first one would be 50 ml water, 25g rye 25g wheat, all the next ones: 50g starter, 50g water, 40g wheat, 10g rye. Gives it a good boost and you can easily use it in any wheat recipe.

[@MrPedzel44]

Thanks to you I'm making the best pizza dough I have ever tried. I guess it's time to sourdough bread :)

[@DudeCoffeeandSmoke]

MightyElk my wife won't let me make it any other way since we made our Alex the sour dough starter. (well, he did say we should name it)

[@kevinbetts6998]

Thank you so much! Very informative and entertaining. Just finished my 7th loaf (I'm about 3 weeks in) and have fallen in love with the process. Couldn't have done it without you.

[@nowsimoninenglish4182]

Yo Alex! My brother and I have used your videos to make our first bread ever. Starting from scratch, making a starter, baking the first loaves. Thanks to your tutorial we nailed the first ever try. It was a very encouraging and bonding experience. I've got another dough proofing in the oven and we'll give it to our mom tomorrow. Thank you so much!

[@DebeyetheJedi]

Great video, thank you so much! I finally had a successful result! Wish I could send you a picture of how beautiful it is :) I'm curious; why is there no oil in this recipe?

[@budakhon]

Oil makes the crust too soft!

[@starsaint]

"...puddles of water..." hahaha you are so cute

[@ajujuadoidoi]

I've made this bread several times and I haven't made a better one! Thank you so much! Merci Alex, mon pain est enfin parfait !

[@smallfootprint2961]

Beautiful. Looks delicious. Thanks for showing us how it's done.

[@jonas-mm7em]

Thank you Alex for that great content. However I have some questions. I follow your mnemonic proportions but I always get a dough which is sticky as hell! I tried putting in less water when adding the salt but it didn't change anything. As the dough is too hydrated is it really cumbersome to work it. I have my hand full of dough and I have to use spatula to remove it from hy hands. I tried kneading for a longer time but it doesn't cut it. I am using half whole wheat rye flour and half white wheat flour, do you think it has to do something with it? Or perhaps I should be only manipulating the dough with my fingertips instead of the whole hands? Thank you.

[@jacksonFerrari]

This is a great question. Alex can you please answer this

[@emerickscott]

I have the same issue. I'm measuring by weight. 200g starter, 400g water, 600g "bread" flour (US)

[@a.randolph8112]

I'm having the same issue. I measure by weight. I use Wheat Montana flour and live at 600ft in elevation.

[@sea1song]

The more rye flour you use, the stickier the dough will be. I suggest you use less rye flour.

[@emerickscott]

@@sea1song Uh I don't use any rye flour.

[@ladydroso]

Hi Alex. Thank you for your effort and this is my first time making sourdough. My starter is fine and I follow the ratio of 1 part sourdough starter:2 parts water:3 parts flour that you hv recommended but my bread dough became a sticky mass until the very end (when putting into the dutch oven). What may hv gone wrong? Please advise. Thanks a bunch.

[@PostmanApocalypse]

I thought mine was sticky at first too. I used 1/2 cup of starter 1 cup of water and 1 1/2 of flour. I ended up adding just a pinch of flour but eventually it came together beautifully. I was getting very frustrated at first because I thought I messed it up again! I had tried to convert grams to cups from a different video and this method was much better!!

[@schwarzarne]

It was the same for me. I made a horrible mess with the kitchen towel. I don't believe he actually made that bread with this recipe. It just sounds good and easy in a video. I looked up other recipes and they usually are drier.

[@isaacbravo3436]

Mine was a little sticky but by adding more flour and working the dough it came together and it was delicious

[@jakethesnake2758]

as the gluten develops in the dough it gets less sticky which is why Alex's method for "kneading" is superior in this case, as it if done properly allows you too handle the dough with minimal contact. a little bit of dusting flour should be fine but use as little as possible

[@altanIV]

Thanks Alex. Yours is the best most detailed recipe for sourdough that I've seen. I've had tremendous success with every sourdough I've made using your recipe. Keep up the good work and thanks for sharing. Benito.

[@sloanrussell2932]

This is so wonderful! You are the first You Tuber that has been able to coach me through my first loaf!!! I am so grateful. Thank you!!!!

[@jeanmorrow1944]

Made this recipe today (baked it today) and it came out great even though the dough was very hydrated and still sticky even after about 20 minutes of slapping and folding. I even put it in my stand-up mixer for a while which helped but still sticky. I made mine without salt because I'm on a salt restriction and I'm wondering if that affected the hydration level. Will definitely make this again, probably without the added splash of water since I'm not needing to dissolve salt. Thanks for your videos Alex! ( Also, don't swear. Your mother wouldn't like it.)

[@ekaotravez]

I made this recipe several times without adding a splash of water with the salt and always the dough was very hydrated/sticky. I'm wondering if i need to try with less water, it's so frustrating! However, the result is always fine!

[@jeanmorrow1944]

Ekaterina Olortegui The second time I made this I used Alex's exact measurements including the splash of water used to dissolve the salt. I did not use his slap and turn method to work the dough after mixing. Instead I immediately put it in my stand up mixer set on low and fitted with a dough hook and kneaded the dough for 15 minutes. After that time, the dough was still sticking to the sides of the bowl so I dusted it with a little flour and continued to keep kneading with the mixer until the dough pulled away from the sides of the bowl. (It was still consistently sticking to the bottom of the bowl.) Then I dusted the counter with flour and turned the dough out onto it and dusted the top of the dough as well before I did the fold and turn. This is all to say that I still found the dough to be pretty wet so I did use a bit more flour dustings than Alex to be able to work the dough. I can't emphasize enough the need to work with quick and confident moves as he suggested while shaping the dough. In the end the dough was much more manageable the second time around with and little more flour dusting and using the power of the mixer instead of slap and fold.

[@Micaelangel07]

Double check your flour, is it 13-15g protein, and keep your flour in sealed jars because moisture content in your flour changes how much water it absorbs when mixing later. Or just use less water.

[@jeanmorrow1944]

Micaelangel07 Thanks for the tips. I am not sure of the protein content of my flour, but I am using high gluten flour that I store in 5 gallon buckets with fitted lids because I buy 50lbs at a time. I have gotten great results with Alex's recipe even if it has been challenging. I will definitely look at the protein content next time I buy four.

[@ampp3692]

Micaelangel07 so it does not work without that amount of protein %?

[@natorain6784]

Hi Alex, the bread came out amazing in the end but I had a few problems along the way: - after two minutes of the pull and fold technique, my dough became stickier and stickier so I couldn’t do it for 10 minutes. The texture never became easy to handle like yours. - my dough raised like a balloon and by the end it was bigger than the cast iron and almost didn’t fit. I had to push it underneath and reshape it. Any thought? Thank you!

[@SC456]

I ran into the same problem, too sticky/wet, and then when I did work it and let it rest it blew up huge.

[@kex83]

Too much water! The 1:2:3 proportions used by Alex don't work for me. I use less water and everything is fine. Hope I helped you

[@gazorsip69]

i had the same problem with how sticky it was, couldn't get it off my hands lol. so less water seems to be the trick.

[@zanesutherland406]

Thank you! I was looking for a tutorial that didn’t have special equipment and yours was perfect.

[@adalbertom.7642]

Best recipe for sourdough bread on KZbin hands down! I always use it for reference when making mine at home. Merci Alex! Will be making a contribution to your Patreon

[@lkdtmr]

tuerieeeeeeeee merci ma poule tu nous regales

[@ronlornasmith5704]

Hi Alex Made this loaf and found the hydration to be too much at 400mls of water plus the 200g sourdough. Do we not have to take into account the water ie. 100mls, present in the sourdough? This works out to be 86.6% hydration. Difficult to handle if nothing else. The crumb was fairly good but the loaf remained flatish. Very little oven spring. Please can you help, as I feel I am nearly there with my bread. Been baking sourdough now for 8 months, just found your site.

[@Jeff-fx7bh]

Same here, way too much

[@MrHenhei]

I think it has a lot to do with the flour you use ie. how it can absorb water. Alex uses bread flour, and this is flour made entirely from hard wheat. This flour has a larger amount of gluten and will help your bread rise higher, the gluten protein itself also aids in the hydration process. If you have all-purpose flour you can add a few tablespoons of wheat gluten to the flour before adding water. If you only have all-purpose flour and nothing else you would have to cut back on the water.

[@Jeff-fx7bh]

@@MrHenhei I also used string bread flour

[@morgandavid7800]

I also start with slightly less water, about 190ml rather than 250 (according to Alex's 3:2:1 ratio) as that makes the dough easier to handle. However, throughout the kneeding I keep moistening my hands to counteract the increasing stickyness of the dough. At the end I get a dough that looks and feels good and I am guessing it has probably absorbed another 50ml of water from my hands in the process. The advantage here is that the kneeding helps me feel when the hydration is right.

[@pangicia1861]

Morgan David what do you mean 190 ml instead of 250? In his recipe water 400 gram and water in sourdough starter 100 gram???

[@windywalcha]

Thank you so much! I watched then made it and watched again. I will keep coming back after my successive attempts! Great advice and thank you for sharing.

[@susanpang8231]

It's seem so simple. Yours recipe are the most simple I have seen. Will try on it. Thanks Alex!

[@Ermude10]

I think you should mention that "warm water" means water up to about body temperature, not more. Above 40 degrees Celsius the yeast will die and you'll end up killing the sourdough instead.

[@DudeCoffeeandSmoke]

Ermude10 how much do you think you would speed up the rise by using tepid water? by the time you have handled the dough for 10 mins kneeding it I'm not sure the temperature makes much difference (between cold tap - my cold tap today is circa 16c and tepid temperatures)

[@alexkeary9]

thats literally what warm means my man

[@ulloa2000]

alexkeary9 po oil

[@skandababy]

@ermude Why would you intentionally use water over 40 deg in the first place?

[@chiangogo]

Hey Alex, what is the best way to keep a loaf of sourdough I've already cut open? Leave it out or store in a bag?

[@SallyGreenaway]

I found that keeping it covered in a paper bag, then put inside a large plastic container works to keep the bread softer and fresher longer. But the crust does go a little soft too - so warming it in a toaster or frying pan to get a nice crunch back (but the texture is still soft, not dry) gets best results. For panini/bread rolls you store the same way, and then put in the oven (with a tray of steaming hot water at the bottom to make it into a steam oven) for 5 minutes brings back the 'fresh baked' bread sensation.

[@FrenchGuyCooking]

Usually I wrap it super tight in 2 kitchen towels, and yes, warm it up before eating can counter its loss of crispness.

[@stefchica]

I bake a lot of bread so when I make a few loaves, I slice them and put in a Ziploc to put in the freezer. pull out a slice each time and put it in the toaster, it's like it's freshly baked all over again!

[@fredrikwarnsberg9596]

I think the best way of storing it (for a 2-3 days) is standing on a wooden cutting board with the surface you've cut into facing down onto the cutting board. That way all moisture that evaporates gets trapped inside the crumb by the crust, and the crust won't turn soggy from moisture on its outside, like it will in a bag.

[@ampp3692]

I bought a sourdough bread in a bakery and it’s already 5 days and the bread is still soft, it’s in a brown bag and no freezing, is this possible? What do they add?

[@knucklehead0980]

Your recipe and approach is the bomb. Works perfectly. Been trying to get to this state for over a year and have now arrived. Thx for all your help!

[@makichandes]

I love my sourdough and I'm always excited to learn better ways to bake it. Great video! So glad my hubs introduced me to your channel. Brilliant.

[@cassandrine]

'This outrageous crust' comment reminded me of that monty python scene :)

[@TPV07]

Amazing bread! but pls tell me when do you start making it during the day? 4hours+another4+another1+another30min It adds up :) Is there a way to make it throughout two days so you dont have to do it on your day off? Thanks for the inspiration.

[@TheRemoLemik]

It can always stay longer in the fridge, some recipes call up to tree days in the fridge. The longer it stays in the fridge the more sour your bread will taste. You can also make starter the night before and you make the bread, and instead of putting it in the fridge for a night just let it ferment for around 3-4 hours and then bake.

[@luluf01]

Teti T. you can spread it a lot: what I do is that I combine the flour and the water, let it rest for up to 4-5 hours and then add my activated starter. After that I knead it and add the salt and let it ferment overnight in the fridge, before shaping and proofing it. The last step is obviously baking. I am also trying to adapt the process to my daily life so I can bake during the week, but you have to experiment what works for you.

[@VinceIsDatBitch]

Julius Girardin, yes, an autolyse makes the dough a lot easier to handle. I autolyse my dough for 2 hours, and it's enough to be handled easily.

[@FrenchGuyCooking]

That's really something interesting. I need to polish my schedule too.

[@luluf01]

I just autolysed a 75% hydration dough for 8 hours (during my school day) and when I started kneading it, it felt like someone has already done it

[@JeremyDangerPictures]

Thanks, Alex. My best results have come from your helpful advice.

[@pathipkiss5100]

Hi Alex, after trying a number of different sourdough recipes and all of which turned out failures, I hit on yours, and I am so thankful I did. I followed every detail to the letter and I have made the most amazing sourdough bread. It’s perfect! Thank you, Pat

[@farrell4390]

Alex, my dough is still super sticky after kneading for almost 1 hour. I used all the correct amounts of ingredients. But i switched your flour with a mix of bread flour and all purpose flour instead and my starter isn’t really floating when i tested it but i still used it because i’m in a hurry does that affect my dough stickiness? Help

[@philippecourtemanche1994]

Did you rise it longer than he says? Because I overfermeted my once and the whole thing was just a gloopy mess

[@farrell4390]

Nope i rise it just according to what alex said

[@farrell4390]

I think its because how i handle the dough incorrectly since its my first time and because my yeast isn’t ready and active enough

[@serapia1976]

5:44 *strokes dough like baby *

[@sandrashamas8153]

I am so happy to have found this direction; so well paced and straightforward. My loaf came out perfect! Thank you so much!!

[@boggle49]

Followed this recipe and my bread turned out brilliantly! You're a hero mate!!!!

[@nawrasarar1917]

“Depends if your a fan of Chinese or Lebanese take away” 😆😆

[@RugsRabbit]

Im starving

[@deborahacolephotography7823]

Thankyou Alex! My first try and WOW! You’ve got a new subscriber and a new fan.

[@alinaplotnikova]

Alex, merci beaucoup! So many thanks! Yesterday I finished baking my second loaf according to your recipe, and it is gorgeous! Amazing! I had to change a little bit a quantity of flour to adjust recipe to that one I can buy in nearby shops (650 white flour plus 50 g wheat bran), and I also want thank you so much for the precise proportions - if you haven't done this, I would continue "floating" adding much more flour than needed, again and again) My best wishes to you!

[@cupofnuts]

No oven spring. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I tested my starter and it floated. I measured right. I folded it. Maybe there wasn't enough surface tension in the dough? I be been working on it for about six loaves now. They taste good but no spring. Getting discouraged.

[@anime130]

I'm having similar issues and I'm on my third loaf. My oven springs are too small compared to the video. This time I'm focused on making more gluten and I really worked on the tension. I found out you can test if your dough has enough surface tension or gluten by letting it resting on the counter for 30 mins and see how much it has flatten out after you do your tension pulls. I'm also wondering if my cuts are too big or if i'm making too many cuts on the dough.

[@cupofnuts]

no0dles130, I finally got major oven spring by bleeding and stretching the dough until I had a successful "window pane test". Take a little bit of dough, about a golf ball size and keep stretching it until you can see through it like a window without tearing. If it tears, keep kneeling and stretching and try again. When you get a good window pane test then your ready for final proofing. Do a KZbin search for window pane test. Good luck!

[@cupofnuts]

I hate spell check!! KNEADING!!

[@3dmixer552]

Try a different flour

[@garyskipsey]

Try turning your oven up even higher (if it will), quite often the temperature on the dial is not exactly what the internal oven temperature is. Also work quickly and don't leave the door open and when you get the bread in, don't slam the door! Hope this helps. Just re read your comment and I think you also need to work on forming your bread into a tight ball before its final prove.

[@drugsbite1]

If you are making sour dough, watch this video first, far better than anything else. Save yourself a lot of time.

[@caart6317]

After watching the MANY KZbins about sourdough bread, I found this video has the simplest, easiest recipe ever. No more strech and fold and all the complications. Thanks Alex!

[@amandaalmeidaamaral3919]

This is the best video I've ever seen. Thank you, sir!

[@HELLSSTEVIL]

When I put my bread in the dutch oven it flattens out a bit, and when the bread is baked and done it's even more bigger in width but not as much in height...why is that?

[@gzless6226]

Maybe you didn’t build up enough surface tension

[@millyt8612]

I appreciate my "bought" sourdough now.

[@TuktaPReilly]

Hey Alex. I tried your recipe last nite and baked it today and OMG it turned out really really good. AWESOME!! My husband fell in love with your recipe.Thanks a million. My first attempt I used someone recipe but had to threw it away :( This is my 2nd attempt and I am new for the baking. But you told a lot of tips so that is why I can make it! Love you. Thanks again for the tips and the lovely recipe.

[@michaelmoryski8467]

Followed this exactly and made my very first sourdough loaf. You are an excellent teacher and have a great sense of humor. Thanks for your help!

[@Ermude10]

Shouldn't it be possible to use a dough kneading machine, or will it be very different from the slapping and folding? I'm not really sure about why that technique is supposed to be superior.

[@FrenchGuyCooking]

+Ermude10 A dough kneading machine should work well too, but i would use it on low speed.

[@Ermude10]

Alright, thanks!

[@InXLsisDeo]

In other videos, pro bakers use dough making machines, but the last steps are often done by hand.

[@miwanabanana]

I think it depends on the person, and one method is not really superior to the other. There's the slap and fold, "turning" the dough at 30 min intervals during bulk fermentation, scooping it like a diving arm mixer, and good old electric mixer. I've seen many bakers even use a combination of kneading methods. It all depends on preference and time management. The perils of using a mixer is that you can actually over mix your dough to the point where you've over developed the bread and it becomes a hot soupy mess. And just before that stage, your bread can turn out tough and gummy if the gluten is too strong.

[@ThisIsMyFullName]

I would recommend always using a machine if you have one, for the first step when kneading the dough. You know it's ready when you can successfully make a gluten test. But after it's rested you should only work it by hand.

[@Luridmoirai]

Your kitchen reminds me of Casey Neistats workshop

[@jetaddict420]

why do you have to insult alex?

[@mgsa5722]

It's a multi purpose space

[@philomenahali4802]

You are such a brilliant presenter. After searching out how to make the bread in soooo many websites, with no clear idea of how to proceed, you have at last shed clear light on the process which I will follow. Merci beu coup Alex, you are the best.!!!!!!

[@ayalaliran9137]

Hi Alex, i've just made this bread and it was the best sourdough bread i've ever made. The crumb was just amazing, very even with open texture and amazing flavor. One thing i did differently was to do the final overnight proof on my kitchen worktop at about 17 degrees rather than the fridge. Thank you for the recipe and video.

[@avihaimel]

I was down to my shorts when I realized what you meant by having this first naked

[@emalinel]

XD I mean..you CAN. Not like anyone's gonna see you here

[@bikeybikebike]

2:00 the captions say "I use nominee proportions" but from listening I think you're saying "mnemonic proportions" I feel like a newb saying I'm not sure what that means. Then at 2:05 you say 71.4g water per 100g flour but the quantities you then give (600g flour and 400g water) is 66.7g water to 100g flour. I'm looking for where I went wrong, my dough was super wet after the first rest, other possibility is that my "splash" of water with the salt was more like a "slosh". Oh well, I'll see what happens and learn something if nothing else.

[@D9992.]

This LITERALLY just happened to me and the kneading was such a mess. Please, tell me what did you do? I mean it was wet before the salt, but after the salt and water gosh I got a bile of mud and I suffered a lot. I feel really bad. I hope I didn't ruin it.

[@bikeybikebike]

I added a little more flour. My bread was ok and edible but really dense, which might have been because of the extra flour. How did yours go?

[@D9992.]

@@bikeybikebike I'm gonna bake it in 4 hours. I added more flour just to be able to get it off my counter, but not enough to make it easy to handle. Last time I made bread I made brioche and because I couldn't handle the dough and added more flour, it was very dense. I think I didn't wanna repeat this. I also think the reason for this is my flour. I used Egyptian baking flour which is the best for bread I could find in the local stores. I think next time I should get my flour from large food shops instead. I will tell you when it comes out and thank you for replying. Edit: It turned out dense too. I think because I added more flour in different stages of the making. I hope you don't quit though and try to make another one sometime.

[@emerickscott]

You have to factor in the 100g flour and 100g water in the starter if it's 100% hydrated like it should be. So, 500g water, 700g flour.

[@DrJohnners]

My starter is 100g water/100 flour. I used 200/400/600 the first time and it was terribly sticky, so much so that I could barely slap/smash, and the bread crumb was very gummy after baking. I reduced the 400 water to 350 and now it's almost perfect, much easier to slap/smash and it rose much more as well.

[@amywatkins9309]

This is now my go-to recipe and procedure for no fail sourdough bread. Love it! Thank you!

[@rontough3058]

I have never baked anything, ever . I got some sourdough starter that hadn’t been used in ages and looked dead , and it had little sourdough smell to it . i followed your excellent instructions ( except the screen said 2 gms of salt instead of 12 so I mistakenly used 2 gms ) The starter doubled in size after several feedings but still would not pass the float test, I used it anyway . I struggled with really sticky dough, and my slapping of the dough was pathetic. The final dough didn’t look great BUT I got the most amazing beautiful loaf ever -I was amazed !!! It tasted great , and I was encouraged to make more.. thanks so much for your videos , I have watched a bunch now and I think you are just great.