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Kate Downham

Fresh Milled Flour Sourdough Boule

An easy recipe for a delicious crusty dutch oven boule made from 100% fresh milled flour
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Fermenting time 6 hours
Servings: 1 loaf
Course: Breakfast, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: French
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

  • 100 g ripe fresh milled flour sourdough starter at 100% hydration (scant 1/2 cup)
  • 500 g fresh milled wheat, emmer, or Khorasan flour (or other options, see above) (3 3/4 cups + 2 Tbsp)
  • 400 g water (1 2/3 cups)
  • 8 g salt (2 1/2 teaspoons)

Equipment

  • 1 dutch oven (4 or 5 quarts (litres) in size)
  • 1 Mixing bowl
  • 1 bowl with a rounded shape, for proofing (2 or 3 quarts in size)
  • 1 linen tea towel or other non-fluffy tea towel

Method
 

Mix
  1. Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix with a spoon or your hands until no traces of flour remain.
Rest, stretch, and fold
  1. Allow to sit for around 20 minutes, then do a series of stretch and folds.
  2. Ferment
  3. Leave to ferment until it has increased in size somewhat and feels puffy and airy when poked – this will take around 4 hours at around 22ºC (72ºF), longer if it’s colder. Optionally do up to three more sets of stretches and folds early on in the fermentation time.
Divide, shape, and proof
  1. Divide the dough if you’re making more than one loaf, and shape into boules. Place in a bowl lined with a tea towel, and leave to rise either two to three hours at room temperature, or overnight below 8ºC (46ºF).
Bake
  1. Preheat the oven to 230ºC (450ºF) with a dutch oven (including the lid) inside it.
    Once the oven and dutch oven are hot, gently invert your loaf into the dutch oven, optionally score the top of the loaf a couple of times, put the lid back on, and bake for 50 minutes in total, removing the lid after the first 20 minutes.