Alpha Gal Friendly Classic Sourdough Bread
There is something deeply satisfying about pulling a crackling, mahogany-crusted loaf from a screaming-hot Dutch oven, and this sourdough delivers exactly that. The ingredient list is beautifully short — just flour, water, salt, and a live starter — which means every component is easy to verify and completely free of mammalian-derived additives that can catch people off guard in packaged breads. That simplicity is genuinely good news for anyone navigating alpha-gal syndrome, since store-bought loaves often sneak in milk solids, butter, or other animal-based ingredients that aren't obvious at first glance. The process here leans on time and technique instead: a long autolyse, patient stretch-and-folds, and an overnight cold proof all work together to develop a complex, tangy flavor and an open, chewy crumb. Scoring the cold dough and baking it covered traps steam in those first crucial minutes, giving you that blistered, artisan-style crust without any dairy wash or enrichment. Once it comes out of the oven, the hardest part is waiting the full hour before you slice into it — but the reward is a loaf that's genuinely worth the effort.
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Learn more →Ingredients
12 servings
- 50 g active sourdough starter (100% hydration, fed and bubbly)
- 375 g lukewarm water (about 90°f / 32°c), divided
- 450 g bread flour, plus more for dusting
- 50 g whole wheat flour
- 10 g fine sea salt
Instructions
- 1
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sourdough starter and 350 g of the lukewarm water until the starter is fully dissolved and the mixture looks milky and slightly foamy.
- 2
Add the bread flour and whole wheat flour to the bowl and mix with your hand or a stiff spatula until no dry flour remains and a shaggy dough forms. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 30–45 minutes (autolyse).
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