Chestnut Free Sourdough Country Loaf
There is something deeply satisfying about pulling a crackling, mahogany-crusted loaf from a screaming-hot Dutch oven, and this sourdough country loaf delivers exactly that kind of moment. The dough is built from just five ingredients — bread flour, whole wheat flour, water, salt, and a lively starter — so there is nothing hidden, nothing processed, and nothing to second-guess. That simplicity is a genuine relief when you need to avoid tree nuts like chestnuts, since store-bought artisan breads can carry unexpected additions or shared-facility warnings that make label-reading a chore. Here, you control every gram that goes into the bowl. The method walks you through autolyse, stretch-and-folds, and an overnight cold proof, all of which build the kind of open, chewy crumb and blistered crust that most bakeries charge a premium for. Scoring the cold dough at a confident angle and baking it covered traps steam for a dramatic oven spring, then the lid comes off to develop that deep, hollow-sounding crust. Let it cool the full hour — the crumb is still setting — and your patience will be rewarded with slices that are genuinely worth the process.
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Learn more →Ingredients
12 servings
- 50 g active sourdough starter (100% hydration, fed and at peak)
- 375 g bread flour
- 75 g whole wheat flour
- 325 g lukewarm water (about 80°f / 27°c), divided
- 10 g fine sea salt
Instructions
- 1
In a large mixing bowl, combine the sourdough starter with 300 g of the lukewarm water and stir until the starter is fully dissolved and the mixture looks milky. Add the bread flour and whole wheat flour 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).
- 2
Dissolve the salt in the remaining 25 g of lukewarm water. Pour the salt water over the dough and work it in by squeezing the dough through your fingers and folding until the liquid is fully absorbed and the dough feels cohesive, about 2–3 minutes. Cover and let rest 30 minutes.
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