Sour Dough Boules & Batards Recipe

Build levain

8–12 hours before mixing (or night before): In a clean jar or bowl, mix 50 g active sourdough starter with 100 g bread flour and 100 g water until homogeneous. Cover loosely and leave at room temperature (20–24°C / 68–75°F) until bubbly and doubled in volume.

Autolyse

In a large mixing bowl, combine 700 g bread flour, 100 g whole wheat flour and 525 g water. Mix just until no dry flour remains. Cover and rest 30–60 minutes to hydrate (autolyse).

Add levain and salt

After autolyse, add 250 g active levain and 18 g sea salt. Pinch a little dough with water to help dissolve salt if needed. Incorporate by folding and squeezing until the levain and salt are evenly distributed; dough will be sticky.

Bulk fermentation

Cover the bowl and let dough rest at room temperature for about 4–5 hours (target total bulk time 4–6 hours depending on room temp and starter activity). During the first 2–3 hours perform 4 sets of stretch-and-folds every 25–30 minutes to develop gluten.

Stretch and folds

To perform a set, with wet hands lift one side of the dough and fold it over the center, rotate the bowl 90° and repeat 3–4 times. After the last set leave dough undisturbed to complete bulk fermentation until it has risen noticeably and shows bubbles around the edges.

Pre-shape

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently pre-shape into a loose round (for boules) or an elongated oval (for batards) by folding edges into the center. Let rest seam-side down for 20–30 minutes covered with a cloth.

Final shaping

After bench rest, perform final shaping: for boules tighten by cupping dough and rotating on the work surface to create surface tension; for batards shape by folding long edges toward center, seam-turn and roll to tighten. Place shaped loaves seam-side up in well-floured bannetons or bowls lined with linen (dust with rice flour/semolina).

Cold / room proof

Cover and proof: either cold-proof in the fridge for 12–18 hours (for flavor and 18-hour total process) or proof at room temperature 2–4 hours until slightly puffy. For an 18-hour schedule, refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven and vessel

Place a baking stone or heavy tray and a Dutch oven or steam tray in the oven and preheat to 250°C (480°F) for at least 45 minutes to ensure a hot stone. If using a stone and steam method, have a tray for water or use a dutch oven for each loaf.

Score and load

When ready to bake, turn proofed dough onto a piece of parchment (if using Dutch oven) or a peel dusted with rice flour. Score the loaves with a lame or sharp knife to control oven spring.

Steam and initial bake

For Dutch oven: place dough inside preheated Dutch oven, cover and bake at 250°C (480°F) for 20 minutes. For stone/steam: slide loaf onto hot stone, immediately introduce steam (pour 200 ml boiling water into steam tray or throw ice cubes into tray) and close oven; bake at 250°C for 15–20 minutes.

Finish bake

After initial steam-covered phase, reduce oven to 230°C (450°F). Remove lid from Dutch oven or stop steam. Bake an additional 20–25 minutes until crust is deep golden brown and internal temperature reaches 98–100°C (208–212°F).

Cool

Remove loaves from oven and cool on a rack for at least 2 hours before slicing to allow crumb to set.

Dusting and presentation

If desired, dust the tops with a light sprinkle of rice flour or semolina before scoring for an artisan look. Lightly spray with water before scoring for crisper ears.