Recipes / Sourdough & baking

Rustic sourdough bread with instant yeast

Two oblong loaves from PJ Hamel’s recipe. Active sourdough starter adds flavour, and a little instant yeast helps the dough rise.

Recipe author: PJ Hamel · King Arthur Baking

3 hours and 7 minutes total, including 25–30 minutes bakingMakes: 2 loaves, about 25 cm (10 inches) long
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Rustic sourdough bread with instant yeast · Serving suggestion
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Instructions

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  1. Make the dough

    Combine all the ingredients and knead until smooth.

  2. First rise

    Put the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover and leave for about 1½ hours, until doubled in size.

  3. Shape the loaves

    Turn onto a lightly floured surface and divide in half. Fold the edges of each piece into the centre, turn seam-side down and shape into a ball. Cover and rest for 15 minutes. Roll on an unfloured surface to make thick oval loaves; for longer loaves, roll to about 25–28 cm (10–11 inches).

  4. Second rise

    Place on a greased or parchment-lined baking tray. Cover and leave for about 1 hour, until very puffy. Towards the end of this rise, preheat the oven to about 220°C (425°F).

  5. Score and bake

    Spray the loaves with lukewarm water and dust with flour. Make two fairly deep diagonal slashes in each. Bake for 25–30 minutes, until deep golden brown, then cool on a rack.

Tips

Use 1 teaspoon yeast with a healthy, active starter; the rise may take longer. Use 2 teaspoons with a less active starter or for a quicker rise.

Storage

Keep the loaves loosely wrapped at room temperature for several days. Freeze for longer storage.

How to serve

Cool the loaves on a rack before slicing.

Ingredients / history / science

Discover the ingredients and their stories

What goes into the jar? Where does the flavour come from? Open a topic and explore its sources.

About the ingredientsSourdough starter and yeast work together

In this bread, the starter adds aroma and mild acidity, while instant yeast helps the dough rise. Fermentation produces the gas that lifts the dough. The recipe combines two ways of working with yeast; watching the dough’s volume helps you judge readiness more accurately than the clock alone.

History on a plateHow was bread leavened in antiquity?

Pliny the Elder described several ways of preparing leaven for bread. Among them was the use of foam from fermented grain drinks in Gaul and Spain. The King Arthur Baking recipe is a modern one, combining active sourdough starter with a little dried yeast.

A closer lookWhat raises this loaf

Yeasts produce carbon dioxide during fermentation, and gas held in the dough makes it expand. This recipe contains both an active sourdough starter and instant yeast. The added yeast helps the rise, while the starter contributes its own microorganisms, acidity and aroma.

Recipe sources

This recipe is based on the sources listed above.

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