Buttermilk Sourdough

This is one of my most popular recipes, and I’m excited to finally share it here on the website. This yields two medium loaves or one XL loaf. When using store-bought buttermilk rather than homemade, add a splash of water during the initial mix to make the dough more manageable.

Ingredients

• 600g Bread Flour
• 450g Homemade Buttermilk
• 100g Active Starter (1:1:1 levain at peak)
• 12g Salt

Method

Autolyse Mix the flour and buttermilk in a bowl, cover, and let it rest for one hour. Buttermilk dough often feels firmer than a water-based dough of the same hydration; resist the urge to over-hydrate early on.

Mixing Add the sourdough starter and salt, mixing thoroughly. Spend at least 10 minutes mixing the dough by hand to ensure it is well-developed.

Strengthening After approximately 40 minutes, perform one round of stretch and folds or coil folds.

Bulk Fermentation Once the dough has increased by about 60% in size, punch it down and reshape it into a ball. Let the dough continue to ferment until it has nearly doubled (an 80–90% rise). Reading the dough is key here. Don't be afraid to push the fermentation a little longer when the dough feels like it can handle it.

Shaping and Cold Proof Divide the dough into two equal portions. Use a gentle shaping method. The caddy clasp technique is best because of the lower hydration. Place the shaped loaves into bannetons and transfer them to the fridge to cold proof overnight.

Baking Preheat the oven and Dutch oven to 500°F.

Lid On: Score the dough and place it in the oven. For extra steam, give the loaf a light spritz of water before closing the lid. Lower the temperature to 430°F and bake for 25–30 minutes.

Lid Off: Remove the lid and drop the temperature to 400°F. Bake for a final 10 minutes until the crust is deeply colored.

Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing.

Notes

• For XL Loaves: Increase the baking time by an extra 10–15 minutes when making one large loaf instead of two.
• Homemade Buttermilk: Churn heavy cream (35% or higher) until the fat and liquids separate. The fat becomes the butter, and the remaining liquid is the buttermilk. Strain it well. It's perfectly fine when some small bits of fat remain.
• Buttermilk vs. Whey: These are similar but produce different results. Whey has a higher acidity which can significantly impact fermentation timing.
• Temp: It is critical that your dough is proofing in a warm environment, at least 21-22 C but ideally 24 -26 C.