Sourdough Bread With No Scale [For Beginners] - Lauren Nicole Jones (2024)

There is something so special about a crunchy loaf of homemade sourdough bread hot out of the oven. The delicious tang of the fermented dough is loaded with health benefits for the whole family. Better yet, no scale required to make a great loaf of bread!

Crunchy loaves of sourdough bread are on rotation at our house. Before I got into the world of bread making I was always so intimidated by it, and now I laugh because of how simple it really is! It is a work of art I continue to master with each loaf, and I find it to be a fun side hobby all while creating sustenance for my family of 5 boys!

I am thankful I organically came across this hobby in sourdough bread making. I love that my boys can watch me make bread and hope to one day pass my starter onto them.

I am a “self taught” sourdough bread creator. I have made my fair share of errors along the way. I like making mistakes to some extent though, because it explodes learning and developing a skill. Paying attention to small detail is what makes sourdough bread so beautiful.

Sourdough bread can be particular and sometimes the loaves do not turn out as “springy” as I would have liked. Some go flat, while others are more dense depending on which flour I use. Even when things do go as planned we still love to eat all of the loaves!

This particular recipe has been more successful time and time again so I am excited to share it with you all. I wrote another post on how to easily make sourdough bread easily so check it out here. They are both similar posts but this one IS MY FAVORITE!

What is Sourdough Bread?

Before diving into the world of sourdough I never really understood the beauty of sourdough and the wild yeast in contains. Like anything, wild and free is usually best when it comes to health. Sourdough bread is a bread that rises with wild yeast instead of commercial yeasts you can buy at the grocery store.

People who are more sensitive to gluten are in luck because the grains are fermented which gives the body a break when trying to digest gluten. If you are celiac I do not think this applies (bummer)!

Phytic acid which his essentially an anti nutrient which is found in wheat is completely broken down when the grains are fermented which makes it easier for our bodies to digest!

How Do You Make Your Own Sourdough Starter?

I wrote a post all about it here. Check it out if you want to create your own from scratch!

Tips To Succeed

• Make sure your sourdough starter is at least 6 months old so it can actively make bread.
• Try and set your dough in a warmer spot in your home. It will help the rise time go as scheduled. If the dough is left in a drafty spot in your home then you the time it takes to make the bread will be stalled.
• When you are covering your dough, try and get a tea towel damp so that a hard crust doesn’t form on top of the bread. Plastic wrap works great too. I just don’t like the waste of plastic wrap over and over again.
• Pre-heat your oven with your dutch oven inside to ensure the oven is hot and ready when the dough goes inside for optical “spring” when baking.

Tools You Will Need

• Large glass bowl (I like large pyrex bowls)
• Banneton basket (optional)
• Dough cutter
• Dutch Oven
• Tea Towels or Plastic Wrap

How To Make Sourdough Bread Without A Scale

I have never used a scale while making bread, and I have faired well. I know many sourdough lovers around the world may cringe at this but I really don’t have time to weigh things! I am a mom to 4 young boys. Making bread in and of itself is a win in my book!

Feed your sourdough starter and make sure it activates before using it! I feed it and leave it activate on counter for 4 hours sometimes even the day before I make bread! You can put it back in the fridge and then pull it out and immediately use it for bread. It doesnt need to be warm to work.

• 5 Cups of Flour (950 grams) All purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups (650 grams) Room temperarature water
• 2 Cups of Starter (200 grams)

Add your Flour and Water into a bowl. Let sit for 30 minutes. No need to stir.

Once the Autolyse process has completed add the 2 cups of starter on top of the flour and water mixture and then cover the starter in salt.

Dimple in starter, water, flour and salt all together until combined. Let sit for 30 mintues (roughly)

Stretch and Fold

Perform 3 stretch and folds every 15 minutes. After each stretch and fold cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap and put in a warm place.

I like to put mine next to the stove or the oven!

Perform 3 stretch and folds every 30 minutes.

Cover with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap and let the dough do its bulk ferment for 8-12 hours. The dough should have doubled in size.

Split the dough into 2 balls, so cut down the center once the bulk ferment has happened. Try to not break the beautiful bubbles in the dough! Round it out into a loaf and let it sit for 20 minutes or so.

This particular recipe can make 2 loaves of bread, or 1 large loaf!

Transfer your dough into a flour banneton basket and place in the fridge overnight! The proofing time is 12-15 hours.

Baking Your Sourdough Bread

The next morning after your sourdough bread has proofed, roll it out of the basket onto a floured piece of parchment paper. Dust the top of the dough with flour and make a pretty scoring pattern on the top with a razor.

Preheat your oven to 500 degrees with your Dutch oven inside.

Bake for 20 minutes with the lid on.

Reduce the heat and bake at 475 and bake for another 20-25 minutes or until the top is browned.

Take out of the oven and let it sit on the counter for at least 30-1 hour before cutting into.

Baker’s Timeline For Making Sourdough Bread

12:00 pm: Put your flour and water into a bowl. Make sure your starter has been activated and or taken out of the fridge!

12:30pm: Add in sourdough starter to bowl as well as the salt and combine together.

1:00pm: Perform your first stretch and fold

1:15 pm: Perform your second stretch and fold

1:30 pm: Perform your third stretch and fold

2:00pm: Perform your fourth stretch and fold

2:30 pm: Perform your fifth stretch and fold

3:00 pm: Perform your sixth and final stretch and fold

3:00pm-10:00pm: Bulk Ferment

10:00pm: Split the dough and shape the dough and put in a banneton basket with a damp tea towel.

10:00pm-8:00am: Proof in the fridge

8:00am: Preheat the oven to 500 and take your proofing baskets out of the fridge. Dust them with flour and score.

Place your bread in the preheated Dutch oven and bake for 20 minutes at 500 degrees. Take off the lid and then bake another 25 minutes at 475.

Let rest and enjoy!

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