Rosemary Garlic Sourdough (with time stamps)
Sourdough Day with Jane Dough 🫶
Active starter update:
Fed around 9 AM — and by the 3 PM check-in, Jane Dough was bubbly, happy, and ready to bake ✨
Assemble the dough:
• 300g active starter (about 1 1/4 cups)
• 650g warm water (about 2 3/4 cups — make sure it’s slightly warm!)
• 1000g flour (about 8 1/3 cups)
Mixing method:
I start by combining everything with a spatula, and halfway through I add the salt:
• 14g salt (≈ 2 1/2 tsp)
Once the salt is in, I switch to using my hands to fully bring the dough together and form all the ingredients into one beautiful mass 🥖✨
Timeline:
3:30 PM — Let dough rest for 1 hour
4:30 PM — Stretch & Fold #1
Cover with cloth, return to warm environment
5:00 PM — Stretch & Fold #2
Cover with cloth, return to warm environment
5:30 PM — Stretch & Fold #3
Cover with cloth, return to warm environment
After final fold, leave dough in warm spot until doubled in size
(sweet spot: 5–8 hours)
10:30 PM — Dough is ready:
Split into two loaves, shape, and add rosemary + garlic inclusions, folding them in between shaping.
Place into bannetons and refrigerate overnight ❄️
Next Day — Bake Day 🤍
8:30 AM — Preheat oven to 450°F with the Dutch oven inside
9:00 AM — Remove loaf from fridge and place on baking sheet
Lightly dust with flour, then score the loaf
Carefully transfer the baking sheet with the scored loaf into the hot Dutch oven.
Add a few ice cubes for steam and cover with the lid.
9:05–9:30 AM — Bake 25 minutes with lid on at 450°F
9:30–10:05 AM — Reduce heat to 400°F, remove lid, bake 35 minutes
10:05 AM — Loaf is done ✨
Remove from oven and let rest for 1 hour before cutting (trust me — it’s worth the wait).
Jane Dough = golden, crusty, and living her best life 🤍
🥖
Baking sourdough bread, especially with flavorful additions like rosemary and garlic, is both an art and a rewarding experience. I’ve found that maintaining an active and bubbly starter is key—like the author’s “Jane Dough,” which after feeding and resting for several hours, transforms into the lively foundation of a great loaf. Using warm water helps activate the natural yeast in the starter, while adding salt midway through mixing improves dough texture and flavor. The stretch and fold technique described here is essential for developing gluten without intensive kneading. This method also helps trap the gases produced by fermentation, giving you that light, airy crumb inside. Covering the dough and returning it to a warm spot encourages consistent rising—patience here pays off as letting the dough double in size can take anywhere from 5 to 8 hours, depending on ambient temperature and starter strength. Incorporating rosemary and garlic directly into the dough during shaping infuses the bread with aromatic layers of flavor without overpowering it. Resting the shaped dough in bannetons overnight in the fridge slows fermentation and enhances the final texture and taste. Baking the loaf in a preheated Dutch oven with ice cubes creates steam that helps the crust develop a beautiful, crisp exterior. Letting the bread rest for an hour after baking is crucial to allow internal moisture to redistribute, preventing a gummy crumb. Through personal experience, I’ve learned that following a timeline like this not only simplifies the process but also yields consistent, bakery-quality sourdough at home. Whether you're new to sourdough or looking to spice up your loaf, this rosemary garlic recipe is a delicious, sensory delight that’s sure to impress!
