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High hydration country loaf

A bold, open-crumbed country loaf with a deeply caramelised crust and complex, slightly tangy crumb. This recipe blends bread flour with a modest percentage of wholemeal to add flavour and nutritional depth while keeping the dough workable for ambitious home bakers. At 78% hydration this is a genuinely high-hydration dough. It rewards patience, good technique, and careful reading of the dough. A deeply satisfying milestone for the growing sourdough baker.

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Ingredients

Makes 1 loaf · about 1000g of dough

  • Bread flour425g
  • Wholemeal flour75g
  • Water390g
  • Active sourdough starter100g
  • Fine sea salt10g

78% hydration

  • Kitchen scale
  • Mixing bowl, 4 litres or more
  • Bench scraper, metal
  • Banneton, 23 cm round or 25 cm oval
  • Dutch oven, with a lid
  • Bread lame, or a sharp blade
  • Baking parchment
  • Thermometer, probe or instant-read
Alternatives, sizes and where to buy

Method

  1. 1

    Autolyse

    60 min

    Weigh 425g bread flour and 75g wholemeal flour into a large bowl. Add 350g water at 22–24°C / 72–75°F. Squeeze and fold until no dry flour remains; rough and shaggy is right. Cover tightly and rest for 60 minutes. Flour and water rest alone first here (an autolyse): such a wet dough needs that head start.

  2. 2

    Add starter

    10 min

    Add 100g active starter over the rested dough with a splash of the reserved 40g water. Use pinch-and-fold motions to work it through until no starter streaks remain, about 4 to 6 minutes.

  3. 3

    Add salt

    10 min

    Sprinkle 10g fine sea salt evenly on top. Gradually add the rest of the reserved 40g water a little at a time. Fully incorporate each addition before adding more. Work until the dough is cohesive with no undissolved salt. Cover and rest 20 to 30 minutes.

  4. 4

    Bulk fermentation with coil folds

    5 h 30 min

    Cover and leave to rise at room temperature, 22–24°C / 72–75°F. Do coil folds at 30, 60, 105, 150 and 210 minutes (and at 270 minutes if needed), then leave it undisturbed. This first rise (bulk) is done when the dough has grown by 50–75%, the surface is domed and bubbly, and it jiggles like set jelly when you gently shake the bowl.

    At 20–24°C / 68–75°F this usually takes about 5½ hours; a warm kitchen (24–28°C / 75–82°F) can be ready in about 4 hours, a hot one (28°C+ / 82°F+) sooner still, and a cool kitchen (below 20°C / 68°F) may need about 7 hours.

  5. 5

    Pre-shape

    30 min

    Lightly flour the bench. Gently turn the dough out without knocking the air out. Use a bench scraper to drag the dough toward you while rotating it, so the surface tightens. After 4–6 drags you should have a taut round. Leave uncovered on the bench for 20–30 minutes.

  6. 6

    Final shape

    15 min

    Dust the banneton generously with rice flour. Flip the rested round so the folded side is up. For an oval loaf: flatten it gently, fold the left third to the centre and the right third over it, tuck the top edge under, then roll it toward you into a tight log and pinch the fold closed. Lift it into the banneton, folded side up. Dust, cover, and put it straight in the fridge.

  7. 7

    Cold retard (overnight)

    12 h

    Place the covered banneton in the coldest part of your fridge at 4°C. Do not stack anything on top. Leave it for 8–16 hours. Bake straight from the fridge: no need to let it warm up first.

  8. 8

    Preheat the oven and Dutch oven

    60 min

    Place Dutch oven (lid on) on centre rack. Set the oven to 230–250°C (210–230°C fan) / 450–480°F: as hot as your oven goes, up to 250°C (230°C fan) / 480°F. Preheat 60 minutes minimum. Do not open oven during preheat.

  9. 9

    Score and bake (covered)

    20 min

    Flip the dough out of the banneton onto parchment. Cut the top straight away with a lame or razor: one confident slash at 30–45° to the surface, 1cm deep. Lower it into the preheated Dutch oven by the parchment. Put the lid back on. Bake at 230–250°C (210–230°C fan) / 450–480°F for 20 minutes without opening the lid.

  10. 10

    Bake (uncovered, crust development)

    25 min

    Take the lid off the Dutch oven after 20 minutes. Turn the oven down to 230°C (210°C fan) / 450°F if it was higher. Bake uncovered for 20–25 minutes until deeply golden brown. Target internal temperature: 96–98°C / 205–208°F. Transfer to a wire rack.

  11. 11

    Cool completely

    2 h

    Transfer the baked loaf to a wire rack straight away, so air can move underneath. Wait at least 2 hours before cutting. 3–4 hours is ideal for such a wet dough.

Keeping it

  • Up to 2 days on the counterCut side down on a board, or in a cotton bread bag. Not in plastic.
  • Up to 3 months in the freezerSlice first, then wrap tightly in parchment and a freezer bag.
  • Warm it upSprinkle the cut side with water and warm at 180°C (160°C fan) / 350°F for 8–10 minutes. Toast slices from frozen.

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