MethodCook it step by step
- 1
Combine starter, water and salt in a mixing bowl. Stir together with a wooden spoon. Add flour, 1 cup at a time until it all comes together. Cover with wrap and let rest for 1 hour in a warm place. Oil your hands well, stretch the dough and fold in thirds. Stretch and fold again. Cover and let rest in a warm place for an hour more. Repeat the stretching/resting process 3 times in total. After the last stretch, let the dough rest 1 more hour. Grease a cookie sheet. Shape dough into a round or oblong loaf. Cover and let rise in a warm spot for 2 hours. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes, until when you tap on the bottom of your loaf it sounds hollow. Cool on rack.
From the Mill KitchenA Few Notes Before You Bake
Sourdough Rustic Loaf benefits from the same care most stone-ground bakes need: a little attention to hydration, rest time, and ingredient choice. Keeping that guidance close to the method makes the first bake easier and the second one even better.
Bake to the rhythm of fresh-milled flour
Stone-ground flour often hydrates a little differently than highly standardized flour, so the dough or batter may need a short rest before you decide it is too wet or too dry. Give the grain a moment to absorb liquid before making big adjustments.
That matters most for breads, biscuits, tortillas, and pizza dough because structure is built over time. Gentle mixing, a proper rest, and watching texture cues usually give a better result than forcing the recipe to behave exactly like a fast commercial formula.
Why Sourdough Starter is the right match
Sourdough Starter gives this recipe the flavor anchor it needs. The goal is not just to finish the bake, but to keep enough grain character in the final result that the flour, cornmeal, oats, or grits still taste present after butter, sugar, cheese, fruit, or savory toppings join in.
For cookies, cakes, muffins, scones, and doughnuts, the ingredient choice also shapes tenderness. A softer flour keeps the crumb pleasant, while whole-grain character keeps the bake from tasting one-dimensional.
Make the next batch even better
Once you make a recipe like this successfully, the next question is usually storage and repeatability. Let the finished bake cool before wrapping, and store any extra grain products in a cool pantry or freezer so the second round still tastes fresh.
The related links below make it easy to restock the same ingredient, compare a few neighboring grains, or pick the next recipe to try without losing your place.
