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Homemade Sourdough Batard Bread Recipe

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  • Author: Kimberly
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes active plus 12 hours poolish fermentation
  • Cook Time: 35 to 40 minutes
  • Total Time: 12 hours 30 minutes plus 12 to 18 hours cold ferment, approximately 25 to 31 hours including resting and proofing
  • Yield: 1 loaf (one 12-inch batard)
  • Category: Bread
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: French
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Description

This Homemade Sourdough Batard Bread recipe guides you through creating a flavorful, artisan-style loaf with a crisp crust and tender crumb. Utilizing a poolish starter for enhanced texture and taste, this recipe employs traditional sourdough fermentation techniques combined with a cold ferment to develop deep, complex flavors. Perfect for bread enthusiasts looking to bake a classic French batard at home, it includes steps for mixing, folding, proofing, and baking to achieve bakery-quality results.

Ingredients

Poolish

  • 100 g bread flour (unbleached, high-protein)
  • 100 g water (room temperature)
  • 0.5 g instant yeast

Main Dough

  • 500 g bread flour (unbleached, high-protein flour like King Arthur)
  • 350 g water (room temperature)
  • 10 g salt (fine sea salt)
  • 2.5 g instant yeast
  • 5 g diastatic malt powder
  • 0.5 g ascorbic acid powder

Instructions

  1. Prepare the Poolish: In a bowl, combine 100 g bread flour, 100 g water, and 0.5 g instant yeast. Stir until smooth, cover, and let it rest at room temperature for 12 hours until bubbly and slightly domed.
  2. Autolyse: In a large bowl, whisk together 400 g bread flour and 250 g water until no dry flour remains. Cover and rest for 30 minutes to allow gluten alignment.
  3. Add Remaining Ingredients and Mix: Sprinkle 10 g salt, 2 g instant yeast, 5 g diastatic malt powder, and 0.5 g ascorbic acid powder over the autolysed dough. Add the poolish. Fold and mix until a uniform dough forms.
  4. Bulk Fermentation with Stretch-and-Folds: At 75°F, perform four stretch-and-fold cycles every 30 minutes for 2 hours total. This strengthens the dough and develops air pockets without kneading.
  5. Cold Fermentation: Transfer dough to a lightly oiled container, cover, and refrigerate for 12 to 18 hours to deepen flavor and allow flexible timing.
  6. Pre-shaping: Turn dough onto a floured surface, flatten into a rectangle, fold top third down and bottom third up, rotate 90°, and repeat. Let rest seam side up for 15 minutes.
  7. Shaping: Dust surface with flour, flatten dough into a 10×8-inch rectangle, fold sides to center sealing seams, turn seam side down, roll into a 12-inch batard loaf. Place on parchment, cover, and proof at 70–75°F for 60 to 75 minutes until passing the poke test.
  8. Baking Preparation and Baking: Preheat oven to 475°F with a baking stone or steel on middle rack and steam pan on bottom for at least 45 minutes. Transfer loaf on parchment to stone, score a 6-inch slash down center, pour 1 cup hot water into steam pan, close oven, and bake 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 440°F, bake 15 more minutes, remove steam pan, and bake until crust is deep golden brown.
  9. Cooling: Remove loaf carefully with parchment onto a cooling rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours, before slicing to ensure optimal crumb texture.

Notes

  • Use high-protein bread flour for best gluten development and structure.
  • Maintaining correct fermentation temperature (around 75°F) is key to dough development.
  • Diastatic malt powder enhances crust color and fermentation activity.
  • Ascorbic acid powder strengthens dough, improving rise and texture.
  • Cold ferment in the refrigerator allows flexible baking schedule and flavor enhancement.
  • Use a lame or sharp blade to score the bread for controlled expansion in the oven.
  • Ensure the oven and baking surface are fully preheated to achieve a good oven spring and crust.
  • Cooling the bread completely before slicing prevents gummy crumb texture.

Find it online: https://slsrecipes.com/homemade-sourdough-batard-bread-recipe/