Crunchy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside this discard sourdough French bread recipe will leave you feeling satisfied and happy. This recipe is a great intro into baking sourdough bread.
It’s easy to make and hard to mess up giving you the confidence you need to continue on your baking journey. While I love baking my own sourdough sandwich bread there is something about making French bread that is just so delightful.
No special equipment is needed all you need is a few basic ingredients and supplies, and you will be ready to go. There is a video slightly farther down if you like to see the process!
Why Make Discard Sourdough French Bread
Making your own bread at home is so not only fun and rewarding it’s healthier and cheaper as well. Sourdough bread takes it to another level of healthy by reducing the phytic acid found in the grains as well as reducing gluten levels.
You can use discard with this recipe or active starter. Your discard should have been fed within the last week. If you haven’t fed it in a long time and pooch has grown on top do not use it for this recipe.
It needs to be fed again before it will work well. This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled, and the bread can be frozen and dethawed when needed.
Sourdough French Bread Video
What You Will Need
This recipe makes 2 sourdough French breads. You can cut the recipe in half if you want to make only one or even double and triple it to make more and save for later.
Ingredients
1 cup sourdough discard starter
1 cup water
2 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp honey or raw sugar
3 tbsp olive oil
4 cups flour I use white Khorasan flour but you can use white, spelt or wholemeal flour as well. You might need to add just a little extra water with wholemeal flour.
Supplies
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If you plan on making a lot of bread, I highly recommend getting a Mixer or kitchen aid (Australia link): (Similar American Brand) for kneading your dough. You can definitely do it by hand, but it saves you a lot of time if you have a mixer.
It’s so easy to just dump all the ingredients into your mixing bowl, place dough hook on and turn on the machine on number 2 for about 10 minutes and the main step is done!
Other than that, you will need parchment paper or silicon paper for placing your bread on so you can bake it in the oven.
How To Make Discard Sourdough French Bread
- Add all the ingredients into a bowl. You can either place the dough hook on your mixer and turn it on number 2 for about 10 minutes. Or you can hand kneed the dough until it passes the windowpane test. It should feel like a soft playdough in your hands but still maintain its shape.
2. Let the ball rest in an oiled bowl and cover with either plastic or wet hand towel on top. Let it sit until it doubles which is usually about 4-5 hours.
3. Take your fermented bread ball out of the ball and place onto your parchment paper or silicone mat. Divide the mixture in half.
4. Take one of the halves and flatten it out to a rectangle shape the same and then roll it up from the long side. Pinch the two ends in and the seams.
5. Place your bread on a baking tray covered with either baking paper or silicon mat.
6. Cover with a wet towel, I like to lightly oil the tops as well to keep it from forming a hard crust. Let it rise another 2-3 hours.
7. Preheat oven to 400f/200C. Once it’s preheated place your sourdough discard French bread in the oven to bake for about 25 minutes.
8. Once it’s done baking take it out and let it cool for about an hour before cutting into it as it’s still cooking on the inside.
How To Store Sourdough French Bread
You can store this Sourdough French bread several different ways. you can store it on the counter in a bread bag for 2 days away from direct sunlight.
You can place the bread in a bread bag or large plastic ziploc bag in the fridge for up to a week. Or you can pre slice it and store it in the freezer in a ziploc bag, I suck the air out with a straw and store it for about 6 months.
How To Use Sourdough French Bread
You can use this bread in many different ways. One of my favourite ways it to make Garlic Cheese Sourdough Bread with them! You can do French toast with this bread as well or slice it and spread with butter or any dip of your choice. I also like to have them on hand to dip into a bowl of soup.
Delicious Variations For French Bread
If you want to add extra flavour into your French bread try adding some herbs and spices!
I love to add 2 tsp of garlic powder and 1 tbsp of Italian herbs for added deliciousness to your bread. I then turn this bead into cheesy garlic French bread which my family loves!
Other delicious herbs you could add would be oregano, basil and thyme.
I haven’t tried a sweet version but I’m sure adding cinnamon, extra sugar and vanilla could be delicious for a breakfast or snack option. Once you have the base recipe down pack have fun playing around with different flavour combinations.
Tips For Making Sourdough French Bread
- It’s better to have a wetter dough than a drier dough so you have a nice soft bread at the end.
- Place Ice cubes at the bottom of the oven to increase steam. This allows your bread to rise more and gives it a more golden crust.
- Make sure your dough passes the windowpane test. You take a little piece of it after kneading and stretch it out between two fingers. You should be able to see light come through it without it breaking. This indicates the gluten has broken down and your bread will rise well.
Sourdough Discard French Bread Recipe
Quick and easy discard sourdough French bread recipe. You can make this crunchy soft homemade bread the same day!
Ingredients
- 1 cup sourdough discard starter
- 1 cup water
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp honey or raw sugar
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cups flour
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients into a bowl. You can either place the dough hook on your mixer and turn it on number 2 for about 10 minutes. Or you can hand kneed the dough until it passes the windowpane test. It should feel like a soft playdough in your hands but still maintain its shape.
- Let the ball rest in an oiled bowl and cover with either plastic or wet hand towel on top. Let it sit until it doubles which is usually about 4-5 hours.
- Take your fermented bread ball out of the ball and place onto your parchment paper or silicone mat. Divide the mixture in half.
- Take one of the halves and flatten it out to a rectangle shape the same and then roll it up from the long side. Pinch the two ends in and the seams.
- Place your bread on a baking tray covered with either baking paper or silicon mat. Cover with a wet towel, I like to lightly oil the tops as well to keep it from forming a hard crust. Let it rise another 2-3 hours.
- Preheat oven to 400f/200C. Once it's preheated place your sourdough discard French bread in the oven to bake for about 25 minutes.
- Once it's done baking take it out and let it cool for about an hour before cutting into it as it's still cooking on the inside.
Notes
Tips
- It's better to have a wetter dough than a drier dough so you have a nice soft bread at the end.
- Place Ice cubes at the bottom of the oven to increase steam. This allows your bread to rise more and gives it a more golden crust.
- Make sure your dough passes the windowpane test. You take a little piece of it after kneading and stretch it out between two fingers. You should be able to see light come through it without it breaking. This indicates the gluten has broken down and your bread will rise well.