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Rustic sourdough loaf in a dutch oven on the kamado

The definitive loaf: 24 hours of fermentation with active starter, cold retard in a banneton and a dutch oven that turns the kamado into a pro bakery oven.

Hogaza de masa madre dorada saliendo de una cocotte de hierro fundido
Prep
1440 min
Cook
50 min
Servings
8 servings
Temperature
230 °C

Ingredients

  • bread flour (W240-260)425 g
  • whole-wheat flour (15% of total)75 g
  • filtered water (~28°C)350 ml
  • fine sea salt10 g
  • active sourdough starter (fed 8-12 h prior)100 g
  • rice flour (for the banneton)20 g

Method

  1. 01

    Feed the starter

    The night before, feed the starter at 1:5:5 (10 g starter + 50 g flour + 50 g water). Leave 8-12 hours at 22-24°C. It is ready when it doubles and floats in water.

  2. 02

    Autolyse

    Combine both flours with 330 ml of the water (reserve 20 ml for later). Mix only until no dry patches remain. Cover and rest 1 hour at room temperature.

  3. 03

    Add starter and salt

    Add the starter on top and pinch it through. Dissolve the salt in the reserved 20 ml of water and pour over the dough. Pinch and fold for 2-3 minutes until integrated.

  4. 04

    Stretch & fold (4 cycles)

    Every 30 minutes for 2 hours, wet your hand, grab one side of the dough, stretch it up and fold it over the centre. Rotate the bowl 90° and repeat three times. Total: 4 cycles.

  5. 05

    Bulk ferment

    After the fourth fold, let the dough rest another 1-2 hours until it grows by 50% and looks airy. Ambient temperature decides: in summer one hour is enough.

  6. 06

    Shape

    Tip the dough onto a lightly floured counter. Pre-shape into a ball, rest 20 minutes, then do the final boule or batard shape building tension on the surface.

  7. 07

    Cold retard 12h

    Place the dough seam-side up in a banneton well dusted with rice flour. Bag it loosely and fridge for 12 hours (8 min, 18 max).

  8. 08

    Preheat dutch oven

    With deflector and plenty of charcoal, place the closed dutch oven in the kamado and climb to 230°C. Hold for at least 45 minutes so the pot is fully hot.

  9. 09

    Score and load

    Pull the dutch oven, flip the dough onto parchment (seam-side now down). Score deep at 45° with a razor. Lower bread and paper into the pot. Cover.

  10. 10

    Bake

    Close the kamado and bake 25 minutes covered at 230°C. Remove the dutch oven lid, drop to 210°C and finish 25 minutes until the crust is dark. Pull and cool on a rack for at least 1 hour.

About this recipe

A rustic sourdough in a dutch oven bakes 25 minutes covered at 230°C then 25 minutes uncovered at 210°C inside the kamado. The covered pot traps the dough's own steam and recreates pro-oven conditions: cracker crust, open crumb, gently tangy flavour. It is the most demanding recipe in the rotation and the one that rewards patience most.

Starter and autolyse

It all starts with a starter fed 12 hours earlier, at peak activity — it floats in water if you test it. No active starter, no rise, so this step is not optional. Then comes a 1-hour autolyse: only flour (bread flour + 15% whole wheat) and water. That hour develops gluten without kneading and improves extensibility.

Next add the starter and salt and begin stretch & fold: 4 cycles every 30 minutes. Each cycle is visible — the dough goes from sticky to silky, from flat to domed.

Cold retard and scoring

The dough moves to the banneton (dusted with rice flour, which does not stick) and into the fridge for 12 hours of cold retard. This develops flavour and firms the surface, making clean scoring possible. Scoring (45° razor cuts on the surface) directs the expansion: skip it and the loaf bursts at its weakest side.

The dutch oven inside the kamado

A Lodge dutch oven (or equivalent) preheated 45 minutes at 230°C inside the kamado mimics a wood-fired oven. The first 25 covered minutes trap the dough's steam and build the crust. The next 25 uncovered at 210°C brown and dry the loaf. Result: cracker crust, open crumb, a loaf that sings while it cools.

In 30 seconds: active starter 12h, 1h autolyse, 4 stretch&fold every 30 min, 12h cold retard, 45° scoring, dutch oven preheated 45 min at 230°C, 25 min covered + 25 min uncovered at 210°C, cool at least 1 hour before slicing.

Editor's tips

  • Test your starter with the float test: a teaspoon in a glass of water. Floats = ready. Sinks = wait longer.
  • In the banneton, rice flour does not stick to the cloth or the dough. Regular wheat flour absorbs moisture and the dough sticks — classic beginner mistake.
  • Scoring is confidence: one quick, deep cut at 45°. Hesitate and the razor snags, tearing the dough.
  • The dutch oven needs at least 45 minutes at 230°C. Without that thermal mass, the first 5 critical minutes for oven spring are lost.
  • Cool at least 1 hour on a rack before slicing. Cut it hot and the crumb collapses, going gummy. This step is not optional.

Gear for this recipe

FAQ

  • How long does it take to build a sourdough starter from scratch?

    7 to 14 days. Mix 50 g whole-wheat flour with 50 g water, cover with a cloth and wait 24 hours, discard half and feed 50+50 again. Repeat daily. Bubbles appear from day 5; reliable doubling from day 10.

  • Which dutch oven should I buy for the kamado?

    The Lodge L8DOL3 (4.7 L, bare cast iron) is the canonical pick: handles brutal heat and has a metal handle. Any similar 24-26 cm cast-iron dutch oven works as long as it has NO plastic knob and NO thin enamel — both fail at 230°C.

  • Can I make it without sourdough, with commercial yeast?

    Yes. Replace the 100 g starter with 7 g fresh yeast and reduce water to 320 ml. The flavour loses its trademark tang and the crumb tightens slightly, but the dutch oven method still produces a spectacular crust.

  • Can I swap the whole-wheat flour for another flour?

    Yes. Rye flour at the same 15% gives more flavour and more tang. Whole spelt works equally well. I would avoid raising whole-grain content above 15%, as the crumb tightens and the loaf gets heavy.

  • How do I store the bread after baking?

    Day one, wrapped in a cotton cloth on the counter. From day two, slice and freeze in a zip bag. To revive, drop frozen slices straight into the toaster — they snap back to crisp in 90 seconds.

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