Last updated on June 13th, 2025
Table of contents
This Sourdough French Bread has crispy crust with a tender, tangy crumb. It is a quick, same day sourdough bread that is easy to make without a lengthy overnight fermentation. The recipe is vintage inspired from my 1966 “Sunset Bread Cook Book” for french bread, that uses my Basic Sourdough Starter made of just milk and flour. Serve it alongside a warm bowl of soup, toasted with jam for a quick breakfast, or to build your favorite sandwich.
My vintage inspiration for sourdough french bread recipe came from my vintage 1966 copy of “Sunset Bread Cook Book” using a easy Basic Sourdough Starter.
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Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- Butter is made from churned cream that contains 80% butterfat. European butter is churned longer and has a higher fat content (82%-85%), which is why it yields more flavor.
- Sugar is derived from sugarcane and provides sweetness to baked goods. The most common type being granulated white sugar. Cane sugar is a natural option that is less processed with a slightly courser texture.
- Buttermilk is a cultured dairy product that adds a tangy flavor and creates tenderness in baked goods. When purchasing buttermilk, look for simple, natural ingredients such as “cultured milk”.
Dry Ingredients
- All-purpose unbleached flour is made by grinding the seeds of the wheat plant and removing the bran and germ. It has a moderate protein content of 10-12%, making it a versatile option for baking cookies, cakes, and pastries.
- Instant ClearJel is a modified food starch used as a thickener, stabilizer, and gelling agent, used for pie fillings creating a clear, smooth texture rather than cloudy. In baked goods it helps retain moisture and produces a light, tender texture.
- Pink salt is a natural rock salt mined near the Himalayas that contains trace minerals
- Yeast is a leavening agent that produces carbon dioxide gas and alcohol during fermentation. During the baking process, gas gets trapped in the dough and the alcohol evaporates. Instant yeast speeds up this process, cutting the rise time in half.
Use this easy Basic Sourdough Starter
This Basic Sourdough Starter recipe (with milk) is the base for this french bread recipe. It really only takes about 3 days until it is ready to use.
Baker’s Tips
Step #1
Use starter when it is sticky and bubbly.
Step #2
Look for dough to double for first rise.
Step #3
Second rise in banneton basket
Step #4
Place water under dutch oven to create steam in oven.
Dietary Substitutions
For the past 12+ years, I have owned an all-natural specialty bakery converting conventional recipes to gluten free, vegan, wholesome, etc. Read more about it here.
TO MAKE GLUTEN-FREE
Here are some tips for gluten free baking
- Use a premium gluten-free flour blend.
- Be sure to let the batter rest to help eliminate grittiness. Even letting the batter sit 15 minutes will yield a light and tender baked good. You can let batter sit in the fridge overnight, and up to 3 days.
- Add 1-2 tablespoons additional liquid (use the same liquid called for in the recipe) to help hydrate the flour.
- Reduce the oven temperature by at least 25° to bake low and slow, since gluten-free flour is delicate and tend to burn before the center is cooked through.
- Gluten-free baked goods have a shorter shelf-life than conventional baked goods and dry out faster. Store in airtight container on counter 1-2 days. The refrigerator tends to dry them out more, so it is best to freeze up to 6 months.
TO MAKE VEGAN/DAIRY FREE
- In order to make this vegan/dairy free, you will need to use a non-dairy liquid such as unsweetened oat milk in the sourdough starter recipe.
Equipment
Recommended tools: (affiliate links)
UFO bread lame
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Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- In a large mixing bowl, put in the sourdough starter, water, instant yeast, and sugar. Stir together and let sit for a few minutes.
- Add 4 c. flour, instant ClearJel, and salt.
- Cover bowl with towel or beeswax wrap and put in a warm place until it doubles in size (about 1 1/2 -2 2 hours).
- Place dough onto a board or counter dusted with flour and knead by hand about 5 minutes. Add in an additional 1 to 1 1/2 c. more flour until it is smooth.
- Dust the banneton with flour and place smooth side down into the banneton basket. Cover with beeswax cover or towel.
- Let rise in a warm place another 45 minutes-1 hour. The loaf is ready when it reaches slightly above the top of the banneton basket or by pushing finger into the center of loaf and it bounces back quickly.
- Turn out of basket onto a piece of parchment paper to fit a dutch oven. Place in dutch oven, spread with flour and score design on top using a bread lame.
- Bake at 400° for 20 minutes. Remove lid from the dutch oven. Reduce oven to 375° and bake an additional 25-30 minutes until center is 205°.
- Place a baking pan with some water on the bottom of oven. This will create steam during the baking process.
- Let bread cool before slicing. Cover and store in airtight container and keep on counter 1-2 days.
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