This is the only sourdough bread recipe you need | King Arthur Baking
This killer recipe for Pain de Campagne (Country Bread). Here's what makes it great: It can be made with unfed sourdough discard directly from your fridge.
your schedule
Here’s what makes it great: It can be made with unfed sourdough discard directly from your fridge. No need to prep eight hours before to have an active, ripe starter for mixing. It’s mostly hands-off — the dough is developed with folds, rather than kneading, then goes straight into a long bulk fermentation that’s flexible enough to fit your schedule. (Those folds also make this higher hydration dough easy to handle.) Once shaped, it undergoes another long rise, anywhere from 8 to 12 hours — whatever fits <anchor>your schedule</anchor>, not the bread’s. The final loaf (which gets baked in a Dutch oven for bakery-worthy crust) has an open crumb, glossy interior, and gorgeous height.
Don't be a bread hostage | King Arthur Baking
Don't be a bread hostage \| King Arthur Baking [Skip to main content](#main-content)

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1. [Blog](/blog)
2. [Recipes](/blog/category/recipes)

# Don't be a bread hostage

## Finally, sourdough bread that fits your schedule

Author


[Martin Philip](/author/martin-philip)

Employee-owner since 2006

Date

April 6, 2020

[Comments\
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![Maura Brickman holding a loaf of her bread](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_image/public/2020-03/maura2.jpg?itok=U1vqNBgw)

Bakers are friendly people. So friendly, in fact, that they ping my phone at all hours. Sometimes it’s a question ( _Hey! Where can I get those proofing baskets!?_) or a picture of a great bake ( _Check this out!!! Jealous?_) or a request for a recipe ( _Send me that Rye Pretzel pls_). The conversation is open — you don’t need an intro — just let the random texts fly!

Recently, one of these exchanges changed the way that I make bread at home.

**Maura:** I’m not using [preferments](https://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2020/02/05/baking-with-preferments). I just use starter from the fridge ...

**Me:** No preferment??!

**Maura:** Nope

**Me:** How much [bulk fermentation](https://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2019/07/22/bread-dough-bulk-fermentation)?

**Maura:** 12 hours ... it works ...

**Me:** ???? Send me a picture

Maura Brickman, a serious home baker in Connecticut, followed up her text with a picture of a large crusty loaf with gorgeous color. It was bakery quality by anyone’s standard — and she made it with "unrefreshed starter," straight from the refrigerator.

![Two loaves of bread, baked by Maura Brickman](/sites/default/files/inline-images/image2.jpg)

#### A no-fuss approach to bread baking

As a baker, convention has been my path to reliable results. I trust what I have done before — I know how to produce reliable results.

Maura doesn't care about convention. Free of “should” and “ought to,” she bends her breadmaking process to fit her busy schedule. She doesn’t take any guff from her starter or loaves — she's the boss of her bread.

After some thought about her method and convinced that there must be a flaw, I decided to give the Boss’ method a shot.

Before I outline her process, let me quickly clarify standard procedure: the way things normally go.

Sourdough bread traditionally begins with a [preferment](https://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2020/02/05/baking-with-preferments) — a dough set for 12 to 18 hours to develop flavor — followed by mixing and bulk fermentation. After bulk, we divide, [shape](https://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2018/05/31/shaping-a-boule), proof (either at room temperature or chilled until the next day), and bake.

Maura alters this process to fit her day. Remember: She’s the boss! Rather than setting a preferment, she skips directly to the final mix, using a small amount of starter that she feeds once a week and keeps in the refrigerator to leaven her sourdough bread. After the mix, her dough rises for approximately 12 hours before the divide and shape.

![Maura slices a loaf of her bread](/sites/default/files/inline-images/image3.jpg)

#### But what about flavor?

If you've read the piece that I wrote about [preferments and flavor](https://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2020/02/05/baking-with-preferments), you’ll know that I think they're the difference between run of the mill and a loaf you’ll remember. In this method, which skips the preferment, flavor comes from the long bulk fermentation. We’ve got flavor covered — just in an unorthodox way.

But why not just go with the normal process? Here’s the answer.

Have you ever been a bread hostage? Did you ever feel like, “I’d love to make bread but I don’t have a half day to do so.” Or, “I’d love to attend your wedding, but I might be making bread that day.” At my house, there's quite a bit of coming and going. While I enjoy the opportunity to slow down and make beautiful things, there are also days where I just need to put great sourdough bread on the table.

As a professional baker, the needy schedule of bread and pastry can rule my day. But when I’m on my own time, it can be a challenge to fit everything in. Does this ring a bell?

Maura’s system offers several points of relief. First, it allows me to limit my dough interactions to the beginning or end of the day (no more “take your dough to work” scenarios).

Second, I don’t have to plan too far ahead if I want to mix up a dough (remember, no preferment, just grab some starter and go).

And last, there's no discard. I can thumb past all the [delicious recipes for discarded starter](https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/collections/sourdough-discard-recipes), which (although amazing!) I may or may not have time to try.

Here’s Maura's process.

![Maura uses an unripe (discard) starter](/sites/default/files/inline-images/starter1.jpg)As you can see, Maura's starter is far from raring to go. The process still works.

#### The day before the bake

Maura usually starts after dinner, around 8 p.m. Like many serious bread bakers, she measures her ingredients exclusively by weight, so I’m going to do the same in this article. She also tracks the [temperature of her ingredients](https://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2018/05/29/desired-dough-temperature). In this case, all dry ingredients should be room temperature, 70 to 72°F.

In a [6-quart container](https://shop.kingarthurflour.com/items/food-storage-container-6-quart), combine the following:

900g [King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour](https://shop.kingarthurflour.com/items/king-arthur-unbleached-bread-flour-5-lb)

100g [King Arthur Whole Wheat](https://shop.kingarthurflour.com/items/king-arthur-premium-100-whole-wheat-flour-5-lb) or [Golden Whole Whole Wheat](https://shop.kingarthurbaking.com/items/golden-wheat-flour)

800g tepid water (75°F to 80°F )

20g salt

40g [sourdough starter](https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/sourdough-starter-recipe), unfed/discard

Use starter straight from the fridge, though it’s best if fed within the past week.

Mix the ingredients by hand until the dough forms a shaggy mass and the flour is hydrated.

Set a 15-minute timer and leave the dough in the container at room temperature with the lid on.

![Maura folds the dough to develop gluten](/sites/default/files/inline-images/IMG_4185.jpg)

At 15 minutes, return to the container and [fold](https://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2019/07/22/bread-dough-bulk-fermentation) by pulling the sides of the dough up with a wet hand, then pressing to the middle to seal. Repeat this on all four sides, then set the timer again for 15 minutes.

Wait and fold the dough two more times. As you perform the folds you’ll notice that the dough smooths out, gaining strength and becoming elastic (more like a rubber band).

Leave the dough covered tightly at room temperature (approximately 72°F) overnight (about 12 hours). If using a mixing bowl, place the bowl in a plastic bag. If using a 6-quart container, just put the lid on — the main point here is that the dough should be well-covered to keep the exposed surface moist.

#### ![Maura dusts a banneton](/sites/default/files/inline-images/image5.jpg)

#### The next day

At 8 a.m. the next day (don’t be too uptight here — it could be 7 a.m. or 9 a.m.), divide the dough into two pieces. Gently form them into rounds, seam-side down, and rest for 10 minutes, covered.

Generously and evenly dust two [lined bannetons](https://shop.kingarthurflour.com/items/brotform-and-liner-set) with whole wheat flour.

![Maura shaping her loaves](/sites/default/files/inline-images/maura5.jpg)

Shape the loaves into [boules](https://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2018/05/31/shaping-a-boule) or batards. If your dough doubled on the overnight rise (the marked 6-quart container will help with judging this), put the loaves straight into the refrigerator. If it's risen by just 50%, leave the loaves out for a bit (30 to 60 minutes) and then put them in the fridge. Note that the loaves should be covered with a shower cap or plastic bag.

#### 8 to 12 hours later

Maura’s baking schedule (which is essentially a daily habit — no wonder she’s so good at it!) aligns well with her generous nature. Some days she bakes in the morning and distributes loaves to friends or neighbors. When her kids are home from college, she adjusts; they can easily polish off a loaf with dinner.

To bake, preheat two [Dutch ovens](https://shop.kingarthurflour.com/items/42-quart-artisan-bread-baking-crock-and-dutch-oven-black) — approximately 4-quart size — in a 500°F oven for 45 minutes. (Make sure your Dutch ovens are tough enough to be preheated empty; not all are. Check the manufacturer's literature.)

Invert the risen loaves onto a sheet of [parchment](https://shop.kingarthurflour.com/items/natural-parchment-paper-set-of-50), score with a [lame](https://shop.kingarthurflour.com/items/lame-bread-slashing-tool), and carefully place the dough in the preheated Dutch ovens. Replace the lids and return to the oven.

![Maura placing her loaves in the oven](/sites/default/files/inline-images/image6.jpg)

Reduce the oven temperature to 450°F and bake for 20 minutes with the lids in place.

After 20 minutes, remove the lids and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, or until the loaves have deep color.

#### My turn

After a few months of making Maura’s bread and receiving lots and lots of feedback from my family (often with a mouth full of bread), it’s become our daily loaf — the one that sits on our breadboard next to the butter. I’ve shared the process (via text) far and wide and have watched many people take on the role of Bread Boss.

As I’m an endless tinkerer and bread obsessed, I've adapted the recipe slightly. Here are some notes:

I use the same amount of flour (1,000g) but divide it differently. I use 750g of [King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour](https://shop.kingarthurflour.com/items/king-arthur-unbleached-all-purpose-flour-5-lb). It’s strong enough for a good artisan loaf and it’s my Flour Power for the non-whole grain portion of just about everything in the house.

For the remaining 250g, I use a mixture of whatever flour I have on hand: whole wheat, golden whole wheat, [whole rye](https://shop.kingarthurflour.com/items/organic-pumpernickel-flour-3-lb), [whole spelt](https://shop.kingarthurflour.com/items/organic-spelt-flour-16-oz), or even a little bit of [buckwheat](https://shop.kingarthurflour.com/items/buckwheat-flour-2-lb). I use a different blend of whole grains almost every time. My loaf is a little darker than Maura’s, but I love the flavor of the grains.

![Martin holds his version of Maura's loaf](/sites/default/files/inline-images/IMG_0686_edit-2.jpg)

For water, I've lowered Maura’s quantity slightly. During cool months, I do need to warm my water to over 90°F; in warmer seasons, when my house isn't 60°F, I'll likely use 65°F water.

In early tests, my dough seemed a little sluggish. My Vermont wood-heated house is cool (many say cold!). As an adjustment, I increased the starter quantity to 100g in order to get things moving with a little more energy. As our seasons change and my house warms up I'll probably decrease the amount to Maura’s original 40g of unfed/discard starter.

Here are my measurements; all process steps remain the same.

750g King Arthur [Unbleached All-Purpose Flour](https://shop.kingarthurflour.com/items/king-arthur-unbleached-all-purpose-flour-5-lb)

250g King Arthur [Golden Whole Wheat Flour](https://shop.kingarthurbaking.com/items/golden-wheat-flour)

750g water — warm in the winter (90°F), cool in the summer (65°F), depending on ambient conditions

20g salt

100g sourdough starter

#### ![Maura with her finished bread](/sites/default/files/inline-images/maura1.jpg)

#### Be a Bread Boss

If you decide to give Maura’s bread a shot (every home needs a Bread Boss), let me know how it goes. Once you get the basic process down, you might consider adding seeds, toasted nuts, dried fruit, or even olives and herbs. As a starting point, for 1,000g of total flour use 200g of additions (in [baker’s percentages](https://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2016/04/27/bakers-percentage) that’s 20%). Keep all other measurements (water, salt, starter) unchanged.

As a general rule, anything dry (especially cracked or flaked grains, seeds, or toasted nuts) should be soaked in an equal weight of warm water for at least an hour — or even overnight — and strained before use. Olives and herbs don’t require this treatment as they're already moist. Use your imagination — maybe even dried figs with anise seed!

I want to express my gratitude to Maura for sharing her recipe and process. Baking is truly an act of love. When making things for our families, friends, and community, we bring our best selves. Thank you for the love!

_For another recipe that uses the unrefreshed starter method, try our_ [_Do-Nothing Sourdough Bread_](https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/do-nothing-sourdough-bread-recipe) _recipe._

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Recipe in this post

- [Pain de Campagne (Country Bread)](/recipes/pain-de-campagne-country-bread-recipe)

**Tagged:**

- [bread baking](/blog/tag/bread-baking)
- [artisan bread](/blog/tag/artisan-bread)
- [sourdough baking](/blog/tag/sourdough-baking)
- [discard starter](/blog/tag/discard-starter)

**Filed Under:** [Recipes](/blog/category/recipes)

![A headshot of Martin Philip](/sites/default/files/styles/scaled_very_small_250w/public/2022-10/Martin-Philip.jpg?itok=hzamIAVD)

The Author

#### About Martin Philip

Martin Philip is an award-winning baker and author. His critically acclaimed book,&nbsp;Breaking Bread: A Baker’s Journey Home in 75 Recipes (HarperCollins, 2017), is a Wall Street Journal best seller and was chosen as the best cookbook of 2018 by the New York Book Industry Guild. It won the 2018 Ve...

[View all by Martin Philip](/author/martin-philip)

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### Comments

Kevin


[August 26, 2024 at 4:14am](https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2020/04/06/dont-be-a-bread-hostage#comment-658821)

I made this recipe, scaled down to half, using Martin’s mixture of flours and 40g of discard and I wasn’t able to get deep scores because I didn’t have a razor. The rise didn’t get to where Martin’s rise was when he made it at home. Was it shaping, scoring, or both that hindered the rise? I cooked it in a cast iron DO.

- [Reply](/comment/reply/node/41236/field_comments/658821)

Alexander at King Arthur


[August 26, 2024 at 1:07pm](https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2020/04/06/dont-be-a-bread-hostage#comment-658876)

In reply to [I made this recipe, scaled…](/comment/658821#comment-658821) by Kevin (not verified)

Hi Kevin! It might be better to give our baker's hotline a call to discuss your process live than over this blog, however I have feeling that this dough could have risen longer to be nice and puffy prior to putting it in the oven. This can take a varying amount of time depending on your amibient conditions and strength of your starter. Feel free to give us a call anytime between 9-7pm eastern time on weekdays and 9-5pm on weekends at 855-371-2253. Happy baking!

- [Reply](/comment/reply/node/41236/field_comments/658876)

Mirit


[August 23, 2024 at 12:25pm](https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2020/04/06/dont-be-a-bread-hostage#comment-658616)

Thanks for this recipe. I am making this bread for the first time after following a different recipe for a year, and the title here describes exactly how I feel: I am no longer my bread's hostage.

My question: I finished all the preparations and moved the shaped loaves to the fridge. Instead of waiting 8-12 hours before I bake the bread, can I push it to 24 and bake it tomorrow?

- [Reply](/comment/reply/node/41236/field_comments/658616)

Barb at King Arthur


[August 24, 2024 at 3:03pm](https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2020/04/06/dont-be-a-bread-hostage#comment-658686)

In reply to [Thanks for this recipe. I am…](/comment/658616#comment-658616) by Mirit (not verified)

Hi Mirit, I'm sorry we weren't able to respond a little more quickly to your question, but hopefully your bread turned out great! For future reference, it all depends on how well your dough is holding up in the refrigerator, but for best results we would recommend sticking with the 8-12 hours indicated in the recipe. The bread will likely still turn out fine, but you may not get as strong of a rise if you extend the stay in the fridge.

- [Reply](/comment/reply/node/41236/field_comments/658686)

Hobie


[August 18, 2024 at 4:50pm](https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2020/04/06/dont-be-a-bread-hostage#comment-658421)

Does the “wetness” of the flour vary through the year? I have made this recipe several times, and recently (mid summer, lots of rain) the dough is very wet/sticky, and I’ve been motivated to add flour to achieve a more dough-y texture.

- [Reply](/comment/reply/node/41236/field_comments/658421)

Alexander at King Arthur


[August 19, 2024 at 12:48pm](https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2020/04/06/dont-be-a-bread-hostage#comment-658476)

In reply to [Does the “wetness” of the…](/comment/658421#comment-658421) by Hobie (not verified)

Hi Hobie! As humidity and moisture in the air increases, it can also increase in your flour depending on where it is stored. For this reason, sometimes reducing the water or increasing the flour is necessary to get a comparable feeling dough. This would be in the order of a few teaspoons or 10-15 grams less of water. Happy baking!

- [Reply](/comment/reply/node/41236/field_comments/658476)

Mary Vogel


[August 9, 2024 at 11:51am](https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2020/04/06/dont-be-a-bread-hostage#comment-657876)

I have made this bread twice ands love the bread and the ease of making it. I am fairly new to sourdough and I am wondering about feeding the starter. First loaves were great, nice and sour. Second loaves were beautiful but not very sour at all. It leaves me questioning my starter. Keeping it in the refrigerator and baking once a week, how much should I feed my starter? Do I feed the day before and then put it back in the refrigerator to start the process the next day? Any benefit to allowing it to stay out of the refrigerator for a while to grow and then refrigerating it? Thanks for the great recipe and for your help.

- [Reply](/comment/reply/node/41236/field_comments/657876)

Barb at King Arthur


[August 10, 2024 at 11:49am](https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2020/04/06/dont-be-a-bread-hostage#comment-657921)

In reply to [I have made this bread twice…](/comment/657876#comment-657876) by Mary Vogel (not verified)

Hi Mary, we generally do recommend leaving the starter out of the refrigerator for 2-4 hours after you feed it and before you stick it in the refrigerator. This will ensure that fermentation continues during refrigeration for a certain amount of time. Sometimes if you routinely stick the starter straight in the refrigerator after a feeding, this can result in a starter that shuts down in the fridge too quickly and doesn't ferment properly. If you're getting a good rise, I doubt this is happening, but you might find that if you allow your starter more time at room temperature, you'll also develop a little more flavor. Remember, this recipe calls for starter discard, which generally means starter that has ripened fully, and then fallen somewhat. If this is the only recipe you want to make, you could consider leaving your starter out of the refrigerator until it's almost fully risen, which may result in the starter falling in the fridge, but that's perfectly okay for this recipe.

- [Reply](/comment/reply/node/41236/field_comments/657921)

Mary Vogel


[August 29, 2024 at 1:06am](https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2020/04/06/dont-be-a-bread-hostage#comment-659081)

In reply to [Hi Mary, we generally do…](/comment/657921#comment-657921) by balpern

How much do you recommended feeding it each time? Everything seems so precise but the feeding amount was never mentioned. My starter is very fragrant and thick. I will leave it out of the refrigerator longer after feeding it.

- [Reply](/comment/reply/node/41236/field_comments/659081)

Barb at King Arthur


[August 31, 2024 at 10:34am](https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2020/04/06/dont-be-a-bread-hostage#comment-659181)

In reply to [How much do you recommended…](/comment/659081#comment-659081) by Mary Vogel (not verified)

Hi Mary, this [page](https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/feeding-and-maintaining-your-sourdough-starter-recipe) offers general guidelines for feeding and maintaining your sourdough starter. We generally recommend a 1:1:1 (starter:water:flour, by weight) feeding routine. Of course, there are many ways to successfully maintain a starter, so these guidelines aren't written in stone.

- [Reply](/comment/reply/node/41236/field_comments/659181)

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