Outdoor Cooking & Charcoal Oven Recipes / Bake

Sourdough loaf baked in a charcoal oven

Cooked in the Charlie Charcoal Oven

Sourdough Loaf

Sourdough flavour with a little help from yeast. This small hybrid loaf is a friendly starting point for baking sourdough in Charlie, with a crisp crust and soft crumb. It still needs time to develop, but the method takes you through it.

Jay PorterGuest chef, Breads From Around The World
Bake
Prep20 minutes
Cook30 minutes
Serves1 small loaf
DifficultyMedium
Oven temperature240°C (465°F)
RackPizza stone on the Charlie Oven Cooking Rack
CharcoalAbout half a football of good quality lumpwood charcoal

Charlie Oven — https://charlieoven.com/en-gg/blogs/charcoal-recipes/sourdough-loaf

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Ingredients

Equipment

Everything used in this recipe. Already have Charlie? Add the accessories in one go.

  • Pizza and Baking Stone£50.00
  • Charlie Oven Cooking Rack£233.33
  • Charlie Charcoal Oven£4,958.33Choose your oven
Pizza and Baking Stone and Charlie Oven Cooking Rack £283.33 together

Method

Setting up Charlie
  1. Use good quality lumpwood charcoal. Do not use briquettes.
  2. Light a half football-sized pile of charcoal directly on the fire grates.
  3. Allow the flames to settle until the charcoal is glowing and burning steadily.
  4. Preheat the oven to 240°C (465°F).
  5. Place a pizza stone on the middle rack, positioned closer to the heat source to create strong base heat.
  6. Place a small metal container with about 50 ml of water in the base of the oven to create steam during baking.
  1. Mix the dough: In a large bowl combine the water, sourdough starter and yeast, stirring to loosen the starter. Add the flour and salt and mix until no dry flour remains. The dough will look shaggy and slightly sticky.
  2. Rest: Cover the bowl and leave the dough to rest for 20 minutes so the flour hydrates fully.
  3. Stretch and fold (first set): With damp hands, lift one side of the dough, stretch it gently and fold it over the centre. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat until you have folded all four sides.
  4. Rest: Leave the dough to rest for 20 minutes.
  5. Stretch and fold (second set): Repeat the same stretch and fold process again, then rest the dough for another 20 minutes.
  6. Coil fold: Slide both hands under the centre of the dough, lift it up so it stretches, then lower it so the ends tuck underneath. Turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat once more.
  7. Bulk fermentation: Leave the dough at 20 to 22°C (about 70°F) until it rises by about 60 to 70%, looks slightly domed and feels airy. This usually takes 2½ to 3½ hours.
  8. Pre-shape: Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently form it into a loose round. Leave it to rest for 15 minutes.
  9. Final shape: Shape the dough into a tight boule or oval and place it seam side up in a well-floured banneton.
  10. Final proof: Leave at room temperature for 45 to 75 minutes until slightly puffy, or refrigerate for 8 to 16 hours for a cold proof.
  11. Score and bake: Turn the dough onto a peel or floured board, score with a sharp blade and lightly mist with water. Bake on the hot stone for 20 minutes.
  12. Finish baking: Check the crust and bake for up to 10 minutes more until deep golden brown. Move to a higher rack if it is browning too quickly.
  13. Cool: Remove the loaf and allow it to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Tips

Use good quality lumpwood charcoal. There is no need to wait for the charcoal to burn down: once the oven is up to temperature, you are ready to bake. Position the pizza stone in the middle section of the oven closer to the heat source for strong base heat and good oven spring, but move the loaf to a higher rack if the crust begins to darken too quickly. The dough will look shaggy and slightly sticky at first, which is normal, and using damp hands during the folds makes it easier to handle. A coil fold is a gentler way to build strength without knocking out too much air, while a cold proof in the fridge gives deeper flavour and makes scoring easier. Before baking, lightly mist the loaf and add about 50ml of water in a metal container in the base of the oven to create steam and improve the rise, then cool the loaf fully before slicing so the crumb does not become compressed or gummy.

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The cook

Jay Porter

Guest chef, Breads From Around The World

Jay Porter led our Breads From Around The World masterclass at Charlie, baking his way across four cuisines in a single session. From Georgian khachapuri to Turkish pide and soft challah buns, his recipes show what a charcoal oven can do with dough.

More recipes by Jay Porter

Frequently asked questions

  • What temperature should Charlie be for sourdough?

    240°C (465°F), with the loaf baked on a pizza stone on the Charlie Oven Cooking Rack. Bake for 20 minutes, then check the crust and give it up to 10 minutes more until deep golden brown.

  • Can I prove the sourdough overnight in the fridge?

    Yes. After shaping, refrigerate the dough in its banneton for 8 to 16 hours. A cold proof gives deeper flavour and makes scoring easier. For a same day bake, prove at room temperature for 45 to 75 minutes instead.

  • How do I get a good rise and crust on my loaf?

    Use steam. Lightly mist the scored loaf and put about 50ml of water in a metal container in the base of the oven. Setting the stone in the middle section, closer to the heat, gives strong base heat and good oven spring.

  • Why does this sourdough recipe use yeast as well?

    It is a hybrid loaf. The sourdough starter brings the flavour while 4g of instant yeast gives reliable lift, so you get dependable oven spring and a crisp crust every time, which makes it a good first sourdough.