Make your own bread with O-tentic Durum

Understanding sourdough is one thing. Experiencing it is another.

That is why you receive a small jar with 20 g of O-tentic Durum. A simple starting point to try it yourself. O-tentic is used at 4% of your total recipe. The rest is simply flour, water, and a bit of salt. No complexity. No long process. Just a straightforward way to work with sourdough as an ingredient.

With this small jar, you have everything you need to make one bread and discover how easy it is to use. Because it is in the process that it becomes real. From mixing to fermentation, you see how the dough develops, how it behaves, and how it delivers consistency.

And most importantly, you taste the result.

Because selling something always starts with experience.

When you have worked with it, when you have seen the result, when you have tasted the bread, it becomes much easier to talk about it, to explain it, and to recommend it.

Make your bread

With just these simple ingredients, you can start immediately.

Ingredients

• 500g flour

• 375g water

• 20g O-tentic Durum

• 9g salt

This makes one bread.

Before you start

• Use a large bowl

• Work at room temperature

• Do not worry if the dough feels sticky, this is normal

Step 1: Mixing

Add the flour and water into a bowl. Mix with your hands or a spoon until there is no dry flour left. You will get a rough dough. This is exactly what you want.

Let the dough rest for 30 minutes. This helps the flour absorb the water and makes the dough easier to handle later. Then add the O-tentic Durum and the salt.

Mix again until everything is well combined. At this stage, the dough will feel soft and slightly sticky. This is normal.

Step 2: Developing the dough

Leave the dough in the bowl and let it rest.

Every 30 minutes, gently stretch the dough and fold it over itself.

You can do this directly in the bowl:

• grab one side of the dough

• stretch it slightly

• fold it back on top

Repeat this 3 to 4 times around the dough.

Do this for about 2 to 3 hours.

Over time, you will notice:

• the dough becomes smoother

• it holds its shape better

• it feels more elastic

Step 3: Fermentation

After the folds, let the dough rest until it increases in size and feels lighter.

You are looking for:

• a visible rise

• small air bubbles

• a softer, airy texture

This usually takes 1 to 2 hours, depending on the room temperature.

Step 4: Shaping

Lightly flour your work surface.

Gently take the dough out of the bowl and shape it into a round or oval loaf.

Do not overwork it. A simple shape is enough.

Place it on a baking tray or in a proofing basket.

Let it rest again for about 30 to 45 minutes, until slightly puffy.

Step 5: Baking

Preheat your oven to 230°C.

If possible, bake the bread covered (for example in a pot with a lid) or add some steam at the beginning. This helps create a nice crust.

Bake:

• 20 minutes covered or with steam

• then 20 to 25 minutes uncovered

Your bread is ready when:

• it has a golden brown crust

• it sounds slightly hollow when tapped

Let it cool before slicing.

A small reminder

The result does not need to be perfect.

What matters is that you experience the process: how the dough behaves, how it evolves, and how simple it is to work with.

Because once you have made it yourself, it becomes much easier to talk about it and to sell it.

How to make your own sourdough starter

Sourdough Insights - A simple beginning to a living ingredient

It all start with something simple: Flour. Water. Time.

That is all you need to begin your sourdough journey.

And yet, from these simple ingredients, something extraordinary emerges. According to Puratos, sourdough is a living culture made of flour, water, and naturally occurring microorganisms such as yeast and lactic acid bacteria.  

At the Sourdough Institute, this process is at the heart of everything we do: protecting, researching, and inspiring the world of sourdough fermentation.

Creating your own starter means creating a living ingredient that evolves with you, your environment, and your process.

What is a sourdough starter?

A sourdough starter is a natural leavening agent. Instead of using commercial yeast, it relies on wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria to ferment dough.

During fermentation:

• Yeast produces gas, helping the dough rise

• Bacteria develop organic acids, creating flavor

  
  

This combination gives sourdough its distinctive aroma, texture, and taste.

Every sourdough starter is unique because the microorganisms vary depending on geography, flour, and handling.

This is why no two sourdoughs are ever the same.

Step by step: creating your own sourdough starter

Day 1: Mix

Combine equal parts flour and water to form a thick paste. Cover it loosely and leave it at room temperature for 24 hours.

At this stage, you may not see anything yet. But fermentation has already begun.

Day 2 to Day 3: First signs of life

Small bubbles may appear. The smell may change slightly.

This is the moment when wild microorganisms begin to establish themselves. At the Sourdough Institute, this early stage is seen as the foundation of a stable and expressive sourdough culture, influenced by flour, temperature, and feeding rhythm

Feeding your starter

To keep your starter alive and growing, you need to feed it.

• Remove part of the mixture

• Add fresh flour and water

• Mix and let it rest

Feeding provides the microorganisms with new nutrients, allowing them to develop strength and balance over time.

Day 4 to Day 6: Building activity

The starter becomes more active.

You will notice:

• More bubbles

• A visible rise after feeding

• A slightly tangy aroma

This is fermentation becoming stable and predictable.

Day 7 and beyond: Ready to use

After about a week, your starter should be ready.

A mature starter will:

• Double in size after feeding

• Show consistent bubbling

• Smell pleasantly sour

At this point, it becomes your natural leavening agent for bread and beyond.

Caring for your starter

A sourdough starter is not just something you create once. It is something you maintain.

You can:

• Feed it daily if you bake regularly

• Store it in the fridge and feed it weekly if you bake occasionally

At the Sourdough Institute, starters are preserved and maintained over years, even decades, showing that sourdough can be a long term living heritage.  

Your starter can become part of your baking identity.

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A simple sourdough bread recipe

Once your starter is active, you are ready to bake your first loaf.

Ingredients

• 500 g flour

• 350 g water

• 100 g active sourdough starter

• 10 g salt

Step 1: Mix

Combine flour and water.Mix until no dry flour remains.Let it rest for 30 minutes.

Step 2: Add starter and salt

Add the sourdough starter and salt.Mix well until fully incorporated.

Step 3: Develop the dough

Over the next 2 to 3 hours, perform gentle stretches and folds every 30 minutes.

This builds structure and strength.

Step 4: Bulk fermentation

Let the dough ferment until it increases in volume and becomes slightly airy.

This step is where sourdough expresses its full potential: flavor, texture, and structure all develop through fermentation.

Step 5: Shape

Shape the dough into a round or oval loaf.Let it rest again until slightly puffy.

Step 6: Bake

Bake at 230°C:

• 20 minutes covered

• 20 to 25 minutes uncovered

You are looking for a golden crust and a light, open crumb.

Join the Quest for Sourdough

Every sourdough has its own identity. Every baker adds something unique.

With the Quest for Sourdough, Puratos invites bakers around the world to share their starters, discover others, and contribute to a global map of sourdough diversity.

It is more than a collection. It is a community. A way to preserve biodiversity. A way to connect through fermentation.

Start your own journey. Register your starter. Discover others.

Discover the Quest for Sourdough