Homemade Sourdough Bread, Step by Step
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If you love fresh sourdough bread with a golden, crisp crust and a light, airy crumb, this recipe is for you. It’s one of the simplest homemade sourdough bread recipes, and one of the best, too. It requires only 25 minutes of hands-on work and no autolyse or preferment. Below you will find guidance for every step of the way. 🍞🍞🍞
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review:
“Absolutely the best sourdough recipe EVER! I have been baking bread for years (sourdough included,) and things were many times hit or miss. Not with your recipe. You have nailed it. I thank you!” — Rosemary Patterson
This post will show you how to make the simplest of simple sourdough breads. There is no autolyse or preferment, which means the dough itself comes together in less than five minutes.
For those intimidated by sourdough bread baking, this recipe, as well as this sourdough focaccia recipe, are the recipes I suggest making first, both for their simplicity and flavor. Another great beginner’s bread recipe to try is this overnight, refrigerator focaccia or my mother’s simple peasant bread recipe, both of which require minimal effort but yield spectacular results.
This post is divided into 13 sections:
- What is Sourdough Bread?
- What is a Sourdough Starter?
- How to Feed a Sourdough Starter
- When is My Starter Ready to Be Used?
- Equipment
- How to Make Sourdough Bread: A 5-Step Overview
- How this Sourdough Bread Recipe Differs From Others
- Simple Sourdough Bread: A Step-by-Step Guide
- #1 Sourdough Bread Baking Tip
- Troubleshooting: Where Sourdough Goes Wrong
- Sourdough Baking Resources
- Other Sourdough Bread Recipes to Make
- Sourdough Bread Baking Schedule
What is Sourdough Bread?
Sourdough bread is bread that has been leavened naturally, meaning it has been leavened by a sourdough starter as opposed to by commercial yeast or a chemical leavening agent such as baking powder or baking soda.
What is a Sourdough Starter?
A sourdough starter is a fermented mix of flour and water containing wild yeast and bacteria (lactobacilli). Provided it is healthy and active, a sourdough starter is what will make your bread rise.
You can make a sourdough starter from scratch in just about a week. I only recommend doing so if it currently is summer (or a very warm fall) where you are. While it is immensely satisfying to build a starter from scratch and subsequently use it to make a beautiful loaf of bread, I am a huge proponent of purchasing one for a few reasons, namely: when you purchase a starter, you are guaranteed to have a strong, vigorous starter from the start. In other words, you can start baking with confidence right away.
Here are three online sources for reasonably priced sourdough starters:
How to Feed a Sourdough Starter
In order to keep your starter alive, you have to feed it — it’s not unlike having a pet, but know this: caring for a sourdough starter is akin to caring for a very low maintenance pet, one that requires feeding only once every two to three weeks to stay alive, but one that requires feeding much more regularly if you like to bake frequently.
When I am not baking regularly, I store my starter in the fridge in the above-pictured vessel with its lid on. As noted above it can hang out there for 2-3 weeks (if not longer) without being touched. To wake it up or activate it, I like to feed it twice before using it. Often I’ll remove it from the fridge after dinner and feed it: this involves discarding most of it and replenishing it with equal parts by weight flour and water. (Please read this post, which explains in detail how to activate, feed, and maintain a starter.)
I will repeat this process in the morning — discard most of it; then replenish it with equal parts by weight flour and water. By midday, or when my starter has doubled in volume, it is ready to be used.
To store your starter, you should feed it, let it rise till it nearly doubles; then cover it and stash it in the fridge for 2 to 3 weeks until you are ready to use it again.
How Do I Know if My Starter is Ready to be Used?
If your starter doubles (or triples!) in volume within 4 to 8 hours after a feeding, it is ready to go. And ideally, you want to use your starter 4 to 8 hours after you feed it or when it has doubled. Every time I feed my starter, I place a rubber band around the vessel it is in to mark its height. This helps me see when it has doubled in volume and is, therefore, ready to be used.
If your starter is not doubling within 4 to 8 hours of feeding it, you should spend a few days strengthening it. This will involve discarding most of it — truly, don’t be afraid to be aggressive with how much you are discarding — and replenishing it with equal parts by weight flour and water. If you do this twice a day for several days, your starter will be in great shape.
What Equipment Do I Need?
At a minimum, you’ll need:
- a sourdough starter (see above)
- flour, bread flour if possible, my preference is King Arthur Flour
- salt
- water
Ideally, you’ll also have:
- digital scale
- straight-sided vessel for monitoring the bulk fementation
- bench scraper
- flour sack towels
- parchment paper
- banneton, such as this one or this one
- razor blade
- heavy lidded vessel, such as this one or this one
How to Make Sourdough Bread: A 5-Step Overview
There are essentially 5 steps to making sourdough bread. Each of these steps is explained in more detail below.
- Mix the Dough: This is simply a matter of combining water, sourdough starter, salt and flour in bowl, and stirring to form a sticky dough ball.
- Bulk Fermentation: This is just a fancy name for the first rise. During the first two hours of the bulk fermentation, you’ll perform a series of stretches and folds, which will give the dough strength and elasticity.
- Shape + Bench Rest: This step ends the bulk fermentation. You’ll shape the dough, let it rest, then shape it once more.
- Proofing the Dough: In this recipe, you’ll cold proof the dough in the fridge, ideally for 24 to 48 hours, though you can get away with a shorter proof.
- Scoring + Baking the Dough: After the dough has proofed, you’ll turn it out onto a piece of parchment paper, score it; then transfer it to a preheated baking vessel.
How This Sourdough Bread Recipe Differs From Others
This recipe differs from others in three main ways:
- No Autolyse. Why? I’ve never found employing an autolyse makes a big difference in the final texture of the bread, and I find the process of doing an autoylse frankly to be kind of a pain. What is an autolyse? Autolyse is a technique that calls for mixing flour and water together and allowing them to sit for several hours before adding the salt and sourdough starter. This process allows gluten to develop in dough prior to mixing. It also makes the dough more extensible. This is due to the hydrating effects of soaking the flour, as well as — and this is getting a bit scientific — from the enzymatic activity of protease, which breaks down some of the gluten that forms as the dough hydrates. This process weakens the dough’s elasticity, in turn increasing its extensibility. If you are after a super open crumb, autolyse is something to consider.
- 50% (roughly) Increase in Volume. If you come from the yeast-leavened bread world, you are accustomed to letting your dough double in volume during the first rise. When I first got into sourdough, I was applying this same method, and while I had success, I realized I was often letting my dough overferment — I was pushing the bulk fermentation too far. As soon as I stopped the bulk fermentation when the dough increased by 50-75% in volume, I got a much better oven spring.
- Long Cold Proof. After the bulk fermentation, you’ll shape the dough, and store it in the fridge ideally for 24 hours but it can hang out there for 48 hours or even a bit longer. This long, cold proof will make for a much lighter, open, airy crumb. (Note: If you were to leave the dough in the fridge for 12 hours or less, which you can do, the crumb will be tighter and denser.) After you remove the dough from the fridge, you score it, and transfer it immediately to the oven — there is no need to do a room temperature proof first.
Simple Sourdough Bread: A Step-by-Step Guide
Mix the dough.
To start, pour 375 grams of water into a bowl:
Add 50 to 100 grams of sourdough starter.
Stir to combine; then add 11 grams of salt:
Finally, add 500 grams of bread flour:
Stir to combine:
Let it Rise. (Bulk Fermentation)
Transfer the dough to a straight-sided vessel. Cover it, and let it rest for 30 minutes.
Perform a set of stretches and folds:
If time permits, perform four total sets of stretches and folds every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours. You should notice the dough getting stronger and more elastic with every set of stretches and folds. This is the 4th set:
After the 4th set of stretches and folds, cover the vessel — I love these Dot and Army cloth bowl covers for this — and set it aside until it increases in volume by 50% or so.
How long should the bulk fermentation take?
The time will vary depending primarily on the strength of your starter and the temperature of your kitchen. Rather than rely on a time period, however, you should rely on visual cues.
This video shows the dough nearly doubling (increasing by 100%) in volume, but the more I bake sourdough, the more I realize I have better success when I stop the bulk fermentation when the dough increases by 50%. It may take some trial and error to know what works best for you. You may find a 75% increase in volume is best or you may find that to be too long. Sourdough is all about experimenting and adapting based on your experiences.
Shaping
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface:
Shape the dough gently into a round and let it rest for 20-40 minutes. This is called the bench rest.
Meanwhile, prepare a bowl or banneton with a flour sack towel and rice flour.
Proofing
Shape the round again; then place in prepared bowl for proofing. Transfer to fridge for 12 to 48 hours.
Bake It.
Remove bowl from fridge, and turn it out onto a sheet of parchment paper.
Score it.
Transfer to preheated Dutch oven. Bake covered at 450ºF for 30 minutes; uncover, lower the temperature to 400ºF, and bake for 15 minutes more:
Remove from oven and let cool one hour before slicing.
You’ll need a sharp knife (like this one or this one) when it’s time to slice:
#1 Sourdough Bread Baking Tip
The refrigerator is your friend. Use it.
The most common mistake I see people make when making sourdough bread is letting the bulk fermentation go too long. They mix the dough at night; then wake up to dough that has tripled in volume and is a sticky mess.
To prevent over fermenting your dough, use your refrigerator as needed. After you complete the 4 sets of stretches and folds, you can put your dough in the fridge at any time. If you are tired and need to go to bed, transfer the dough to the refrigerator; then pick up where you left off in the morning: remove the dough from the fridge and let it continue to rise until it increases in volume by roughly 50%.
To accurately gauge when your dough has risen to roughly 50% in volume, I highly recommend investing in a straight-sided vessel such as this 4-qt Cambro (or this one, which is BPA-free!). When dough rises in a bowl, judging when it has risen sufficiently is tricky. There’s no question with a straight-sided vessel.
Troubleshooting: Where Sourdough Goes Wrong?
If you have ever had trouble baking sourdough bread, your issues likely stem from one of four places:
- Using a weak starter or not using starter at its peak.
- Using too much water relative to the flour.
- Over fermentation: letting the bulk fermentation (first rise) go too long.
- Using too much whole wheat flour, rye flour, or freshly milled flour.
I address each of these issues in this post: Why is my sourdough so sticky? 4 Common Mistakes, so please give it a read if you’ve had trouble with sourdough bread baking.
Sourdough Resources
- Sourdough Troubleshooting: This post addresses 4 common mistakes people make when baking sourdough bread and answers many FAQ’s as well.
- The Nutritional Benefits of Sourdough Bread + 6 Healthy Toast Topping Ideas
- Feeding Your Sourdough Starter
- Essential Equipment For Sourdough Bread Baking
- A tip for getting a more open crumb? Shape a batard as opposed to a round:
Other Sourdough Bread Recipes to Make
- Simple Sourdough Focaccia
- Sourdough Bread, Whole Wheat-ish
- Simple Sourdough Pizza
- Sourdough Detroit-Style Pizza
- Simple Sourdough Sandwich (or Toasting) Bread
- Sourdough Ciabatta
- Two Sourdough Discard Recipes: Sourdough Flour Tortillas & Irish Soda Bread
Sourdough Bread Baking Schedule
If you are new to sourdough bread baking, the timing of it all may feel overwhelming — you may find yourself asking: How can I do this without baking at midnight?
It’s a very good question! As noted above, your biggest friend when it comes to sourdough bread baking is your refrigerator. If after you’ve performed your stretches and folds, you don’t have time to stay up for the dough to complete the bulk fermentation, stick the vessel in the fridge and pick up where you left off the next day or the day after that.
Here is a rough schedule I like to follow. Adapt it to work for you:
Wednesday Evening: Remove starter from fridge. Feed it by discarding most of it and replenishing it with equal parts by weight flour and water.
Thursday Morning: Feed starter by discarding most of it and replenishing it with equal parts by weight flour and water.
Thursday Afternoon: Mix dough, let it rise. On Thursday evening, when the dough has completed the bulk fermentation, I’ll shape it and stick it in the fridge to proof. (As noted: If the dough hasn’t completed the bulk fermentation, I’ll stick the vessel in the fridge, and pick up where I left off the following day.)
Friday Evening or Saturday Morning: Score and Bake it. There is no need to let the dough come to room temperature before baking it. Simply remove it from the fridge, turn it out, score it, and bake it!
Homemade Sourdough Bread, Step by Step
- Total Time: 18 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf
Description
Inspired by The Clever Carrot
If you are new to sourdough, watch the step-by-step video here: Simple Sourdough Bread or in the post above.
Troubleshooting: If you have issues with your dough being too sticky, please read this post: Why is my sourdough so sticky? The 4 common mistakes.
Notes:
- You need an active sourdough starter. I have had success activating starters from:
- As always, I highly recommend investing in a digital scale before beginning any bread baking adventure.
- This is the Dutch Oven I use for sourdough bread. I used this Dutch oven for years, and it’s a great one, too.
- Flour sack towels are a great investment because they ensure your dough will not stick while it is proofing.
- I love using rice flour for dusting (as opposed to ap or bread flour) because it doesn’t burn. When you use a flour sack towel, however, you don’t need to use any flour.
- Find all of my sourdough essentials here: Essential Equipment For Sourdough Bread Baking
- I love a high-hydration dough, and I have great success using 380 grams of water in this recipe, so feel free to play around and push the hydration here.
- Salt: I have had success using both kosher salt and fine sea salt here. When I use kosher salt, I use the Diamond Crystal brand. When I use sea salt, I use the Baleine Fine brand. Regardless of the brand, I use 12 grams.
- Shaping: If you’re looking to get a more open crumb, try shaping a batard (as opposed to a round). Watch this video for guidance. Also: The recipe below follows the traditional shape once, rest, then shape again method. I often skip the preshape now and simply shape the dough once. I still get a nice open crumb.
How much Sourdough Starter to Use?
- Because my kitchen is cold for much of the year, I like using 100 g (1/2 cup) of starter as opposed to 50 g (1/4 cup). When determining how much starter to use, consider a few things: If you live in a warm, humid environment, 50 g should suffice. If you plan on doing an overnight rise, 50 g also should suffice. If you want to speed things up or if you live in a cold environment, consider using 100 g starter. Note: If you use 100 g of starter, your dough may rise more quickly, so keep an eye on it. As always, rely on the visual cues (increasing in volume by 50%) when determining when the bulk fermentation is done.
- A straight-sided vessel makes monitoring the bulk fermentation especially easy because it allows you to see when your dough has truly doubled.
Ingredients
- 50 – 100 g (1⁄4 – 1/2 cup) bubbly, active starter — I always use 100 grams, see notes above
- 375 g (1 1/2 cups plus 1 tbsp) warm water, or more, see notes above
- 500 g (4 cups plus 2 tbsp) bread flour
- 9 to 12 g (1.5 – 2.5 teaspoons) fine sea salt, see notes above
Instructions
- Make the dough: Whisk the starter and water together in a large bowl with a fork or spatula. Add the flour and salt. Mix to combine, finishing by hand if necessary to form a rough dough. Cover with a damp towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
- Stretch and fold: After 30 minutes, grab a corner of the dough and pull it up and into the center. Repeat until you’ve performed this series of folds 4 to 5 times with the dough. Let dough rest for another 30 minutes and repeat the stretching and folding action. If you have the time: do this twice more for a total of 4 times in 2 hours. Note: Even if you can only perform one series of stretches and folds, your dough will benefit. So don’t worry if you have to run off shortly after you mix the dough.
- Bulk Fermentation (first rise): Cover the bowl with a towel and let rise at room temperature, about 8 to 10 hours at 70°F (21°C) or even less if you live in a warm environment. The dough is ready when it has increased by 50% in volume, has a few bubbles on the surface, and jiggles when you move the bowl from side to side. (UPDATE: In the past I have recommended letting the dough rise until it doubles in volume. If you’ve had success with this, continue to let the dough double. Recently, I have been stopping the bulk fermentation when the dough increases by 50% in volume, and I feel I am actually getting better oven spring in the end.) (Note regarding timing: If you are using 100 g of starter, the bulk fermentation may take less than 8 to 10 hours. If you live in a warm, humid environment, the bulk fermentation may take even less time. In the late spring/early summer, for example, my kitchen is 78ºF and the bulk fermentation takes 6 hours. It is best to rely on visual cues (increase in volume by roughly 50%) as opposed to time to determine when the bulk fermentation is done. A straight-sided vessel makes monitoring the bulk fermentation especially easy because it allows you to see when your dough has truly increased in volume by 50%.)
- Shape (See notes above): Coax the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently shape it into a round: fold the top down to the center, turn the dough, fold the top down to the center, turn the dough; repeat until you’ve come full circle. If you have a bench scraper, use it to push and pull the dough to create tension.
- Rest: Let the dough rest seam side up rest for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, line an 8-inch (20-cm) bowl or proofing basket with a towel (flour sack towels are ideal) and dust with flour (preferably rice flour, which doesn’t burn the way all-purpose flour does). Using a bench scraper or your hands, shape it again as described in step 4. Place the round into your lined bowl, seam side up.
- Proof (second rise): Cover the dough and refrigerate for 1 hour or for as long as 48 hours. (Note: I prefer to let this dough proof for at least 24 hours prior to baking. See video for the difference in the crumb of a loaf that has proofed for 6 hours vs one that has proofed for 24 hours. If you choose to proof the dough in the fridge for an extended period of time, you may want to tuck it into a loosely tied bag — produce bags from the grocery store are great for this purpose — to ensure the dough does not dry out. The original recipe calls for a 1-hour rise, and if you have had success doing that, by all means, keep doing it.)
- Place a Dutch oven in your oven, and preheat your oven to 550°F (290°C). Cut a piece of parchment to fit the size of your baking pot.
- Score: Place the parchment over the dough and invert the bowl to release. Using the tip of a small knife or a razor blade, score the dough however you wish — a simple “X” is nice. Use the parchment to carefully transfer the dough into the preheated baking pot.
- Bake: Lower the oven to temperature to 450ºF (230ºC). Carefully cover the pot. Bake the dough for 30 minutes, covered. Remove the lid, lower the temperature to 400ºF (200ºC) and continue to bake for 10 – 15 minutes more. If necessary, lift the loaf out of the pot, and bake directly on the oven rack for the last 5 to 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour before slicing.
- This loaf will stay fresh up to 3 days stored at room temperature in an airtight plastic bag or container. It freezes beautifully, too.
Notes
- This recipe has been adapted from Artisan Sourdough Made Simple. Changes I have made to the original recipe include:
- Using 11 g salt as opposed to 9 g.
- Performing 4 stretch and folds during the first 2 hours of the bulk fermentation, which build strength in the dough.
- Doing a cold proof for at least 24 hours before baking, which produces a lighter airier crumb. In the video, you can see the difference between the crumb of a loaf that has proofed for only 6 hours vs a loaf that has proofed for 24 hours.
- Finally, I like preheating my Dutch oven, which makes a crisper crust.
- Prep Time: 18 hours
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
3,016 Comments on “Homemade Sourdough Bread, Step by Step”
This is hands-down, absolutely, without question the BEST sourdough recipe I have come across. I went from crying over inexplicably dense loaves to proudly snapping Instagram photos of beautiful dark brown crusts and big, butter-filling holes. My boyfriend is boasting to his workmates that my bread is better than the very popular bakery’s down the street (and I actually suspect it might be!) Thank you so very much!!
I have two quick questions: how long have you pushed the fridge proof out to? I am thinking of doing a 48-hour+ but I’m scared it will overproof. Also, I’ve been putting the bowl in the fridge just with a tea towel on the top (and it’s been fine) but some other recipes/sites say you should wrap the whole thing in a plastic bag. What do you recommend?
I’m so happy to hear this, Rosanna!! 😍😍😍
OK: I have definitely left the dough in the fridge for 48 hours, and I think maybe even a little bit longer, so definitely go for a longer proof!
Regarding the tea towel: I also only ever use a tea towel. I suspect the bag is to prevent a crust from forming on the dough from being in the fridge. If you notice a thin crust forming on the dough, then you can use the bag method, but if you aren’t having any issues, I don’t think there’s a need for the bag.
Thanks so much for your reply! I will continue with the tea towel, I think. The 48-hour proof loaf just this second went into the oven. Fingers crossed!
After you take your dough out of the fridge to you bring it back to room temperature again or can you put it into the oven cold?
Okay I’m part way through this and on the recipe print out it didn’t say damp towel, it just said towel so I did my fold and turns with a dry towel and it’s been on the counter for for a few hours and it hasn’t risen at all. It’s actually shrunk. My house is 76 degrees. How do I fix this? (I have a damp towel on it now of course)
Hi Elise! A damp towel will not affect whether the dough rises or not. It’s only to help prevent a crust from forming on the dough when it rises.
It is normal for sourdough not to make much progress during the first few hours, so I wouldn’t worry about that. How many hours has it been now?
Let’s talk about your starter. Is it very active? As in, does it double in volume within 4-6 hours after you feed it? And when you drop a spoonful of it into water, does it float?
Ok update on my loaves. HOLY COW. First time EVER baking sourdough (or any bread for that matter) and it’s INCREDIBLE! The only thing it’s missing is the caramel color yours has.
Elise, amazing to hear this!! Regarding the caramel color, you can simply bake the loaf a little longer, but it may have to do with the vessel you are using … are you using a Dutch oven?
Usually I make yeast loaves; 100% wholemeal or around 60/40 with strong white. I’ve just made my 3rd ever sourdough loaf (sorry not your recipe!) 1st 100% wholemeal one “broke” getting it out from rising bowl; I baked it anyway (was a bit solid!) 2nd 60 / 40 rose ok & was a bit like a pumpernickel.. Good flavour. Latest is a 40/60 & looks more like your loaf. I think my problem is that scaling up from 350ml to to 490ml in a larger 700g loaf results in a too wet dough. It rises fine overnight but is difficult to handle. Extra handling to get it into the dutch pot makes it collapse a little & causes a denser loaf? I don’t know if using wholemeal flour requires less water. Also I didn’t do the fridge bit, your recipe is the 1st time I’ve heard of it. I just let it 2nd rise as before in a warmish place (our house is usually cool). What is the advantage of using the fridge? Also is the 2nd rise important? With normal yeast dough I have varied between knocking back for a 2nd rise & just baking straight away from the 1st rise. The loaves are similar. Often flour bag recipes say to let rise once then bake, which I guess is for the modern time pressed home cook..
Hi Rob!
I think maybe you should try for a smaller loaf until you get the hang of sourdough. In some ways it’s not unlike yeasted bread baking; but in other ways, it’s very different, mostly in that it really requires relying on visual cues.
If you want more of a deeper dive into making a sourdough boule, check out this post: Favorite Easy Sourdough Bread (Whole Wheat-ish). I give a lot more in-depth info into the process there.
To answer your questions:
What is the advantage of using the fridge? The fridge proof will create a lighter, airier crumb. You can do this for as short as 1 hour — that’s what the original recipe called for in fact — but I find it really needs at least 12 but ideally 24 hours for the crumb both to develop better flavor and a better texture.
Also is the 2nd rise important? Yes. For the same reasons I mention in your previous question.
If you find your dough too wet, you can definitely reduce the amount of water.
Thanks for your reply. I will try a smaller loaf next time to your recipe, also maybe less wholewheat flour as it seems to make for a dense loaf! I already found your other favourite loaf page earlier today, with your fridge reasoning. It’s not always possible to start or make my bread exactly when I would like so controlling the rise makes sense. I was more concerned that cold would negatively affect the rise. Also it may be that my bulk rise has been too warm & / or too long so the dough is weakened, as you suggested on the other page. I don’t usually have time to monitor such long fermentation so I need to get this down pat (ish!) so I can get reliable results. Cheers!
The refrigerator is your friend! And yes, whole wheat flour definitely can make for a denser loaf. Keep me posted on your journey!
Hi – do you let the dough rise to room temp before baking? Or do you take it staright out of the fridge and into the oven? Thanks!
I don’t! The original recipe called for this, but I don’t find any advantage in letting the dough rest at room temperature for 45 minutes or so while the oven heats up, and I also find it easier to slash very cold dough, so this is what I basically go from cold fridge to oven.
This recipe makes truly delicious bread. Certainly the best bread I’ve ever made in the past 40 years. Maybe even the best sourdough bread I’ve ever eaten even! The organization of the post/recipe is a little chaotic and confusing, but it’s definitely worth persevering for!
So great to hear this Lin! Sorry the info is confusing … I try hard to simplify things but it is a little tricky with sourdough. If you have any suggestions regarding organization, I’m all ears!
This recipe is amazing – so much helpful information. I was gifted a starter and using this recipe and method successfully made my first loaf of sourdough bread. The only substitution I made was for all purpose flour as there is no bread flour to be found anywhere currently.
So happy – I’ve just fed my starter today to start the process all over again.
I’m so happy to hear this, Sonya! Glad you were able to make it work with all-purpose flour. I have been using all-purpose flour as well for all of my sourdough recipes for the same reason. 😍
This recipe looks amazing! I have made a loaf before that used a similar ratio of starter and proofed at room temperature overnight but this other recipe didn’t require a second long proof in the fridge. I was wondering if I could eliminate the second fridge proof in your recipe by lengthening the overnight proof by a couple more hours (and use 50g starter)?
Hi! Personally, I think the long, cold proofing phase makes all the difference in the world, but here are a few thoughts: 1.) The proof can be as short as 1 hour … that’s what the original recipe called for in fact. 2.) You definitely can use 50 g of starter, which could potentially lengthen the bulk fermentation.
Hi,
I currently have my dough on it’s second proof in the fridge but I’m a bit worried as I really struggled to shape the dough this morning – folding it was fine but when I tried to create the ball the dough became very sticky and would cling to my hands/the work surface. I followed the recipe exactly up to that point and thought the dough looked correct up until the shaping. I ended up trying to fold the dough over itself several times and then it seemed to be getting stickier so I just chucked it in a tea towel lined colander and am hoping for the best! Is there anything I can do tomorrow morning before baking to improve my chance of success? I live in London so not humid but I don’t have a bench scraper (just ordered one) so maybe that was an issue.
No problem if you are unsure or don’t see this in time. Seems like a bit of failure is a rite of passage with sourdough 🙂
Hi Mads! It’s funny, I’ve heard from a number of people from the UK both on this post and on my sourdough pizza post having the same issue. I’m thining it has to do with the flour.
Stickiness is a sign of two things:
1. a high hydration dough, which does take some practice. Know that next time you absolutely can reduce the water from the start. Try 350 g and see how it works out. You also can use as much flour as necessary during the shaping process to make the dough more manageable.
2. Over-fermentation: If the dough over-ferments during the bulk rise, it becomes impossibly sticky, completely slack, and without any strength. This is unsalvageable unfortunately.
I think you should just see how it goes tomorrow: Turn out the dough using a parchment lined plate, slash it, and bake it as directed. Depending on how it turns out, you’ll know if the dough had totally overfermented or if you just need some practice working with high hydration doughs or if you need to lower the hydration of your dough given your environment/flour type/ etc.
Keep me posted on how it turns out!
Thanks so much for your reply!! I baked the loaf this morning and amazingly enough it turned out really well! I thought I had ruined it with my very poor attempt at shaping but the fridge proof must have sorted it out somehow 🙂
Next time I will try less water as you suggested until I can get more comfortable with the shaping process.
So happy with my first loaf – we had it toasted with garlic mushrooms for breakfast and it was very tasty. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes in the future.
Wonderful to hear this, Mads! Thanks so much for reporting back with your results. Garlic mushrooms sound amazing 🎉🎉🎉
Maybe i missed it but i cant find the step where you remove it from the fridge. Do you let it warm up to room temp before baking? or does it just go straight from fridge to hot oven.
Hi Graeme! It goes straight from fridge to oven. No need to warm up first.
For people who know sourdough, you know you can ferment for longer refrigerated or shorter on the counter. This recipe indicated fermenting in the fridge but I decided to use the countertop method because its faster. BIG MISTAKE! Ive made successful sourdoughs doing the exact same steps I did for this one, but the fridge must change something because it was a droopy sticky mess. All was great until I tried shaping, and it was waaaaaaaaaaaaay too wet to handle. Just sank and had no oven spring even though it was properly mixed and proofed (on counter). Definitely follow exactly what the recipe says bc this will not hold up to handling warm.
Hi Danielle! It sounds as though your dough over fermented.
Question: How warm is your kitchen? And how long was the bulk fermentation?
I made sourdough pizza dough last night and woke up to dough that had quadrupled in size … my kitchen is 10 degrees warmer than it was a week ago, so my bulk fermentations are taking much less time. I’m going to add some cautionary notes to the recipe.
How hard would it be to turn these into sourdough rolls instead? Any advice?
I think it would be easy. Can I suggest you take a look at this sourdough pizza post? I think you would follow this recipe through the dividing step but divide it further, like probably into 10 pieces. And then, instead of refrigerating, I would transfer the shaped, balled up portions onto a parchment-lined sheet pan, let them proof at room temperature for a bit (1-2 hours? less?); then bake.
The bottom burned at 550. Maybe I should use 500 next time.
Hi Karen! Did you lower the oven to 450ºF when you put the bread in? Or did you bake it at 550ºF the entire time?
Thank you for this recipe! I’m about to start making the dough, but I’m worried about the bake since I don’t have parchment paper (it’s incredibly sparse these days). Could I use aluminum or just bake straight in the dutch oven?
Hi! Absolutely … the parchment is merely to make the transfer from peel to hot Dutch oven easier. I have never tried foil, but it’s worth a shot. Or you can try shimmying it from a cornmeal-dusted peel directly into the pot.
Hello!
I make yeast breads pretty regularly but have just started my sourdough journey! I followed everything to a T but it looked like my dough was too dry (I couldn’t get all the flour to get incorporated) so I gently used wet hands to mix in the rest. It’s been on the counter covered with a tea towel for about 3hours (72F) and I’ve been ATTEMPTING the stretch and fold every 30 mins and the dough is a consistency I’m not used to! It’s stiff, difficult to stretch and feels very heavy and dense. For the past hour I’ve had it in the oven with the light on, with no change. It seems slightly more flexible with the stretching and folding but not what I would expect or what it looks like in your video. Did the little folding in the flour I did with my hands destroy the gluten? My starter passed the float test, used filtered water, used a kitchen scale. I’ll plan to leave it on the counter overnight to see what happens but do you have any recommendations or thoughts about what has gone wrong? Thanks!
Hi Lauren! The folding in of the flour definitely did not destroy the gluten. What type of flour did you use?
I used King Arthur bread flour! I think I must have messed up the flour/water ratio somehow – even after proofing my overnight it is difficult to work with – very stubborn. It’s doing the second proofing in the fridge now and I’m rounding on 7hrs in there, I have to go out and will bake soon. I’m not optimistic but I’ll complete the bake! I suppose it’s a rite of passage to fail at sourdough!
It’s so strange, Lauren! Yes, definitely a rite of passage. I think things will be more clear when you make it again and see if you have the same issue.
I’ve been making sourdough for a few months now, and unhappy with the crumb and rise, I tried your recipe. At first it was a little daunting because it was a lot more steps than what I was used to, but it was actually quite simple and straightforward to make. I really appreciated the video, and using a spatula (no bench scraper for me sadly) I successfully created tension for the first time, which made all the difference! It came out beautifully with a great open crumb, and I will definitely stick to this recipe from now on. 12/10! Thanks so much!
Wonderful to hear this, Katie! I’m glad to hear that you found the process simple in then end. I think so much about sourdough is just getting a handle on the process, but once you get it, there’s really nothing to it. Thanks for writing 🍞🍞🍞
I couldn’t find the answer so I thought I’d ask (sorry if it’s been asked before!).. I don’t have a Dutch oven or anything of that sort. Can I use a regular parchment lined baking sheet to bake? And if so, does the time change? What are your suggestions? Thank you!
Hi! Do you have an oven-safe pot? You can use that with a sheet pan over it. You’re trying to create a steamy environment first. You can also invert an oven-safe pot (or bowl?) over a sheet pan.
Hi there! Super new baker here. I accidentally halved the loaf before reading that this only yields one large loaf. Is it okay to have to two smaller loaves or should I meld them back together?
Thanks!
Hi! I think 2 smaller loaves will be great. You may need to shorten the baking time a bit but otherwise, it should be fine!
Hi there! This was my first time working with whole wheat flour and while my bread tasted delicious it did not rise and had little spring. Crumb was uneven – big pockets, a little moist, but the crust was really hard. I fed my starter at 9am, started mixing at 4pm, 6 hour bulk ferment, and 12 hours in the fridge. How do I tell if I under or over proofed the dough?
Hi Alina! I think the issue is the whole wheat flour. Did you use 100% whole wheat flour? Or a mix of whole wheat flour and bread flour? Whole wheat flour will definitely make for a dense loaf of bread. Whole wheat flour includes the bran and the germ, which can be described as little razor blades that cut the gluten, which impedes its ability to stretch and grow and create those glorious bubbles throughout the dough.
If you had over-fermented the dough after the bulk fermentation, it would have felt totally slack and without any strength at all. When you shaped it, did the dough have strength? Were you able to get tension in the dough?
Thanks for this awesome recipe–I see you’ve tutored many people (including myself) into very happy (and functional!) sourdough bakers 🙂
I’ve made this recipe about 6 times now, and my dough always looks an feels much stickier and less stiff than in your pictures/videos. It sticks to my hands and the side of the bowl and goes fairly slack in between shapings prior to the fridge proofing. Also, no matter the amount of flour I use on the towel, I end up having to fight to carefully peel the tea towel off and think I’m going to ruin my bread every time! All is well that ends well, though, and each loaf has turned out quite well.
My question: is there an obvious way to reduce the stickiness of my dough? I know it’s not over proofed, because it’s sticky and slack from the get-go. My starter is VERY active…should I be feeding it with less water (currently, i use a 50g starter, 50g water, 50g flour ratio)? Any other thoughts? (I’m baking on West Coast of the US)
Hi Lauren! I think your first step would be to reduce the amount of water. Try 350 g water next time and see how it goes. Type of flour, environment, strength of starter, humidity all play a roll, so it may be as simple as reducing the water.
Don’t change a thing about your starter! It sounds perfect 😍 Thank you for writing and for your kind words. Also: if you can get yourself some rice flour and some flour sack towels, I think you’ll be happy with the investment … it sounds as though you are committed to the process, so these purchases won’t go to waste. A bag of rice flour, too, will last for sooooo long.
thanks so much for this recipe. This is the best version I’ve worked with thus far. I proofed for 13 hours in the refrigerator and the bread came out pillowy with just the right amount of holes! Very delicious although I do wish it was a bit more sour tasting but I fear it may be my starter.
Wonderful to hear this, Joyce! One way to make it a little more sour: proof it in the fridge longer. Try for 24 hours next time.
After you bring the dough out of the fridge do you have to bring it back to room temperature before putting it in the oven or can you put it in cold?
Put it in cold!
I am midway through your recipe and so keen to see how it turns out. How important is slashing the dough before baking. My most recent attempts I accidentally cut much deeper and the bread rose much more than shallower slashes previously. How much of an impact would this have on rise versus over proofing (which I have also done I think). It’s so hard to pinpoint the place you went wrong when it doesn’t rise much….starter or proofing time? My bread always tastes good, but haven’t nailed the crumb and air pockets! Can’t wait to see how this recipe works for me. Thank you
I think you definitely need to slash. It allows air to escape and promotes a good, lofty shape. Aim for 1/8-1/4 inch deep.
If your dough had over-fermented during the bulk fermentation it would have felt totally slack and without any strength at all. Did your dough have some good strength and elasticity when you shaped it?
Thanks for the advice. My loaf following your recipe worked except for crusty crust. It’s pretty good but not perfect. Thanks for your recipe. 👍🏼
Sure thing! Regarding the crust, a lot depends on the baking vessel. What material is your Dutch oven or baking vessel?
Hello! I used all purpose flour as I don’t have bread flour, my dough doesn’t seem to be rising well, advice please!
All-purpose flour shouldn’t make a difference here. The issue likely has to do with your starter. How old is it? Does it double in volume within 4-6 hours of being fed? Does it float when you drop a spoonful of it in water?
The first time I used your recipe I did a 24 hour cold proof and I LOVED how the taste of my bread turned out. I’ve been having trouble with evenly cooking my loaves though. My loaves have been browning beautifully and rising nicely. Before taking my loaves out I’ve been knocking on the bottom and it’s sounded hollow. Also the crust feels hard/firm. As it cools though the crust becomes soft and doesn’t harden again as it cools more. The bottom of my loaf though is hard (makes it hard to cut through) and it looks slightly burnt? The inside of my bread was a little gummy the first time but this past time it was really gummy. It seems under cooked after it’s cooled but seems well cooked as I take it out.
For some background, I’ve ended up baking my bread for longer than the time you suggest but I’ve been keeping it in my dutch oven for the whole time. I also have an enameled dutch oven so I haven’t been preheating it. I’ve still set my oven to 550º during the preheat and then dropping the temp when I put my bread in. I also made sure to give my loaf a lot of space underneath as it cooled.
If you have any suggestions or tips I’d really appreciate them! Thank you!
Hi Tara! A few things: you could try preheating your Dutch oven. If that doesn’t appeal, you could try finishing your loaf outside of your Dutch oven directly on the oven racks. Are you using rice flour or all purpose flour to dust your proofing bowl/basket?
The gumminess could be a sign of other factors, too, however: do you live in a humid area? How long is your bulk fermentation going? Are you having any trouble shaping the dough into a round after the bulk fermentation?
I have an enameled dutch oven so I’m not sure if I can preheat it. Do you know if there’s a way to safely do this? I used brown rice flour the 2nd time but regular flour the first. I can’t remember exactly but I think my bulk fermentation was around 9-10 hours. I live in San Francisco (which is supposed to be ideal for sourdough I think?) and I haven’t really had trouble with shaping it. If anything, my dough might seem a little less structured than yours in your video.
Thank you for your help!
Hi Tara! You can preheat enameled Dutch ovens, but you might not like what happens to it… I stopped using my Le Creuset because I didn’t like how it darkened every time I used it. If you want to do sourdough bread baking consistently, it might be worth investing in Dutch oven you use exclusively for baking. This Lodge Dutch oven lives in my oven.
It sounds as though your dough is in good shape. You could possible reduce some of the water and see if you like the crumb better.
In terms of baking, I might try doing 30 minutes covered; then removing the loaf completely and baking it directly on the racks. When you remove it, try to take a peek at the bottom side… I’m curious as to when it starts getting too dark underneath.
Hi Ali,
I have been struggling to get my loaf to rise, I have been using 100% hydration sourdough starter which floats in the water, but never has huge bubbles. I am thinking of going to the 100gr of starter to see if that helps me with the rising, so will I decrease the water in my recipe and flour by 50 grams each to keep this balanced? Any suggestions ? Thanks so much love your website.
Hi Kathleen! No need to make any other changes to the recipe if you use 100g starter.
Question for you: how old is your starter? Great that it passes the float test. Another data point to look for: how quickly does it double in volume after you feed it? And what are you using to feed your starter?
Thank you for the great recipe! I had never made sourdough before and your recipe is wonderful – I have made it 5x in the last month!
For those of you curious – I have made the loaf with both bread flour and all purpose, and both have turned out great. The one adjustment I made for all purpose was to reduce the amount of water to ~345g.
Ali – I am curious – do you think doing more stretch and folds during the bulk fermentation would help at all? Say I was able to do 8 folds over a 4 hour period instead.
Thanks for the recipe!!
So great to hear this Matt! And thanks for the tip re ap flour and water reduction … so helpful for others.
Regarding your question, I don’t know! It’s definitely worth a shot. I worry a little bit that at some point the stretches and folds might interfere with the bulk fermentation in terms of rising. They’re meant to build strength and elasticity in the dough during the early part of the bulk, but I worry that doing more might depress gas bubbles that are forming to promote the rising. But honestly, Matt, I have no idea. I am all about following your gut and finding methods/techniques that work for you, so definitely give it a shot!
What are you hoping to achieve with more folds? A lighter crumb? An airier crumb?
Hi Ali,
Thanks for this recipe. It is the most straightforward and easy to follow of the several I have tried during the past few months. I’ve got an active starter and got going on this recipe a couple of days ago. When I put it in the fridge for the second rise, the dough seemed strong and elastic. When I just took it out to bake, it was very dense, and the final product did not have great rise…seems almost like a hockey puck! I did use a combo of whole wheat (1/3) and AP flours (2/3). The second rise was about 36 hours. Any tips to get a lighter crumb and more lift?
Thanks!
Sara
Edited to add that it has nice “sour” flavor despite it being sad and flat looking!
Strange! It almost sounds as though it over fermented. Questions: are you using a scale? And how long was the bulk fermentation? Did the dough feel strong and elastic when you shaped it?
One step would be to use all AP flour just so you have a baseline of how light and airy a loaf can be. The more whole wheat flour you use, the denser it is going to be.
I’ve been using a lot of different sourdough methods, with solid success. The only issue I tend to have, no matter what I do, it that 72-75% hydration dough is pretty sticky when i shape. I have found that it ends up sticking to my rice floured bannaton no matter what I do. It then pulls some when it comes out to score and bake. Any suggestions? Should i drop the water ? I use 11.2% or so AP flour and a rye starter. I live in a pretty humid/warm environment so i try not to do a long bulk (definitely not overnight).
Hi Evan! Yes, I would decrease the water. I think the combination of AP flour + rye starter + humid environment are all attributing to the stickiness. Try starting with 350 g water. You may find you may even need to decrease this further.
I’ve made this a few times and I love it. I have 2 questions for you. 1) how do I get the caramel color that yours has? Maybe mine isn’t that caramel color because I’m using a crockpot? 2) can you film a video demonstrating the finger poke test? Hard to tell which spring back is the spring back we want when we do the poke test. Thank you for all of your help!
Hi Elise! It is possible that the color is a result of the baking vessel. Question for you: Are you preheating your crockpot? Or actually using a setting on the crockpot to bake the bread? I’m so intrigued! And also, I don’t do a finger poke test! At want point of the process are you using a finger point test? To determine when the bulk fermentation is done?
I’ve read through quite a few comments where you have answered directly from fridge to oven. When I put the dough in the fridge up to 48 hours it does not rise I tried using it anyway and got very little rise during the cooking process. For me I leave it on the counter until it doubles in size then bake it as per your instructions it comes out perfect. Thank you for your recipe and instructions
Oh Kim, this is such a great tip! Thank you. I will definitely start suggesting this to those who are having trouble with getting a good loft in their loaves. And I will give it a go as well. I appreciate you taking the time to share.