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.
3,032 Comments on “Homemade Sourdough Bread, Step by Step”
I live in a very humid area. How much less water should I use? Thanks so much!
Hi! I would start with 325 – 350 g water and see how the dough feels — in other words hold back 25 – 50g water. If it is too dry when you are mixing it, you can always add the reserved water into the dough a little bit at a time.
Thank you! I was about to give up baking with sourdough but now I’m excited again:)
Yay 🎉🎉🎉🎉
I wanted to thank you one more time. The bread I made today came out perfect. The crumb is beautiful. It’s definitely one of the best breads I’ve ever had. I’m hooked!! 🙂
Yay! Wonderful to hear this, Marisa!
I love this recipe! The first time I made it, it came out perfectly!! I am wondering if I can use this same recipe to make baguettes? I’m thinking that after the bulk fermentation I just form the dough in to baguette shapes but I wonder about the baking time. Thanks so much for any advice!!
Wonderful to hear this, Shauna! I think it’s definitely worth a shot. I think the trickiest part will be the shaping. Did you find the dough easy to manage during the shaping step? If so, I wouldn’t make any changes to the recipe. If you found it tricky, you may want to cut the water a bit.
What are you planning on baking the baguettes on?
I am planning on using a baguette “form” pan that I have ordered. It supposedly has little holes that let the air circulate for crispy crust. The dough was easy enough to handle to handle so I will do the same as before. Thanks for the reply; I will let you know how it goes…
Oh awesome! Keep me posted on your experiments!
Hello, I have made 2 loaves now. My 1st loaf was a little raw inside, 2nd loaf I cooked an extra 5mins with the lid on and it is still not light or fluffy and seems a bit wet very dense it has lots of holes like sourdough should a great taste though should I cook for longer? Thanks for your help 🙂
Hi Michelle! Are you preheating your Dutch oven?
How does the dough feel when you are shaping it? Part of me wonders if you need to reduce the water level a bit.
Hi Ali, thanks so much for your reply, yes I think its the water too, when I followed your written recepie that has 1.5 cups water as opposed to the video that has 375g water (from memory) the dough was better less sticky, the loaf was better too less claggy. I also preheated my dutch with the lid on and cooked an extra 5mins lid on and 5 mins lid off. Im experimenting with fruit next 🤩 thanks for all of your help xx
OK, great to hear! And how fun re fruit. Would love to know how a fruit-studded loaf turns out. Sounds so good.
Hey Alli, so I soaked figs, dates, apricots and sultanas in port with cinnamon and mixed spice. Made your revenue with 100g rye 400g plain flours. I folded the fruits in during the shaping process. Cold fermented got 36hrs. OMG this bread is the BEST EVER! I wish I could show you a picture! I cooked kid on for 38mins. It’s sooooo delicious 😋 Thankyou for sharing your recipe xx
Oh wow!! Michelle, this all sounds sooooo good. Thank you so much for reporting back with the details … delicious!!
Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe.
Hi I followed your recipe and weighed all of the ingredients. I used bread flour and wheat sourdough starter (100g). When I tried to shape it after waiting for 10 hours for it to double its volume, the dough was so wet I had to add a lot more flour. Even then it was still really wet and sticky and couldn’t hold its shape as yours did. I waited for 30 minutes and tried shaping it again and had the same problem. I’m a beginner in sourdough making (I’ve made yeast bread before) so would really appreciate any advice. Thank you so much!
Hi Lutetia! It sounds as though your dough over fermented during the bulk fermentation. This means that the first rise was too long.
Can you tell me a few things?
How is your starter? Does it double in volume after you feed it within 4-8 hours? Did you use it at the doubling point?
How warm is your kitchen?
I’ve made your recipe 5 times now, first two times, awesome using my rye starter and regular white flour. When I used Bread Flour, the dough stuck to my heavily floured tea towel after the shaping. Fifth time using bread flour, added 30g more flour as I noticed it didn’t measure quite as much as the cup measurements. It stuck less, but think I could likely add another 50g of flour. Do you have any advice on weight equivalents for bread flour Or should I reduce water?
Hi Allison! So strange. I only ever use bread flour or ap flour here, and I always use weight: 500g. If it is too sticky, I would reduce the water … I think that’s easier than having to add flour. Try cutting it back by 50 g to start.
Two other thoughts: flour sack towels are such a good investment if you’re going to do a lot of sourdough baking — I never have sticking issues with them.
Rice flour is my preferred flour for creating a non-stick barrier.
Awesome! Thanks for the tips!! Trying it today!
Is it possible to halve the recipe for a smaller loaf? Should the cooking time change?
Hi Alice! I have never tried halving it, but I think it should work. You could also try this recipe, which makes a slightly smaller boule.
If you halve the recipe, I would maybe cook the loaf covered for 20 minutes; then uncovered for 10 minutes.
I haven’t made this recipe yet, but I’m planning to this week, probably tomorrow. I’ve tried a couple of others and haven’t been satisfied with the results, so I’m sort of “shopping around” for a go-to. This one looks great and pretty easy to follow and a lot of commenters seem pretty happy. The issue I have is that my oven doesn’t go to 550 degrees, it tops out at 500. Can I still make this work? I’ve done baguettes in there where the recipe calls for baking at 550 and baked them at 500 for slightly longer and they came out alright, but not great. Do you think it would come out alright, or should I not even try?
Absolutely fine! As soon as the bread is placed in the preheated Dutch oven, you turn the oven down to 450ºF. So, just heat your Dutch oven at 500ºF, and proceed with the recipe, lowering the temperature to 450ºF once you place the dough in the Dutch oven.
Awesome, thank you! I’m starting it right now!
This is the best sourdough bread! So worth the effort – don’t be intimidated!
Alexandra, ever since I tried your mother’s peasant bread recipe, it changed the way I bake forever.
I love how informative your videos are.
Looking forward to trying more of your recipes – thank you for all that you share!!
So nice to hear this, Joanne! Thanks so much for writing and thank you for your kind words … means a lot 😍😍😍😍
Thanks for this awesome recipe, Ali! One question..I have been proofing the recipe overnight in my fridge for at least 12 hours. In the morning, do I need to have the dough rest at room temperature prior to baking or can I just go from refrigerated dough to pre-heated Dutch Oven?
Wonderful! No need to let it come to room temperature. It can go straight from the fridge to the Dutch oven. (Score it, of course, before you put it in the Dutch oven.)
Just started sourdough bread baking and am little confused as to why you would mention that rice flour doesn’t burn when it doesn’t seem involved in the baking processSteve
Hi Steve! After the bulk fermentation, when you shape the dough into a round, you transfer it to a tea towel-lined bowl. To prevent the towel from sticking to the dough, you need to use a dusting of flour. You can use any type of flour here, but rice flour is particularly nice because it doesn’t burn in the oven — the excess flour on the bread, especially on the underside, can burn in the oven and taste unpleasant. Hope that clarifies!
So far, my dough looks great and is doing everything it seems to supposed to do. It’s been in the refrigerator for the past 12 hours for its second proof. Does it need to rise again in room temperature before baking or is it supposed to go straight into the oven from the refrigerator? Thank you.
Wonderful! No need to let it come to room temperature! Just remove from fridge, turn it out, score it, and bake it.
She answered a similar question above and stated that you do not need to let it come to room temperature.
Hi,
Thank you so much for the detailed instructions and video. It’s my first time making starter and sourdough. I did the float test before starting and my starter floated so I got started with the recipe. Let it sit for 10+ hours last night and it is still at the same height as last night but the dough looks fuller (if that makes sense). Should I still go ahead and move to the next step or do you have some troubleshooting steps for where I’m at?
Thanks!
Jesse
Hi Jesse! Sorry for the delay here… what did you end up doing?
It sounds as though you need to strengthen your starter a bit. I worry if you bake it, the bread will be pretty dense.
To strengthen your starter, be aggressive with how much you are discarding: throw away most of it, leaving behind just 2 tablespoons or so. Feed it with equal parts by weight flour and water. Start with 40 g of each or so. Use water that you’ve left out overnight to ensure any chlorine has evaporated. (This isn’t always necessary, but it might help.) If you can find some organic flour — my store carries small bags of KAF organic flour … they’re a little more expensive ($3.49 for 2 lbs) but I use it exclusively for feeding my starter. Organic flour or some stone milled flour (fresh or locally milled if possible) make a huge difference.
I think it’s the starter. It’s not even 2 weeks old so I’m going to keep working on it and try again! It was dense but still tasted good!
OK, great to hear! Keep me posted 😍
Just made another one with the more mature starter and it came out beautifully!!! Thank you!
Wonderful to hear this, Jesse!
I finally cracked the code, LOL! So proud of myself for baking a high-hydration dough. This is seriously the best sourdough bread I’ve ever baked since starting my journey in April. The crust stayed crispy, I got a brilliant burst in the scoring, and the flavor is complex, like San Francisco sourdough, with a chew in the middle that’s so addictive. I was able to only eat two slices before my teenaged son got a hold of the boule — and ate the entire loaf in one sitting.
My oven didn’t go up that high, but sourdough is forgiving. Go as high as your oven is able to preheat, and then, if you want deeper color, leave on the rack like Alexandra suggests. I especially appreciated the free time during final rise in the fridge.
So wonderful to hear this Carol!! And great tip regarding oven and temperatures … sourdough is forgiving in that regard 🎉🎉🎉🎉
You must be the same Carol who posted on IG?? Funny son 😂😂😂
Yes, same. I made another of your boules today. Omg, the dough rose IN THE FRIDGE during final proof!!! That never happe
ned to me before. It’s the best bread I ever made. I posted it on IG lol. I’m hiding this one from my son.
Amazing!!! So great to hear this, Carol 😍😍😍
Hi there – my second try came out amazingly well but the surface of the bread was a bit burnt based on the temperature in the recipe (550F) – is this temperature correct for a fan-forced oven? What temperature should I bake my third attempt at?
Thanks
Hi Glenn!! Did you see in the recipe that you turn the oven down to 450ºF once you put the bread in? I’m not sure how to convert to fan-forced, but if fan-forced is the same as convection in the U.S., I would use the regular (not fan-forced) setting. So, my conversions tell me, this is what you should do: cook covered at 235ºC for 30 minutes; uncover and cook at 205ºF for 10 to 15 minutes more or until the bread is golden to your liking.
I made this recipe, but mine burned at 550. Should the temp be lowered throughout the baking?
Hi Jodi! Once you put the dough in the Dutch oven, you lower the temperature to 450ºF. The 550ºF is just when you are preheating the Dutch oven. So frustrating about the burning! I’m sorry.
My very first sourdough and it came out beautifully! I followed every step, except I put the dough into the fridge overnight after the first stretch and fold as I was afraid it would overproof in the humid 31°C weather I have here in Singapore. After taking out of the fridge it took about 3.5 hours to double in size, and I did a 20 hours second rise in the fridge. I couldn’t shape dough into a tight ball at all and was half afraid it would come out really flat, and it did look very floppy when I took it out this morning, but rose wonderfully in the Dutch oven! I baked it covered for 30 mins and uncovered for 15 (last 5 mins directly on rack) but the insides is just very slightly undercooked (a bit moist) so will try baking it longer next time! Thanks for the recipe!!
Wonderful to hear this, Chay!
Fabulous easy to follow thank you! So happy with my first loaf.
A couple of questions please….Are the oven temps using fan forced? If not what would you put it on for fan forced please (my oven only has this setting). Also if you want to do a rye could you use the exact same process just using rye flour? Many thanks!
Wonderful to hear this, Annie! I am not familiar with cooking with a fan-forced oven, but from what I’ve read, you may want to lower the temperature by a few degrees bc fan forced is hotter. You may find the loaf cooks faster, too. I would just experiment. If the loaf turned out fine in terms of color and texture, I wouldn’t make any changes.
You can’t use 100% rye … it will be way too dense. I would start with 50-100g at the most and see how you like it.
This is my go-to recipe now. I have tweaked as needed for my sub-tropical winter kitchen, and my boulé only gets better with each bake! I birthed a starter Only about 6 weeks ago, and now bake 4-6 loaves a week, both wheat and white, and some seeded. Going to try the macerated fruit next!!
Thanks again!
Wonderful to hear this, Pam!
By far the most easy to follow and motivational I’ve come across .
Hi Ali! I really appreciate how easy this was to follow! A few questions though. My bread turned out a bit flat, dense, and mild. My bulk ferment was 6 hours in my kitchen (avg 75 degrees, maybe a bit more), and my second proof in the fridge for about 13 hours. It came out of the bowl a bit flat and just never seemed to rise. Do you think it overfermented? Thank you!
Fantastic recipe, extremely clear and i was worried (it being my first time making sourdough and high hidration bread) that it would be a resounding disaster for me HOWEVER it turned out PERFECTLY, first time the inside was still a bit moist so i just added an extra 5ish minutes on my second loaf (which I modified slightly to get a larger loaf and I subbed some rye flour in) and it was amazing.
I have just fed my 2 starters and im going to prepare a few loaves to gift to people.
Wonderful to hear all of this, Tom!
OOPS i meant to post a comment but somehow responded to yours, my apologies.
However I may have some insight.
Did you use your starter at the height of its activity? After you feed it you should wait until its doubled in volume to use the starter, this is when the yeasts are most active.
I have a once a day feeding schedule to maintain it but when im going to use it ill do a morning, evening and morning before using it about midday-ish. to make sure its super active 🙂
Did you do all 4 folding steps of the dough? this will allow the yeasts to get distributed throughout the dough to find new starches to eat and produce more gluten/gas for strength of the bread and rise. the yeast cant swim through the dough so you have to help move it about.
Did it double in size after you did the bulk ferment? you have to give yeasts enough time to take hold and feed and eat and develop the gluten and produce gases (im in about 65-70f environment and i did a full 14 hour bulk ferment due to it not doubling). Use your eye instead of time, once its doubled you can move on to the next step.
Did you create enough tension over the top of the dough? this will help oven spring
was it properly covered? if it develops a dry skin it will prevent the dough from rising. but because you leave it upside down in a bowl this shouldnt be too much of an issue but just be aware.
And preheat the dutch oven! leave it in the oven for 30 minutes so it really has time to absorb the heat, this will help the growth of the bread.
in terms of the mild flavour if you wanna boost it up you could do a few things
1. longer fridge ferment, the yeasts really slow down so you dont really have to worry about overproofing (to an extent, wouldnt let it go longer than 48 hours because the starches degrade and you get a wetter and more difficult dough to work with) and this allows the sour flavour to deepen and grow.
2. make a drier sourdough starter, reduce the water ratio in your starter when you feed it to create an environment for the acetic acids to build (lactic acids thrive more in wetter environments) SCIENCE! the starter will be less active if its drier but youll get a more sour flavour
3. make a starter out of whole grain flours which apparently the acid producing bacteria love! (i tested with a rye starter and a white flour starter and the rye starter does have a more sour taste)
Hopefully your next attempt will be more successful 🙂
Thanks Tom, this is super helpful!
I’ll have to keep track of starter size, I’m out of the house most of the week so my mom actually feeds the starter most of the time and then I do the baking. But it did past the float test and was very bubbly!
I did all 4 folds, but I think my kitchen temp was pretty inconsistent because we were in and out the sliding door and it got up to 92 that day, plus the a/c coming on and turning off. I know it grew quite a bit, but I’ve actually ordered the container from Ali’s video so I can have a better idea than in a fairly opaque bowl.
Thank you! Will definitely be trying again this week.
Tom, oh my goodness, thank you for all of this!! I have been gone for a few days, and I always I have a bit of anxiety when I go away, because I worry about getting back to people in a timely manner, but this is all so wonderful… thank you!
Great insights, great tips … I have nothing to add! Thank you.
Hi Kelly! So sorry for the delay here. I was hiking in the Adirondacks for a few days with limited cell service. But I’m back now!
OK, Let’s start with your starter. Is it very healthy and active? As in, does it double in volume within 4-6 hours of feeding it? And does it float when you drop a spoonful of it in water? And have you had success (loftier, lighter loaves) using it with other recipes?
Regarding your question about over fermenting, how did the dough feel when you shaped it? Elastic and strong? Or wet, slack, and sticky?
Hi Again! I’m just seeing your reply to Tom … so glad you ordered the clear, straight-sided container. It is so helpful in regard to gauging the bulk fermentation. Keep me (and Tom!) posted on your next trial 🙂
Yes the starter is super bubbly and passes the float test! This is only the second recipe I’ve tried and I thiiiink I overfermented the last one too! This heat is messing with me.
It was quite sticky, and I think it did feel a bit slack. I’m planning to try again with a shorter bf as soon as I get the container!
OK, wonderful! Sounds like a plan. Keep me posted!
Hi Ali! I had to revive my starter one weekend but had a delicious and successful loaf last weekend! Just a couple questions though. The dough was reallyyyy sticky when I was shaping it, it held well but definitely made it more difficult to shape. Do I just need more flour? And second, my dough isn’t even the same size as yours when I put it in the container, do you know what would cause that? Thank you!
Hi Kelly! The dough definitely is sticky, but it shouldn’t be totally slack… was there still strength and elasticity when you were shaping? Or was it more puddly? If the latter, then there’s a chance it over fermented. How long as the bulk fermentation?
Regarding the container, I don’t know! Are you talking about the clear straight-sided container used for the bulk fermentation?
I’m a total newbie but this recipe has yielded perfect loaves every time I’ve used it! It feels like cheating somehow! I even shared it with a more experienced friend who was never satisfied with her bread and now she’s baking perfect loaves as well. Just follow it to the T but pay attention to your doughs texture depending on the flour you use – mine was a high protein stone organic stone ground and it absorbed more water so I just splashed a little more in. It’s also forgiving with different flour types it’s seems as I’ve used a combination and as long as I still pay lots of attention as she says too- Looking more at your dough behaves that day it’s worked great.
I do have a question- I’m headed to visit my parents in Colorado and they live at 6000 feet high altitude. What adjustments should I make?
Thank you for such a stellar recipe and making me into a confident bread baker! It’s gotten me through some hard times 😉
So nice to hear all of this, KB! Thanks for writing and for sharing your notes — so helpful for others.
OK, regarding high-altitude baking: I don’t know too much because I don’t have much experience, but from what I understand, the slow-rise nature of sourdough is good for high-altitude baking. (With yeasted dough, people have to cut back on the yeast and add another rise because the dough rises so quickly.) So, I would just keep an eye on the rising … you may find your bulk fermentation is shorter than usual. You may also find that the texture of your dough is different, so based on your experience, adjust the water amount — you may need more water if the environment you are going to be in is dryer. But you may not! So hard to say.
Would love to know your experience with baking sourdough at high altitude, so report back once you give it a go!
This was my first attempt at making bread ever, back in April. It has been the most consistent and the best all around sourdough loaf and it looks like a showstopper every time!
Thanks for starting me on my bread journey!
So wonderful to hear about all of your bread making successes, Sarah! Thanks for writing 💕💕💕💕
Lovely Silky Sally we called ours thank you for recipe 🍞
😍😍😍😍😍😍 Love it
Hello! If I were to add whole wheat or rye flour how much should be put in?
I would start with no more than 25%. You could start with 63 g to be safe but I would suggest no more than 125 g to start.
Awesome recipe thanks so much! Just wondering if you have tried to make an olive sourdough and if you knew when you could put the additions in?
I would add the olives after you do 1 or 2 sets of stretches and folds. You may want to add an extra set of stretches and folds to ensure the olives distribute evenly.
I’m a first timer and used this recipe. Baked my first boule this morning and it turned out amazing!! Wish I could add pics to show you!! I was very intimidated but now I’m just excited to keep at it and continue to improve!! Thanks much for the great recipe, instructions and encouragement for novices like me!!
Wonderful to hear this Elizabeth! Thanks for writing 🍞🍞🍞🍞
Used this recipe as my second attempt at making sourdough. Instructions and video is super helpful.
However my sourdough came out undercooked and with large hole pockets inside even though I cooked it for longer than recipe stated.
I am suspecting the Dutch oven wasn’t preheated enough and maybe I need to reduce the amount of water.
Need to try again 🙂
Hi Lena! Yes, it sounds as though you needed to cook it longer or preheat your Dutch oven for longer. Or, as you say, it could have something to do with the dough. Are you using a scale to measure the ingredients? Is your starter very active? As in, does it double in volume within 4-6 hours after you feed it?
Good day Ali,
After the second rise (Proof) in the fridge do you let the dough get to room temperature before baking it or do you just bake the cold dough? The first time I did this I let the dough warm up and start rising a bit before I baked it, it came out quite well. I even baked it in my Dutch oven on a Webber grill because it was a hot day and I did not want to heat up my kitchen. Thank you for helping me get into sourdough bread! You have one of the best step by step instructions on the net! 🤗👍
So nice to hear all of this, Tom! You do not have to let the dough get to room temperature, but there is no harm in letting it come to room temperature. I do not find it makes a difference in terms of the rise, and I find it easier to score cold dough, so I always simply remove the dough from the fridge, score it, and bake it.
Amazing re Dutch oven on Grill! I’ll have to try that!
Fabulous and easy! I’d never made true sourdough (without added yeast) before. I’m pleased with how well this came out. Great flavor, great texture. Thanks!
Wonderful to hear this, Valerie!
First time making sourdough bread and this worked great! I followed the King Arthur instructions for my starter and then this for my bread. Everyone in my family loved it and it wasn’t even that hard!
Wonderful to hear this, Emma!