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.
3,030 Comments on “Homemade Sourdough Bread, Step by Step”
Thank you for this recipe! I especially appreciated the step by step videos. This was my first time baking sourdough bread and it turned out perfect.
Great to hear, Elaina! Thanks so much for writing!
Hi – I was able to follow this recipe all the way through without any confusion. Thank you for being so clear and for the videos. The only problem I ran into was that the bread never turned that lovely dark golden color – it just got light golden color. Its cooling now and I hope it baked properly. Any suggestions or advice?
Interesting! What type of flour are you using? It’s not bleached, is it?
I find the short videos for each process more informative than a long drawn out video. Also I add salt after the bulk fermentation. Thank you for sharing your sourdough experience.
Great to hear, Kevin! Thanks for writing 🙂
Hi Ali,
I started baking sourdough last year when it became trendy during the the pandemic. I was abler to get some starter from a local bakery, but my bread came out denser than a brick. It tasted OK but it was not the European-style bread of my dreams 🙂
Then I found your recipe and suggestions to get the light and airy holes I was after. And it actually worked! I was thrilled!
Since then, I have used this recipe to bake bread almost every week and I get so much satisfaction out of it! So I just wanted to thank you for the recipe, it’s really awesome!
\
Kathryn
Oh wow, wonderful to hear this, Kathryn! Thanks so much for writing and sharing. Happy happy baking!! 🍞🍞🍞🍞🍞
Hello! Thank you for the recipe. I’ve tried your recipe twice but I don’t have any luck with it being airy. It’s rather dense and moist? I’m not sure how to describe it. Any idea what I can adjust?
Hi Marina!
Questions: Are you using a scale? What type of flour are you using? Are you confident in the strength of your starter? How long roughly is the bulk fermentation? How long is the cold, refrigerated proof?
Hi Ali! Thank you for your reply. Yes, I’m using a digital scale. Am using a bread flour from a local store, unbleached. My friend passed me her starter. Am not sure the age of it, but I fed it the day before, and again, on the day of use. It tripled in size before I used it. And I tested it on water, it floats, so I guess it’s alright to use. I bulk ferment on the counter for 6hrs and cold proof for 36hrs. Didn’t manage to bake it after 24hrs. Not sure if my climate makes a difference. I stay in quite a warm country. It’s always summer here.
OK, well it sounds as though you are doing everything right! So the next step I think is to maybe consider reducing the amount of water. It’s possible that it’s just a little too much given your climate. I would consider reducing the water by 50-75 grams and see if that makes a difference.
Thanks Ali! Will try that. My dough does look more wet than your pics. Will share my third try soon!
Great, keep me posted!
I did follow all the step and after 5 days, the starter is already ready! Now I will try for my very first time sourdough bread 🙂 Thank you so much
Good luck, Kenny!
Hi there, thank you for your recipe, it is really easy to follow through! Unfortunately, my dutch oven is on the small side, and I had to split the dough in half for it to fit. I wanted to ask if you had any idea the temperature and duration I would need to keep the bread in the oven for? Thank you again, and looking forward to more of your work!
Hi Kai! I’m probably getting to you too late. I would try baking for 20 minutes covered at 450F; then uncovered at 400ºF for 10-15 minutes or until it’s browned to your liking. Hope it turned out OK. How small is your Dutch oven? … just curious.
Best loaf I’ve ever made! I do believe the 24 hour hold in the fridge is the ticket to this as well as the no fail recipe. I added a touch of garlic salt and Italian seasoning and it smells so good. Can’t try till it cools for an hour, hopefully I can wait that long! Thank you Alexandra!
Wonderful to hear this, Kathy! Garlic salt + Italian seasoning sounds lovely 🙂 🙂 🙂
Hi. Made 3 loaves using your recipe. I used 100g of starter for all 3. First one with 375g of water and the dough was very soft and sticky but it actually turned out very airy. The next 2 I reduced the water by 25g and 50g respectively. The dough was not as sticky as the first but they turned out heavier and not as airy as the 1st. I’m think about going back to 375g of water. Any tips or observations? Thanks.
Hi Susannah! Yeah, I would go back to 375 grams water. High hydration doughs are tricky to work with but they do create a lighter, airier crumb. Try using wet hands when you do the stretches and folds. It might help with the dough handling!
Hi Alexandra
I’ve followed your instructions over the past three months or so and had varying levels of success.
I’m just about to purchase a 5qt Lodge dutch oven as recommended (I can’t stretch to the Challenger Bread Pan).
Can you tell me, between the second rise and baking – should I let the dough warm to room temperature or can it go straight into the oven cold?
Regards
Peter
The Lodge is great! No need to bring the dough to room temperature before baking. Straight from fridge to Dutch oven. Slash it of course before baking.
I absolutely love this recipe, it is my go to for sourdough. I have also made the pita recipe. I have a question, I am making a loaf today, but I would like to put it into a Flower shaped mold for bread baking. Will it work? I would cook it standing up, and would not be able to use the entire amount, so I was going to make a smaller regular loaf. Do you think it will work
Hi Mares! Great to hear. I’m likely not getting to you in time… are you able to send a link to the flower mold? I’m having a little bit of a hard time visualizing. I imagine it would be fine. What you want to avoid is any pan that curves in at the top or I should say is narrower at the top than at the bottom. I have a bean pot, for instance, that is wider at the bottom. If I were to bake bread in it, it would get stuck because the wider bottom wouldn’t be able to fit out the top hole.
Hi Alexandra
I’ve used my new 5qt Lodge and it worked beautifully. I think I just need to ‘tweak’ water content as after first rise the ball shaped dough flattened out a lot and wouldn’t keep it’s shape at all – but still made an amazing tasty loaf, if a bit on the flat side.
As it’s only me that eats sourdough I wondered is it possible to split the dough after the first rise and keep half wrapped in cling film (do you call it the same?) in the freezer until needed?
Regards
Great to hear, Peter! I think finding the sweet spot with the water level is half the battle with sourdough. So, definitely cut it back by 25-50 grams or so and see if it makes a difference.
I don’t find sourdough dough to freeze that well, so I would suggest making the same loaf, cutting it in half, and freezing the remaining half. OR you could make a slightly smaller loaf. This recipe is slightly smaller, though it is also slightly higher in hydration, so again, I would consider cutting back the water by at least 50 grams: Easy Sourdough Bread (400 grams flour)
Loved the first batch so much, my second batch is currently in bulk rise and I’m going to start a couple more loaves with my partner tomorrow 🥰
I bought an active rye flour starter on Facebook market place and have been making the dough with 100g rye flour and 400g of bakers flour.
Can I just say how much I love the video integration! I don’t like to have spoken instructions because I don’t want to bother the household listening to what I’m listening to, the little videos are perfection !! <3
So nice to hear this, Tegan 🙂 I feel exactly the same way: I don’t want to be spoken to bc then everyone in the house wants to gather round the laptop 😂😂😂 Thanks so much for writing!
I just had to tell you that I tried numerous sourdough recipes and none of them turned out right for me. But yours does. This recipe has the best sourdough taste and crumb I have ever seen. Thank you!
Regarding the starter. I have read everywhere that it has to double and triple in size before bread can be made. No, it does not. Mine never did(my own starter) and I am able to bake bread everytime that rises super high and has a wonderful crumb.
And I do not weigh anything – I do not weigh ingredients for the starter nor for the feeding of the starter. And I do not weigh ingredients for the bread and it turns out everytime! I use cups for measuring the ingredients for the bread and tablespoons for the starter. Many times I don’t even measure by tablespoons for the feeding of the starter. And it works every time!!!!!
So nice to hear all of this, Barbara! Thanks so much for writing and sharing. Also: you’re amazing. Your bread instincts must be very dialed in to be able to do all you do without weighing/measuring. Bravo!
This is my “go to” recipe. I learned to bake sourdough bread using this recipe and all the good tips and tricks.
Great to hear, Jean! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Amazing recipe! I couldn’t believe how much the bread increased in size when I took the lid off after being in the oven. My first batch of this recipe was hands down the best sourdough bread I’ve ever made. Not only did it taste good, but the loaf looked perfect!
Wonderful to hear this, Hope! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Hi, I have followed this recipe a few times but I reduced the water by 75g and got decent bread.
However today I used the correct amount of water and found the dough very sticky and impossible to shape, it just sort of spread out on counter top, is is due to the water or something else?
Hi! Was it a complete puddle? As in without any strength or structure? If so your dough likely overfermented. How long was the bulk fermentation? And how warm is it where you are?
Best bread I have ever made! Thanks for this very detailed recipe 😍
Great to hear, Marta! Thanks for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Hi Alexandra, love how detailed your recipe is. Very helpful!
I have made this couple of times with bread flour and it came out too moist/dense with large holes(not ideal for sandwich). I reckon it might be the water ratio and I might dial it down by 25g. What do you think?
I also tried your sourdough version with all purpose flour and it was just perfect!
Great to hear all of this, Shruti! Yes, I think you could cut it back by even 50 grams or more. Thanks for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Such a great recipe! Have used it a few times now and cannot go wrong. Thanks for the step by step instructions and the videos are so helpful!
Great to hear, Ally! Thanks so much for writing. And thank you for the kind words 🙂 🙂 🙂
Amazing recipe and the videos are PERFECT…just like my bread! I am having problems with it sticking to the bowl after being in the refrigerator (even when buttered and heavily flowered). Because if this the first loaf has some dead spots where I smashed the rise out. Second two much better and had great rise all the way through but took some patient work to get them out. I am going to try the towel/rice flower method you use to hopefully solve it. Thank you so much!
So nice to hear all of this, James! The flour sack towels are life changing … I don’t even use rice flour anymore, but I recommend you do the first few times using the flour sack towels just to be sure. Please report back when you give them a go!
The towel worked like a charm! Although I did also use rice flour. Next time I will try with the towel only. I modified your recipe slightly to try a pumpernickel loaf which due to the extra rye made for a very sticky loaf. But it popped right out of the bowl and the towel didn’t stick to the loaf at all! Any tips on washing them? Do you presoak/scrub to get the bit of residual dough off or just toss it directly in the washer? Thanks again. I am so hooked on bread baking now that I found a no nonsense recipe!
So great to hear this, James! I actually just put the towels straight in the washer unless I notice any dough sticking to them, which is rare.
Rye does make for a sticky loaf, but the flavor is so good. I’m having rye toast as I type!
Love this recipe! My bread has been baking perfectly! The loaf looks beautiful and it’s delicious! I do have one question..if I want to make two smaller breads with this recipe at what point would I split the dough into two? Thank you!!
Great to hear, Claudia! I would split it after the bulk fermentation. Turn out the dough, divide it, ball it up, and proof it. Thanks for writing!
Hey I was watching your youtube video where you show how to get a more open crumb and the crumb looked amazing! That led me to this post! But can I use instant dry yeast instead of sourdough starter? How can i adapt this recipe for yeast? Do i just follow the exact steps here and use a certain amount of yeast instead of sourdough starter? Thank you so much, I really want to try this one. I loved the peasant bread boule as well, thank you. I bought the straight sided vessel from your link and I am ready to make some more boules. I have a kitchenaid mixer as well. Can this be used to help me in making these kinds of breads? What kinds of breads or other goods do you make using the kitchenaid? Just looking for ideas from a trusted source. Thanks again!
Hi! Questions answered below:
But can I use instant dry yeast instead of sourdough starter? How can i adapt this recipe for yeast? Do i just follow the exact steps here and use a certain amount of yeast instead of sourdough starter?
Yes, use 2 teaspoons of instant yeast in place of the starter. Whisk it into the flour. Use: 425 grams water and 550 grams flour. Omit the starter.
Can this be used to help me in making these kinds of breads? What kinds of breads or other goods do you make using the kitchenaid? You can definitely use a kitchenaid to make this dough or any bread dough. Lots of people who have arthritis or who just can’t be bothered kneading or doing the stretches and folds rely on the kitchenaid to do the work — in other words, to develop the gluten. For me, kneading by hand or stretching and folding is preferable, but I totally understand wanting to use a KA.
Just pulled my first loaf out of the oven suit looks and smells amazing!! It is ratlarge? I am hoping it is cooked all the way through. How do you know if the inside is done?
Hi Cat! After 45 minutes of cooking plus a decent amount of time cooling, it should be cooked through. A surefire way of testing is to use an instant read thermometer. If it registers above 205ºF, it’s done.
I love this recipe! It’s so much easier than some others out there, step by step directions are so helpful. This is now my go-to recipe for bread!
Wonderful to hear this, Karen! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
I have loved this recipe. I’ve made it many times as is, but to vary it up, I’ve added 150g of either rye or wheat flour to the dough. It makes a hardy loaf. The soft airy crumb of the original recipe is wonderful!
I have loved this recipe. I’ve made it many times as is, but to vary it up, I’ve added 150g of either rye or wheat flour to the dough. It makes a hardy loaf. The soft airy crumb of the original recipe is wonderful! (Note: I make 2 loaves at a time so 75g per single loaf.)
So nice to hear this, Kerrie! Thanks so much for writing and sharing your notes. I love what a little bit of rye does to bread … subtle but impactful!
This sourdough recipe has really changed my attitude to baking bread- foolproof every time! I have varied the cold proof time from anywhere between 6 and 24h, and I can vouch for the fact that 24 hours of cold proofing really make a difference! plus I find that the bread is quite forgiving of the time of teh 1st proof- If the dough only rises slightly, or it properly doubles, I still get great bread. Thank you for demystifying sourdough!
So great to hear this 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thank you so much for writing and sharing your notes and experiences. So helpful for others! 🍞🍞🍞🍞🍞
First try at sourdough and it was textbook perfect! I did my proof in the fridge for only 14 hours since that worked best for my baking schedule and it was seriously perfection.
So great to hear this, Carly! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
I am into recipe now for 6 hours.
Not sure if i have the willpower to let it sit overnight or bake it late tonight. 😂
You can do it 💪💪💪