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”
How do I need to adapt this recipe for gluten free flour. I love your recipe, and I have a gluten free friend who I would like to make a loaf for. I have a gluten free starter, but I’m not sure if using the same measurements but just substituting the flour will yield good results.
Hi Meghan, I’m afraid I’m not sure how to advise here. Gluten-free baking is not my specialty and combining that with sourdough is beyond my knowledge. I would google “gluten-free sourdough”… I’m sure there is someone specializing in that area. Good luck and sorry I can’t help!
Hi Ali,
The Game-changer for me has been using a straight-sided vessel with numbers & letting the dough rise to only 50% – I now can see that quite a few times I was letting my dough bulk ferment for longer than was actually needed!
The oven spring at 50% bulk fermentation is Amazing and I am feeling super happy that I have found such a Wonderful website & your wealth of knowledge (& simplicity) has helped me to bake better bread!
Thankyou very much
Cathy x
I’m so happy to hear this, Cathy! The straight-sided vessel made all the difference for me as well. Thanks so much for writing and sharing your notes, and thank you for your kind words, too 🙂 🙂 🙂
I am new to the sour dough game. I have tried a few recipes and experimented a bit. The advice and processes outlined on this page gave me my best result by far. The 50% rule was a game changer, and cold proofing also worked some magic. You got all the details on both what do do and what equipment to use.
Great to hear all of this, Dana! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Have been making a bread every week for the past month now. It just works perfectly.
I love the pictures and the little step videos throughout the recipe which is what I personally needed. Definitely recommending this to friends and family who want to make such a wonderful bread!
Great to hear all of this, Eleni! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Why do you need a proofing basket vs a bowl sprayed with olive oil. Guessing flour is so dosen’t stick….. wh en items are covered, will a wet towel do or does it need to be more air trapping like saran, etc.
Flour does help prevent sticking. Truthfully, I don’t even use flour anymore because my flour sack towels provide a nonstick barrier. A wet towel might work for a brief period but for longer periods — 24-48 hours — I would suggest something more airtight.
Hi Ali,
I have been having great success making breads with your recipe. In fact, I make two at a time now to keep up with the demand! ☺️
I’d like to try sourdough rolls. How do I adapt this recipe to create them? And how would they be baked? I currently use a crockpot or clay baker for bread. Thanks for this fabulous recipe!
Hi Carol! I think you could simply divide this dough up into small balls/portion after the bulk fermentation, and roll them up. I might consider skipping the cold proof and letting the balls rise at room temperature on a parchment-lined sheet pan. You’ll definitely want to keep the rolls covered with either a tea towel or plastic wrap to ensure they don’t dry out. I think the room temperature proof might take 3 to 4 hours. I would also consider maybe brushing the rolls with an egg wash before baking. Let me know if this makes sense!
This was so easy and the best sourdough I’ve ever made. Greatly appreciate the step by step directions as well as the detail given to understand how to bake great bread. Wish I could figure out how to post pictures! The texture and taste was as beautiful as it looked!
Thank you so much!
So wonderful to read all of this, Julie 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thanks so much for writing. I unfortunately don’t have a way to upload photos here… maybe one day. Have a great day, and happy happy baking!
Hi Alexandra, I cannot thank you enough for this recipe. My breads have started turning out so much better with your tips and I’m absolutely in love with sourdough now.
Do you have any suggestions for knives for slicing sourdough breads? My breads are turning out soft but with a crust and regular bread knives don’t seem up to the task.
Great to hear Trisha! Thanks so much for writing. I’m so happy to hear all of this. This is a great knife and reasonably priced. This one is also great, but a little more expensive.
So great!!! The 24 hour fridge proof is worth the wait, the bread/crumb came out springy and tasted amazing. I didn’t have a Dutch oven, so instead, I spritzed my dough with water (lightly dampen) before putting it into the oven on a preheated cookie sheet, and then spritzed the oven while quickly closing the door to create steam. The crust came out amazing and so crunchy! This recipe is definitely a keeper.
Thanks so much!
Great to hear all of this Bailey! Thanks so much for writing and sharing your notes — so helpful for others without a Dutch oven.
Any tips on adapting for a shape more compatible for sandwiches? My husband is loving the sourdough, but struggling with the boule shape.
Hi! Try this recipe: Easy Sourdough Sandwich (or Toasting) Bread So easy and delicious!
Hi Ali,
Do you have to use salt? thks
You have to use some salt. If you need to reduce it, go for it, but you definitely need to use some salt.
Hiya
I’ve made several attempts at your sourdough recipe and failed miserably. My dough inevitably comes out far too wet. I even tried reducing the flour ratio but no difference. Where am I going wrong?
Joe.
Hi Joe! Apologies for the delay here. Questions: are you using a scale to measure? Where are you located? Have you had success making other sourdough bread recipes or are you just getting started?
Thank you for this post! My loaf may turn out for once.
But just some feedback, there are a lot of ads on this page for a mobile website and pretty inconvenient to use:(
I’m sorry about the ads … will reach out to my ad network about removing some!
As a hard-core, decades long bread baker, this has become my go to Sourdough recipe. It consistently turns out beautifully, and is fairly easy to make. I do regularly use the full 100g of starter and about 25g less water than recipe. I find the trick with bread is pay attention to how the dough feels and looks to tell you how it’s doing.
Great to hear, Cathryn! I always use the 100 g of starter as well. And you are so right about look and feel: it’s all about the visual cues!
I’m using your recipe for my first ever attempt to make sourdough bread. I have a question: I don’t have a fancy upside-downy Dutch oven. Can I use a regular Dutch oven?
Yes, absolutely! Good luck!
Without a Dutch oven, can I bake this? What time and temperature?
Hi Jenna,
Yes: If you don’t have a Dutch oven, you can do several things. Know, however, these alternative methods will not give you the same results as a Dutch oven.
Options:
• Preheat any oven-safe pot with a lid.
• Preheat oven-safe pot with a sheet pan placed over top or vice versa: a sheet pan with a pot inverted over top.
• Preheat a Baking Steel or baking stone with a pot inverted over top.
• With any of these methods you may want to also preheat another smaller vessel (such as a cast iron skillet), into which you could throw some ice once the bread has been placed in its baking vessel. As the ice melts, it will release steam, which is good for oven spring.
Love this recipe and your detailed instructions. Are some starters more sour than others? I felt that my starter was not as flavorful as the San Francisco sour dough you buy. I did use starter that I developed from Amazon San Francisco starter yeast.
Hi Katherine! You can do things to make the loaf taste more sour. First: how long did you cold proof in the fridge? A 48-hour cold proof will give you more tang. Second, you can use your starter when it’s past its peak. In other words after it doubles or triples in volume, it will start to collapse a bit. It will smell more sour. Use it then. You don’t want to wait too long, but if you have the time to monitor your starter and use it when it’s starting to fall, your final loaf will taste more sour.
Wonderful recipe and instructions! I’ve baked accordingly several times and the bread turns out delicious, with nice oven spring and pretty good open crumb (not quite as nice as yours). The only thing I struggle with is the stretching of the dough – it’s doable, but it never seems as elastic as yours.
I have a strong starter (doubles in 3-4 hours, triples in 6), I use white wheat bread flour. What could be impacting the elasticity??
Great to hear, Aggie! Regarding the elasticity: can you tell me more about the white wheat flour? Is it a white whole wheat flour? The brand would be helpful, too.
Hi Ali,
Here’s the link to the flour I get:
https://www.costco.ca/creative-baker-bread-and-pizza-flour%2C-10-kg.product.100804887.html
I apologize for posting another comment on the same subject, I got confused!
I just looked at the information on the flour package. This is white flour, 12.5% protein. It is also bleach, which isn’t stated on the package but hydrogen peroxide shows on the list of ingredients. Is that where the problem is?
Hi! No worries for all the comments … I get it 🙂 🙂 🙂
It’s hard to say where the problem is but I would switch one variable first, and I suggest starting by swapping out the bleached flour for unbleached bread flour — that’s such a bummer about that Costco bag. The branding makes it seem very organic — I never would have guessed that that was bleached flour. Don’t throw it out — use it for cakes and cookies until it runs out. For bread, unbleached flour is best for flavor, aroma, and browning. Once you experiment with unbleached bread flour, if you are still not able to stretch the dough as well and if you are still getting the gumminess, I would try feeding your starter with bread flour as well.
A few thoughts: be sure to let the bread cool completely before cutting, at least one hour.
If you find that bread flour in your starter makes a difference in the texture of the dough and in the final bread, you can start incorporating whole wheat flour into the dough itself. I never use much more than 25% whole wheat flour (stone milled, freshly milled), but the flavor it imparts is incredible.
This is a great recipe. I’ve been trying to make sourdough for years. Not only is this the easiest recipe, I’ve also had the best results. Moist, well risen, tasty. Definitely try this one!
Great to hear, Anne! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
First timer here for sourdough and came out so good- didn’t even use bread flour or follow the instructions perfectly! A keeper recipe and worth the looooong wait. I wish there was a quicker way to make this. Thanks!
Great to hear this, Ashley! Thanks for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Wonderful recipe! While my bread comes out better than ever, I do have a bit of an issue. My dough never stretches as easily or as much as show in the video. Also, my bread has nice open crumb and good oven spring, but it is a bit gummy…
I did the troubleshooting, and reduced the amount of water to 325 ml (with 375 ml the dough was very sticky). I weigh all my ingredients with a digital scale. I use bread flour. My starter is strong, it doubles in 4-5 hours, and triples by 8 hours. I feed my starter with whole wheat flour – could this be the culprit?
Hi! No worries for all the comments … I get it 🙂 🙂 🙂
It’s hard to say where the problem is but I would switch one variable first, and I suggest starting by swapping out the bleached flour for unbleached bread flour — that’s such a bummer about that Costco bag. The branding makes it seem very organic — I never would have guessed that that was bleached flour. Don’t throw it out — use it for cakes and cookies until it runs out. For bread, unbleached flour is best for flavor, aroma, and browning. Once you experiment with unbleached bread flour, if you are still not able to stretch the dough as well and if you are still getting the gumminess, I would try feeding your starter with bread flour as well.
A few thoughts: be sure to let the bread cool completely before cutting, at least one hour.
If you find that bread flour in your starter makes a difference in the texture of the dough and in the final bread, you can start incorporating whole wheat flour into the dough itself. I never use much more than 25% whole wheat flour (stone milled, freshly milled), but the flavor it imparts is incredible.
Hi good morning,
I’m wondering why my dough releases and becomes almost like a puddle when bench resting before shaping?
I add the salt but wait until the first stretch and fold to incorporate.
I love this recipe 🙂 thank you so much
Hi Ken! A few things: if the dough is super puddly, as in without any structure, the dough has over fermented. But it sounds as though you might just need to reduce the amount of water from the start. I see you are in Canada from your email address, and from what I’ve learned over the years, Canadian flour absorbs water differently, so reducing the amount might help.
After years of hit and miss with my sourdough, this is now my go to recipe. It was perfect in every way. After moving to an elevation of 7,000 feet I had just about given up on making any type of bread. It’s really been a struggle, but this hit it out of the park for me. I’m going to try smoking it in our smoker next time. Thank you for a wonderful and easy recipe.
Wonderful to hear this, Tracy! I have never baked at elevation, and I imagine it must be very frustrating at times. Love that you’re going to smoke it next time … so fun!
I’ve made your peasant bread and loved it but now am only making sourdough. I love your recipe but have a couple of questions.
1) I could not complete the bulk fermentation and had to put in the fridge overnight. I took it back out and continued the BF on the counter. So my question is is it necessary to put back in the fridge for the 2nd rising or can I just shape, let it rise on counter and bake? Have you done that and if so how did it compare to putting back in the fridge for an additional overnight fermentation.
2) Have you baked this sourdough recipe in 2 of the pyrex bowls like the peasant bread? I’m tempted to try this because I like how the peasant bread is shaped and some people don’t like the heavy crust you usually get with a dutch oven.
Thanks for the great recipes, illustrations, and videos!
Hi Jackie! Apologies for the delay here. Thank you for your kind words!
So my question is is it necessary to put back in the fridge for the 2nd rising or can I just shape, let it rise on counter and bake? Have you done that and if so how did it compare to putting back in the fridge for an additional overnight fermentation.
You definitely can skip the second cold proof, but you won’t get as airy or open a crumb if you do. If you don’t care about getting that especially light, airy crumb, you can skip the cold proof. I always take the time to allow the shaped loaf to spend at least 24 hours in the fridge, because I do love the lighter crumb.
Have you baked this sourdough recipe in 2 of the pyrex bowls like the peasant bread? I’m tempted to try this because I like how the peasant bread is shaped and some people don’t like the heavy crust you usually get with a dutch oven.
Yes, you can definitely do this. And if you do, after the bulk fermentation, do let the dough rise at room temperature in the bowls until it begins to crown the rim. This can take 3 to 5 hours. You may want to cover the bowls with plastic wrap or slick the surface with olive oil to ensure the dough doesn’t dry out.
Made this for my first ever try at making sourdough and WOW it came out absolutely amazing.
Great to hear, Laura! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Question about step 8 and 9 – are you waiting for temp to reach 450 before putting the dough in or are you baking while the oven is lowering?
Hi! No need to wait for the temperature to get down to 450ºF. Turn the dial to 450ºF, then place your Dutch oven in the oven.
This post has been unbelievably helpful and everything has been spot on. But now I have my baby in the fridge for the last approx. 18 hours and I’m not sure if it should be rising but it doesn’t appear to be. Dough was coming along wonderfully, but now I’m concerned. Any assistance is so greatly appreciated. Thank you for this all.
Hi Matt! This is normal. Sourdough dough does not change much visually in the fridge. Is it the shaped boule or batard you have in the fridge? How long has it been there? It is totally fine if it looks mostly unchanged when you remove it once it’s time to bake.
Your instructions for making simple sourdough bread are brilliant – I was about to give up on the whole sourdough caper when I came across your website which has been a game changer for me. I bake a beautiful loaf using half white flour, 1/4 rye and 1/4 spelt eery week and have taught lots of friends how to do it using your recipe so thank you so much Alexandra.
It’s so nice to read all of this, Sally. Thanks so much for taking the time to write and to share your notes. Thank you for sharing the sourdough love with your friends, too 🙂 🙂 🙂
I’ve tried many sourdough bread recipes and yours is the absolute best!
Great to hear, Lisa! Thanks for writing 🙂
Hi Ali,
Help!! I’ve made this three times I but have had the same problem each time; my dough doesn’t rise during the fermentation process. I’ve worked On my starter to the point that it doubled in size and passed the float test yet still my dough still doesn’t rise. Another thing I found is twice the top of the dough started hardening during fermentation. Any ideas what I’m doing wrong?
Hi Mary! Can you tell me about your starter? How quickly does it double in volume? What are your feeding it with? Are you using a scale?
The dough is hardening likely because it is taking so long for the dough to rise, and so the dough is drying out. If you have a large enough vessel with a lid, use that next time. But first you need to get your starter stronger. This is my troubleshooting page: Why is my sourdough so sticky? 4 Common Sourdough Mistakes + Answers to FAQ’s