Homemade Sourdough Bread, Step by Step
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
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.
3,029 Comments on “Homemade Sourdough Bread, Step by Step”
Hi! Love your recipes and have been enjoying making sourdough. I wanted to get all the right equipment but wondering what size of banneton to get for this recipe both for round and oval. Thanks!!
Deena
Hi! I use an 8-inch round and an 8.5-inch oval. Thank you for your kind words 🙂
I absolutely love this recipe it’s easy and delicious everytime. However I was wondering if there was a way I am able to cut the recipe in half to make a smaller loaf?
You can definitely cut it in half! Go for it 🙂
I have a long history of failure with sour dough but i thought this looked a simple enough recipe so gave it a try. The recipe itself is very straightforward, my dough was too wet but i corrected that as best I could and produced a set of 3 loaves (i doubled up) which had the best crumb structure I think I have ever produced. I realised though that I needed to be much braver with my slashes as the loaves did ball up a bit and explode out the bottom but they tasted good. I will give it another go this week as I am determined to crack it this time. Very happy with the recipe, just need to make some minor tweaks to my process to fit my materials. Thanks for your clear instructions, YouTube video was also very helpful. 👍🏻
Great to hear, Philippa! Yes, adjust the water amount as needed based on your results and environment. Thanks for writing!
I love this recipe! I just have to make sure I do the lesser amount of water 🙂 Have you done an open bake with this recipe? If so, I would love to see another post with your personal instructions, tips and results. I like to bake a lot at once but hate having to bring the oven back up to such a high temperature after every loaf or 2 and I don’t have the equipment to put that many in a Dutch oven at once. I’ve come to love and trust a lot of your recipes and share them frequently! Thanks for your work!
So nice to read all of this, KC. By open bake, do you mean simply placing the shaped loaf on a sheet pan? Or would you use a Baking Steel?
I’m fairly new to sourdough, and I wasn’t thrilled with how my bread was turning out with other recipes. I followed this one and it turned out SO good on my first try! I finally got an open crumb, so airy and delicious. The extra tips in the article were so helpful. I’m excited to keep going and perfecting!
Wonderful to hear this, Katelynn! Thanks so much for writing 🙂
Second time using this recipe. All went well, the stretching really added strength. Put in fridge for almost 48 hours and to my surprise when I opened it it has continued to rise more than it should have. When I cut the top it was like letting air out of a balloon. Went flat. I don’t know if should use less water or what. I must be doing something wrong but thought I watched the videos and did exactly what I was supposed to do.
Hi! When you shaped the dough into a boule or batard and got it into the banneton, did you let it proof at room temperature first? Or did you stick it straight into the fridge?
This was first time baking sourdough bread. The instructions are simple and easy to understand. The bread is PERFECT and i wouldnt change a thing. this will be my staple, go to recipe
Great to hear, Anna! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
I’m just starting my sourdough journey, and your recipe was my first attempt at bread. It turned out SO well! I got distracted during the bulk fermentation stage and probably overproofed it a smidge, but I stuck it in the fridge for about 20 hours and it turned out amazing! Thank you!
So nice to hear, Cari! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
I’ve tried a couple of other recipes for sourdough bread and this one is the best! Easy and straightforward with great results.
So nice to hear, Sandra! Thanks for writing and sharing this 🙂
Thank you for all your tips… I am new to sourdough… my first loaf failed badly… I then followed your steps and it was amazing!!!
Great to hear, Wanda! Thanks for writing 🙂
I have a hard time grasping SD. Since, I’m making my 5th loaf in the morning with your recipe and I’m hoping for a beautiful crumb.
I believe 4,000k years ago it was done like you are saying how to do it.
Not a bunch of fuss!
Thank you!
Hope it turns out great, Malia! Good luck 🙂
I wish I could say it was great, but I followed the recipe to the letter twice now and still have no oven spring. It is flat. Flat as a pancake. My sourdough was bubbly, passed the float test, I made sure not to over shape it after it had it’s long rest, put it in the fridge for the 24 hours period. Not sure! Very frustrating. Any advice for oven spring? Thank you!
Hi! Questions for you:
Is this your first sourdough loaf? Or have you had success with other recipes?
Is your starter homemade? Did it double in volume after you fed it? If so, how long did it take to double in volume?
What kind of flour are you using to feed your starter and in the bread recipe?
Are you using a scale to measure?
During the bulk fermentation, did the dough double in volume? If so, how long did it take roughly for the dough to double?
Thank you for your quick response. I really do love your website and videos, but have felt sad that my oven spring isn’t there.
I’ve been making sourdough loaves for 6 months, before that I was doing overnight poolish.
My sourdough starter is homemade, I started it 4 months ago. It doubles 6 hours after feeding it. I feed it with 1/4 whole wheat and all purpose (no bleach) flour. Yes, measuring with scale.
During bulk fermentation, it doesn’t really double, hard to tell since I use a bowl, so it is hard to tell. I did read that you said sometimes it better to not let it double because it might over ferment.
I tired the recipe again and it had a beautiful oven spring, so I’m not sure what changed. Any pointers for the oven spring? Thank you!
You seem committed to sourdough baking, so I would suggest investing in a straight-sided vessel to help you monitor the bulk fermentation. I love these. You don’t need to let the dough double (as noted in the recipe), but you do want to make sure the dough rises 50-75% otherwise your dough won’t rise in the oven.
Other tips for oven spring: use 100% bread flour. Shaping: shape a batard as opposed to a boule.
What are you using to bake your loaf? As in: a Dutch oven?
Thanks for the recommendation for a straight-sided vessel during the bulk ferment. I’ll have to look into that.
I do use bread flour and have used both batard and boule. I bake in a dutch oven. I’m wondering if my lack of oven spring is in the forming of the ball before putting it in the fridge.
It’s possible — you definitely want to create tension when you shape. When you shape, does your dough have a lot of strength and elasticity? Or does it feel wet and structureless?
Hello,
I have a question I was hoping you could answer! If i refrigerate my dough after doing the stretch and folds and take it back out to continue in the morning to do its bulk fermentation, Would I still continue to put the dough back in the fridge for its second rise once the bulk fermentation is done?
Yes!
This is my go to recipe! i love it. In case you’re interested, i’ve been trying different things with my sourdough starter. I’ve been taking it directly from the fridge and using it (vs taking it out of the fridge and getting it active again). So far anything up to a week has worked perfectly (though the bulk rise can take longer). The other thing that I’ve noticed is that occasionally my starter didn’t float (which worried me). I think its because it hadn’t really fermented enough in the fridge. But again, other than the length of time, the bread turned out beautifully! i just wanted to mention this because I sometimes struggle with getting it out of the fridge and reactivating it in time to make the bread when i need is – so just wanted to share!
Great tips, Sarah! This is super helpful for people who struggle with getting the timing right with their starter feedings. Thanks so much for writing.
What if I don’t have a Dytch oven? Can I use a loaf pan?
Hi! I would make this recipe if you want to use a loaf pan: Easy Sourdough Sandwich Bread
Hi Ali
Hi Ali:
You wrote:
“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%.”
After it rises by roughly 50%, do you put the dough back into the refrigerator for the cold proof, for the 12 or 24 or more additional hours?
Your recipes are the best! Each and every time I make one of your recipes/dishes, they turn out great.
I had my library order your cookbook…it is very often check-out!!!
Thank you!
M
Awww so nice to read this, Marilyn 🙂
Yes: you still want to do another cold proof after the dough completes the bulk fermentation.
Thank you for your kind words and happy baking!!
I made this bread yesterday to pair with homemade oxtail soup. It was so good, it overshadowed the soup (which was great too). This is going to be my goto dread from now on! Thank you so much for sharing!
Great to hear, Andy! Thanks for writing 🙂
Loved this recipe but my dough was still a little gummy and not super air rated.
I live in florida so I am wondering if I used too much starter? I used 100, let it increase by 50% and followed everything to the letter I did let it proof in the fridge for 38 hours or so, so I wonder if that was too long?
Any tips would be appreciated!
I think you should consider reducing the amount of water from the start and/or using 50 grams of starter.
Also: what do you use to bake the bread?
Love this recipe, has come out great multiple times even when I mess up a step :0. Was wondering about your recommendations if I wanted to add mix-ins to the recipe? Should anything be changed proportionally or cooking-wise?
I would add them before the third set of stretches and folds. No need to change anything else regarding the ingredients or baking time. Go for it!
Made a cinnamon sugar loaf and folded in some during the shaping! Will definitely try some more mix-one with this!
Oh fun! Thanks for reporting back 🙂
I have been using this recipe for over a year now and it turns out great every time! I’ve tried 1 or 2 other recipes since I first made my starter but have always returns to this as my go-to. I think a 36-48 hrs 2nd proof in the fridge is best but have done as little as 12-18 hrs and it’s still turned out really delish. Definitely recommend giving this recipe a try, especially if you’re new to baking sourdough bread!
Great to hear, Nicky! Thanks so much for writing and sharing your experience.
I am new to sour dough and tried your recipe! Tasted amazing!! But my bulk fermentation seemed, more than doubled, to only take 3-4 hours to double my house is about 72-75 degrees. Is that normal or okay?
That’s great to hear! It sounds as though you have a very active/lively starter and a perfect environment for your sourdough to thrive. Thanks for writing!
Amazing recipe – even for beginners! I followed the recipe exactly and measured all ingredients. Since this was only my third attempt at sourdough, (first time with this recipe) I wasn’t confident my homemade starter was ripe enough. While it floated, it dissolved almost immediately when added to the water. Also, the dough was much wetter than I thought it should be so I added a bit more flour (about 1/4 cup) and also dusted on about 1/2 tsp of instant yeast. It was ready to shape after 6 hours and by morning, I popped it in a hot oven with my Dutch oven covering it and was amazed at the results. Going to make another one tonight!
Great to hear, Irene! Thanks for writing and sharing these notes. So great to hear about your success 🙂
YEAH!!!! I made my first sourdough loaf & it looks amazing. The only trouble I had was the wax paper sticking to the bottom a little. It’s cooling right now & I can’t wait to eat it.
Oh bummer! I would try parchment next time… did the wax paper come off?
I have made your sourdough focaccia I don’t even know how many times, always beyond amazing! Have shared your recipe numerous times 🙂 tried this one today, leaving it in the fridge x 36 hours before baking, i wish i could upload a photo…so excited for it to rest an hour so we could dig in!
Yay! Great to hear, Yvette. Thanks for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Made your sourdough recipe over the course of the last 3 days with, my first try, and it came out beautifully! I surprised myself! I had a very active starter at its peak, and my bread is tender and delicious! Thank you so much!
Great to hear, Jennifer! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
from one alexandra to another, thank you so much! I’ve used your recipe 10-15+ times to refine my sourdough loaf. I was curious, if I wanted to use your recipe and cut the loaf and shape them into baguettes for example, would I be able to do that? not sure if it would ruin the rise of the loaf by cutting it in half and shaping it into a baguette loaf after the refrigerated rise. any help or insight you can provide is appreciated and welcome, again thanks so much!!!
Hi! And great to hear 🙂
I love this idea but I do have a few concerns — I’ve long wanted to master baguettes at home and have had mixed success over the years. Questions:
What are you planning on baking the baguettes in? I feel like this is the trickiest part. I worry dividing the dough in half might not be enough. In other words, I think the resulting loaves might be too big for whatever you plan to bake the baguettes in.
In terms of method, I might consider: bulk rise, turn out, divide, shape into baguettes, then refrigerate in an airtight bag — the dough will dry out if it isn’t in a sealed environment. Then: score right before baking.
I can’t make any promises about this method, however, as I have not tried! Baguettes at home are tricky 🙂
This is my faux sourdough baguette “recipe” which you might like since you like this recipe.
This is my all time fave bread recipe. I start with 3/4 cup 12 grain flower and the rest is I bleached white. Love, love, love it. Thanks to my daughter for sharing it with me.
So great to hear this, Jane! Thanks for writing and sharing your notes 🙂
I am about to start tackling sourdough bread making. I was curious if this was a good recipe to use, if I want to do an apricot, walnut variation, and when would I add the fruit and nuts?
Hi Elizabeth! Yes, I would add them just before the third set of stretches and folds.
This was my first loaf of sourdough bread and I’m very happy with it except for one thing, I found the dough to be so sticky it was impossible to work with and to do stretch and folds. I ended up adding about 1/4 cup extra flour during the stretch and folds just to get it to a workable but still sticky place which probably messed up my crumb in the end. It ended up delicious but a little dense and gummy. I followed your instructions to the letter outside of the extra flour, I’m in a colder environment and my kitchen was maybe at 69-70 degrees once we turned the heat on and I read through your articles on sticky dough but I’m still a little lost. What do you recommend for dough that feels unworkable or is it supposed to feel that sticky?
Hi! Questions: are you using a scale to measure? And what type of flour are you using?
Yes, I use a scale and I’m using King Arthur Bread Flour. I’m working on my second loaf right now and the dough is coming out a lot better so I think the mistake was mine somewhere. I also wet my hands to do stretch and pulls like suggested (that I somehow missed the first time) and that helped a ton!
Ok yay! Great to hear. Keep me posted on how it turns out 🙂
You will make great bread and focaccia with the guidance of Ali!
Perfecto
I love feeling confident and successful…finally!
It all came together for me and I am a baking machine now : )
Mahalo nui loa
Great to hear 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thanks for writing.
I love this recipe. I have made it before and came out great. But yesterday i went to bake after 15 hours and 3 of them seemed to spread and not have height on them. I did everything as followed, I did use 100g. I did all the stretches, and the bulk fermentation. They were overflowing in the morning! I them shaped in the morning and refrigerated. When i placed them on the hot pan they looked perfect and then as the baked they got flatter.
Hi! It sounds as though the dough maybe overproofed. I’m a little confused: when you say “3 of them” what do you mean? Did you divide the dough into 3 portions after the bulk fermentation? And when you say “they were overflowing”, is this the bulk fermentation?
We’ll get to the bottom of it!
Hi! Love this recipe but I’m running into a couple problems. One, its so sticky! I live in the PNW so it is becoming a bit colder and wet here. Any tips on how to adjust? New ot this 🙂 Also, my dough doesn’t become more elastic as I do each set of folds…should i let it sit longer than the 30 mins, or shorter? Thank you!
Hi! Yes, you can definitely reduce the water from the start. Are you using a scale to measure? What type (brand would be helpful) of flour are you using?
Using a scale and using King Arthur’s Bread Flour. I was a bit rougher with it this last time and it seemed to stretch a bit more. I also let it sit for closer to 45mins between folds and it seemed to helped a bit
OK, great to hear!