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.
3,056 Comments on “Homemade Sourdough Bread, Step by Step”
Really struggling with pulling out the sour in this recipe. 3 loaves came out beautiful but not sour. It’s a new starter but it is proofing well. Any tips?
There are a number of ways to make your loaves taste more sour, but my biggest tip is to do a long, cold, refrigerated proof. The longer time the shaped loaf spends proofing in the fridge, the more sour the flavor. Try for at least 24 hours but for as long as 48 hours.
Another tip: use less starter. It’s counterintuitive, but using less starter usually means your bulk fermentation will be longer, which means your starter will go through its food source at a slower rate and therefore produce more acetic acid along the way.
I have been researching and experimenting with several different recipes for the last couple of months. Though I have had decent results, I was not happy because it was not as airy and light like I saw in pictures. I found this site and followed the video step by step and was so pleased with the results. It was night and day difference from all my other loaves. I will have to look no further than this recipe. Thank you so much we’re posting!
Great to hear, Vickee! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Keep coming back to this recipe because it produces an incredible loaf each time! Definitely a staple bread recipe in my house.
Great to hear, Lauren! Thanks for writing 🙂
Can you double the recipe?
Yes.
If doubling, does it affect the bulk fermentation at all? Twice as long? Or roughly the same amount of time-given that it is 50% increase?
Not twice as long — good question… rely on the visual cues: 50% (roughly) increase in volume before ending the bulk fermentation.
Used your advise and finally am thrilled with the results! Thank you so much! My husband won’t shut up about it. 😂
Do you ever use water or ice to steam while cooking? I’d like to try getting a bigger ear and darker crust. Just wondering if you have any tips. TIA.
Great to hear! I do not use water or ice because the Dutch oven does such a nice job with creating a steamy environment. Regarding the bigger ear, you could try simple scoring a little deeper next time. And you of course can experiment with ice and water… I supposed I’d do this upon removing the lid from the Dutch oven.
My forst attempt at sourdough. I followed the steps, but during the bulk rise it developed a “skin” on it….a thin hard layer. Is that normal? Any idea what I did wrong? I’m still going to see it through and see hownit bakes up. Just curios why that happened
Thanks
Val
Mine developed a skin as well! The only thing i can think is that i replaced the wet told during the stretch and folds with a dry towel during the first rise.
Hi! And bummer: it must just be very dry where you are? Next time around, I would use a lidded vessel or you can slick the top of the dough with a small amount of olive oil.
I went ahead and did theblast 2 stretch and folds and placed in fridge. I then read somewhere about oiling and putting plastic wrap, so I did that, put the towel back over it. Do you think it may still bake up ok?
How did it go?! Mine turned out delish!!!! You would never know that it got a bit dried out during proofing
Baked up perfect, taste awesome! So glad that didn’t mess it up.
Yes, nothing you’ve done should adversely affect the dough.
I’ve been using this recipe for years without fail. It always comes out perfect! Literally could not recommend it enough
Great to hear, Nora 🙂
loved this recipe so much!!! i’m curious if you can cut it into 2 pieces after the first bulk fermentation period to make two smaller loaves instead of one bigger one.
Yep! You can definitely do that 🙂
would you just cut the bake time in half? or bake it as instructed and just keep an extra eye on it
I would cut the bake time by 5 minutes at each phase (covered and uncovered). Good luck!
So I am a newbie when it comes to sourdough. Bought a starter to rehydrate from Ballerina Farm and was kinda nervous. Made one loaf using a different recipe. While the bread tasted good it was very dense and not airy. I now know it was a low hydration recipe so it came out as directed. But then I found your recipe! I used your method to make my second loaf of sourdough and wow!!!! It is so good, light, airy, PERFECT! So glad I found this early on in my sourdough journey! I feel like a baker lol!
You are a baker!! Yay. So nice to read all of this. Thanks so much for writing.
I captured my own starter 7 months ago and have been experimenting with it since. In the making bread department I’ve had several failures, a couple of OKs but this was the best recipe by far! Thank you!
Great to hear, Deb! Thanks for writing 🙂
My oven only preheats to 500 degrees, will that prevent the sourdough from baking properly?
Nope! It will be just fine.
First time trying this recipe and hoping for success but is it ok to use all purpose flour for this instead of bread flour? Thanks in advance.
Yes, it will be fine…. perhaps the finished loaf will be a little less lofty, but overall still great, tender, and tasty 🙂
I finally got the open, airy crumb I’ve been looking for with this recipe!! Highly recommend. The 24 hour cold proofing and higher hydration did the trick along with the other suggested tweaks. Wish I had a way to attach a picture because I’m so proud of my loaf 🍞😁.
So nice to read this, Lisa! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
A neighbor gave me some starter and a link to this recipe to use. I was nervous because I have never made sourdough before this and I couldn’t be happier with the result! Very easy to follow and understand. Thank you!
Wonderful to hear, Charli! Thanks for writing 🙂
Turned out wonderful! Hubby said it was the best bread I’ve ever made🥰
Great to hear, Karen! Thanks for writing 🙂
What are you looking for on the first step of baking with the lid on and then afterwards, as well as whether to bake the loaf further directly on the rack? I’ve been adding olives in my bread and I think it needs longer. It often collapses and is a bit pale when I do 30min covered at 450 and 15min uncovered at 400 afterwards.
The covered Dutch oven creates a really steamy (hot!) environment for the bread to rise. The uncovered step is where the bread browns and crisps. The olives might be adding additional moisture, so you may need to increase the baking time. If it’s collapsing, I’d try adding 5 minutes covered and then relying on the visual cues for the uncovered phase — it also may need 5 or so minutes more.
We don’t like a very crispy crust, for a softer crust should I omit preheating the dutch oven? Or can i bake it uncovered for a shorter time?
I would bake it uncovered for less time — the crust is still quite soft after the initial covered bake.
It was my first time making sourdough so I was very stressed but this recipe helped me create a stunning loaf 🙂 I definitely want it slightly more sour so I guess, judging by the comments, I should leave it to proof longer, but otherwise the loaf was phenomenal and the recipe was very easy to follow. Thank you so much!
Great to hear! Yes, a longer cold proof, or counterintuitively you can use less starter at the start so that the bulk fermentation takes a little longer.
I’m failing at sourdough and this is my 5+ attempt at getting a loaf that’s not so dense. I’m finding at the stretch and fold phase my dough is so tough it won’t stretch more than 2 inches. It’s winter in MN and my house is cold. Is this the culprit? Related to temp my starter never looks very bubbly after feeding. Thanks for any advice!!!
I think the issues are probably stemming from your starter. I would spend some time getting it really up to strength: feeding it, discarding it, feeding it, etc. Is it a new starter? What are you feeding it with? Are you using a scale?
I decided to bake this loaf but give it a 36 hour cold ferment – it turned out beautiful and so tasty!!! I do think you’re right that my starter needed some work. I’ve been feeding consistently 1-2 per day and it’s much more bubbly now. Thank you!!
Great to hear, Elise! Thanks for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Tried searching the comments but that proved super time consuming – – – LOVE your recipe and instructions – worked SO well for me.
IF I wanted to fold in add ins (aka cheese and jalapenos) . . . at what point in your perfect process would that be best to do?
THANKS so much!
I suggest after the second set of stretches and folds or just before the third set: sprinkle the toppings over the dough; then stretch and fold. You may want to add an additional set of stretches and folds to ensure the ingredients are evenly distributed.
This is my first time making sourdough bread. I have landed in your recipe as I liked the measurement conversions and flexibility on time as I work fulltime outside the home.
My question is, I have a 2 quart Dutch oven. So once the dough is made can I cut it in half then do 2 hours of folds. Then shape both separately and then proof in the fridge. I cant see why but rhought I should ask. As a family of 2 now (newly empty nesters) this will work better to have smaller loaves. The only thing I am unsure about it the cooking times. Will they be shorter for a smaller amount. Have you ever done this?
Hi! You absolutely can divide the dough in half after the bulk fermentation and make two smaller loaves. When ready to bake, reduce the baking time by 5 minutes at each phase (covered and uncovered).
Can you make this with gluten free flour? Thank you!
No, I’m afraid you won’t have great results. I’d google “gluten-free sourdough bread” and see what you find… you’ll need to start with a gluten-free starter, and I’m sure there are other tricks along the way that someone else will be better at assisting you with.
After several months of trying a few other recipes, I’ve finally baked what I’ve been looking for. This loaf has the best flavor, crust and crumb of them all. Thank you!
Thank you. I actually split it after the 4th stretch and pull. then let it rise in 2 different bowls. i will try it the pother way next time. WIsh me luck as the first loaf goes in the oven tonight ( at the 10 hour mark) and then I will bake the other one (at the 24 hour mark).
Thanks for getting back to me.
Cheers.
Christine
Good luck! I hope they both turn out well 🙂
Great to hear, Patricia! Thanks for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Hi. Do you use a damp towel during bulk fermentation? Also what do you put your dough in when doing proving in fridge overnight? how do you keep it covered?
I use a lidded vessel for the bulk fermentation (something like this is great) and, for the fridge proofing, I tuck my loaf (which is in the towel-lined banneton) into a bag — produce bags from the grocery store are great for this purpose.
This recipe was very easy to follow and my loaf turned out better than any other to date. I think I over proofed it (48 hours in the fridge) and my house is colder (66-68 F), so during fermentation, I kept it in the over (heat off) to try to create a warmer environment. Overall though, the hydration was great in this loaf. Amazing bubbles and not dense. Thank you so much for sharing this!
Great to hear, Michelle! Try for a shorter proof next time in the fridge and see if that helps.
I love the simplicity of this recipe and the fact that my sourdough loaves bake up beautifully every time. My go to sourdough recipe! !
Great to hear, Jane! Thanks so much for writing 🙂
Hi. Do you cover with a damp towel during bulk fermentation and between folds? Is that a shower cap u are using? Csn it just be a kitchen towel over the top or does it have to be sealed?
How do you cover in fridge also?
I use a lidded vessel for the bulk fermentation (something like this is great) and, for the fridge proofing, I tuck my loaf (which is in the towel-lined banneton) into a bag — produce bags from the grocery store are great for this purpose.
When I am doing the stretches, I use one of these cloth bowl covers. You absolutely can use a damp kitchen towel.
Hello, I recently made this recipe and the loaf came out flat, but tasted delicious so I will keep working on it. I am going to try less hydration as I live in a very wet environment. I will also try making my own bread flour since I live in an area where it is not available. I just used all purpose. My question is, is the bread supposed to actually rise while in the refrigerator?
Mine did not at all.
Thank you!
Hi Martha! Sourdough does not rise in the fridge generally — unless the fridge isn’t as cold as it should be and unless you have a very very active starter.
Questions: are you using a scale to measure? what brand flour are you using?
Hello! Have you made bagels with your dough before? Curious of the process if you have. I’m into the 24-48 hour proofing step right now for the first time – excited about your recipe! Thx
I have not! I do have a yeasted bagel version, however, so you could probably use this recipe through the end of the bulk fermentation, then follow the shaping/boiling/baking recipe over there: Foolproof Homemade Bagels Recipe