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
What is the Best Dutch Oven for Sourdough Bread?
I love my Lodge Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Double Dutch Oven, which I’ve had for years! The Lodge is a great value at around $49, but if you like the idea of making batards, baguettes and other oblong-shaped loaves, I can’t recommend the Challenger Bread Pan enough, which costs $299. The placement of the handles makes for easy removal and closure of the lid, and it creates beautiful, crusty loaves every time.
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.
- Adding Other Ingredients: If you’d like to add cheese, herbs, jalapeños, or other seasonings, do so before the third set of stretches and folds. Consider adding a fifth set of stretches and folds to ensure the ingredients are evenly incorporated into the dough.
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.
3,808 Comments on “Homemade Sourdough Bread, Step by Step”
Thank you for making the video. I really appreciate how well the video is and how you made it very simple. I also appreciate the fact that you show the six hour in the 24 hour difference. That means a lot to me. I like the 24 hour style better
Keep up the great work
Thanks Ed! And thanks so much for writing 🙂
Beautiful loaf! The only thing I did different was add dried cranberries and chopped pecans during the folding stage. It baked up beautifully and tastes great!
Yum! Great to hear, Julie! Thanks so much for writing and sharing this 🙂
I could use some help. I’ve followed this recipe as exactly as I can, with a homemade starter that is passing both tests to show it’s healthy and active. I’m in western New York, so not a warm or humid area at the moment.
Before I’ve even finished mixing the dough together, it is impossibly sticky. I’ve calibrated my food scale so I know I’m getting accurate measurements. I’m using King Arthur bread flour.
My first attempt, I followed the entire process through to the end and wound up with a good looking loaf, but it was pretty dense and not evenly cooked.
After watching your video, it’s clear that the dough is way stickier than it should be. I’ve tried going up to 600g flour but the stickiness remained, and I’ve tried adding only 325g water it was still too sticky to work with.
I feel like I’m clearly going wrong somewhere but the method is very clear, so I really don’t know what to try next!
Hi, I’m also in the North East and what works best for me is doing around 325g water with 100g of starter, I added the salt but also a tsp sugar , it will feel a bit sticky until the final stretch and fold but it you feel it’s still too sticky add a tablespoon of flour at a time until it’s still a little sticky but a tiny bit more firm. Then rest and stretch and fold . . I also find the more you do the recipe the more you’ll find what works best for your air temp that’s why I stick with the same recipe instead of jumping around . The more you do a bread the better you get at it . Trust the process . I know I’m not the author but I hope that helps 🙂
Hi Adam,
Apologies for the delay here. I’m a little stumped as you seem to be doing everything right: using a scale to measure, using bread flour, making adjustments with the flour/water to correct for the stickiness.
My only thought is that you aren’t building enough strength at the stretches and folds phases, which is leading to the stickiness. Are you using a wet hand? And are you feeling the dough get stronger with each set of stretches and folds?
What are you using to cook the loaf?
Thank you for the response! I’m using a cast iron Dutch oven to bake, preheating it uncovered for about an hour before I bake.
Even though I calibrated it, I do think my biggest issue was with my scale. Out of frustration I attempted a loaf using volume measurements instead of mass, and I’ve made four pretty respectable loaves so far!
OK! Well, great to hear you’ve found a solution. Scales are maddening when they are not functioning properly. Thanks for circling back 🙂
Great recipe and video. The video really helped me figure out the best consistency of the dough as I am new to sourdough baking. I live in the northeast and this time of year my home temperature is around 65. My rise time has been much less than what is recommended. I am chalking that up to very low humidity this fall. I am surprised that the fridge proof is happening so quickly. Is it possible to over proof?
Hi Deborah! Great to hear. It sounds as though you have a lively, vigorous starter, which is great. It is definitely possible to over proof both at room temperature and in the fridge. Are you using a straight-sided vessel for the bulk fermentation? That should help prevent over-proofing at room temperature. For the fridge proof, I’d stick to 24-48 hours.
Followed the recipe to a T and it was so sticky I could barely shape it. What did I do wrong? Haven’t baked but not confident it will hold its shape.
Read what I wrote in reply to “Adam’s” post 😉 it may apply to you as well.
Are you using a scale to measure?
What type of flour are you using?
Do you live in a humid envrionment?
Love this recipe! My only question is can I double it to make 2 loaves? If so; is it as simple as doubling all the ingredients?
Thank you in advance!
Yes! Double everything; split after the bulk fermentation 🙂
Hi! I followed your starter recipe but neglected to notice your comment about how you always use King Arthur Organic AP flour to build your starter, and I had used Italian 00 flour. I got to the point of mixing my dough, and it was WAY too sticky, so I got frustrated and threw it out. Ha. I’m wondering if I should start over from square one — create a brand-new starter with King Arthur AP flour or use some of the discard I have in my fridge and add King Arthur AP flour to that to re-build my starter (that maybe just wasn’t strong enough in the first place)? Is it okay to mix flours in a starter? It just could be that my starter wasn’t strong enough — I fed it last at 9 pm last night and it had more than doubled by this morning at 7:30 am, but I didn’t witness it, so not sure how long it took (it could’ve been more than 4–8 hours).
Thank you for the help!!!
Hi! Don’t start over! Discard most of your starter, then start feeding it with the organic AP flour or bread flour or freshly milled flour. 00 flour does not absorb water the way bread flour does, which is why your dough was way too sticky. Whenever I use 00 flour, I need to lower the hydration considerably.
Im just getting into sourdough thanks to a friend giving md some of her starter. I do have bread experience, but sourdough is a different game. Ive tried 2 other recipes besides this one, and though they were wonderful recipes, they just didnt work for me. This one, however, turned out amazing. I baked it after 16 hours in the fridge. It took 8 hours to bulk ferment. I got the perfect crumb and can really taste the tang!! Its a wonderful recipe. Will use again.
Great to hear, Lindsay! Thanks so much for writing and sharing your experience 🙂
The Husband has been making your recipe for us on a regular basis & we love it – but we’ve realized that our current bread knives are not quite up to the task of doing justice to his great bread. Do you have any recommendations for a good knife that’s up to the task? Thanks for any advice you may have on this matter.
Absolutely love this recipe! Do you think I could split the dough and bake two smaller loaves? If yes, any thoughts on how long it would take to bake?
Yes! Reduce the baking time by five minutes at each phase (covered and uncovered).
Amazing, amazing, amazing! I was SO intimidated to make my first sourdough bread but this was so easy for me to follow and I’ve made the BEST loaves with this! My family has been raving about my sourdough bread thanks to this page. I’m baking my 3rd loaf ever tomorrow because everyone is eating it like crazy around here. THANK YOU!!!
So nice to hear this, Brittney! Thanks so much for writing. Love hearing about your happy household 💕💕
Your recipes are just amazing. Perfection. I make this recipe bi-weekly, and it never fails, as well as your sourdough focaccia. So easy to make and just incredibly good. Thank you! 🙂
Great to hear, Guilda! Thanks so much for writing and for your kind words 🙂
Is it 8-10 hours bulk fermentation from the start of stretch and fold or after all of the stretch and folds?
After. But more than relying on the time frame, rely on the visual cues: use a straight-sided vessel, and when the dough has increased in volume by 50-75%, you’re ready to proceed.
Can you provide some insight about the differences between the 50-75% rise, is this range still considered adequately fermented/proofed? Is the range appliable to account for factors in the variable humidity/temps in different kitchens? I have made this recipe a couple of times and the trial and error part is fun, but I am curious about this and would love to hear what you say about this.
Yes, it’s definitely adequately proofed at that range. I provide the range more so that people can experiment and see what works best for them. I honestly still push my bulk fermentation to between 75-100%, but that’s because I never have issues with the dough being too sticky or unmanageable when I push it that far — for my environment and with the flour I’m using, it works. For others, going beyond a 50% rise causes issues with stickiness/overfermenting. I do think sourdough takes some trial and error to find both the magic ratio of water to flour (given the environment and flour being used) and then the ideal bulk fermentation, again given the environment. Hope that helps!
Ali, you made this recipe so clear with your Steps Method photos. While I have baked for a few years now, your recipe and instructions were awesome in clarity. I may have had to read parts a few times in the process, your included photos gave me confidence to get it done. Wish I knew how to add a photo to this message, but it is beautiful and the crumb perfection. Looking forward to watch your new bread recipes as you share. Happy Holidays ahead. Be well. Eva
Great to hear, Eva! Thanks so much for writing and sharing this 🙂
H Ali,
YEES!! I had a winner, it was the flour! Perfect now, thank you so much
Hooray! Great to hear. Thanks for circling back 🙂
What dutch oven do you have that can be safely heated to 550 degrees? I think I damaged mine doing this and after the fact realized it should only be heated to 500. Loved the bread I got from this recipe but upset about my DO.
I have two: The Lodge Double Dutch Oven and the Challenger Bread Pan. If your DO doesn’t do well at high temps, you can preheat it at a lower temp — 450ºF is fine as long as you preheat it sufficiently (at least 30 minutes).
Is the cold fermentation necessary? Could I just pop it in the oven after bulk ferment on the counter?
You can, but the crumb won’t be as light and airy.
Interesting, I wonder why that is? I thought putting sourdough in the fridge slowed it from growing, kind of like starter?
It does! But good things are still happening, so while the loaf will look mostly unchanged visually from the outside, good things are happening beneath the surface 🙂
Hands down….This is the best recipe that I found for making sourdough bread. I am am one year into making bread and I love how simple this recipe is. I have scrolled countless websites, Facebook Sourdough Bread for Beginner’s and failed many recipes. I follow this recipe 99.9999999% and I add a small dash of avocado oil once I am done blending all the ingredients and prior to the stretch and fold process. Thank you for providing this recipe for the patron bakers and I love the process of baking bread for others.
Froggtmy
Hands down….This is the best recipe that I found for making sourdough bread. I am am one year into making bread and I love how simple this recipe is. I have scrolled countless websites, Facebook Sourdough Bread for Beginner’s and failed many recipes. I follow this recipe 99.9999999% and I add a small dash of avocado oil once I am done blending all the ingredients and prior to the stretch and fold process. Thank you for providing this recipe for the patron bakers and I love the process of baking bread for others.
Froggy Hurdt
So nice to read all of this, Froggy! Thanks so much for writing and sharing your experience. So encouraging for others 🙂
First time with sourdough but avid baker. Followed your cold weather instructions. Seemed too sticky so second loaf was made with less water. The original recipe came out less dense. Less water was too dense I think I may have under cooked and cut too early for both loaves. Will go with an autolyse and high gluten flour for my next sourdough baking excapade. Even though it was dense, I firmly believe it was user error and just needs some tweaking 🙂
Great to hear, Renee! I firmly believe sourdough is all about finding that magic ratio of flour to water given your environment and the type of flour you are using — all flours absorb water differently, and it takes some trial and error to get the ratios right. Good work keeping at it 🙂
hi, I love your recipe! My first loaf came out very gummy and dense, but I was expecting imperfection due to it being the first try. However, the second time trying to make the dough, it was firm in a good texture prior to the bulk fermentation, but after eight hours of fermenting at room temperature of 68°F it became very liquidy and hard to work with as well as sticky. I got frustrated so I threw it away the third time. I tried 5 g less of water and the result was the same. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. Help would be appreciated. Thank you!
Hi Sam! Questions:
Are you using a scale to measure?
What type of flour are you using?
Do you live in a humid environment?
Tell me about your starter: is it homemade? Are you feeding it and letting it rise until double in volume before using it? How are you feeding it?
I live in Texas but right now it’s a bit on the dry side. My starter triples in size before i use it. I use the king arthur’s bread flour. I use a scale to measure.
OK, great to hear about the scale. One last question do you have a straight-sided vessel you could use for the bulk fermentation? I think you need to better monitor this step and make sure you are ending the bulk fermentation before the dough doubles in volume. It sounds as though your starter is very active, and it also sounds as though your dough might be over-fermenting: this “it was firm in a good texture prior to the bulk fermentation, but after eight hours of fermenting at room temperature of 68°F it became very liquidy and hard to work with as well as sticky” sounds like over fermented dough.
What kind of flour are you using to feed your starter? And is it a homemade starter?
I’ve tried this recipe a couple times and each time my load turns out dense and almost wet on the inside. Do you have any tips?
Are you using a scale to measure?
What type of flour are you using?
Do you live in a humid environment?
Tell me about your starter: is it homemade? Are you feeding it and letting it rise until double in volume before using it? How are you feeding it?
I used a scale the first time but the dough turned out extremely watery and I could barely work with it. The other time I measured without a scale and it turned out better but still was very dense and wet on inside.
I do have suspicions that my starter could be effecting the loaf. I feed it 12-24 hours before use and it rises but definitely not double in size, only slightly. I don’t live in a warm or humid environment either.
Ok, yeah, it sounds as though you may need to spend some time strengthening your starter. It should double in volume within 6 to 8 hours of feeding it. This post might give you some guidance:
Definitely continue using the scale to measure… it’s the only way to measure accurately.
Perfect and oh so delicious every. Single. Time. I’ve even added nacho peppers and/or various cheeses every so often (at the family’s request) and it turns out beautiful and flavorful without fail.
Great to hear! Thanks so much for writing and sharing 🙂
Thank you for your recipe! I made my very first loaf and it turned out very nice! The second attempt, though, I had very sticky dough when shaping and it was difficult to get it to do anything but stick. I added a bit more flour so it would cooperate. I’ve yet to bake it so don’t know how the results will be. I’m wondering if my dough was over or under proofed? Any insight is greatly appreciated!
Hi! Questions for you: are you using a scale to measure? Are you using a straight-sided vessel for the bulk fermentation? It sounds as though the dough may have over-fermented.
Amazing recipe, great success with first loaf! I made sourdough all through covid isolation, using my own wild starter, but was never really satisfied. Now I’m thrilled! Making my third loaf now. No kitchen scales, but lots of bread making experience with regular yeast breads. High hydration (sticky but manageable) and at least 24 hours in fridge for proofing.
Great to hear, Linda! Thanks so much for writing 🙂
Great recipe. My bread turned out perfectly!
Great to hear, Kirsten!!
This was very helpful for me as a newbie sourdough maker. Thank you. I’ve made the recipe a few times now, and it gets better each time!
Great to hear, Mary! Thanks for writing 🙂
I baked this recipe this morning and it looks wonderful. Fingers crossed, I am gifting it, so I won’t be able to see what the inside looks like. I am wondering if this recipe might lend itself to adding in cheese. That is something I want to try next. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Yes, absolutely! Add it before the second set of stretches and folds
If anyone is new to sourdough, start here! A friend of mine “kindly” gave me a sourdough starter. I was terrified! I have made about 10 loaves now, five focaccia and five of this recipe. I have read this post (ad nauseam 😆) at least 30 times. I can now read other recipes and understand the lingo but your recipe always turns out perfect. Your directions, notes and videos are extremely helpful as a mid level baker and have given me confidence.
And what I find extremely amazing, considering how many followers you have, I have emailed you with the question and I got a response the next day!! Thank you for caring about your students.
Thank you for making me a rockstar in my household!
Awww, it’s my pleasure, and it is so nice to read all of this! Thanks so much for taking the time to write and share all of this — it’s so encouraging for others. Happy baking!!
Hi! Looking forward to trying your method 🙂 for the 50% increase in volume during bulk fermentation, is that a 50% increase compared to the dough volume right after mixing, or compared to the dough volume after all the stretch and folds/two hours after mixing? I find that my dough increases a lot in volume even over those first few hours, so wasn’t sure which volume to compare to.
If you find that your dough really grows in volume during those first two hours, then do 50% increase in volume from the start. I typically don’t see much change during those first few hours, so I do 50% (or actually more like 75%) from the end of the bulk fermentation.
Wow! You nailed this recipe. It came out of the oven as a “thing of beauty”. Definitely my go to recipe for sourdough. Thank you
Great to hear Lynn! Thanks for writing 🙂
Would I be able to make this in a loaf pan instead of a Dutch oven?
Yes! I’d recommend using this higher hydration dough instead, however: Easy Sourdough Sandwich Bread