Easy Sourdough Bread (Whole Wheat-ish)
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This is my favorite sourdough bread: It’s high hydration, whole wheat(ish), and just so darn tasty. As far as sourdough recipes go, this is about as simple as it gets. Below, you’ll find video guidance for every step of the process. Let’s do this! 🍞🍞🍞🍞
Sourdough is often described as a journey. The more I make it, the more this sentiment becomes a truth. For the past few years, I’ve been tinkering with various sourdough recipes, and though I can’t say I won’t stop tinkering, this is the current snapshot of my sourdough journey.
These are the characteristics I like in a sourdough boule:
- high hydration (at least 75%)
- whole wheat-ish
- crusty but not super crusty
- nicely salted
- tangy though not super sour
I’ve outlined the process below to create this type of loaf, which as far as sourdough recipes go, is on the simple side — there’s no kneading, no autolyse-ing, no pre-fermenting, no levain-ing, no fancy scoring.
It’s a little bit smaller than most sourdough boules, too, reasons for which I explain below. And as with all sourdough baking (and bread baking in general), it does take time, though the time is mostly hands off.
This post is organized as follows:
- Two Sourdough Fermentation FAQs
- Two Tips for Assessing Fermentation
- Whole Wheat Flour
- Roller-Milled vs. Stone-Milled Flour
- 75% Hydration
- Mixing Sourdough Bread
- Bulk Fermentation
- Shaping + Bench Rest
- Proofing Sourdough
- Scoring and Baking Sourdough
- The Best Way to Store Bread
2 Sourdough Fermentation FAQs
Two of the most frequently asked questions I receive about sourdough bread baking are:
- How do I know when the dough has risen sufficiently and is therefore ready to be shaped?
- How do I know if it has proofed sufficiently and is therefore ready to be baked?
If you are unfamiliar with sourdough baking, these two questions relate to two distinct phases of fermentation:
- The first question relates to the bulk fermentation (the first rise), which takes place after the dough is mixed.
- The second question relates to proofing (the second rise), after the dough is shaped.
One thing I have learned through troubleshooting with various people is that it’s very hard to put a timeline on these two phases. Sourdough is much more sensitive than yeast-leavened breads to the environment in which it is being baked.
The bulk fermentation for me in my cold Upstate New York kitchen often takes 12 hours regardless of the time of year. For someone baking in humid Hawaii, it may take 6 hours (or less! or more!). Similarly, the proofing phase may vary by many hours depending on the environment. Additionally, there are countless variables that affect fermentation: type of flour, water, salt quantity, strength of the starter, to name a few.
Yes, there are textural/visual cues to help discern when each phase of fermentation is complete, but it still can be hard to judge.
If you struggle with these assessments, I have two tips for you:
2 Tips for Assessing Sourdough Fermentation
Tip #1: Buy a clear, straight-sided vessel.
After my digital scale, my clear, straight-sided 4-qt Cambro (**this one is BPA-free!**) has become my most important tool when it comes to sourdough bread baking. Why? For two reasons:
- Because it’s clear, it allows me to see when the dough is filled with bubbles and activity throughout — top, bottom, sides, etc.
- Because it’s straight sided, I know exactly when the dough has risen sufficiently (roughly 50% increase in volume) and is therefore ready to be shaped. When dough rises in a bowl, it’s very hard to gauge how much the dough has grown.
If I could single out the biggest lesson I’ve learned in my sourdough baking journey, it’s this: Do not allow sourdough rise beyond double during the bulk fermentation.
Why? When sourdoughs rise for too long, the dough weakens. A weak, fragile dough is hard to handle and difficult to shape into a tight round, which in turn makes for a dense loaf. Most recently I shoot to shape the dough when it has increased by 50% in volume.
Tip #2. Use Your Refrigerator & Be Flexible
Because judging bulk fermentation and proofing can be tricky, you can use your refrigerator during both phases.
Using your fridge for the bulk fermentation:
If, for instance, you see your dough rising nicely but all of a sudden it’s 10 pm and you’re ready for bed, and you know if you let the dough continue to rise, it will be way beyond double in the morning, stick the vessel in the fridge. The following morning, take it out and let the dough rise at room temperature until it has nearly doubled or, as I advise more and more, increased by 50% in volume.
With sourdough baking, you have to be patient, and you have to be flexible with the timing.
Using your fridge for proofing:
Using my fridge for the proofing phase has been the biggest change in my sourdough process of late. Previously, after shaping the boule and placing it in a towel-lined bowl, I would transfer the dough to the fridge for 1 hour, then bake it. These days, I like to stick the shaped boule in the fridge for at least 12 hours, but ideally 18-24 hours. Why?
- The extended cold proof creates a lighter, airier crumb.
- A cold round of dough is so much easier to handle from scoring it to transferring it to the Dutch oven.
Whole Wheat Flour FAQ
In my email course, Foolproof Bread Baking, I receive a lot of questions about how to incorporate more whole grain flours into bread.
This is a tricky one to answer for me for two reasons:
- I like white bread. A good loaf of bread for me has so much to do with texture. I love a pillowy, oily focaccia; a soft, squishy brioche bun; a ballooned, crisp-tender Neapolitan pizza. As soon as whole grain flour is entered into the mix, the texture changes, becoming heavier, denser.
- Commercial whole wheat flour isn’t necessarily healthier than commercial white flour. Wait, what? Read on.
Roller-milled Flour vs. Stone-milled Flour
Without getting too far into the weeds, most of the commercial flour on the market is made from wheat that has been roller milled, meaning a roller mill has separated the wheat kernel into three parts: the endosperm, germ, and bran. White flour is made from the endosperm.
Whole wheat flour, similarly, is made from rolled-milled wheat: again, first the kernel is separated into three parts: the endosperm, germ, and bran; BUT then the germ and the bran are added back in various proportions. Much research shows that as soon as the wheat kernel is separated into the various parts, much of the nutritional value is lost — even when the bran and germ are added in after the fact.
So what’s the solution?
Stone-Milled Flour
Stone-milled flour, contrary to roller-milled flour, is flour made from wheat that passes through a stone mill, the process of which keeps the endosperm, bran, and germ together. Much research shows that keeping the components together preserves the nutritional value.
The rub with stone-milled flour? Stone-milled flour is more perishable due to the presence of both the bran and the germ, but the germ in particular, which is packed with vitamins, minerals, and fats, which can go rancid quickly.
The boon? Because the bran and germ are present in the flour, it’s also more flavorful.
Anything else to consider? Baking with stone-milled flours requires a little more finesse. Even a small amount of bran and germ in the mix makes for a denser loaf. Many millers offer high-extraction stone-milled flours — meaning stone-milled flours that have been sifted to remove some of the bran and endosperm. But even when you bake with high-extraction, stone-milled flour, the finished loaf, when made from 100% of this type of flour, will be very dense.
For this reason, I use at the most 25% stone-milled flour (100 g for this recipe), but preferably in terms of texture, 12.5% stone-milled flour (50 g for this recipe). 12.5% may seem like a tiny amount, but I am constantly surprised by how much flavor, texture, and color this small proportion of stone-milled flour offers to a loaf of bread.
In fact, I now prefer a partially whole wheat loaf to an all white loaf. The freshly milled, stone-milled flours offer so much flavor.
Where to Buy Stone-Milled Flour?
In the past few years, it has become easier to find stone-milled flour, and if you are up for it, you should seek out locally, stone-milled flour. Why? Because if you’re buying locally milled flour, you likely can find out how recently it was milled. Because stone-milled flour perishes more quickly than roller-milled flour, it’s best if you can find a local source, which will ensure it will be fresh. Note: Store stone-milled flour in the freezer if you don’t bake regularly.
Final note: I no longer buy commercial whole wheat flours. I buy commercial white flours: King Arthur Flour’s all-purpose flour and bread flour are staples. I find locally milled stone-milled flours at a local co-op, Honest Weight Food Co-op, and I also order online from various sources. Here are a few I love:
Finally: Here’s a great resource if you’re interested in learning more about wheat and flour: The Bread Lab. Also, Dan Barber’s The Third Plate was eye opening.
75% Hydration
Standard sourdough recipes often call for 500g of flour per loaf. As noted above, the recipe below makes a loaf that’s a little bit smaller for two reasons:
- I’m often asked if the bread recipes here on the blog as well as in my book can be halved. The answer is yes, but in an effort to make a loaf that may not feel quite so overwhelming for people, I’ve reduced the flour to 400g.
- I wanted to include quantities that make hydration easier to understand. Hydration is something I don’t discuss too often because I find it can turn people off (me included). In short, hydration is: the ratio of water relative to flour in a bread dough. The proportions in this recipe — 300g water and 400g flour — make it a little easier to see it’s a 75% hydration dough: 300/400=0.75.* With this baseline, you can increase the amount of water to make it higher hydration or decrease the amount of water to make it lower hydration depending on your preference.
*Note: This is a crude calculation. If you want to be super accurate when calculating hydration, you include the weight of the starter in the equation, too, which will throw off the percentage slightly.
Salt
I love salt. The standard percentage of salt in a bread recipe is 2% by weight of the flour. For 400g flour, this means 8g salt. I use 10g. The amount of salt, fortunately, is a variable that can easily be tailored to your liking. If 10g of salt is too much for you or if you know from the start you are sensitive to salt, start with 8g, then adjust accordingly. Also, higher amounts of salt will slow down the rise a bit as well.
5 Phases: Simple Sourdough Bread
This videos and photos below shows how to make from start to finish the high-hydration, whole wheat(-ish) sourdough bread recipe included at the end of the post.
Phase 1: Mix the Dough
Step 1: Gather your ingredients — flour, salt, water, a sourdough starter — and equipment, namely a digital scale. I recommend buying a starter (reasons for which I explain here). But if you’re up for it, 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.
Most important, you need a fed, active starter.
To ensure it is ready, drop a spoonful of it in a glass of water. If it floats, it’s ready:
Start by weighing 300g water, 100g starter, and 10g salt.
You’ll need 400g flour. You can use all bread flour of a mix of bread flour and whole wheat flour. My preferences is 350g bread flour (King Arthur Flour) and 50g stone-milled, freshly milled flour (I use a mix of Anson Mills rye and graham).
Mix to form a sticky dough ball.
Then transfer to a straight-sided vessel for the bulk fermentation (the first rise).
Phase 2: Bulk Fermentation
After 30 minutes, stretch and fold the dough:
You’ll repeat this stretching and folding 3x at 30-minute intervals; then you’ll leave the dough to rise until it increases in volume by 50-75%.
Phase 3: Shape + Bench Rest
Transfer dough to a clean work surface. I prefer to use no flour and minimal handling to shape it into a ball.
After the initial shape, let the dough rest for 20-40 minutes; then shape again and transfer to a flour sack-lined bowl.
Phase 4: Proof
Transfer bowl to fridge to proof (second rise) for 18 to 24 hours
Phase 5: Score + Bake
After 18 to 24 hours, transfer dough to a sheet of parchment paper. This video shows how:
Score as you wish; simple is fine.
Transfer to a Dutch oven and bake at 450ºF covered for 30 minutes, then uncovered for 10 minutes at 400ºF.
The Best Way to Store Bread
How do I store bread? is one of the most frequently asked questions I receive.
If you want to store the bread at room temperature for 3 to 4 days, I think the best method is in a ziplock bag. I’ve tried other reusable/environmentally friendly options, but nothing seems to keep bread freshest — the crumb the softest — better than a ziplock bag.
If you intend to keep the bread for longer, I would stick the ziplock bag in the freezer, and pull out slices or hunks as you wish. I often slice bread as soon as it cools completely, transfer the slices to a ziplock bag, then freeze. This way, I know the bread was frozen at its freshest.
A ziplock bag will not prevent the crust of bread from turning soft, which is why I suggest always reheating day-old bread. I use a toaster at breakfast for slices of bread, and I reheat half or quarter loaves in the oven at 350ºF for 15 to 20 minutes when serving for dinner.
Bread revives so beautifully in the oven or toaster.
I baked this loaf in a tall-sided pullman loaf. Love the shape! I proofed this in the fridge for about 12 hours; then let rise at room temperature for roughly 5-6 hours before baking at 400ºF for about 40 minutes.
Easy Sourdough Bread (Whole Wheat-ish)
- Total Time: 48 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf
Description
Special equipment: Straight-sided vessel for the bulk fermentation, Dutch oven, flour-sack towel
Here’s my list of essentials for sourdough bread baking.
Digital Scale: Do not attempt this recipe without a scale. This one costs $9. Troubleshooting what goes wrong with sourdough bread is impossible if you’ve measured with cups. They’re simply not accurate.
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.
Flour:
- I prefer making this bread with 350g bread flour and 50g of freshly milled, stone-milled flour, which provides both flavor and color. (Read the post above for more details and why I suggest stone-milled flour as opposed to commercial whole wheat flour.) I’ve been using a mix of Anson Mills graham flour and rye flour, but there are many great stone-milled flours out there, and you may have a local source, which is even better.
- 50g may seem like a tiny amount of stone-milled flour for this recipe, but I am constantly amazed by how much flavor this small amount of freshly milled flour adds. If you are new to sourdough baking, I recommend starting with 100% bread flour (King Arthur Flour is my preference) because it’s so forgiving and easy to work with. Once you get the hang of it, start incorporating stone-milled flour a little bit at a time. I don’t like using more than 100g (25%) of stone-milled flour in this recipe.
- If you cannot find bread flour — I know supplies are limited at the moment — you can use all-purpose flour. If you live in a humid climate, consider reducing the water by 20 g. You can add the 20 g of water in slowly while you mix until the dough resembles that in the video/photos.
Salt:
I like breads to be a little bit saltier than standard. If you are sensitive to salt, start with 8g. Next time, adjust salt as you wish.
Ingredients
*Please read notes above before proceeding. Watching the video is helpful, too.*
- 400 g bread flour, see notes above
- 8g to 10g kosher salt or sea salt, see notes above
- 300 g water
- 100 g active sourdough starter
- rice flour, for dusting
Instructions
- Mix the dough. In a large bowl, combine the water, starter, and salt. Stir with a rubber spatula to loosely combine. Add the flour, and stir with a spatula to combine — it will be a wet, sticky dough ball. Transfer to a straight-sided vessel and cover with a tea towel or bowl cover 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. [Video guidance here.] 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: Cover the vessel with a tea towel or bowl cover and let rise at room temperature (70ºF/21ºC) for 4 to 18 hours (times will vary based on the time of year, the humidity, and the temperature of your kitchen). The bulk fermentation will end when the dough has nearly doubled in volume and you can see bubbles throughout the dough and on the surface. (Note: Do not use your oven with the light on for the bulk fermentation — it is too warm for the dough. To determine when the bulk fermentation is done, it is best to rely on visual cues (doubling in volume) as opposed to time. A straight-sided vessel makes monitoring the bulk fermentation especially easy because it allows you to see when your dough has truly doubled.)
- Shape: Gently transfer the dough to clean work surface. I prefer to use no flour and a bench scraper at this step, but if you find an un-floured work surface to be difficult, feel free to lightly flour it. [Video guidance is especially helpful for this step.] Fold the dough, envelope style: top third over to the center; bottom third up and over to the center. Then repeat from right to left. Turn the dough over and use your bench scraper to push the dough up, then back towards you to create a tight ball. Repeat this pushing and pulling till you feel you have some tension in your ball. Place the dough ball top side down and let rest 30 to 40 minutes. (FYI: This is called the bench rest.)
- Proof. Line a shallow 2-qt bowl (or something similar) with a tea towel or flour sack towel. Flour sack towels are amazing because the dough doesn’t stick to them, and therefore you need very little rice flour, but if you only have a tea towel, you will be fine. If you are using a tea towel, sprinkle it generously with rice flour. If you are using a flour sack towel, you can use a lighter hand with the rice flour. After the 30-to 40-minute bench rest, repeat the envelope-style folding and the bench scraper pushing and pulling till you have a tight ball. [Video guidance here.] Place the ball top side down in your prepared towel-lined bowl. Cover bowl with overhanging towel. Transfer bowl to the fridge for 12 to 24 hours. (Note: When you remove your dough from the fridge, visually it will likely look unchanged. This is OK. You do not need to let it then proof at room temperature before baking.)
- Bake. Heat oven to 500ºF. Remove your sourdough from the fridge. Open the towel. Place a sheet of parchment over the bowl. Place a plate over the parchment. With a hand firmly on the plate and one on the bowl, turn the dough out onto the parchment-paper lined plate. [Video guidance here.] Carefully remove the bowl and towel. Carefully remove the plate. Brush off any excess rice flour. Use a razor blade to score the dough as you wish. I always do a simple X. Grab the ends of the parchment paper and transfer to the Dutch oven. [Video guidance here.] Cover it. Lower oven temperature to 450ºF, bake covered for 30 minutes. Uncover. Lower temperature to 400ºF. Bake for 10 minutes more or until the loaf has darkened to your liking. Transfer loaf to a cooling rack.
- Cool. Let loaf cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting.
- Prep Time: 48 hours
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Sourdough
- Cuisine: Global
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
985 Comments on “Easy Sourdough Bread (Whole Wheat-ish)”
Thanks for your quick response!!! I never knew I needed so much patience for baking bread 🙂 I want bread for dinner tonight..and I may need to wait to bake it later in the evening – and enjoy it at breakfast instead.
One other quick question – I was curious if you could use parchment paper for the proofing rather than a linen towel? (i’ve destroyed a few towels!!!) Yes, it’s a learning process.
Hi Annette! You can definitely try parchment! I have never tried, so I’m not sure how it will work out, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t. I would cover the bowl with a towel to prevent the dough from drying out. (Dust the dough with rice flour first.)
Also: if you want bread tonight, here’s my favorite recipe: My Mother’s Peasant Bread
Alexandra,
Thank you so much for your informative recipe. I am new to sourdough and got a starter. I made your sourdough focaccia last week with great success. Today, I am attempting this sourdough boule, only I didn’t have whole wheat flour so I made it with regular bread flour. I hadn’t through all the comments so I didn’t know it was normal for the dough to not visually rise much for the fridge proof, so this morning when i saw that it hadn’t, I removed mine to sit at room temperature. Now I’ve just read that it was fine and it actually didn’t need to rise more, is that right? So now I’ve stuck it back in the fridge. Ha! I’m due to bake in 1 hour–that will be 19 hours, and it looks to be in great shape so far. Thank again!
Hi Krysta! I’m going to add a note to the recipe. You are right: it did not need to rise more. You can bake this directly from the fridge. Glad the dough is looking good! Keep me posted 🍞🍞🍞🍞
Hi Ali, I love this recipe! Was wondering if I could replace the 50g of wheat flour with buckwheat flour?
I think it’s worth a shot! Keep in mind buckwheat flour has no gluten, so even though it’s such a tiny amount, you may notice your dough is a little less strong. But totally worth a shot! Let me know how it goes.
Hi Ali!
I made this a few days ago and it was just perfect! It was great to have written instructions and a video to keep me on track. I followed the recipe using bread flour and it was such a treat!
Another absolutely winning recipe. Thank you so much!
Wonderful to hear this, Mary!!
Hello,
I love your recipe and feel so proud about finally baking sourdough with my own starter! I didn’t think I would be able to do this! It is so delicious, a boule is gone in one day. I am having issues after the first bulk counter rise. My dough has a thin crust on top and then when I dump it out to do the envelope fold, it is incredibly gooey and sticky. I don’t put flour down but wondering if I should because I cannot make it a tight ball at all. It’s just goopy and I have to just transfer it into a bowl for the 40 minute rise prior to fridge rise. Thanks for any tips!
So great to hear this, Naomi!
Regarding your issues, a few thoughts/questions. It sounds as though the dough might be slightly over-fermenting. How long is the bulk fermentation going? And what temperature is your kitchen? And what type of flour are you using?
I think you could possibly try reducing the amount of water, which will make the dough a little easier for you to handle. But, it’s also possible you could shorten the bulk fermentation.
To prevent the crust, you could slick the dough with oil after you complete the final stretch and fold.
Thank you so much! I used a wet towel to cover my bread and that seems to have fixed everything? It’s perfect now! I also tried the other Favorite Sourdough that only had a 1-6 hour fridge rise and I was amazed at the taste difference (not sour at all).
Thanks so much!
Wonderful to hear this, Naomi! And isn’t it interesting how a longer proof can affect the flavor? Thanks for reporting back!
Just made this loaf with a couple tweaks to the flour! I used 275g ww and 125g ap flour, and I’ve gotta give you props! Even with such a big adjustment your instructions resulted in a beautiful boule
Wow, so great to hear this, Constance!
If I were to double this recipe for 2 boules would it require an 8L straight sided vessel?
Thank you!
I totally meant 8qt vessel.
Hi Drew! I think you could get away with a 4-qt vessel actually. The dough will rise to the top, but it will be fine. What’s the largest size you have?
This is great! I really want to try a 3 flour combo. How would you adjust the hydration if it’s 50/30/20 BF/WW/Spelt
Or would you make the flour distribution different?
Thank you!!!
Hi Ellie! This is a 75% hydration dough, which is pretty high, so I don’t think you’ll need to adjust the hydration. Were you thinking you might need to increase the hydration due to the ww and spelt flours?
I love your video. Well explained, no music (thank you), easy to follow. The best video of all the sourdough videos I have seen.
2 Questions:
A) Love your tip for the bulk fermentation, so smart. I bought a square container and finally I can see when the bulk fermentation has doubled. With a 75% hydratation rate, i found it was a bit difficult to do the first shape, dough was pretty sticky. Could it be because my bulk fermentation had almost tripled….would that explain the stickiness? I really had trouble to shape it and had to add a bit of flour (normally I don’t need with 65% – not a prob). Once baked, the loaf was not as high as expected.
B) I have fed my starter during the day, but it had finally double in size (nice bubbles) and it was ready to be used but it was too late tonight to start a loaf. Can I place the starter in the fridge for tomorrow? I guess I missed my chance and I will need to feed it again the next day, once removed from the fridge?
Thank you so much for this website. A fabulous discovery.
Hi Rejane! Thank you for all of this 😍😍😍
Regarding your questions:
A) Could it be because my bulk fermentation had almost tripled….would that explain the stickiness? It is possible that the dough over-fermented, but it’s also possible that the dough maybe is just too high hydration… What type of flour are you using? And do you live in a humid environment?
B) I have fed my starter during the day, but it had finally double in size (nice bubbles) and it was ready to be used but it was too late tonight to start a loaf. Can I place the starter in the fridge for tomorrow? You can stick it in the fridge, but I would recommend feeding it again before use. It is possible that your starter will still float after a night in the fridge, and it is possible that your loaf might turn out just fine, but I worry a little bit that it will not be at its peak strength, which will affect the loaf in the end.
Thank you very much Ali for taking the time to reply. Very appreciated as you are a busy woman Wow.
To answer from question A « What type of flour are you using? »
I used your Recipe « favorite easy sourdough bread (whole wheat-ish) » which has a 75% hydratation rate. I think I used 350 g organic white flour and 50g whole wheat. However my starter was made of mix 6-grain flour, white flour I think. I don’t live in a humid place. I suspect that with a big proportion of white flour, the dough gets stickier ? Maybe add more whole wheat? Unless it’s the contrary ? Merci bien. Réjane.
P.S. I also love my Opinel that I bought in my country France which I keep in my lunch bag. I saw you had a beautiful teal Opinel.
Opinel is the best, right?!
OK, so, Rejane, I think your flour mix is just fine. My thoughts are this: you possibly need to shorten the bulk fermentation to ensure the dough isn’t over fermenting. (A straight-sided vessel is great for this purpose.) And, I think if you use just a little bit of flour during the shaping process, you’ll find the dough easier to manage. A 75% dough definitely will be on the sticky side. A little bit of flour and a bench scraper will help tremendously.
Hope that helps! 😍😍😍
Great success following your instructions! It was my second time ever making bread. My first time was a failure (by following some overly complicated instructions that was NOT beginner friendly). I am making this from Hong Kong so added slightly more flour than what your recipe called for because of the humidity and learning from my Round 01 experience. Also used 100% strong bread flour since whole wheat is currently no where to be found in town. Thank you so much and can’t wait to try your other recipes!
Wonderful to hear this, Angelica! Great tip re more flour due to humidity. Thanks so much for writing.
Hi Ali,
This is my first time making sourdough bread. During bulk fermentation, my dough was ready 12 hours earlier than I had planned so I put it in the refrigerator like you suggested. About how long will it take to get it to room temperature to start the next step or how long should I leave it out on the counter before I start the next step?
Hi Jeannette! Just so I have this right: when the dough doubled, you stuck the bowl in the fridge?
If so, you can take it out and shape it immediately (shape it, let it rest for 30-40 minutes, shape again as instructed in the recipe).
Yes, I put it in the refrigerator because it was 12:20 in the morning. I was anticipating another 12 hours of fermentation.
OK, great, what did you end up doing? Hope it turned out OK!
Hi, I currently do not have any rice flour, what can I use on my tea towels so this dough (higher hydration recipe) won’t stick? One person suggested using parchment paper. Would that be a better solution than using regular flour?
Thanks so much!
Hi Michelle! I do think it’s a better solution. When dough sticks to towels, it’s so not fun.
This is a great recipe – I’ve made 6 loaves in the past 10 days and the family has devoured them. I love how you have simplified it down to the essentials. I keep 2 or three loaves in various stages of the process – first thing in the morning I a) feed some starter, b) put the bulk ferment in a banneton, and or/c) bake a loaf. In the evening I mix the starter and flour, and fold every once in a while. So easy! It took a while to learn how to work the wet dough – but I am getting there. The only thing I add to the process is an autolyse of the flour and water for 30+ minutes before adding the flour and salt, but I have no idea if it makes any difference. I use the same glass bowl for proofing that you recommend for baking the peasant bread – would that be the right size banneton to buy? Other than that – regular tea towel dusted with regular flour and a serrated knife to score. Thanks for creating something that I can fit into a busy schedule and doesn’t feel like a project.
So nice to hear all of this, Andrew! Thanks so much for writing and sharing your notes. It’s great to hear a flour + a serrated knife to score works for you. I love when we can use the tools and ingredients we have on hand. I just ordered this 8-inch banneton. I can let you know how it works and report back. Otherwise, I think an 8- or 9-inch banneton is right for this amount of dough.
Thank you so much for this post! The videos of you handling the dough were so helpful, they really helped my shaping and handing of my dough. My boule that I baked after following your instructions is the best that I’ve ever made! I followed my usual recipe, but used your techniques and tips- much better than previous attempts. Next time I’ll try your recipe 🙂
Oh yay! So nice to hear this, Erica 😍😍😍
Ali, hi! I’m very new to sourdough and have been trying to get the proportions using cups. I have ordered the scale but due to everything with COVID, orders are all backed up (and have been for the last few weeks). Could you please provide a rough estimate of how much water, flour and salt are needed in cups? I get competing info online about grams-to-cups conversions.
Thank you kindly!
Hi Sam! Here is a rough estimate, but please, please know: I cannot recommend a scale enough … it truly makes all the difference. Good luck!
400 g flour = 3 1/8 cup
300 g water = 1 1/3 cups
100 g starter = 1 cup
10 g salt = 2.5 teaspoons
This is so wonderful!! Thank you kindly.
Rest assured–the scale order has been placed already. It’s just not yet been shipped.
Take care, stay well <3
Sure thing!
Thank you so much for this recipe and video. Someone gave me some sourdough starter and I was endlessly feeding it and looking at recipes. It was all so intimidating! I finally found your straightforward, not-scary instructions. Although I did let it over ferment, it was an okay first effort and now I’m looking forward to another try. I should have gone to your website first because I’ve been successfully making your apple frangipane galette for a while now. Thank you for this website! Jane
Oh Jane, so wonderful to hear this! Yay re apple-frangipane galette, too … a favorite 😍 Letting the dough over-ferment is so easy to do and so common. Looking forward to hearing how your next attempt goes!
Not tried this yet but thank you for the video, I am tired of watching the composer from talking incessantly about other things, your video was succinct and to the point and educational.
thank you
So nice to hear this, Frank. Thank you.
I love your recipe and am going to bake with it. My Joey starter is a lievito madre starter. Do I need to alter the flour water in this recipe fir my starter? Thank you Robyn.
Hi Robyn! I am not familiar with “lievito madre starter”. Can you give me some more details? Thanks!
Hi in simple terms. My recipe says 200g starter. My starter is 200g flour and 100g water. Does this help?
It does help! I use a starter that is equal parts by weight flour and water, so my dough will likely look a little wetter than yours. I would make it once without modification and see how it turns out. Or, you can hold 25-50 g of the flour and see what the dough looks like. If it looks too wet, add the flour you held out back in.
Came out excellent. Dutch oven was critical to getting it to look like the pic. And a few trial and error.
Wonderful to hear this Uti!
When ready to proof, would you recommend going a bit bigger for the bowl (2.5-quart Pyrex) or smaller (1.5-quart Pyrex)? Does it even make much difference if you’ve shaped and tightened the dough appropriately?
Hi Summer! I don’t think it makes much of a difference, but I would recommend a 1.5-qt bowl, which will encourage keeping the ball into a tight-ish round. I use a 1.5-qt bowl, and it works great.
Hi…can you give some estimated times if I do not want to let it rise in the fridge for either rise. Trying to make this a shorter process.
Hi Riki,
Your bulk fermentation (first rise) will depend so much on your environment. This step cannot be rushed. Rely on the visual cues. When the dough has nearly doubled, it’s ready to be shaped. If you want to proof at room temperature, I would shape the dough, transfer it to prepared bowl (rice flour dusted towel), and let it rise at room temperature for 3-4 hours. It should feel light to the touch before going in the oven.
I’ve read hundreds of pages about making sour dough, read books, watched many videos, tried many methods, but Alexandra’s simple, clear, encouraging videos have demystified the process and yielded the most spectacular loaves. Reading Alexandra’s prose is like having a pal in the kitchen who will ease your anxieties and reassure you that mistakes aren’t disasters, and disasters can be eliminated by following a few steps. For those who are fearful, this recipe and the sour dough focaccia (which I like to add some Anson Mills flour to as well) are perfect. I do think Alexandra’s advice regarding equipment is excellent. Also, using the videos and and carefully reviewing and following the step-by-step explanations are invaluable in producing a superior loaf. I love adding Anson Mills flour and actually tend to add more than 50 grams, but it’s all a matter of taste. Perhaps, the most important point Alexandra makes is to look for visual cues because this will affect your timing. I have made the mistake of over rising dough especially as the seasons change and my house gets warmer and the air more humid. In any event, I’m so grateful for the guidance and the recipes.
So nice to hear all of this Mary 💕💕💕
I’ve tried this recipe a few times with 350g all purpose flour (commercial… I actually can’t remember what brand) and 50g rye (Anita’s organic).
[SIDE NOTE – I’ve ordered some stone-milled flour from a local flour shop (Flourist), but am waiting for it.]
My loaves are tasty, but they are coming out flatter than I want. I tried adjusting the water last time I baked them, because I was also finding it hard to shape the dough because it was so sticky (one batch I put in 285g water, and another I tried 270g water).
Bulk Ferment on my counter for about 16-18 hours usually and proofing in fridge for 24 hours.
My sourdough starter is a 100% rye starter.
I’m located in Vancouver, Canada.
I’m a total newbie, and don’t really know what I should be adjusting to get a bigger rise/boule (is that even the right term?). Should I adjust the bulk ferment? Water? Is it because I’m using ap flour?
Going to start another 2 loaves today!
I’m a total newbie
Hi Jennifer! How warm is your kitchen? And is Vancouver humid? I worry your bulk fermentation is too long. Are you using a straight-sided vessel to monitor the bulk fermentation? No worries if not … it helps you monitor when the dough has truly doubled in volume, which prevents over-fermenting.
Your mix of flours should be fine. A rye starter could potentially make for a slightly weaker dough, but because you’re using so much ap flour, again, it should be fine.
My thoughts: reduce the water by 50 g… if the dough seems to dry after you mix it, add a little bit more water back in. Shorten the bulk fermentation.
Keep me posted!
This recipe is amazing! I do not have a dutch oven but a casserole dish on a baking tray seems to work fine. I tried a few recipes before which used a lot more starter and were just baked in the oven that tasted really sour and were flat. This recipe produces the most delicious fluffy bread, it looks like its going to be flat after turning out to bake, but it always rises inside the casserole dish.
Wonderful to hear this, Tracey!
This is delicious! I just started on the sourdough train a few weeks ago, and was excited to come across this recipe, which incorporates whole wheat or rye flour. The instructions, videos, and notes were so helpful. This may be one of my favorite breads, and can’t wait to keep reproducing this loaf!
So nice to hear this, Marisa! 🍞🍞🍞🍞🍞
Hello, thanks for the in-depth post + recipe.
Does it matter what type of stone-milled flour? I only have access to stone ground spelt flour.
Do you think 350g bread flour and 50g of stone ground spelt flour would work, without changing the other ingredient amounts?
Thanks again.
Absolutely! Go for it.
Hi, thanks so much for this! as a newby i am so grateful! does it matter if i dust with brown rice flour or does it have to be white rice flour? also, over fermentation time will my starter thicken? — thanks heaps!! x M.
Hi Melanie! Brown rice flour is fine.
Can you clarify your second question?? I’m unclear as to what you are asking 😍
Hi! Had the same problem with my first loaf that I Did with my first focaccia. At least I am consistent. The dough was super sticky and despite my best effort’s I could not get it into a ball. Eventually I plopped it in the bowl And put it in the refrigerator I will bake it later and let you know how it goes. I suppose my issue must be the water content? I know I didn’t over ferment because I got it right when it doubled and stayed up past 1 AM to do the next steps. For flour I used the recommended combination of bread flour and a small amount of artisan whole wheat. I just fed my starter for today’s loaf, so let me know what you think I should do this time. I should add that my focaccia dough using less water definitely looked and handled more like yours this time at least for the forming into an envelope part. Thanks!
Hi! OK, definitely reduce the water then here, too. I would start with 275 g water. You can always add the 25 g of water into the dough slowly if it seems too dry. How much did you cut the water back in the focaccia recipe?
Hi! I cut it back by 25 water grams on my second attempt and it wasn’t as sticky but still never got that smooth, elasticity yours did. I am wondering about my fermentation spot…I put it on a shelf near my stove and it gets warm. I definitely caught the dough at the right time (fermentation only took about 6 hours) but maybe it is too warm as well? I used a combo of Hi gluten and AP flours (average of protein content was about 12.7%). Should I try even less water? And how long do you scrape and work your dough? I was wondering if I am not trying for a long enough period of time (was watching other methods that used kneading etc.) just to further complicate things and confuse myself. For my successful focaccia I used the same flour mixture and cut back about 20 grams of water. Thanks for any thoughts/advice! I really want this to work. I can also send you photos to demonstrate the difference in dough consistency!
Hi Beth! I think the shelf near the stove that gets warm might be the issue! Any time I have tried speeding up the bulk fermentation by letting the dough rise in slightly warmed oven, it never works out … it’s just too warm, and sourdoughs are just a little too fragile. I might try it again with 25 g water cut back but truly at room temperature. My kitchen is 68ºF … have we talked about the temperature of your kitchen yet?? I can’t keep it all straight 😍😍😍
I don’t know how you keep it all straight! Four kids, your blog/business, patiently answering everyone’s comments. I am very impressed! My kitchen has been on the warmer side because it has been warm here in Southern California, probably in low 70’s. I am going to move the dough to the other side of the kitchen away from my stove and ovens, cut back on water and try again! Thank you.
You are too sweet! And I am going to email you back this morning, too 🙂 🙂 🙂
Your plan sounds great … keep me posted!
I’ve attempted sourdough with two different recipes over the last 3 weeks – one (for Tartine bread?!) was ok and the other really was not.
Really keen to try this recipe but I think I’m unsure about whether I’m feeding my starter correctly. I started by combining 4oz white bread flour and 4oz water daily – the recipe didn’t call for any to every be removed before adding the next feed. In the end, I ran out of space in the jar and removed some, fed it again and it seemed fine. I’m now keeping it in the fridge and it’s nice and bubbly (quite wet) and the lid almost explodes when I open it, so I’m assuming a good sign. My question is, do I discard some and feed it (and what amount do I discard and feed) before using the starter? Or do I use the bit I discard to bake with, feed it and put it back in the fridge for next time?
Thanks so much!
Hi Leanne!
Regarding your question: “do I discard some and feed it (and what amount do I discard and feed) before using the starter?” yes! I keep my starter on the very lean side … maybe 1/2 cup total… this is just my preference, but I like it because it reduces waste. When I am ready to feed my starter, I remove it from the fridge, discard most of it — I leave only 2 tablespoons or so of the starter in the vessel — then I feed it by weight with about 60 g each of flour and water. When my starter doubles, I measure the amount I am using (typically 100 g); then I replenish my starter with a small amount of flour and water, roughly 40 g each; then I return it to the fridge.
I had a comment on this post. I noted she said the lid nearly exploded when she opened it…shouldn’t do that and I wonder if she is using a vessel that is airtight which she should not use…just a thought and other comments below.
You’re absolutely right! The lid should be breathable.
This was my first time baking sourdough. The videos were super helpful and I don’t think I could have done it without them. Here are some of the issues I encountered and maybe you can offer advice. I also ran into the issue of really sticky dough even though I used a kitchen scale. I only have bread flour right now and since flour is impossible to find, I am not sure I can get the wheat. I have not been able to find rice flour so I am wondering if using bread flour during the fridge proof time will hurt it. My starter is 63 years old and I was instructed to feed it once a week with 2 cups of milk and 2 cups of flour mixed into the one cup of starter. It grew and bubbled but did not float when I mixed it in the water but the bread tasted amazing. When the bread came out of the stove, the bottom was super crispy but the top was not as crispy it was shiny and white with some darker brown areas.
Hi Corey! Thanks for writing. Glad the bread tasted delicious despite some of the issues. To address some of your issues:
Sticky dough: This definitely is a sticky dough, but using flour and a bench scraper should assist in the shaping. When you went to shape, was the dough very slack? As in without any strength at all? Or did it feel as though it still had some spring? I’m trying to assess if your dough had over-fermented during the bulk fermentation. About how many hours was the bulk fermentation?
I only have bread flour right now: Totally fine.
I have not been able to find rice flour so I am wondering if using bread flour during the fridge proof time will hurt it. No. Rice flour is my preference only because it doesn’t burn the way regular flour does, but using bread flour will not hurt your loaf.
My starter is 63 years old and I was instructed to feed it once a week with 2 cups of milk and 2 cups of flour mixed into the one cup of starter. It grew and bubbled but did not float when I mixed it in the water but the bread tasted amazing. Wow, so interesting! I have never used milk, and I think you could definitely reduce the amount of flour/liquid you are using to feed if you would like to conserve resources, but if you like your method, continue on. I keep my starter very lean, and I have tips for how I maintain my starter here: Sourdough Starter Maintenance.
When the bread came out of the stove, the bottom was super crispy but the top was not as crispy it was shiny and white with some darker brown areas. Interesting. Did you use a Dutch oven?
Hi,
Answers- I had it out the counter for about 9 hours, it doubled in size. It did have spring to it and stretched well. I used flour and a scraper so I will try reducing the water a little to see if that helps. I did bake it in a Dutch Oven just as instructed. The best part is I get to try it all over again! I will keep you updated. Thanks!
Great to hear your dough still had spring and stretched well! I think reducing the water should do it. Keep me posted!