I was intimidated to make my first loaf of sourdough bread. I’d heard others talk about flat and dense loaves—dough that never rose. It wasn’t until I read a sourdough book cover to cover and painted it with post-it notes, highlights, and dog-eared pages that I felt ready to put my newborn sourdough starter to work. I bought flour. I filtered water. I measured. I mixed and kneaded. I folded ever-so-gently while I held my bread until, hours later, I pulled my first sourdough from the oven.
I had my wife taste it. “Pretty good,” she said. “Yeah, pretty good bread.” Only later did she fess up that it was “actually just okay, to be honest.” But all-in-all the bread had a nice rise, a crunchy and well-colored crust, and it did taste great considering it was my first loaf of any kind of bread. And you know what? We ate the entire thing.
This Beginner’s Sourdough Bread post has several videos where I walk you through each step of the sourdough bread-making process. Be sure to see the end for a complete video walkthrough of me making this recipe!
As the new obsession set in, I started making fresh sourdough bread for every meal. There was something about the whole bread-making process that I found captivating. It was–and still is–exciting to mix such elemental ingredients and to see them produce beautiful, life-giving sustenance: it is modern-day alchemy. It’s such a simple thing, and yet it brought me so much joy to see my family and friends tear into a freshly baked loaf that I wanted to bake every day of every week.
This recipe will give you confidence as you take your first steps in baking sourdough bread from your home kitchen.
Starting to make your first loaf of sourdough bread can be daunting. That’s why I’ve put together this beginner’s sourdough bread tutorial and recipe—it will give you confidence as you take your first steps in baking sourdough bread from your home kitchen. This how-to guide starts with explaining baking terms and definitions so that we will have a common vocabulary once we get to the recipe.
And then, each step of the process has lots of information to ensure you understand what is happening and what to do. But, before we go on this beginner’s sourdough bread recipe, let’s first take a look at what sourdough bread is.
What is Sourdough Bread?
Sourdough is a specific type of bread created through a natural fermentation process involving suitable bacteria and wild yeasts in the environment (i.e., the air and even a baker’s hands) and, most importantly, on the grain itself. A sourdough starter culture is used to seed fermentation in new dough when making sourdough bread.
Generally speaking, bacteria are primarily responsible for producing organic acids (lactic acid and acetic acid) that contribute to sourdough bread’s flavor, texture, and storage qualities. The wild yeasts produce carbon dioxide gas and ethanol during fermentation. When this gas becomes trapped in the dough’s airtight gluten matrix, the dough begins to rise, resulting in a final loaf of bread with a light and airy texture.
All recipes on The Perfect Loaf are naturally leavened; in other words, you won’t find any commercial yeast or instant yeast here. There’s nothing inherently wrong with commercial yeast, but I prefer to make bread this way because of the wonderful flavor and texture, the health benefits like increased bioavailability of minerals and nutrients, increased keeping quality thanks to the acids generated during natural fermentation, and the fact that it requires so few ingredients (just three!) to make something so delicious.
For a high-level look at each step of the sourdough process, read through the Beginner’s Guide to Sourdough Bread →
Creating a Sourdough Starter
It all begins with a sourdough starter. Before we look at how to make sourdough bread, you need to create a healthy sourdough starter that shows consistent signs of fermentation each day. Creating a sourdough starter is easy: mix flour and water for a few days in succession, and eventually, thanks to the bacteria and wild yeasts on the grain, natural fermentation will begin.
If you’d like to look at how I feed my starter daily, look at my sourdough starter maintenance routine. In this guide, you will see the visual and aromatic cues to look for when your starter is ready for refreshment (feeding).
While waiting for your sourdough starter, let’s look at some terms bakers often use to discuss the various parts of the bread-making process.
Baker’s Terminology
Sourdough starter
A starter is a mixture of flour and water you allow to ferment naturally. You’ll refresh (feed) the starter indefinitely to keep the fermentation active and healthy, and you will wait for it to become fully ripe before you use any of it to make bread.
When you want to make bread, you take a small amount of your starter to create an off-shoot called a levain (see below). See my post on starter creation to read more about the starter and learn how to make one.
Levain (or leaven)
A levain is made by mixing a small off-shoot of your ripe starter with water and flour and allowing it to ferment before mixing it into a dough. You can always use your starter directly to make sourdough bread, but a levain is a small off-shoot that allows you to adjust the flour, hydration, and ripening schedule (which have implications on the bacteria and wild yeast balance).
Also, unlike your sourdough starter, which lives on as its own entity, the entirety of the levain goes into the dough and has the same fate as the bread itself: to be baked in the oven. See my post on what a levain is and how it’s different from a sourdough starter for more information.
Autolyse
Some recipes utilize a step called autolyse (“auto-lease”). It occurs at the beginning of bread baking and is a step in which only flour and water are mixed together and left to rest. The goal of autolyse is to initiate enzymatic activity in the dough to help draw out sugars from the flour. Additionally, it helps increase dough extensibility (the ability for the dough to stretch out without tearing).
In most cases, increased extensibility is good as it helps the dough expand and fill with gasses, resulting in a light and airy loaf. See my in-depth post on the autolyse technique for more information.
Bulk fermentation
The dough’s first rise is called bulk fermentation. After mixing the flour, salt, and levain into a dough, you put it all into a bowl or container, cover it, and let it rest. The dough will undergo a fermentation process during this critical step. Bacteria and yeast begin to generate organic acids and alcohols and leaven the dough, which will translate to flavor and rise in your final bread.
For more on this critical step in the bread-making process, see my in-depth guide to bulk fermentation.
Proofing
The proof is the dough’s final, or second, rise after the dough has been divided and shaped and lasts until the dough is finally baked in the oven. During this time, the dough continues to ferment, further strengthening and leavening it. I typically proof at a cold temperature in the refrigerator (also called “retarding”).
In my ultimate guide to proofing, I talk about how to spot when the dough is finished rising and ready to bake, plus a whole lot more.
Final Dough Temperature
The final dough temperature (FDT) is the dough’s temperature after mixing all ingredients. The dough’s temperature is important because it’s the main factor that affects fermentation strength: a warmer dough will ferment faster than a cooler dough.
Naturally, each component (levain, the flour, the water, and the ambient environment) has a temperature. While most of these are out of our control, we can easily adjust the water temperature, which enables us to change the FDT of the entire dough to meet whatever the recipe calls for.
I have a handy water temperature calculator you can use to quickly figure out what you need to warm or cool your mixing water to get the dough to the right temperature.
Or, so you don’t have to do any calculations, here’s a quick cheat sheet for this Beginner’s Sourdough bread recipe:
| If your kitchen temperature is | Warm or cool the mixing water to |
|---|---|
| 68°F (20°C) | 98°F (37°C) |
| 70°F (21°C) | 94°F (34°C) |
| 72°F (22°C) | 90°F (32°C) |
| 74°F (23°C) | 86°F (30°C) |
| 76°F (24°C) | 82°F (28°C) |
| 78°F (25°C) | 78°F (25°C) |
| 80°F (26°C) | 74°F (23°C) |
If your kitchen is outside of these temperatures, my guide on the importance of dough temperature in baking will walk you through calculating exactly what to warm (or cool) your mixing water to so your dough meets the FDT for any recipe.
Baker’s Percentages (Baker’s Math)
Baker’s math, or baker’s percentages, helps bakers adjust the actual quantity of the ingredients up or down, depending on how much bread they want to make. I write all the formulas on The Perfect Loaf in baker’s percentages, where all ingredient weights are a percentage of the total flour weight, which always adds up to 100%. Read through my introduction to baker’s percentages for a more in-depth explanation (including how to scale up and down a bread recipe).
TPL Members (the baking community here) have access to all the recipes here at The Perfect Loaf in spreadsheet form, making scaling up and down recipes as simple as changing a few numbers.
Baking Tools
There are a few necessary tools for baking your first loaf of this beginner’s sourdough bread. The following might look like a long list, but you probably already have many of these in your kitchen—There are a few tools necessary for baking this beginner’s sourdough bread. Note that one item is absolutely necessary: a kitchen scale. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, please consider buying one. Measuring flour with cups and scoops is entirely inaccurate!
- combo cooker like a Lodge 3qt. cast iron combo cooker or a Le Creuset Dutch oven that can withstand 500°F (260°C) in the oven and has a well-sealing lid
- large mixing bowl to mix your dough by hand
- two medium kitchen bowls to proof your dough
- two kitchen towels or a tea towel to line the proofing bowls
- bench knife to cut and shape the dough
- plastic or silicone bowl scraper
- kitchen scale that measures in grams
- instant-read thermometer
- white rice flour for dusting proofing bowl
- blade for scoring your dough (a “lame”), or a razor blade, sharp knife, or scissors
- fine-grain sea salt
- parchment paper
- pizza peel (or cutting board)
- heavy duty oven mitt
- the best bread knife for cutting your sourdough bread
You can find a full list of all the tools I use when baking on my baking tools page.
The Importance of Dough Temperature
When I first started baking, I didn’t quite grasp how important temperature is in the bread-making process. I always like to say: Treat temperature as an ingredient, just as flour, water, and salt are ingredients. What I mean by that, practically, is that if one day you mix with water that is 70°F (21°C) and then a week later mix with water that is 80°F (26°C), you will get drastically different outcomes.
Temperature determines the amount of fermentation activity you’ll see. Lower temperatures generally mean less activity; therefore, things will take longer. Higher temperatures generally mean more activity; therefore, things will take less time. Working with consistent temperatures will ensure consistency in your bread baking, and you’ll get the desired results in terms of flavor, rise, texture–well, everything.
Treat temperature as an ingredient, just as flour, water, and salt are ingredients.
If it’s cold where you’re baking, see my tips on how to bake sourdough bread in the winter. And conversely, if it’s warm where you are, see my post on how to bake in the summer. These guides will help ensure your loaves have the best flavor and volume.
Flour For Baking Bread
I used commonly available supermarket flour for this recipe: Bob’s Red Mill Artisan Bread Flour, Bob’s Red Mill Whole Wheat Flour, and Bob’s Red Mill or Arrowhead Dark Rye Flour. These are great flour choices, but any of King Arthur’s offerings are equally suitable. I chose “bread flour” as it has a higher protein percentage than all-purpose flour, which helps bring significant strength to the dough so that less mixing and kneading is required–it also makes things a bit easier for your first loaf of bread.
As you’ll hear me mention throughout this site, I do like to use as little high-protein flour in my recipes as possible as I find it leads to a slightly chewier, gummy interior—or be sure to use it in the correct way.
Baking Schedule
This beginner’s sourdough bread is a two-day-long process where the bread is mixed and prepared on day one, cold-proofed (retarded) in the fridge overnight, then baked on day two.
I love the convenience of this type of schedule: most of the work is done on the first day, then the dough can be left in the fridge until the next day, when it can be baked in the morning, afternoon, or even the evening.
The baking schedule to the right shows you a high-level view of what step takes place and when.
Beginner’s Sourdough Bread Formula
Now we get to the formula for the beginner’s sourdough bread formula. I start every recipe with two tables: Vitals and Total Formula. The Vitals table gives you a high-level view of the contents of the dough, as well as how much the recipe makes (in this case, two loaves). The Total Formula table lists the ingredients needed for the entire recipe and their respective amounts.
Vitals
| Total Dough Weight | 1,800 grams |
| Pre-fermented Flour | 7.5% |
| Levain in final dough | 20.3% |
| Hydration | 72.0% |
| Yield | Two loaves |
Total Formula
| Weight | Ingredient | Baker’s Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 811g | Bob’s Red Mill Artisan Bread Flour | 80.0% |
| 152g | Bob’s Red Mill Stoneground Whole Wheat Flour | 15.0% |
| 51g | Bob’s Red Mill Dark Rye Flour | 5.0% |
| 730g | Water | 72.0% |
| 18g | Fine sea salt | 1.8% |
| 38g | Ripe sourdough starter, 100% hydration | 3.8% |
Beginner’s Sourdough Bread Method
1. Levain – 8:00 a.m.
| Weight | Ingredient | Baker’s Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 38g | Ripe sourdough starter (100% hydration) | 50.0% |
| 38g | Bob’s Red Mill Stoneground Whole Wheat | 50.0% |
| 38g | Bob’s Red Mill Artisan Bread Flour | 50.0% |
| 76g | Water | 100.0% |
Remember: the levain is an off-shoot of your continually maintained sourdough starter and is likewise composed of bacteria and yeasts. You make this levain well before you mix the dough, so it has time to ferment, and eventually, it’s added to the dough to seed fermentation.
Mix the ingredients in the table above in a clean jar (I use the same sourdough starter jars) and leave it at warm room temperature, 74-76°F (23-24°C), for 5 to 6 hours. When it’s ready, it will be expanded, bubbly on top, inside, and at the sides, and have a slightly sour aroma. The photo below shows my levain before it goes into my dough mix.
2. Autolyse – 12:00 p.m.
| Weight | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| 773g | Bob’s Red Mill Artisan Bread Flour |
| 114g | Bob’s Red Mill Stoneground Whole Wheat Flour |
| 51g | Bob’s Red Mill Dark Rye Flour |
| 603g | Water (this has 50g less than the overall formula, reserved for Mix step below) |
The desired dough temperature (DDT) for this dough is 78°F (25°C). As described in the temperature section above, we will try to get the dough to this temperature right at the end of mixing (which is also at the beginning of bulk fermentation).
Warm or cool the autolyse water so the mixed dough reaches the FDT for this recipe. Place the flour and the water called for in the table above in a large bowl. Use wet hands to mix until no dry bits remain; the dough will be shaggy and loose. Use a bowl scraper to scrape down the sides of the bowl, keeping all the dough in one area at the bottom. Cover the bowl and place it near your levain for 1 hour.
Note that the autolyse stage does not incorporate salt or the levain in any way since the autolyse is a long one hour. Adding the levain to the autolyse would mean fermentation would begin, which could end up overproofing the dough. Salt is rarely added to an autolyse because the salt would diminish enzymatic activity during this time, which is precisely why we are doing an autolyse. The autolyse and levain are two separate entities that will be mixed together later in the process.
3. Mix – 1:00 p.m.
| Weight | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| 50g | Reserved water (this water was held back in the Autolyse step) |
| 18g | Fine sea salt |
| 190g | Ripe, 100% hydration levain (from Levain, above) |
Use your instant-read thermometer to take the dough’s temperature and compare it to the FDT for this recipe. If it is higher, use cold water for the reserved water; if it is lower, use warm water.
At this point, your autolyse is complete and your levain is ready—it’s time to mix and strengthen the dough. If the dough feels very wet and shaggy, do not use all of the reserved 50g of water; use only a splash to help incorporate the salt and levain. If the dough feels good to you, use all the reserved water.
To the autolyse, add the ingredients in the table above (salt, reserved water to help adjust dough hydration and consistency, and levain). I like to spread everything on top of the dough and use wet hands to pinch all the ingredients together. Transfer the dough to a container or thick-walled bowl for bulk fermentation.
Take the temperature of the dough to get your final dough temperature. If your FDT is below 78°F (25°C), next time use warmer water, and conversely, if it’s above 78°F (25°C), use cooler water. Cover the dough.
4. Bulk Fermentation – 1:10 p.m. to 5:10 p.m.
At 74-76°F (23-24°C) ambient temperature, bulk fermentation should go for about 4 hours. Perform 3 sets of stretches and folds during bulk fermentation, spaced out by 30 minutes.
Each set of stretches and folds consists of 4 folds: one each at the North, South, East, and West sides. Wet your hands with a little water to prevent sticking, and then lift one side (North) of the dough with two hands. Stretch the dough high enough so you can fold it completely over to the other side. Rotate the bowl 180° and do the other side (South). Finish the other two sides (East and West) to complete the set. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes, covered, between sets.
In the video below, you can see how I stretch and fold this dough during bulk fermentation.
After the third set of stretch and folds, let the dough rest for the remainder of bulk fermentation. During this time, fermentation aerates the dough (making it rise), continues to strengthen it, and further develops its flavor.
At the end of bulk fermentation, your dough should have risen by 20% to 50%. It should show some bubbles on the top and sides, and the edge of the dough where it meets the bowl should be slightly domed, which indicates strength. In the photo above, you can see all these signs. If you don’t see these signs, leave it for another 15 minutes in bulk fermentation and check again.
5. Divide and preshape – 5:15 p.m.
Lightly flour a work surface. Using a bowl scraper, gently scrape the dough onto the work surface and use your bench knife to divide the dough directly in half. Using your bench knife in your dominant hand, and the other hand wet (or floured, if you prefer) to reduce sticking, turn each half of the dough on the counter while lightly pulling the dough towards you. This gentle turning and pulling motion will develop tension on the dough’s top, forming a circle.
Preshaping bread dough is an often overlooked step, but it sets the stage for successful shaping later. See my guide to preshaping bread dough for more information.
Let the dough rest for 25 minutes, uncovered.
In the video below, you can see how I preshape this beginner’s sourdough bread dough:
6. Shape – 5:35 p.m.
If you’re new to shaping bread dough, check out my guide to shaping a boule (a round) in addition to the steps below.
Lightly flour the top of your dough rounds and the work surface. Working with one round at a time, flip the round so the floured top is now down on the floured work surface.
As seen in the image below, with lightly floured hands, grab the bottom of the round and stretch it lightly downward towards your body, and then up and over about 2/3 of the way to the top.
Then, grab the left and right sides of the dough and stretch them away from each other. Fold one side over toward the other and repeat with the other side.
Then, grab the top of the circle, stretch it away from your body, and then fold it down to the bottom of the dough. You’ll now have a tight package that resembles a letter.
Finally, flip or roll down the dough so the seams are all on the bottom. Using both hands, cup the top part of the round and drag the dough gently towards your body to create surface tension on the dough. The angle of your hands will gently press the dough’s bottom on the counter. This dragging helps create surface tension on the dough, which helps keep it in shape during proofing.
Let the dough rest on the bench for a few minutes to help the bottom seam seal.
In the video below, you can see how I shape bread dough into a boule shape.
Meanwhile, prepare your proofing baskets. Line two proofing baskets, kitchen bowls, or bannetons with clean kitchen towels. Dust lightly and evenly with plain white flour or white rice flour. Gently transfer each piece of shaped dough to a proofing basket, seam-side-up.
You can also top this dough with sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pepitas, and much more—see my guide to topping bread dough for more ideas and instructions.
7. Rest and proof – 5:40 p.m. to 9:30 a.m. (next day)
To prevent your dough from drying out overnight, place your bowls containing your shaped dough into reusable plastic bags and seal. I usually puff up the plastic bag around the bowl by opening it wide and then quickly closing it.
Let the dough rest on the counter for 20 minutes. Then, retard (a baker’s term meaning place into a cold area to proof) in the refrigerator at 38°F (3°C) for 16 hours (overnight).
During this time, overall fermentation will slow (especially yeast activity), but bacterial activity will continue at a reduced rate, resulting in a more complex flavor and, ultimately, deeper crust coloring.
8. Bake – Next morning: preheat oven at 8:30 a.m., bake at 9:30 a.m.
Now, it’s time to bake your sourdough bread. It’s not a difficult step, but there are some things to know. The oven needs steam for the best crust and tallest rise. I like to use a Dutch oven or combo cooker, which is very easy. These pots trap the steam released from the dough and provide the right environment for it to rise optimally.
See my full guide to baking sourdough bread for tips on scoring your dough, pots, and steaming.
Place an oven rack in the bottom third of the oven with no rack above it. Put your combo cooker or Dutch oven on the oven rack, and preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C) for at least 30 minutes. If you’re using a combo cooker, place the shallow side face up on one side and the heavier, deep side face down on the other.
When your oven is preheated, remove one of the proofing baskets from the fridge, uncover it, and place a piece of parchment paper over it. Place a pizza peel, cutting board, or inverted baking sheet on top of the parchment and, using both hands, flip everything over. Gently remove the basket; your dough should rest on the parchment.
Using a razor blade, sharp knife, or baker’s lame, score the dough at a 90° angle between the blade and the dough. I chose to make a “box” pattern. If using scissors, snip the dough a few times at a very shallow angle between the scissors and the dough, forming a set of ridges down the dough’s center.
While wearing your heavy-duty oven mitt, and with caution, pull out your shallow side of the combo cooker and place it on a heat-safe rack or stovetop. Slide the dough into the combo cooker or Dutch oven. Place it back into the oven and cover the shallow side with the deep side, or put the lid on the Dutch oven. This sealed environment helps trap the moisture (escaping steam) from your dough to steam the loaf exterior as it bakes, which encourages maximal rise and a crunchy, shiny crust.
Bake for 20 minutes. Vent the oven of steam: use your oven mitt to very carefully remove the top of the combo cooker or Dutch oven. Leave the large side of the combo cooker in the oven to the side. Close the oven door and bake for 30 minutes more. When done, the loaf should have an internal temperature of around 208°F (97°C), and the crust should be a deep mahogany color and crackle/crunch when squeezed.
Use your oven mitt to transfer the bread to a wire rack carefully. Cool for 1 to 2 hours before slicing into your beginner’s sourdough bread. For the second loaf, preheat the combo cooker or Dutch oven for 15 minutes and repeat.
Follow my guide to storing bread to keep your loaves fresh for as long as possible.
Once you get the hang of this beginner’s sourdough bread process and formula, you can endlessly modify it with add-ins like walnuts, cranberries, seeds, and a host of other ingredients bound only by your imagination. But the most important thing is to bake and have fun. Remember that sometimes bread doesn’t come out as you intended–but stick with it, and you’ll be rewarded time and time again.
And of course, buon appetito!
Watch me make this Beginner’s Sourdough Bread from start to finish
In my YouTube video below, you can see how I make my Beginner’s Sourdough Bread, from creating the levain to slicing the final loaves.
Beginner’s Sourdough Bread Recipe
- Prep Time: 23 hours
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 24 hours
- Yield: 2 loaves
- Category: Main course
- Cuisine: American
Description
The perfect bread to get started baking sourdough bread at home. This crusty, crunchy, and absolutely delicious loaf of bread is perfect for any lunch or dinner table.
Ingredients
Levain
- 38 grams stoneground whole wheat flour
- 38 grams bread flour
- 76 grams water
- 38 grams ripe sourdough starter
Main dough
- 773 grams bread flour
- 114 grams whole wheat flour
- 51 grams whole grain rye flour
- 653 grams water
- 18 grams fine sea salt
Instructions
- Levain (8:00 a.m.)
In a small container, mix the levain ingredients and keep at 74-76°F (23-24°C) for 5 to 6 hours. - Autolyse (12:00 p.m)
In a medium mixing bowl, mix the flour and 603 grams of water (reserve 50 grams until the next step). Cover and let rest for 1 hour. - Mix (1:00 p.m.)
To the mixing bowl holding your dough, add the salt, ripe levain (from step 1), and reserved 50 grams water. Mix by hand or with a dough whisk until incorporated. Transfer your dough to a bulk fermentation container and cover. - Bulk Fermentation (1:10 p.m. to 5:10 p.m.)
Give the dough 3 sets of stretch and folds at 30-minute intervals, where the first set starts 30 minutes after the start of bulk fermentation. - Divide and Preshape (5:10 p.m.)
Lightly flour your work surface and scrape out your dough. Using your bench knife, divide the dough in half. Lightly shape each half into a round shape. Let the dough rest for 25 minutes, uncovered. - Shape (5:35 p.m.)
Shape the dough into a round (boule) or oval (batard)—place in proofing baskets. - Rest and Proof (5:40 p.m. to 9:30 a.m. the next day)
Cover proofing baskets with reusable plastic and seal shut. Let the dough sit out on the counter for 20 minutes. Then, place both baskets into the refrigerator and proof overnight. - Bake (Preheat oven at 8:30 a.m., bake at 9:30 a.m.)
Preheat your oven with a combo cooker or Dutch oven inside to 450°F (230°C). When the oven is preheated, remove your dough from the fridge, score it, and transfer to the preheated combo cooker. Place the cooker in the oven, cover with the lid, and bake for 20 minutes. After this time, remove the lid (you can keep it in the oven or remove it) and continue to bake for 30 minutes longer. When done, the internal temperature should be around 208°F (97°C). Let the loaves cool for 1 to 2 hours on a wire rack before slicing.
Notes
While the recipe calls for 16 hours of total proof time, you could extend this time and bake the loaves in the morning, afternoon, or even the evening on day two. Leave the proofing dough in the fridge until ready to bake.
Beginner’s Sourdough Bread Frequently Asked Questions
Why is sourdough bread good for you?
Sourdough, and its lengthy natural fermentation process, can help break down the gluten in grain, which helps aid in the body’s digestion. Additionally, fermentation helps “unlock” the nutrition inherent in the grain, allowing for better absorption.
Is sourdough bread sour?
Sourdough isn’t super sour in the traditional sense—it’s not sour like taking a bit of a lemon. But it does have tanginess which is the byproduct of lactic acid fermentation. Sourdough bread will have more sourness than one made with 100% commercial yeast due to the acids created by natural fermentation.
How can I make sourdough bread more sour?
To increase the sour flavor of this sourdough bread, add more whole grains (both to your sourdough starter and the dough itself), keep the dough warm (78°F/25°C or warmer), and lengthen the total fermentation time by keeping the dough in the fridge to proof even longer than the 16 hours specified in the recipe—24 hours is a good starting point.
How can I get a more open crumb with my bread?
First, focus on your sourdough starter to get a more open crumb for this sourdough bread: it should be refreshed (fed) often, kept warm, and used when ripe. Next, strengthen the dough sufficiently during mixing and bulk fermentation by using stretches and folds. Finally, your dough must be fully proofed so that when you press a finger into the dough, it slowly springs back about halfway (if it springs back quickly, let it proof longer; if the finger indentation stays, bake immediately).
What’s Next?
After baking this beginner’s sourdough bread, check out my Baking Guides for more in-depth discussions on all parts of the sourdough bread-making process. If you’re looking to add mix-ins to your bread, have a look at my walnut cranberry sourdough bread—it’s one of the most popular recipes here at The Perfect Loaf—and for good reason! Or, have a look at my Simple Weekday Sourdough Bread for a way to squeeze sourdough bread baking into a busy workday.
Finally, now that you have your sourdough starter bubbling away on your counter check out my sourdough starter discard recipes for ideas on how to use leftovers!
3,331 Comments
Thank you for all your baking wisdom, Maurizio! I’ve made this recipe a couple of times and it is always super delicious but…I continually run into one issue I’m hoping you can help me with. In the morning when I take the dough out of the fridge and flip it onto my baking sheet, it loses all shape and pancakes. I end up having to reshape it every time and typically end up with some funky shapes (I tell people it’s “extra artisanal”). I’m wondering what you would suggest to ensure that it comes out and manages to hold its shape so I don’t have to poke and prod it too much in the morning. Thank you in advance!
You’re very welcome, Jill! It could be that your dough is over hydrated, it requires more strength, or it’s over proofing. I’d suggest trying to keep everything else the same but drop the water a little bit, perhaps 2-5%, and see if that helps. When you’re shaping make sure the dough holds its shape on the counter all by itself when you’re done. If it spreads readily after you’ve shaped it, you need to add more strength to the dough (add in another set or two of stretch and folds and see if that helps), or shape it tighter.
Let me know how that works out!
My first bread attempt has the dough in the refrain as we talk. I think the dough mix was over hydrated and I instinctively gave it more fold and turns. I don’t know what will happen when I get it out of the refrain and bake but I may give the dough a little more knead before I shape and bake it it’s too “floppy.” So this discussion has been very helpful. But you know it’s logical that there was a bit too much water in the bulk dough mix and the next time I would have used less. One dies get the feel of the dough, what it’s telling you it needs to be strong. By the way, my starter is about 2 1/2 weeks old. It’s lovely and smells like flowers. I live close to the forests in Marin County. I guess the bacteria and fungus likes it here! Let you know how my first time turns out.
Hopefully your bake turned out well, Lois!
It tasted great. However the bottom was burned and the crumb wasn’t open and light. Help
1
Try preheating the oven with the Dutch oven (DO) at a lower temperature to help reduce the bottom from burning too much. Perhaps preheat at 475ºF. If you still get a slightly burned bottom you could sprinkle in some coarse wheat germ or cornmeal into the DO before placing the dough inside, this will help insulate the dough just a bit.
I would also recommend you not place the DO directly on a baking stone. Try placing the stone on the bottom rack and then a few rungs up use another wire rack to hold the DO. This way you won’t get so much direct bottom heat from the heating element. The stone on the bottom will also act as a buffer and prevent too much immediate, direct heat from the element — it should radiate out more consistently through the bake.
In general, I notice when I use a DO to bake I tend to get a slightly more baked bottom than sides and top — this is just the nature of using the DO, in my experience!
I made two loaves for an diplomatic sit down dinner last night. I know you are not supposed to try first time things for a formal dinner but… I couldn’t resist. The dough was over hydrated and turned into a blob when ready to pop in the oven. Not much I could do about it but bake and see. Well, the loaves were flat and cooked in 30 minutes but my guests LOVED the bread. Some asked how to make it as they had never had anything like it : ) One asked me to teach his wife how to make it – I suggested he learn! Anyway, bread was so tender and crust perfect. I’ll do better next time. Thank you for all the hand holding you are giving all of us!
That’s super great to hear, Ann! I’m just like you, sometimes I try first-time recipes for important dinners — sometimes it works out great, sometimes not 🙂 It sounds like maybe the hydration needs to be pulled back a bit or the dough could use a little more strengthening (or a combination of the two) — parts of the baking process we’re always working on! Thanks so much for the message and happy baking!
Thank you Maurizio, (is that you fist name or last?) It’s a lovely name either way. Any way thank you for you very speedy reply. I live in France most of the year and have a wonderful 100 year+ outside, wood buring bread oven. I have not as yet baked in it. I am inquireing left, right and center to any one who has experience baking in one to help me out and guide me. I am hoping that in the next few weeks I will be baking my first loaves in it. So, my question 2nd is…do you have any experience in baking your beautiful bread in a wood burning bread oven and if so any sugguustion would be so welcome.
Joy, Maurizio is my first name (don’t worry, people often flip my name since Leo is a very common first name) — thank you! Unfortunately I don’t have any experience in baking bread in a wood fired oven but that would be so, so cool to do so. I often dream of building my own oven here — perhaps one day.
There’s a great book called The Bread Builders that might be of interest to you. It talks a lot about building your own oven but it also discusses baking in one here and there. As far as I know the typical process is to fire the oven much before you plan to actually bake so the heat has time to saturate the masonry brick. Once the heat in the brick is sufficient, you then sweep out the wood and ash from the deck and wait till the temp drops to your desired range for baking (or put out the fire, wait, then sweep). Once the oven has cooled some, load your dough and add steam into the oven (although many wood oven bakers do not do this) if possible.
I hope that helps! Perhaps one day I’ll have access/time to work in a wood burning oven — what a dream. Have fun!
can I bake this in the oven with out useing a combo cooker or a Le Creuset Dutch oven? My starter is ready to go!!!… but I don’t have either one of these items!
Hey there, Joy! Yes, you certainly can. You won’t get a shiny crust and perhaps not as high of a rise but the bread will still be very delicious. If you have a pizza stone use that in the oven and preheat so it’s nice and hot. Once you load the bread inside you could spray a bit of water on the dough with a handheld mister if you’d like.
If you want to see an alternate method for steaming your home oven instead of using a combo cooker or Dutch oven, have a look at my guide on baking with steam in your home oven — you might get some more ideas there as well!
Hi Maurizio, I recently moved to a new apartment with a new (electric) oven and cooler ambient temperature, and have been struggling to achieve the dome shape that your recipe used to give me. I thought it might be the cooler proofing temperatures, so yesterday I proofed in the oven with the light on – FDT was in the mid 80s. However, the finished products looks like so — no dome: https://imgur.com/a/UKvEHzS
Do you have any advice about how to achieve the dome structure in the finished product?
It’s hard to say exactly but my guess there is the dough is not strong enough and/or over hydrated. Have you tried holding back some water from the mix? It’s also possible the dough has overproofed slightly, as a bulk temp in the mid-80’s might be high depending on how long you’re doing there.
I’d say try a little less water and reduce the temp in bulk to around 79-81F and see if that helps!
Great, thank you for your quick reply. I will try this next time I bake. Thank you again!
Hi Maurizo! Thanks for the great blog! I also enjoy your Instagram Feed. I run the feed @themaniscooking I am curious how long the dough can stay in the fridge overnight? I am planning to follow your schedule but in some cases won’t be able to bake the bread off first thing in the morning. Thanks for your help!
Hey, Justin! Love your stuff on IG as well, thanks for the kind words. It’s typically ok if the bread is in there several hours longer than I instruct here but it really depends on how active and fermented your dough is. Your dough only has so much “capacity” for fermentation before things (gluten) start to breakdown compromising oven spring the next day. If you need to extend the cold proof time you could try cutting the bulk a little short, like 15 minutes, and get the dough into the fridge right away after shaping. I don’t typically like to compromise bulk time, though, as it can lead to issues — it’s important the dough gets sufficient fermentation during that period. A little bit is fine but it’ll take experimentation on your part to see what’s possible.
Personally I don’t mind bread that’s really pushing the proof, in fact, this is my preference. Try extending the proof a little at a time without modifying bulk and see how the bread turns out, it might have quite a bit more leeway than you think! I hope that helps.
Hi Maurizio. I am having a small bake sale on Saturday morning and would like to make sourdough. How should I adjust recipes to maybe bake Friday evening or REALLY early Saturday morning. Thank you!
You can keep the timetable the same here and just shift everything earlier or later. The exact time of day of each of this isn’t quite so important but the relationship, or durations, of each time is. In other words, we want to try and keep bulk fermentation around the time listed here given the final dough temperature listed. We can, however, shift building the levain, mixing, and the start of bulk so the whole process just starts earlier.
Finally, know that this dough can probably “last” a few more hours in the fridge than I indicate here. That may be helpful for you so you can shift day one stuff earlier, leave it in the fridge longer, and bake a little later the next day.
Hope that helps!
What would you say would be the maximum proofing time in the fridge? I’ve heard some people proof it as long as 24 hours and more, but I don’t want to risk OVER proofing.
It’s hard to give an exact time because it really depends on how far along your dough is for that particular batch. If the dough is under fermented it can last quite a while in the fridge, even up to 24 hours. I’ve done 24 a few times and the dough usually bakes up well enough for me, but it’ll have a little less rise and will be a little more dense as the proof is pushed farther and farther (this is because the structure of the loaf, specifically the gluten, will begin to break down as the acids in the dough increase over time).
My best advice would be to try and keep the formula and everything else the same bake-to-bake. Then, push the proof time a little each time to see how far you can go.
Alright, thank you! I’ll make sure to follow up on the results.
Hi Maurizio, thank you for your wonderfully detailed blog. I hope you can help me as I’m on my fourth loaf and I am still baking bricks 🙁 My starter and levain seem to be rising and falling predictably (although not as active as yours, it doubles at most). However, with all my bakes, there is no rise during the bulk fermentation (even if I leave it for longer) or during the cold proof. After baking, all my loaves stick to the parchment paper. For my next loaf I am going to try and reduce the hydration but any other suggestions? Also, another question I have is when you use your discarded starter to make other items, do you put the discarded mature starter in the fridge until you have enough to make the recipe? I saw in your notes you said that since you feed twice a day you end up with enough starter in a day to make your recipes, but doesn’t the first batch of discard get too mature? Thank you.
Also, how important is autolyse time? That is, sometimes my levain will take longer to mature (7 hours) and because of scheduling should I choose a longer autolyse time (2 hours) or shorter autolyse time (30min). Thanks again.
It’s hard to say exactly why your dough isn’t rising during bulk, but there are some possible causes. First off, it might be your dough is over hydrated and not really strong enough to trap the gasses produced during fermentation. Have you tried kneading (I like slap/fold) a bit at the beginning? An alternative would be to try and reduce the hydration of the dough and see if that helps. Another possibility is it might be the flour you’re using. Some flours (rye, fresh milled whole wheat, weaker flours like pastry flour, etc.) won’t show the same volumetric rise as other flours. That’s ok, though! The key to bulk fermentation is to let the dough get a good start at fermenting. It’s a critical step that really can’t be rushed either — if your dough is taking longer to rise and display signs of proper fermentation give it some more time to get there. It’s more important to watch the dough than the clock.
You can certainly store up the discarded starter for a day or so and that should work fine. At that point most of the leavening power will be gone, but it’ll be more of a flavor additive. What I’ll do sometimes is build up my starter with a little extra flour and water the night before if I’m planning on making something like waffles the next day.
Autolyse is very important, depending on the formula and flour. If you find the dough becomes very extensible (the ability for the dough to stretch out before showing resistance) you can decrease the autolyse time. When presented with the choice between 2 hrs and 30 minutes for the dough in this formula I’d go with 2 hours. Why? Because I feel like the flour used here (which is higher in protein) will be just fine with a long autolyse as it’ll only mean more extensibility. High protein flours are usually strong and have a lot of elasticity — the property for something to resist stretching out (think about one of those super thick rubber bands you cant stretch very far).
I hope that all helps!
Thank you so much for your reply. After much wasted flour, and effort my confidence had been deflated. But your reply and suggestions has renewed my enthusiasm to keep going with new ideas to guide me.
Hi Maurizio…I have just recently started my sourdough journey and I would like to make your formula. I live in high altitude (5100 ft.), just next to you in Arizona! I am wondering if we need to add more water in any given formula being we are in the higher elevation. My dough is always drier than in the videos I am watching to learn bread making and I’m wondering if this is why (I do use a scale and weigh in grams). I’m excited to try your formula! Thank you so much for any help! Dora
Hey, Dora! We’re at about the same altitude but I’m guessing your location might be a tad drier than here in Albuquerque — although that may not be true. Regardless, it sounds like your dough might be able to take more water. Feel free to add a little in at a time so the dough looks and feels appropriate. And of course, most importantly, the end result has the flavor and texture you’re after!
Keep in mind you can always add water in, but you can’t take it out 🙂 Add it in slowly through mixing and see how it feels. If the loaf bakes up ok and you want to add more, do so next time. Hydration is tricky with dough and typically it takes doing the same recipe a few times, day after day, to really figure out what the flour can handle.
Hope that helps, neighbor!
Yes it does help! Thank you Maurizio, I will try adjusting the water, our climate is quite dry so I think this will help! Take care…Dora
Hi,
I gave it a shot, and it was going well most of the way, until it came to putting the bread in the over. it didnt hold its shape like it does in your pictures when I took it out of the bowl… rather, it just flattened out… Any ideas?
Marc — it’s possible the dough was over hydrated, no strong enough (needs more kneading or stretch and folds during bulk), insufficiently fermented, or even over fermented. It’s hard to say exactly which it could be! It’s likely your dough was over hydrated and/or not strong enough. Try reducing the water 5% and give it another go and see how it bakes up. Make sure the dough feels rather strong by the end of bulk: you want to see defined lines on the dough and it should hold its shape on the counter when you do a preshape and shape.
Hi! I successfully used this recipe last week, but have since been unable to get my levain to rise very much (using the same starter, similar environmental conditions). After 4 hours, it has grown by about 1/3. What can I be doing differently? Thank you!
I’ll add that my starter is about a month old, rising and falling consistently. If I feed it at 7pm, I am able to use it for my levain at 8am prior to it beginning to fall.
If you’re using a different flour to create the levain it’s possible it’ll display different characteristics — rise being one of them. As long as your levain shows strong signs of fermentation (bubbles, smell, etc.) it’ll be fine to bake with!
Hey Maurizio – first off, huge thanks for this guide. Immensely helpful. I baked my first sourdough last week (tagged you on Instagram @jerseydough) and overall was thrilled, but had some questions on the bulk.
Last bake:
My bulk seemed a bit sluggish, and it didn’t get a large rise. Maybe 20%. Didn’t have much of a rise in the fridge either, and felt far denser going into the combo cooker than other breads I’ve baked. Kinda like a hockey puck. Trying to fix that with the bulk I have going right now. (If you’re interested in seeing any data from the bake, it’s Row 3 here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MuRKZyZli05B5ld1sGmRr-UB9ND7_0uu9z7Lyb0gIvU/edit?usp=sharing).
This upcoming bake:
My FDT was 80.2 degrees, and after 3.75 hours of bulking at an ambient temp of 72.5, dough temp has dropped to 75.7. It’s risen perhaps 15% or so, and still feels very dense.
I’m considering pushing the bulk to 7 or 8 hours or so to see what I can get from it due to my low ambient temp. What are your thoughts?
Loaf and crumb from last bake for reference: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bjc5yp5lJkh/?taken-by=jerseydough & https://imgur.com/a/vfRCdw3
Jonathan — you bet! Well, I’d say your bread looks great. I would be hesitant to push bulk that far given the temps you’re recording but it really depends on your starter and levain as well. If you’re using your starter too early, and then also the same with your levain, it can really slow the entire process down (and of course the converse is also true). This is why timing your starter and levain are so important and really set the stage for the rest of the process. It does require some experience in determining how to adjust things based on how the dough is looking, feeling, and even smelling, that day. This is part of what makes baking both challenging and rewarding at the same time 🙂
But of course if your ambient temps are low then yes, you’d need to lengthen bulk to compensate. What I typically do is just keep extending bulk until it looks “ready.” The dough should be well risen, bubbly, much smoother, and more elastic. Determining the point in which to cut bulk can be hard. My best advice there is to try and stick to the same formula, same temperatures, and same process for a while. Change one thing at a time (e.g. lengthen bulk 15 minutes) and see how the bake goes, if it improves then keep moving in that direction. It can be hard to isolate one parameter at a time but it really helps to try and do this.
Keep me posted!
Maurizo – thanks for the feedback! I think you inadvertently solved my bulk fermentation problem! Despite being a few weeks into my starter, I’m using the “build starter” ratios, which has resulted in me building my levain in the morning when I feed my starter, when it has fallen to maybe ~20% growth. I’m going to switch my feedings to maintenance, which should result in building the levain when the starter is close to peak growth / ready for its next feeding.
Right on! Sometimes I tend to solve problems that aren’t there or, in this case, inadvertently solve existing problems 🙂 Happy baking, Jonathan!
Just finished up my first batch following this recipe. I started my own starter about 6 weeks ago after reading your article on sourdough pizza dough, and figured I’d venture into bread. I have never made bread before, so I I followed all instructions as closely as possible, but did make 1 addition. I added diastatic malt. I was not overly diligent in reading up on it before hand, and primarily gauged the amount based on your sourdough pizza recipe (which is fantastic). So I added 15g malt, and only later in searching did I find that this is a rather high percentage for bread, and can have some negative effects. It was too late to change, so I went with it, and it turned out pretty well. I did notice my dough was was quite runny compared to photos you posted, so it was a challenge to work with, and forming the dough in the bowls for the overnight proof was tough, and I basically just blopped it in without much form. After the cold proof, it turned out on my peel pretty well, and rose nicely in my le creuset. Finished product was beautiful, and tasted excellent. I’m thinking the malt may have caused the extra runny dough properties, so next time I will try a very small amount and see how it turns out. Overall, this was an excellent recipe, instructions were very thorough and easy to follow. Bravo!
I do have one question as well. I’m interested in adding ingredients to the bread, I am thinking something like rosemary and garlic. What stage would be appropriate to add these to the dough? Thank you!
Great to hear that, Darren! Yes, that would be quite a lot of diastatic malt. I typically shoot for somewhere between .25% – 1%.
You can add rosemary and garlic in at any stage, really. I typically like to fold ingredients like this in during bulk fermentation, after the first or second fold.
Happy baking!
Hi Maurizio,
If I make the levain the night before, and let it sit for 8-10 hours, what effect does this have on the process? Assuming it’s possible for the levain to “go bad”, is the 5-6 hours very strict? Thanks!
5-6 hours is not very strict, it depends on your starter ripeness, the flour used, the ratio of each ingredient, and perhaps most importantly, the temperature it’s kept at.
If you want to build a levain for overnight fermentation you could use the same flour and ratios I have described above but reduce the percentage of mature starter you create it with. I’ve found that at 20% mature starter, 100% flour, 100% water, and at room temp, my starter will ripen in about 10-12 hours.
The key with all of this is to try and use your starter at the right stage, right when it’s about to, or just has, fallen in height. There’s some leeway here and even if your starter has gone a bit too far you can still adjust during the bake to compensate. If your starter has ripened too far expect that the whole process might move a little faster (you might need to adjust bulk fermentation time). If your starter is more on the “young” side, then expect to lengthen the process by some degree.
I realize all these terms are somewhat nebulous but it really does depend on the particular situation at hand. With more and more practice you’ll be able to see the signs and adjust as necessary. It doesn’t have to be overly complicated, it just requires some flexibility 🙂
I hope that helps!
SO helpful!
Truly. Thank you so much. I’ll be sure to keep you posted, ha 🙂
Mouse holes galore! I did a 4 hour proof at 80 f and a 13 hour retard at 45 f. All other directions were followed, did have some issues with the dough sticking to the proofing basket after retard…https://m.imgur.com/a/7xs4iZp help!?
It looks to me like your loaves were underproofed. There are a few indicators your dough could be under: explosive rise in the oven, dense interior with potentially scattered large holes (as I saw in your photo), and gummy texture to the interior. Finally, it’s possible the bottom of the loaf might be slightly bowed upward (like the letter “U” — the top will kind of dome). Make sure your starter and levain are both strong before mixing your dough. Ensure your bulk fermentation is full and complete, the dough should look like the photos I have posted above and fit the description I wrote about. This is very important!
I just made my very first sourdough boule using this recipe + your starter guidelines, and it turned out perfectly! The crust was pretty dark (almost charring near the scored edges), but it had a coffee-like aroma to it that was very pleasant. And the crumb was almost exactly what I was hoping for! Not as open and airy as yours, but I did get some good holes. I see what you mean when you say bread flour produces a more gummy texture – it was not unpleasant by any means, but I may try a recipe with a different flour next time. Overall, I have definite room for improvement, but this was a great way to start off. Thanks so much for the recipe.
Great to hear that, Katherine! Yes, I usually like a lower percentage of bread flour mixed with some lower protein white (all purpose). Have fun!
Hello Maurizio,
Thank you for your advice and responding to my questions. I have made sure i have long enough fermentation and super bubbly starter and i have added kneading slap and fold method after Autolyse. I could tell during shaping that my bread will hold its shape better. I got very nice oven spring and pretty tall bread with open crumb that is moist but not gummy and not too sour. I am quite pleased, thank you for the inspiration!!!
http://i345.photobucket.com/albums/p393/anitakeppert/4263DCBE-E801-4ED1-BE50-BED21C663B0A_zpsohggal73.jpeg
Your bread looks great, Anita! I’m happy I could help. Have fun and enjoy 🙂
Hello Maurizio,
I have tried to do this bread a couple of times but I always have a problem: the strength. I do all the foldings (have tried Doubling the amount to creat more strength) and followed the bulk fermentation. Nevertheless I have found myself (to this day) with a very “runny” dough that cannot stand on its own, as if it was just watery. Even the day after the 16 hours out from the fridge.
I’ve also tried kneading instead of folding, more hydration, less hydration, different flours, etc. Anyways I guess I’ve tried almost everything (or do I think) and I cannot get to have a firm full of strength dough that keeps its form. What am I doing wrong?! Thanks in advance!
Andrea
Andrea: I’d suggest revisiting the idea of reducing the hydration of the dough to see if that helps. Try knocking it down by 10%, which is significant, this should lead to a stronger dough right off the bat. If you’re not using the “Bread Flour” I outline in this recipe try to pick some up at the store and see if that also helps (bread flour will have a higher protein percentage and will also make the dough feel stronger). Keep me posted!
Hello! For some reason when I have done the autolyse on my last few loaves, it has been very hard to incorporate all the dry bits. It seems like there isn’t enough water when I take out a portion to mix in with the salt later in the process. I am also not trying to overmix the autolyse as well so because of this the autolypse get’s very developed. My doughs don’t seem nearly as wet as what I usually see in pictures. Also, because of this, unless I end up kneading the dough for like 10 minutes after that period there seems to be a lot of small chunks in the dough that I think may be flour? Any suggestions?
It sounds like you might be able to add in a little more water to the mix, increasing the hydration of this recipe. Try adding in 2-5% more water in this initial autolyse mix and see if that helps! You definitely want to hydrate every single bit of flour by the end of mixing.
Thank you! If my dough doesn’t seem to be rising in the fridge, is it possible that I didn’t let it bulk enough during the fermentation. This has happen to me several times when I will hardly get any rise once in there. I also notice that when I do my bulk fermentation while it has bubbles, I only let it rise around 15-20% because I am scared I will over proof it.
I’d say try pushing bulk further. Most home bakers cut bulk a little too early and it’s worth trying just once to push it a little farther and see the result (you might be surprised and it usually happens by accident!). It’s ok if you don’t see too much rise in the dough overnight in the fridge, it’s pretty cold in there and the dough also relaxes out some. If you need more fermentation in the dough, leave it out on the counter for 15-30 minutes after you shape it and place it in the proofing basket (covered of course). This extra time could help.
Wow. So glad someone commented on this! I had (having this same issue). I did this twice because I was sure I mis-weighed the ingredients. Both times SUPER dry compared to other breads I’ve made. I really mixed the autolyse dough mix but just had nowhere near the wet consistency I’ve seen in the pics above. Using exact ingredients and water but just couldnt get there. I will try increasing the water thusly like is mentioned below in the comment but sheesh I hope these loaves come out alrighty. So much FLOUR for a 2 loaf recipe.
A little hint about the consistency in your guide might help us in making quick judgements regarding adding extra water/flour
I think I’ve finally gotten a process down where I’m happy with how the crumb turns out on the bread. Now I just need ot figure out why the crust on my bread is so white compared to yours. every recipe i’ve read says to dust the basket that I do final shaping on heavily so I dust with AP flour. Am I just using to much or am I using the wrong flour?
https://imgur.com/a/qaCHnxG
That’s great! Yes, it looks like you are a little heavy with the dusting flour. Try using less and see if you find a sweet spot for how much you need. Obviously the higher hydration the dough the more you’ll likely need.
I use white rice flour for dusting my proofing baskets.
Hello! I was doing the bakers percentages for your FD Formula and the numbers were off. Flour weight = 907g, if I divided every ingredient by this number and multiple by 100, the numbers I get are a bit off from yours. Am I calculating something wrong?
For example, water is 691g. So (691/907)×100=76.18 not 76.22
I know it’s not much but I’m just wondering why it’s off. Am I missing something?
Also, you bake your loafs cold. Why don’t you let them come to room temp and check if they are ready to be baked (poke/feel test)? Is there a reason for this? And would it effect the outcome had I let it come to rt and checked it? Would the crumb be more open this way? Or will I still get an open crumb if I baked them cold?
When calculating total hydration for this loaf, do you take your starter into consideration? If not, then will the hydration of this loaf be 76.22?
Thanks so much for your help so far!
Zee — you’re not the first to ask about this and I’m working on a post explaining how I come up with all the numbers I post here in my formulas. I only list the “final dough mix” numbers and don’t list the full spreadsheet of my formula calculations. I don’t do this to hide anything but rather to make it more clear and concise for bakers to get to mixing exactly what they need for the bake. I’ve gone back and forth on what to include and maybe I should just start listing the whole table, or add the other section showing all the inputs at the end. Not sure yet!
It’s not necessary to bake when the dough is warm, baking straight from the fridge is just fine and I almost always do this. I do this because I push the bulk fermentation and proof steps far enough, my dough rarely needs more room temp proof time before baking. If you find your dough is under proofed when you take it out of the fridge, by all means go ahead and give it more room temp proof time.
I do not usually take the hydration of the starter into account (it’s a relatively small number anyways) but I do take into account the hydration of the levain.
Hope that helps!
Sorry, I meant levain! Yes, please share. 😀 I would love to learn more about formulas and how you get your numbera. Thanks for answering! It does help.
Hi Maurizio,
I baked my first sourdough today following your recipe. It is tastes good but it is a bit gummy inside. My starter started already falling down when I mixed it with autolysed flour and I added a set of stretch and fold. FDT was 83F. The second rise in the fridge was about 13hours. My shaping skills definitely need to improve too. I used KA bread flour. What do you think I can improve?
Thank you!
Here is the picture:
http://s345.photobucket.com/user/anitakeppert/media/D9FBE090-9E1D-4DB4-B7BC-B473157476BD_zpsl4ppf9jc.jpeg.html
http://s345.photobucket.com/user/anitakeppert/media/86BC2649-27B8-469F-BAC9-3F090ADC1DD3_zps3ha4g8yd.jpeg.html?sort=3&o=0
Update: I tried again, baked for 30 min with lid on and then 20 min with lid off, eliminated rye flour since I am using a rye starter, replaced some of the bread flour with AP flour, did more folding and had longer proof (about 16 hrs). Bread had internal temp of 213F out of the oven but still somewhat gummy inside and kind of bland tasting (do I need more salt?). The crumb is open but very uneven and I scored it with cross in the middle and box around, I think this has cause the volcano-like shape. Is it my shaping that causes those huge holes? Should I reduce some water or bake for longer or higher temp? Loaf looks beautiful on the outside.
It looks to me like your dough might have been underproofed. Usually those large caverns like that on the inside are a good indicator your dough could have used more time in bulk fermentation and/or proof.
First, make sure your starter is rising and falling predictably each day — this is a good indicator it’s strong enough to bake with. It all really does begin there! Then, use your starter when it’s nice and mature to make your levain. It should be well risen, bubbly, and smell sour. From there, make sure your dough temperature is what I have listed for the FDT above — this is very important.
Adding salt and baking for longer won’t help. We first need to focus on fermentation!
Hello Maurizio, after creating and maintaining a successful starter, I baked this evening. My dough sat in the refrigerator quite a bit longer than per your instructions but it couldn’t be helped. It seemed that my first loaf was starting to burn on top so I put a piece of foil over it. I took it out of the oven 5 minutes early (still afraid it would burn) and the inside temperature reached only 208 degrees. I live at about 3300 feet in elevation and have read varying opinions on high altitude baking and if changes need to be made for bread. What’s your opinion? Thanks for your help!
I hope it was delicious! I live at 5280ft elevation, my temperatures might be too high for you. You could try reducing the temp of the beginning of the bake by 25°F and see if that helps it bake longer without burning. Each oven can also be very, very different so you might have to tweak the times and temps I have listed here to suit. I know when I bake in a friend’s oven it always takes me a few tries to get things just right!
Namaste Maurizio,I would be very grateful if you could kindly guide me as to why does my dough deflate when i score. Thank you so much.
Hey, Mita! I replied to you on Instagram: it could be that the dough is over proofed and thus starting (or has) to breakdown. Keep an eye on the dough and if it’ looks like it’s going to far get it into the oven. Additionally, when you go to bake, poke the dough gently here and there to try and assess the level of fermentation. If the dough feels overly weak, gassy, and loose, score the dough very delicately (do not go as deep as usual).
I hope that helps!
Hi Maurizio. Your blog has been an absolute saviour for me – I’ve been struggling with my sourdough since January and could never get that open light crumb. With your guides my starter is happy, rising predictably and I’ve made my best sourdough yet! However, the first few times I tried the beginner’s recipe, I kept getting a massive collapse of the gluten and a big floating crust instead of it being evenly dispersed. I quickly realised I was over-proofing it (by accident keeping it at about 100 degrees F instead of 70-80!). I now proof it in room temperature (at about 72 degrees as I don’t have a proofing box and have to rely on room temperature) and although it’s a lot better, I still have a tendency to get much denser crumb at the bottom and a tunnelling effect in parts of the top half of the loaf. Is it still an issue with over-proofing or is it something else? Could it be due to shaping? Thank you for all your help!
Really happy to hear that, Rebecka! Usually large holes at the top of the loaf are due to over proofing. Sometimes you’ll see a large hole up top where the top crust has separated from the crumb below. However, in some rare cases I’ve also see this due to over hydration as well, the interior crumb kind of sinks down as the top rises from the heat in the oven. Because you’re not indicating the dough was overly hard to handle, I don’t think it’s a hydration issue. Inconsistent shaping is also a very real possibility.
100°F would certainly be way too hot to bulk or proof your dough, especially if you’re doing my formula above. I’m glad you dropped that down! I like to shoot for 78°F, but if it’s a little lower that’s ok too, just give the dough more time during bulk as necessary.
Try pulling back the final proof time 2-4 hours in the fridge and see if that helps the issue. When shaping, try to impart the same amount of tension across the loaf using both hands. It takes some practice, but it’ll get easier. Finally, when you score your dough make sure you’re scoring sufficiently: you want it to be deep enough (perhaps 1/4 to 1/2″) and do a simple “box” score on top so the design is even across the entire surface. This will help release pressure evenly as the dough rises.
Keep me posted! If you take some pictures of your bake the next time, and this happens, feel free to email me (through Contact, above) and send them over — it might help me diagnose further.
Happy baking!
What’s going on when a small piece of started sinks only to rise (floats) within the next 3 to 4 minutes? Is the starter ready to use in a levain?
When making a levain I don’t usually use the float test to determine if the starter is ready, but it could be a good indicator of sufficient fermentation. Instead, I like to judge by smell, bubbling on the top and sides, and whether it’s just fallen or about to fall in the jar. For more info on how I judge when my starter is ready to make a levain, check out my sourdough starter maintenance routine post — it has quite a few visuals and descriptions on what I look for.
Chances are, if it floats up it is sufficiently fermented to build a levain, though!
Thanks for leading me to the SD starter page on your website it is most (and reassuring) helpful. The entire site is truly incredible and invaluable to home bakers. Thank you very much!
Q: I’ve been burning the bottom crust of my loaves. I don’t mind the taste but my kids won’t eat it. I bake at 450 for the first 25 min the to 425 the last 20 min uncovered. I’ve used parchment paper which helps very little. I dust the crust with AP flour before dropping into the cast iron Dutch Over which I season 2 to 3 times annually. Any suggestions?
You’re very welcome, Billy! That’s a common issue with the Dutch oven.
Try preheating the oven with the Dutch oven (DO) at a lower temperature to help reduce the bottom from burning too much. Perhaps preheat at 475ºF. If you still get a slightly burned bottom you could sprinkle in some coarse wheat germ, cornmeal, or semolina into the DO before placing the dough inside, this will help insulate the dough just a bit.
I would also recommend you not place the DO directly on a baking stone. Try placing the stone on the bottom rack and then a few rungs up use another wire rack to hold the DO. This way you won’t get so much direct bottom heat from the heating element. The stone on the bottom will also act as a buffer and prevent too much immediate, direct heat from the element — it should radiate out more consistently through the bake.
In general, I notice when I use a DO to bake I tend to get a slightly more baked bottom than sides and top — this is just the nature of using the DO, in my experience.
That’s a clever idea! I’ll do that. Thank you.
Success! Your advice worked. I placed the stone on the lowest oven rack and this time the bottom crust did not burn. Thank you so much.
I do the primary mixing in a stand mixer. How long should I be mixing the dough after the starter and salt is added?
There’s no set answer there. It depends on how many stretch and fold sets you plan to do during bulk. I typically will mix to “medium” development then finish strengthening the dough during bulk with 2-3 sets of stretch and folds.
I’ve always use the guidline that if I take a chunk of the dough out, i should be able to stretch it out thin enough to the point where I can see shadows behind it. is that a fairly safe guidline to use and then 2-3 sets of stretch and folds?
I find mixing the dough until it passes the “windowpane test” a little too much if I intend to do stretch and folds during bulk. I’d suggest stopping a little before that, then do 1-2 sets of stretch and folds during bulk and see if that helps!
I’ve never understood this part of the bread making process.
When we make the starter, we know it takes about 12 hrs to get the starter to its max and that’s using a ratio of 1:1:1 (old starter, new flour, water)
Now when we make bread we use a much higher ratio of new flour/water to old starter so wouldn’t it take longer than 12 hrs for the starter to get to max power? Why do we bake the loaf well before that?
We never want to let the dough get to the point where it’s “fully” fermented like a starter when it needs feeding. We want the dough to be about 75-80% of the way there, that way when we stick it into the oven there’s still some “life” left in the dough as it undergoes rapid fermentation as the temperature increases. If we fully fermented the dough it would be over proofed, and likely collapse, in the oven.
Hi Maurizio – I’ve tried this bread twice and had the same issue – the dough seems to be flat, so even though it rises a bit, it’s only about 2″ thick. The dough in general seems to be a bit more slack/sticky than in your pictures, so I’m going to try to lower the hydration next time. I’m curious if more than just hydration, could it be due to lack of kneading/poor gluten structure? It seems that other than 3 stretch/folds, you don’t knead the dough a lot – maybe I’m not mixing the dough by hand enough in the bowl? My starter seems strong and I’m getting the bubbles during bulk and the finished product has some nice holes in it, but the dough isn’t as pillowy as yours seems. Thoughts? Also, a few more questions while I’m here that hopefully might help others too :). 1) Do you have any recommendations for pausing bulk fermentation in the fridge? 2) When you shape the dough into a batard, how do you proof in the fridge? (since putting it in a bowl changes the shape). 3) After the retard proof in the fridge, should I let the dough come to room temperature before putting it in the oven or are you basically baking cold? Sorry for the long post but thanks for your help and your detailed advice!
Same here, did it three times now, exactly like described in the method. However, when you put the dough out of the form it takes 30 seconds and it spreads to a huge thin pancake. Hight about 1″ or even less. It grows up to about 2″ during bake, however, it is so flat before baking that even when it grows much during baking it remains a flat piece of bread. Very disappointing…
To it seems that it is way to wet.
If the dough seems too wet reduce the hydration by 5% next time and see if that helps. Additionally, you could try adding in another set of stretch and folds during bulk to give it a little more strength. Also, make sure to shape the dough nice and tight during shape time — this helps keep its structure in the basket and subsequently when you turn it out to bake.
Also, this could be a sign of under proofed dough. Make sure your starter is rising and falling reliably — it needs to be strong! Then, make sure the levain is strong before you mix it into the dough. If your kitchen is cool, it might take longer than the time I have specified (this also goes for when the dough is in bulk fermentation).
I hope this helps!
Yes, it’s very possible the dough was over hydrated. Try reducing the water by 5% and see if that brings more strength to the dough. You could also do more mixing in the bowl before starting bulk fermentation by stretching the dough up and over to the other side many times, perhaps 20-30, to see if that helps bring more strength (it will).
1) It’s not super easy to “pause” bulk in the fridge, but you can do what’s called a cold bulk. Check out my kamut baguette post where I do this.
2) When making a batard you need an oblong (oval) proofing basket to keep the shape. Check out my baking tools page for a few links!
3) I bake the dough cold straight from the fridge, assuming it has plenty of fermentation activity. If you leave the dough out to come to room temp keep in mind fermentation will speed back up during this time (which can be what you want, depending on how fermented the dough is).
I hope that helps!
I wanted to follow-up and say I reduced the water actually by about 8% and the dough baked up beautifully with a nice rise. Reducing the water definitely helped with the dough handling and strength (to get that pillowy look your pictures have) and baking straight from the fridge helped even more to get the right height on the loaf. Thanks so much for your feedback!
That’s great to hear, Madyuki! Enjoy 🙂
I ran out of Bob’s bread flour and would rather not run out to the store. If I use KA AP and follow this recipe should I be ok with just an extra stretch and fold or two?
Yes, that should work out just fine!
Thanks! Bit worried about using the King Arthur AP. It’s in autolyse right now. Any tips on how to see that the dough is strong enough after bulk?
KA AP is usually pretty strong, it should strengthen up nicely. If you need add in another set of stretch and folds during bulk as you said. The dough should let you know when it’s strengthened enough during bulk: it’ll be hard to stretch out and up, and it’ll hold its shape more readily after a set.
For some reason, my bread doesn’t come out consistant. like literally the middle of the bread will be dense, buty the outter edges will have a nice open airy structure. Any ideas how to correct the issue?
Usually these types of inconsistencies are due to uneven shaping or uneven heat in the oven. I’d first focus on shaping: make sure you shape gently with about the same tension across the entire outside of the loaf. If you pinch, press, or tighten too much in any one area you’ll impart a more closed section in the loaf. It takes practice for sure!
that solved my problem!
from this
https://imgur.com/a/86xdotd
to this
https://imgur.com/a/zlqotLO
Right on, glad to see that, Johnny! Your bread looks great. I’d suggest trying to push fermentation just a tad more next time, too, and see if that takes you even further in the right direction. You could try another hour or two in the fridge and see if that helps.
Hi Maurizio, thank you so much for sharing the recipes and I really like them! I baked sourdough bread several times and were happy about the result. But the holes in my bread are not as big as those shown in your photos. How could I improve? Should I lengthen the fermentation period?
Glad to hear that, Rita! You’re very welcome. There are a lot of factors that go into a light, open interior. First focus on your starter and ensure it’s strong and fed (refreshed) in a timely fashion so it’s up to performing as best it can. From there, you want your dough to have sufficient dough strength to rise high in the oven, it’s a balance between just enough and not too much. Use the pictures in my post above to guide you: take note of how the dough looks strong and smooth by the end of bulk fermentation. From there, shape gently! Unfortunately there’s not one single thing to isolate to help attain a very open interior, it does come with practice!
How long do you rest the bread after baking?
I usually let it rest at least a few hours, depending on the bread. Some breads, like rye and high hydration whole wheat, really benefit for an even longer rest — usually overnight.
Third time. Bulk fermentation went great. But I feel like the dough was in 100%and not 76%. It was difficult to shape. I think I need to use less water. Any suggestion.??? I am not using the same type of flour.
Yes, definitely drop the hydration. I’d say go down by 10% if it felt that wet.
Oh my oh my! I made my first 2 loaves of sourdough after growing my starter for 7 days and they are GORGEOUS and delicious! I was totally intimidated but followed the directions exactly (except for mistakenly using all 200g of the levain which made for a bit of a slippery mess which I fixed by adding more flour.) Due to my scheduled I ended up doing a 21 hour cold proof which didn’t seem to do any harm. My crust wasn’t quite as shiny as I would have liked (but it was super crispy & crunchy) and the rise was great—I wish I could add photos here! Thank you so much for such precise information. While I was baking I was kind of overwhelmed by the level of detail, but in the end it was incredibly helpful.
Really glad to hear that, Kathleen! The steps above can seem daunting, but I find they really help, especially if you get “stuck” along the way. Thanks for the update and here’s to many more awesome bakes at home!