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!
3,324 Comments
Hi Maurizio! This is my second time trying out this recipe, and the second time was a slight improvement. I got a decent rise, but I keep getting a fool’s crumb with big air pockets surrounded by a tight crumb. Is this a sign of under-fermentation? And maybe poor shaping? I used a bread proofing box and set the temp to 78 degrees, but I’m not sure the dough temperature was warm enough…. and maybe I should push the bulk fermentation longer? I also did a quick slap and fold after the surpluses and added another set of stretch and folds. My starter is pretty active (4 months old, and the levain peaked at 6 hours). Thank you!
It sounds like perhaps your dough was slightly underproofed. There are a few indicators your dough could be under: explosive rise in the oven, dense spots in the interior with potentially scattered large holes, and a 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 to build your levain from a starter that’s strong and mature (meaning it’s risen to it’s peak height before you take some to use). From there, bulk fermentation is very important! Make sure your bulk fermentation goes sufficiently far, you want the dough to look smooth, it should have risen considerably, and have bubbles here and there — it should look alive. If you tug on the dough a bit it should offer resistance to your tugging, it’ll feel stronger. Give the dough the time it needs in bulk fermentation! If you have to give it another 30m or hour to see these signs, do so. It’s important for this step to go sufficiently far for the dough to have enough fermentation activity before its proof.
Hi, great site and amazing amount of info for beginners! I was wondering if you could replace white bread flour with whole wheat bread flour? How will it effect the bread differently? It looked like the protein content was the same. I followed your beginner recipe but used whole wheat bread flour and I do not have very many large holes in my loaves. It is mainly smaller holes, almost like sandwich bread, although the taste is quite nice. I was wondering if using whole wheat bread flour would make this difference? Perhaps making it more dense? Would appreciate your thoughts!Thanks!
Thanks, Denice! Adding whole wheat flour will increase fermentation activity, bring more sourness (potentially), and lead to a denser result—BUT! With all that, comes increased flavor and nutrition.
Hi Maurizio, thanks so much for your website. It has helped me so much in learning how to bake sourdough. My question is about the difficulty I have been having with my loaves being relatively flat and dense. Everything seems to go well at every step along the way, but the final product is not very rounded. The loaves seem this way before I put them in the oven too… thanks for any thoughts!
You’re very welcome, Bring! Is it possible you’re over proofing your dough? There are a few signs your dough could have gone over: sluggish rise in the oven, the score on top of the dough might not open with a nice “ear” and instead just kind of fuse together, the interior will have lots of small holes and perhaps one or two large ones near the top (but no dense areas of unfermented flour), and finally the loaf could be a little on the sour side. Try reducing the proofing period.
Thanks so much for your reply. Is there anything else that leads to overproofing besides time? Can temperature play a role?
Absolutely. Temperature plays a huge role, as does the flour used in the recipe, and the percentage of preferment for the dough. All of these go into it!
HI Maurizio,
Thank you so much for sharing your baking skills and knowledge with all of us. I’ve started my sourdough journey last month and I’ve learned so much with your guides and mouth-watering recipes.
I’ve tried your Beginner’s Sourdough Bread a few times. I’m getting better each time but I’m still puzzled by certain aspects of it. I have 2 major concerns : 1) the consistency of my dough vs yours and 2) the lack of extra rise during the bulk fermentation stage.
I’m from Canada and up here our flours seems to be different than our southern neighbors. For example, AP flour is regulated and has a protein content between 10-12.5%. I’ve tried to match the flours(i.e. similar protein content) you are using for this recipe with what I have at home. I have AP flour (Costco Great-Plains Strong Baker’s flour), Anita’s Stone Ground Whole Wheat flour and some organic Rye flour. By definition, I think strong baker’s flour has a higher protein content than regular AP which means it can absorb water more easily. Am I right to think it requires more water to have the same consistency as your recipe’s images ? I have checked, double-checked and triple-checked the temperature of all the ingredients so that the FDT would be spot on 78F. Even, like you suggested in your temperature article, I’ve checked the dough temperature in between stretch & fold and I was around 78F as well. What are your thoughts on this one ?
During the bulk fermentation, my dough doesn’t seem to rise at all. I don’t own a Brod & Taylor proofer box but I use my oven light with 2 temperature probes on either side of the bulk fermentation container. The light is on until the probes indicate 78F then I turn it off. It becomes stronger during that stage but I don’t really see the extra rise. What could be the culprit ?
All my boules tasted great. I just want to become better at it. Again, thanks for everything you care to share.
Hi Maurizio, thank you so much for sharing your baking skills and knowledge with all of us. I have started my sourdough journey last month and I have learned so much reading through your guides and mouth-watering recipes.
I’ve done your beginner’s sourdough recipe a few times but I’m still puzzled by certain aspects of it. First, up here in Canada, we have different flours than our southern neighbors. I’ve started with what I had at home All-purpose flour(Costco Great-Plains Strong Baker’s Flour), Anita’s Stone Ground Whole Wheat flour and some Organic Rye flour. They all have the same gluten-forming protein content as the Bob’s Red Mill’s ones that you used in your recipe except maybe the all-purpose flour. I don’t know the protein content of this one. However, I’m assuming by definition a strong baker’s flour should have a gluten-forming protein content higher than regular all-purpose flour. In Canada, AP flour protein content is regulated and is between 10-12.5%.
Anyways, by using a mix of all the flour aforementioned, my dough never gets the consistency that I see in your recipe’s images and my dough doesn’t rise 20 to 50% in the bulk fermentation stage.
I’ve checked and double-checked the temperatures of every ingredients to make sure my FDT was spot on 78F. I don’t own a Brod & Taylor proofer but I was using my oven light with temperature probes on either sides of the bf container and checking the dough temperature before each stretch & fold. I’m suspecting that this strong baker’s flour might have a higher protein content than the Bob’s Red Mill Artistan Bread Flour which would make it absorb the water more easily thus requiring more water to get the same consistency as yours. What are your thoughts on this one ?
As I said before, my dough doesn’t really rise between 20 and 50% during the bulk fermentation stage even in a temperature controlled environment (again in my oven with light on until temperature probes reach 78F then turning off the light). Could it be an effect of my dough not having the right consistency ?
All my boules that I’ve made tasted great in my opinion. I’m just tying to get better at it.
how long is your bulk fermentation? I use the same flour you do. I find that 4 hours isn’t enough time for the bulk fermentation. I let it go until it reaches the desired consistency, usually over night. I’m interested to know why this is as well.
Hi Jordan, I’ve only tried with Maurizio’s default bulk fermentation time (~4 hours). I still ended up with a tasty bread but dough never rose 20-50% during that time. I’m thinking of increasing the hydration level to maybe 75% or so since that Strong Baker’s flour seems to absorb more water.
hey Rene, I tried it today and upped the hydration to about 77 percent and 4 hours was enough time for a bulk fermentation, I think you’ll have luck if you do that!
My guess is that you might have too high of a hydration for your flour, it needs to be strengthened more (kneading up front or stretches and folds during bulk fermentation), or shaped tighter. There are other issues that could be at play here as well, but my guess is since your flour might be lower in protein it likely needs a little less water and perhaps a little more mixing/strengthening.
Thank you so much for the wealth of information on your website. I have made your beginner sourdough loaf, sandwich bread and dinner rolls with much success and many compliments from others. I appreciate you so much!! I’ve read in the comments below that it is possible to bake this as a loaf instead of a boule. You had suggested to use steam in the first part of baking. For this recipe, could I use an egg wash, like in the sandwich bread recipe, instead of steam? Or am I completely kookoo-bananas?
You’re welcome, Erika! Happy to hear my website has helped. Yes, an egg wash would be an option instead of steaming the bread. I’ve actually never done an egg wash on a lean dough (a dough without egg/butter/sugar)—they usually go hand in hand—but it should work!
Hi Maurizio,
First, thank you for your great website and recipes! I’ve been making this bread and other of your recipes for a while now and had great results. I’m now at my parents aiming to bake a loaf but they have a very expensive bread baking oven (by the German company Manz). I’m used to baking in a Dutch oven and wondering how best to adapt to this. Do you have any experience with bread baking ovens and any advice? I believe the main differences are the lack of racks (you bake directly on the oven floor) and that it is very well sealed to keep the steam in. So I’m thinking that I should maybe open the oven door to let some steam out at the time I would normally remove the lid. Maybe I’ll try one like that and one with the door closed for the whole time and see if it makes any difference!
You’re very welcome, Stefanie! Thanks for the comments. If the oven truly is sealed, you’ll likely need to vent the oven when you’d usually remove the lid of the Dutch oven (about 20 mins into the bake). Sounds like fun, I’d love to play with an oven like that! Good luck and please report back if you remember, I’d like to hear how it goes 🙂
First of all, kudos to you for producing a set of instructions that has shown me how to make a pair of sourdough loaves I can be proud of on my first attempt.
I made my beginner’s loaves in a Lodge combo cooker with my oven set on convection (which is really a combination of convection and radiant baking). The crust came out nice and crunchy but a bit darker than the loaves in your photos. Also, it seemed to me it was a bit dense at the bottom of the loaf, and there were some quite large bubbles in the finished loaf, more than I am accustomed to in the ‘artisan’ sourdough I buy at the grocery store. I’ve been told that I should be more aggressive when forming the loaves and that would help alleviate the large bubbles and, maybe help with the slight dense layer at the bottom of the loaf.
My first assumption was that the oven was running hot and the crust set up hard before the loaf had finished rising in the oven. I checked the oven temperature with two thermocouples and an infrared thermometers the next day and they all agreed with the oven temperature gauge, so I guess it wasn’t running hot after all.
My second thought was that running the convection setting was a mistake, even though the bread was inside the combo cooker to start with. I baked the second loaf of the batch at the same 450 F but with the convection setting turned off, just normal radiant oven baking. That loaf came out just as dark and in addition actually scorched black in the center of the bottom, so I don’t think convection was a mistake after all.
The loaves both came out with an internal temperature of 212 F, a bit higher than the 208 F your recipe indicates. Is that enough difference that I should be concerned about it? However the finished loaves were not over dry inside. In fact, my wife says they are a touch too moist. I’m wondering if I should just cut back on the lid-off portion of the baking time from 30 minutes to something like 20 minutes. Or should I just keep checking the internal temperature and pull it when it hits 208? What do you think? I also see the notes about putting a cookie sheet on the rack beneath the bread. I will try that with my next batch.
Appreciate any suggestions.
Glad to hear that, Malcolm! In my experience, using convection usually requires a drop in temp or a reduction in baking time. For example, when I bake a recipe that says 450F non-convection, if I use convection I have to set the oven to 425°F to compensate. Alternatively, I can stop baking earlier. I don’t typically bake bread with convection, but in a sealed pot it should be fine, it’ll just take some adjustment.
If your loaf is burning on the crust I’d drop the temp to ensure the interior has time to fully bake out before the exterior hardens off and colors. My feeling is, dropping to 425F (w/ convection) might be all you need to adjust!
Since the levain for this beginner’s is essentially the same ratios as my starter, could I simply do the autolyse an hour before I would feed my starter and just use 190 grams of my starter directly? Seems like that could cut the waste from my regular starter feed (leaving enough to feed my starter the 50g I typically do).
Yes, you can certainly do this!
Well sir, after a few “less than satisfactory” results based on recipes and instructions from other sites, I found you! This morning I baked your Beginner Sourdough, following the recipe and instructions and incorporating some info from the comments and… WOW! I got a beautiful loaf with a bit of an ear, nice crust and nice, fairly open crumb, AND it tastes great! I added some uncooked grits under the parchment paper, dropped in an ice cube outside the parchment paper before putting the lid on the cooker and put a baking sheet a few inches below the Dutch oven. I’d send a pic if I could, but you’ll have to settle for having made me a happy baker! Old dog, new trick. Made my day! Thanks. After I read your recipes or essays I read the comments and your responses and make tons of notes. Mike in Louisville KY
Ha ha, so glad to hear the recipe turned out great for you, Mike! Happy to help and happy baking!
Ahh, thanks, Mike! So glad to hear my site has helped. Your method for baking sounds spot on, nice adjustments there. Thanks so much for the comments and happy baking!
I read somewhere that using a sheet pan under dutch oven will prevent the bottom crust from getting too thick and “hard”. Is there any truth to this?
Yes, that does help! It’ll help to deflect some of the intense bottom-heat from the oven.
Thanks!
It worked!! The first try and my boule is A-Mazing! Okay, I could have sliced the ear a little deeper but believe me it was just fine as is. I reached 208 degrees internal temperature 25 minutes after removing the lid of the Dutch oven. It cooled an hour and we gave it a try. It will go a little wetter on the dough to he,o with the dry elevation. But it turned out fabulous. Thank you!
Wonderful to hear that, Kawi! There’s always something small to tweak, and that’s part of the joy in baking. Enjoy!
How do you know what ratio (Starter/flour/water) to use for a specific Levain?
Check out my starter and levain guides!
Hi Maurizio,
I appreciate all the information you provide on your site and whenever possible I use your links to buy the recommended products. I refresh my starter at 7 am and again at 7 pm.In general it doubles in size within four hours. My question is, how can I make my levain at 8 am? Should I rise early to feed the starter? Am I missing something? With thanks, Irene
Hi Maurizio,
I appreciate all the information you provide on your site and whenever possible I use your links to buy the recommended products. I refresh my starter at 7 am and again at 7 pm.In general it doubles in size within four hours. My question is, how can I make my levain at 8 am? Should I rise early to feed the starter? I am missing something? With thanks, Irene
You’re very welcome, Irene! Thanks so much for all the support, I appreciate that. In your case, it’ll be just fine to wait 1 hour to use your levain, let it go a little longer to synch it up. Alternatively, you can shift the entire timeline of this bake back one hour to meet your levain’s normal refreshment time.
With most starters it’s just fine to adjust to using it a little before or a little after when you normally refresh it, especially if it’s been fermenting for hours or overnight.
I would like to clarify, please. It is correct to create the levain at the time that I would normally refresh my starter, that is assuming that my starter has fully risen and hasn’t begun to deflate? Thank you!
Yes, that’s correct! It’s ok if your starter has collapsed a bit, too, you just don’t want it to be too acidic.
Hi Maurizio
Firstly, thank you for this fabulous website. I am a sourdough rookie, and I have learnt so much here over the past few days.
I have two questions, and I hope you will excuse me as you have probably answered them previously.
– Your recipes seem to use much less starter than other sourdough recipes I’ve found. I’ve previously made a levain (called a sponge, in that recipe) with 250g of flour, for an 800g loaf. What is the advantage of limiting the starter?
– No oil. Is it an option to add oil, and what difference would that make?
Thanks!
Hey, Tim! It’s all about what you’re after. I like using a smaller starter or levain because I find it actually brings quite a bit of flavor to the loaf. Generally, a smaller starter can mean more bacterial activity in your dough, which translates to more flavor. But in addition, the longer bulk and proof times I employ do a little better for my style of baking with a smaller starter/levain. That’s not the only way to bake, of course! Going with a larger preferment like the recipes you were using is another way to go, too. I’d say try doing a back to back test with the same flour and see how the flavor and texture compares—in the end it’s all about what you like! A lot of words for me to say: there are many ways to make great bread 🙂
Adding oil will soften the texture of this loaf.
Hi Maurizio, thank you so much for this method – for nearly a year now I’ve been making my best ever homemade bread, compared to the old days of yeast sachets. I’m always pretty pleased with the result, so maybe I shouldn’t moan, but there are steps that I find difficult to implement because of the dough’s behaviour. For example, even with a reduced water quantity (which I regret because I know a wetter dough is better) I find the dough sticks to my bowl (Pyrex), always making the notion of simply ‘dumping out’ impossible, and that’s having oiled the bowl too. I also can’t really do turning and pulling for tension because the dough clings even to a floured surface, and has anyway lost its smooth top from having stuck to the bowl.
The dough in any case seems to spread a lot while resting, so any idea of shaping seems a bit arbitrary, and scoring too – this could be a separate issue in terms of dough slackness, but again perhaps I shouldn’t complain too much because I tend to get pretty good oven spring, texture and taste etc. at the end. Just hard to shake the feeling that I’m not getting 100% out of it because I have to more or less skim over those steps!
For context, I live in the north of England so a very different climate – room temperature for us is probably about 17 degrees. I use a seed propagator for bulk fermentation (it’s fixed at 21 degrees, so tend to lengthen this step a bit). But inevitably it means that there are steps where the dough is being worked with in a cooler environment and I know you say dough temperature is important.
Sorry to bombard you a bit and I’m not necessarily expecting solutions! I’m still getting wonderful homemade bread out of it, just a bit tired of the anxiety of half-scraping my dough out of the bowl for shaping or cooking!
I have the same issues.. my dough is too sticky to handle even with large amount of flour. When left on the counter it spreads like a pancake. Don’t know what i am doing wrong 🙁 the hydration is just like in this recipe.
It sounds like your dough is most likely over hydrated—your flour likely isn’t able to take on quite a much water, and that’s ok! Try reducing the hydration by 5% and give it another go—the reduced water should bring strength to the dough and you’ll feel it immediately. Once you find a suitable hydration, you can try to push it back up (if desired), but as you do, take note of how the consistency of the dough changes: the dough will start to slacken out as you add more and more water, this means you’ll likely have to mix more upfront or add another set or two of stretch and folds during bulk fermentation.
Generally, with an increased hydration, you need to mix longer to develop the gluten in the dough to sufficiently support the water added, but this only goes so far. At some point, the flour you’re using just isn’t able to take on any more water and you’ll essentially have a weak and slack dough. It’s always best to start conservatively and work your way up with hydration as you feel out your flour. This is typically why I recommend holding back water during mixing, adding it in as the dough handles it.
Try to keep everything else as consistent as possible and let me know how the next attempt goes!
Have you tried reducing the hydration, Patrick? After the first time I made this and it was difficult to handle, I reduced the hydration by about 15% – quite a lot, but it seems to have helped and I may try reducing further based on Maurizio’s advice.
Hey, Edward! First off, I wouldn’t say universally a wetter dough is better, it’s all about what you’re after 🙂 Sometimes I make a loaf with a reduced hydration for a crunchier crust, an interior that’s less “custardy,” and sometimes just because I want a tall loaf with a certain aesthetic.
If your dough is sticking excessively do your container, it might be that it needs more strengthening up front. Because your dough is spreading significantly it also points to a dough that’s likely under strengthened and needs more development. My advice would be to do additional kneading upfront (check my Guides pages for the slap/fold technique) or you can add in another set or two of stretch and folds. Adding more strength in this way should result in a dough that’s more cohesive and not so sticky!
Thanks Maurizio, I will try some extra kneading and will also experiment with the water – crunchy crust sounds good to me! Thanks for the taking the time to help – don’t know how you knee up with it all!
You’re welcome! Well, I just love bread 🙂 Happy baking!
Hi Maurizio! I was wondering…. Instead of a levain….is there a reason why I can’t use the same amount of mature starter?
With this recipe, you certainly can! Check out my guide to the differences between a starter and levain for an in-depth look at why.
Hi Maurizio! Hope you are doing great! I have tried this recipe multiple times but I can’t get that beautiful coloring and thin, brittle crust. I am using the BRM rye and bread flour and a local whole wheat flour. For baking, I am using a Lodge Dutch Oven. Thanks in advance!!
Oliver—a higher temp for a shorter bake might help! There’s quite a bit that goes into crust coloring, but usually I find with more steam and a hotter bake I can eke out more color. You could also place one ice cube in your dutch oven after you put in your dough.
Hello Maurizio! Hope you are doing great. I have tried this recipe multiple times but I can’t get that beautiful coloring and a thin, brittle crust. I am using the Bob’s Red Mill bread and rye flour and a local wheat flour. For the baking, I am using a Lodge Dutch Oven. Thanks in advance!
Ηey! Just had my first attempt. I am satisfied, however, there is many room for improvement. I liked the taste, but I think the feel was too gummy…and did not have a nice hole-pattern, although there were quite a few. I think It had to do with the fact that my starter was not ready and strong enough. After 7 days of preparing it, I could tell that it is not just ready yet but could not wait any longer! Now it is fully active and strong!
I would like to ask for your advice/instructions on mixing/kneading…I use a standard home stand mixer (Kenwood). Should I do it manually or do you have any instructions on how to use it. I have developed my process by making neapolitan style pizza doughs with yeast or poolish… but I am not sure if this applies here. I am afraid that I am over kneading it. Last time, after kneading the dough was very very flexible and gummy.
Thank you in advance!
Definitely sounds like your dough could have used more fermentation activity! Sometimes a gummy interior can be due to under proofing. I’d say it would be pretty hard to overmix your dough, unless you’re going for 10 minutes or more. It’s likely you just needed more fermentation in there!
Maurizio, thank you for the time and effort that you’ve put into sharing your knowledge. The information that you have posted on this site is very straight forward and helpful to newcomers like myself. I made my first sour dough using recipeinstructions from another site and unfortunately it did not turn out well. I found the instructions a little confusing as they did not explain the why’s (i.e Final Dough Temperature etc). I have been reviewing the instructions that you have posted for “Beginner’s Sourdough Bread Recipe” and will be giving it a try this weekend. I did have 1 question: Under “Mix” you have the following statement…. “If your dough feels very wet and shaggy, do not use all of the reserved 50g of water; use a splash to help incorporate the salt and levain. If the dough feels good to you, use all the reserved water.” If the dough feels good why would the extra water be needed? Thank You!
Sorry for the duplicate posting. First post was not showing up in browser until i cleared cache and reloaded page
You’re very welcome, Anthony! What I mean there is if the dough doesn’t feel super wet, slack, or “soupy” then it’s likely it can handle that reserved water. A common problem for many beginning bakers is over hydrating their dough, by holding back that small bit, you can begin to look for the signs whether your dough can handle that water or not. If the dough still feels strong and stiff, add the reserve 🙂 Good luck, let me know how it goes!
step 3 threw me. why not add this water during the autolyse period? seems sorta messy.
The bread turned out delicious however
It’s water held back for adjustment, just to be sure the dough isn’t so wet it’s unmanageable (which is a common problem in baking). I always like to hold back some water and add it in through mixing—once water is added, you can’t take it out! Glad to hear it turned out great 🙂
I have two 10”x6”x4” bannetons. Will that size work for this recipe?
Yes, that should work, Grant!
What size bannetons should I use for these loaves? I have 10”x6”x4”, but they seem full when I first put the dough in. I’m wondering if this may retard the prove.
Yes, that should work. If you’re worried, cut off a small scrap piece of the dough before dividing the mass in half. But I do usually do 1800g for 2×10″ baskets.