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
Maurizio!
Your blog is awesome, thank you for all the info. We made your beginners sourdough, and followed the instructions to the tee. While everything went according to plan prior to baking, during the bake (using a dutch oven) we could not get the internal temp to 210 degrees. We left it in for several more minutes, but decided to take it out before it became too dark. So, the crumb looks great, lots of big bubbles, but the crust is thick and dark and the inside is still somewhat ‘gummy’. Could it be that the flour we used has too high a protein content, causing higher water retention? Should we just back the temp off and leave it in a bit longer? We are at an elevation of 900 meters, if that helps.
Thanks, Cody! I’d try lowering the temp just a bit — perhaps 15-25ºF — so you can extend the bake and ensure the interior is fully baked. If you still find the interior to be gummy you might want to try a lower protein flour, as you suggested. I do find that sometimes higher protein flour can have a gummy texture to it. Hope that helps!
Hi Maurizio! Just baked two beautiful loaves using your recipe (screwed it up the first time and had the proportions all wrong — got a scale, and fixed the issue!) Thanks for being such a fabulous and encouraging guide to the world of sourdough. I’m a little obsessed now 🙂
Here are some pics of one of my boules: https://umich.box.com/s/dv5a5b46of381rifdqin5geb1zn8dwo3 and https://umich.box.com/s/1me6bakwaqy2zbdp1jxosvy2ilh4gqpx
If I wanted to try for a more open crumb, should I push bulk fermentation more? I noticed the biggest bubbles in the crumb are at the bottom of the loaf (which would have been the top when it was fermenting), and wondered if that meant I could have bulk fermented longer (I did 4 hours at around 78-80 degrees house temperature. I don’t have a thermometer pen to test the final dough temp as it began bulk ferment.)
Hey, Kelly! You’re very welcome, your bread looks great!
Yes, I would try and push fermentation more in your loaves to help open things up a bit more. I’d say another 15-20 minutes in bulk might help immensely. Give it a shot and see how it goes!
Hi Maurizio,
My fridge is set at around 58 degrees while the ambient room temperature in my apartment is around 96 degrees. I do get the FDT to be about 78 degrees by using really cold water but I am not sure how much that helps. I just attempted this recipe for the second time; I went to check on my dough after 4 hours in the fridge and it looks over proofed (fails poke test) and has risen about 50%. I am going to bake it now and hope for the best but what would you suggest I do in the future? The first time, in hindsight, was also over proofed but I had made other errors as well, which compounded the problem and made it difficult to diagnose the core issue.
That’s a really warm temperature for a home fridge! At that temp, yes, the dough would over proof if left for 8-12 hours. Using cold water like you did is very important, you want to try and hit that 78ºF final dough temp and keep the dough around there for the entirety of bulk. Keep it somewhere cool in your kitchen or toss into the fridge periodically and monitor the temp during this time (if you have a fridge that’s at 37-39ºF that would really help).
Temperature is critically important! If you can’t keep the dough any cooler just keep an eye on it and bake it when it’s ready. It’s hard for me to give times for this because it’s going to be very dependent on the dough, that day. Note that you could reduce the levain percentage further to also help slow things down.
Hope this helps, I know it’s challenging to bake when temps are high (which they really are right now)!
Hi Maurizio!
I’ve made this recipe a number of times, and it always tasted fine, but it was too dense, not enough holes. I decided that I was overworking the dough (it’s fun!) but I also upped the hydration to 85%. The dough was very sticky even through the shaping stage, but the resulting loaf was actually really good! Lots of holes, good texture, tastes great. Do you have any tips on handling very high hydration doughs (doughs that aren’t predominantly whole grain)?
Hey, Vicki! Like you’ve done I also like to up the hydration around 82-86%, depending on the flour. The best advice I can give for working with high hydration dough is to use ample bench flour when preshaping and shaping, but just enough to ensure the dough doesn’t stick too much to your hand and the bench. With practice working with higher hydration dough will become easier. Additionally, rely on that bench knife! The metal surface is much more nonstick than skin 🙂
Hope that helps!
Hi Maurizio!
What do you suggest to change if my fridge runs warmer, at about 47°F?
I’d rather keep the levain amount as it is, and decrease the proofing time. This will need a bit of experimenting, but should I keep the bench rest time the same (about 40 minutes after dividing) and reduce the retarding time to say 12 hours?
Hey! Yes, I’d suggest you try keeping all else the same and then just reduce the final proof time. You could keep an eye on the dough in the last several hours just to make sure it doesn’t go over!
Hi Maurizio,
Thanks to this awesome post, I am venturing into the work of bread making and am a complete newbie. I started by making my starter today and I am just wondering if I can change up the flour for the sourdough making? I have whole wheat and rye flour available where I live ( Portugal) and am not familiar at all with the flour you mention. My starter is just whole wheat (we call it “Tipo 65” in Portuguese) and water in equal parts and two hours after starting it I can see a couple of bubbles already – It is summer here so perhaps that is why it’s reacting so fast.
Is it possible to make a decent sourdough with just whole wheat and rye flour? Do I just substitute in your recipe or would I have to alter the hydration and levain as well?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Vera, yes you can definitely change the flour type. Have a look at my sourdough starter frequently asked questions for more details on your question (and others).
You can make excellent sourdough with just whole wheat and rye. You’d likely have to adjust the hydration in the recipe up (whole grains and rye typically absorb quite a bit) but you can start at the percentage in this recipe and go up/down as necessary. Keep in mind your dough will likely move along faster since there will be a higher percentage of whole grains (and especially with rye) — keep an eye on the dough and do what’s necessary regardless of where the dough is in the timeline I’ve posted.
Hope that helps and happy baking!
Thank you Maurizio! I seriously appreciate the meticulous detail that you have taken to explain each step of the process. The first time I tried this recipe without using a scale or a thermometer. Let me just say that those two tools are the most needed of all…at least in my opinion. I found that the other tools can sort of be improvised based on what you have already in your kitchen, but nothing replaces the scale and thermometer. The second time I tried this recipe the loaves came out so beautiful that I was literally shocked because I am not at all a breadmaker. This is only maybe the 3rd or 4th time I’ve baked bread. I thought disaster would strike because first, I accidentally mixed the salt into the dough formula during the autolyse step and second, during the bulk fermentation and shaping the dough was so hydrated that it probably could have stuck to the ceiling had I thrown it up there. However, even with those two blunders, the dough forgave me. While the crumb on my loaves may not be as open as yours, it was a complete win for me. The crust was crackly and thin and crispy I even shared some with the neighbor. It was definitely worth the long haul over the memorial day weekend!
Thank you so much for the wonderful tips and thourogh instructions. Your pictures are beautiful as well. I made my first batch of sourdough bread and it came out delicious if a little too dense. Just wanted to know if I wanted to skip the long proofing in the fridge, how long should I wait before baking if I’m leaving the shaped dough on the counter?
Thanks
You bet, Daniella! Thank you so much for the kind words. It’s hard to say exactly how long to wait before baking when the dough is proofed on the counter, it really depends on the dough and the temperature in your kitchen. I usually do anywhere between 2-4 hours.
Google “poke test” for a few videos on a process that will help judge when the dough is ready. Essentially you poke the dough gently in a few spots and it’s ready to bake when the indentation very slowly returns back up to the surface (and perhaps not all the way). If the dough springs back too fast it’s not ready yet and needs more time. If the indentation stays pressed in bake ASAP, it might be a bit over proofed.
I hope this helps and happy baking!
Hi Maurizio!
I’ve baked your recipes for the best sourdough and the beginner sourdough and have had a few loaves I’ve been really happy with! The only thing that I’ve been a bit disappointed with in my loaves is that the crust is very thick and chewy, especially on the bottom. I’ve been steaming the oven by your method and cooking on a baking stone. What would you suggest I do to get a thinner, crunchier crust?
Thanks, your blog is so helpful and inspiring!
Hannah
Hey, Hannah! Really glad to hear you’ve made some awesome bread 🙂 Achieving a thin crust in a home oven can be a real challenge but it shouldn’t be overly thick or too chewy. You could try sprinkling some coarse cornmeal (polenta, corn grits) on the bottom of your loaves before you invert them onto parchment. This will help insulate the dough just a bit and hopefully reduce the thickness.
Also, if your stones are really close to the heating element in your oven, raise up your rack as far as you can to increase the distance between the stones and that heat source.
I hope one of these two (or both in conjunction) help!
Yes, exactly! Just halve everything and you’re good to go. As @ell@ellenbrook:disqus stated below (thanks!) this is the main reason we use Baker’s Percentages 🙂
Found your blog on Monday, made a starter. Baked my first 2 loafs today,Thursday, nearly perfect considering I measured ingredients by look & feel since I don’t have the tools yet. I’m looking forward to seeing UPS tomorrow so I can make more sourdough next week with the proper tools. My starter is looking beautiful today plus I’m enjoying rereading thru all your advice while eating this tasty bread! Excited to keep at it and seeing how my loaves evolve over time.
Wow that’s fantastic, Karen! Thanks so much for the update, really glad to hear your starter creation AND bake went so well. Keep at it — happy baking!
That’s the point of the baker’s percentages. Just half the amount of flour and adjust the rest accordingly. 🙂
I’ve been making this recipe frequently now with great results.. thanks! The only thing is the crust is usually fairly thick, the bottom of the loaf being the worst. I bake in my cast iron dutch oven at the temperatures you recommend. I am currently baking for less time (15 lid on, 25 min lid off) and that is helping. Anything else I can do to make the crust more thin?
Right on, glad to hear that! I’ve noticed in a DO that is pretty typical. You could try reducing the amount of time you preheat your DO for, shorten it to 30 minutes or so (however, continue to preheat the oven for the full duration, just put the DO in later).
If that doesn’t fix the issue try to raise the bottom rack in your oven so it’s farther away from the heating element — it could be simply getting too hot.
One last thing: when you’ve taken the lid off invert it and place it in your oven. Then take the bottom part and set it inside the lid (so the dough is still facing up but uncovered). This extra insulation might help.
Hope this helps!
Hello –
I have been having an issue with my dough spreading. I think it is a strength or hydration issue. Both my starter and levain looked and smell great, so the problem seems to be coming after those steps. I can barely even score the top (even with my sharpest knife).
Do you think a lower hydration is the key?
Thanks!
It could definitely be either one. I’d try first reducing hydration about 10% and see if that helps. Even though it seems like a small amount it should have pretty immediate results in the dough: it’ll be stronger and might require fewer sets of stretch and folds.
If the dough still spreads after this then it’s possible you’re over proofing: reduce the final proof time in the fridge 2-4 hours and see if that helps.
Could be either one!
Ah so excellent to hear that, thanks for the update! Snag some good butter and enjoy 🙂 Here’s to the next bake — happy baking!
Say you aren’t happy with initial shaping. Could you reshape after the over night proof? Seems to me, my environment was a bit to cold and I used a touch to much water resulting in dough hard to work with.
You can definitely do that but I really do not like to handle the dough after it’s proofed. It’s hard to shape it without knocking out gasses in the interior of the dough — that said I understand sometimes something like this will be totally necessary. If you have to, do it!
I’m contemplating making a gluten free sourdough with Cup4Cup flour. I read through your blog as well as the already answered comments. It sounds like without a whole wheat or rye flour I would need to use less hydration? I’m also wondering if I can use my enameled cast iron Dutch oven or a regular cast iron pan to bake the bread? I know the stream is crucial.
Great blog! Thank you for your help!
The hydration of your dough will really depend on the flour. I’ve never used C4C but you should be just fine using that flour instead of the flour called for here. Hold back some of the water I call for and use it only after you mix for a little while to get a feel for whether it can handle it or not. If so, add it in.
Yes, you can definitely use your enameled Dutch oven! Here is a picture of me using my Staub — worked super well! Just be sure to check the maximum temperature you can bake your Dutch oven at, I reduced from 500F to 475F when I used my Staub.
Happy baking!
Hi Maurizio,
A year ago I tried making sourdough and failed (and kind of gave up) but after reading and following your blog, I made my first successful loaf last week! While it was successful, I didn’t understand what you meant by “starter hydration.” Does it have to do with how long ago I refreshed my starter?
Thanks!
That’s really great news! The hydration refers to how much water is in your starter. The water in your starter, just like any dough, is related to the total flour weight (as I describe in the Baker’s Percentage section in my post).
Hope this helps and really glad to hear your bake went so well!
Hi Maurizio, Thank you for very helpful posts. I’ve been having a huge problem since day one with my dough. No matter the hydration of my dough, when I want to transfer the dough to the hot pan, It always seems to stick to the bowl or the cloth and starts breaking the skin of my dough. During my stretch and fold process and my bench rest I’m very careful to not add too much flour on the surface so I soak my hands mostly to avoid stickiness. My question is is the anyway I can have a smooth and foolproof way to transfer my dough to bake? Thank you
You’re welcome, thanks for stopping by! You might want to try dusting your proofing basket with more white rice flour (or a blend of white rice flour and white wheat flour) to help the dough remove cleanly from the basket. I like to line my baskets with cloth towels and then dust them with the flour mixture.
Hope this helps!
I have had a similar problem. My work around is to shape the loaf on parchment paper dusted with flour. When it is time to go in the oven I just transfer the whole thing (parchment paper with the dough on it) into the container. Hope that helps.
Is it possible to build too much strength in the dough? What will be the consequence? I mean in terms of too many folds (before or during bulk) rather than over proofing.
Yes, it is possible to add too much strength to the dough. If you tighten up the dough too much it could inhibit rise in the oven during bake time. You want the strength of the dough to be strong enough to hold structure and shape when you place them in the oven but not so much strength that the dough can’t relax and expand upward as it bakes. There’s a balance between the extensibility (ability to stretch out) of the dough and the elasticity (the tendency for the dough to contract and resist stretching).
To apply the above to this dough specifically: perform sets of stretch and folds on the dough until the dough starts to show signs of it holding its own shape in the bulk container. For example, if after the second set the dough doesn’t fully relax out by the third set and it shows signs of strength (clearly defined edges and ridges, holding its shape, etc.), stop doing folds during bulk.
Hope that helps!
Makes sense, thanks. Is it also possible that not scoring the dough deeply enough (or at all) could inhibit rise by not allowing the loaf to expand? The slashes I make only open up a little.
Next question… I am struggling to get a really crunchy/brittle crust. I get good colour, but it is a little tough/chewy. I don’t have any of the little cracks in the crust that are in your pictures. I am using a dutch oven, lid on for 20min (sprayed with water first) then about 25 with it off. How does the amount of time with the lid on affect the crust? Another thing to mention is my oven only gets up to 465F rather than the 500 you suggest.
It’s possible, but usually insufficient scoring will show signs in other ways: erratic ruptures around the top and sides and the loaf may rise in a direction you do not intend.
The time when you have the lid on ensures your loaf steams up enough to rise fully/properly. If you take it off too early it can harden too quickly, before it can rise to its full height. If you leave it on too long you’ll end up with an overly soft crust. That said, you can definitely play with the 20m time there to suit your oven/environment (although I find 20m to be just right).
Hi Maurizio,
Thanks for the recipe. I changed the levain (since I didn’t have a starter) and used just under a gram of instant yeast. I also upped the flour and water by 20g each to make up for the reduction of hydration.
Followed your steps and shaped them, placed them in banettons. They rose for more than 15 hours in the fridge, and I left them at room temperature for almost an hour before putting them in the oven. Was I supposed to let them come to room temp or should I have put them in the oven cold from the fridge? I feel that they lost a lot of shape and ballooned in the oven, becoming more of a ball than anything else.
I didn’t use a dutch oven, the loafs went onto a preheated pizza stone.
Did I miss something?
thanks!
I almost always bake straight from the fridge. The dough should be well fermented by bake time and there’s no need to let them sit on the counter for any additional time before baking. However, if the dough looks and feels under-fermented you can use this time to give it a little extra, warm fermentation time.
It’s hard for me to say why the dough ballooned like this as my recipes don’t call for instant yeast — it’s hard to say what effect that would have on the dough. It sounds like there was probably too much leavening power in there with the IY added. That’s my guess! Hope that helps 🙂
thanks for the detail walkthru! I attempted this over the weekend, results were ‘ok’ but I got 3 loaves of ‘ufo’ shaped boule instead of the high rised sourdough you produced https://goo.gl/photos/3hfypChXhKKDr5qu9 . I’ve practiced on a lot on tartine country loaves with bread flour…wondering if theres any common mistakes I missed? I noticed with tartine the leavin takes about 12 hrs instead of 5hrs here and maybe it was stronger?
I’d say your bread looks really great!! Nice crust and it looks like a nice rise to me. The levain build I do here is different than Tartine. I use a higher percentage of mature starter to make the levain which will speed things up so we don’t have to wait the full 12 hours. Either way works, you could use an overnight levain from the Tartine books here in my recipe as well — the key is to use the levain at the right time. It should be mature but not overly acidic smelling (it should not fall in the container).
It’s hard for me to diagnose any further without more info on your bakes or more pictures. Feel free to send me an email through the Contact button up top!
Hi I have been baking this basic sourdough bread 4 times now. The only thing that I didnt have is the Dutch Oven but I put a pan of boiling water into the oven for 20mins to create the steaming effect in the oven. I juz couldn’t understand why the bread is always ended up sticky and gummy. I have tried baking it at a lower temperature at 350 degrees for an hour but it didn’t help either. I have tried removing the whole wheat and rye flour and replaced with AP flour but this didn’t help either. Being in Singapore of tropical weather, I have maintained a consistent temperature of 80 degrees for the levain and bulk fermentation by putting a couple of freezer packs in the oven. Is there any important part that I have missed out completely? Thanks.
It could be your very humid environment might be making things a little more gummy. I would suggest you try to reduce the hydration of the dough the next attempt and see if that helps. Perhaps try this formula with a reduction of 5% and see if it’s less gummy, if so reduce further if desired.
Usually a gummy texture is due to under baking (you eliminated this possibility), over hydration (highly likely in your case) or flour that’s a very high protein percentage (AP flour is usually fine).
Hope that helps, let me know how it goes!
Hi Maurizio, thanks for taking the time to write this out. I was hoping to try this recipe today, but because of my morning schedule, I was wondering if there was a way to get around the overnight proof and complete the bake in one day, or switch the bulk fermentation to an overnight bulk? What would you recommend?
Hey! You can actually do either, whatever works best for your schedule. You can let the dough ferment during bulk for maybe 1-2 hours while doing the required stretch and folds, and then place it into the fridge overnight. Take it out the next day, divide and preshape and let it come up to room temperature. Then shape and proof on the counter until the “poke test” passes. Similarly, if you want to skip the overnight retard in the fridge, just proof the dough on the counter after shaping until a poke gently springs back.
Happy baking!
Thank you for the quick response! I did end up doing bulk overnight. Sadly my dough didn’t experience much rise at all, so probably my starter was not strong enough. Will keep feeding this week and see where it goes. 🙂 Thanks again!
Hi Maurizio, loving this recipe as my standard weekly bake! Bought some T55 French flour and would like to try baguettes but you don’t list a recipe. So thinking of substituting that for the strong white I normally use for this loaf and having a try at shaping a couple of baguettes next week. What do you think? Thanks, Jonesey
Lesley, glad to hear that! I think that’s a great plan. I do plan on getting to baguettes here very soon, but they are kind of their own special beast… Super awesome bread but I’ll really need to do a deep-dive on that recipe to make sure it comes out just right (that’s my OCD talking :)). But yeah, give it a shot, it will work out quite well!