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!
3,336 Comments
Thank you for this great page, it has taught me everything I know about sourdough. I followed this recipe to a T for my first sourdough ever. The only difference was that my levain didn’t look ready after 6 hours so I waited another few until it looked more like your picture. My boule didn’t seem to rise like yours and my bread had giant holes/a tough crust and was rather gluey. I can’t figure out how I went wrong! Was the levain too ripe?
It might have been too ripe but based on your description it actually sounds like it was under proofed. I’d say you did the right move giving your levain a little more time to mature. My guess is your dough probably needed more time in bulk fermentation — that’s an adjustment as well, and if it was cold in your kitchen (closer to 70F) you’d have to extend bulk to compensate (much like you did with the levain).
Is there a reason this recipe has you preheat to 500, then bake at 475 for the first 20 minutes while covered, vs your Weekday Sourdough recipe which has you bake at 450 the whole time? I’m new to sourdough, but with no-knead yeasted boules in the dutch oven I have always had good results at 450. I have this dough proofing in the fridge and ready to bake in the morning, and am wondering whether I should stick with 450 based on how my oven has performed with other breads, or if there’s a reason that this recipe will perform better with a hotter initial bake. Thank you!
If an answer from a newcomer like myself can hold any meaning, I’ve made this recipe five times thus far, my oven goes to 450-455 °F max (235-240°C) and I’ve had good results with cooking it covered for 23 minutes and 30 minutes uncovered.
405F works perfectly for this recipe and the additional heat isn’t super necessary, especially when using a Dutch oven.
Hey Maurizio, if I follow this recipe for 1 loaf, halving all the ingredients to X1 900 g loaf will it still be %78 hydration? I have been a bit concerned about my shaping technique lately, so just want to go for a lower hydration and possibly some smaller loaves until I get it right. Any thoughts on this as a precaution to not wasting good flour, time and energy? It’s so sad when you spend all that time just to loose out on the shape (my main issue is retaining surface tension and not really knowing how to shape or feeling confident in my shaping when the dough is so wet and unwieldy). Thanks for all your help!
Yes, as long as you halve everything you’ll still have 78% hydration — see my post on baker’s percentages for why this is the case.
I’d say drop the hydration if the dough feels overly slack or wet to you. This will help you focus more on shaping without worrying about a wet dough.
What are your thoughts on convection? Pro or con? My oven temperature isn’t very even, so I’m wondering if turning this on would help and what I’d need to change with time and temperatures when baking.
Since we’re baking in a pot for this recipe, convection will work just fine. And yes, it might help even the temperature out! Keep an eye on the temperature, though, usually with the fan on you drop the temp 25F to compensate.
Thanks, it worked out! Nice and airy on the inside, too, made all the work with that hydrated sticky dough worthwhile! (I may have added more water than I needed too, but it all worked out)
I’m new at sourdough breadmaking, and still waiting to bake my first loaf…that said, I’ve read and re-read so many of your questions and answers, as well as most of your basic beginner guides, recipes, tools, etc. I need to decrease my amount of starter, and read that one person keeps it in the fridge for 5 days then brings it out on the weekend to feed, rise/fall, etc. I’ve been now feeding it 2x/day since day 4, seeing good rise/fall, and am on day 7. Here are my questions, as I am dying to finally bake my bread! Am I supposed to watch for the rise/fall at about the same time each day or not? And, I do not understand how to use the refrigerator in my breadmaking. And, must I really buy the specially-shaped bowls (bannetone, etc.) and how do I know what size(s) to buy?
Mare: check out my post on starter maintenance for tips on spotting rise and fall — it doesn’t have to happen exactly at the same time each day, that really depends on the feeding conditions (flour used, starter left in jar, temperature, etc.).
Also, see my weekend baking schedule for tips on using the fridge with your starter!
Thanks!
Here is a variation on the flour type: in Greece, people bake the church offering bread using a mix of bread flour and fine semolina in a ratio of 2:1. I used this, instead of just bread flour and added the remainder of the flour in the recipe as whole wheat flour.
Sound like a good combination!
Maurizio, hi!
First of all thank you for all the things I could have learned trough your website. I do remember when I first read it I mainot could understand only these words – flour, water, salt, time and temperature, and how your explanation of all the process made me understand that maybe I did not understand them that well and I learned to take them seriously.
I have got one question for you, which is considering the kneading of the dough.
I did not knead my dough almost at all and I have had a lot of problems with shaping the dough so it could stay like that. It was always too sticky, and it was hurtful to look at that dough on the countertop. I tried kneading and it seems like the dough is strong enough to hold itself. In this recipe you haven’t mentioned (or maybe I have missed it?) the kneading part, but in general, do you do it ? Or you trust the work on building the strength to the foldings? If so, what could be the problem why my dough is always “way too sticky” and without any holding of shape? (I have followed the measurements mentioned in the formula. )
Thank you!
Laura
It really depends on the dough mix. This recipe doesn’t call for explicit kneading because the flour used is high protein “bread flour,” which typically (here in the USA) has 12-13% protein and is very strong. If your flour has lower protein, kneading would be a good idea to give the dough more strength upfront. I’d also recommend dropping the water in this recipe to suit your flour, perhaps just 5% will give the dough the strength needed.
To sum up: drop the hydration 5% and knead a bit upfront and this should help!
By retarding at 3deg for 16 hours, my dough doesn’t proof at all, comes out the same size it went in. Then takes many hours at a warm temperature to begin rising, once risen and removed from the proofing bowl, it flattens into a pancake. I have found 8deg to work though.
That’s expected at such cold temps in a home fridge. Mine doesn’t rise all that much as well, but it does depend on how much activity you have in your dough when going into the fridge and whether the dough is covered completely with plastic or not (which will give more rise).
10degC seems to be the sweet spot on my setup for the overnight proof. I use a temperature controller with both heating and cooling functions to maintain temperature to within 0.3degC. My dough is very active going in, plenty of rise during bulk fermentation, very healthy starter, wrapping in plastic bag while in fridge overnight and following recipe to the letter. Perhaps the recipe could use an edit on the temperature setting as I see there are a number of people finding the same problem. It’s an otherwise fabulous recipe by the way and my sincere thanks for making it available.
Hi Maurizio,
Firstly – thank you for running such an informing and user friendly site! It has become my go to for all things bread. I have been baking sourdough for about a month now, experimenting with various recipes and methods. I was wondering how you go about using mature starter to create a levain? I feed my starter at 9pm and 9am. If I wanted to bake in the morning, would you just use the starter unfed? Or is it best to feed and then wait until later in the day when it is visibly mature to create the levain? Thanks!
You’re very welcome, Josh! Welcome. That’s right, use your starter before you feed it (i.e. when it’s mature/ripe) to make your levain, first thing in the morning when it’s at its peak height in the jar.
Hi Maurizio, I had a similar question. I feed my starter at 9 am and 9 pm everyday, but by the morning the starter has fallen completely. What should I do in that case? Feed and wait until peak? Or use the fallen starter? I think my starter is rising and falling much faster than it should… I leave it on the counter at room temperature. Thank you for your guidance!
Agathe, in this thread https://slimlife.fit/managing-starter-fermentation-produce-best-sourdough-bread-ever/%3C/a%3E, Maurizio gives some great insight:
1) Decreasing the starter carryover
2) Cooling the water temperature
3) Increasing the flour and water relative to starter
4) Keeping it in a cooler environment
5) Using more refined flours instead of whole wheat or rye
All contribute to slowing down fermentation in your starter, I don’t think there’s a precise formula, but in the span of a few days you’ll be able to dial in your feedings so that you’ll have the peak right when you want to make bread.
Thanks, this has been a lot of fun to learn about. I know that water measurements can vary slightly based on the flour type and humidity of the area, but is it possible to need SIGNIFICANTLY less water? I followed your recipe, using just rye and bread flour as I had no whole wheat flour. I made the dough and after the bulk ferment mine looked almost exactly like your photo. I was so excited! Then I went to place it on the counter and it was still very wet, looked almost like your autolyse photo and wouldn’t hold it’s shape whatsoever. Only thing I can think of is too much water. What am I missing here? Focaccia on the other hand turned out great!!
It’s possible, but usually not a swing more than like 10-15% or so (which is actually pretty significant!), I’ve found. Is it possible there was a scaling error? Regardless, I’d likely reduce the hydration of this recipe next time you try it — or you can try to give the dough more strength by kneading a bit more or adding in sets of stretch and folds to give it structure by the time bulk fermentation is finished.
Question: I’m on my second bake and I let the bulk fermentation period go about an hour over. I can back to a massive rise but it still looks good i think—i’ve heard of overproofing and i’m worried about that. should I cut down on the time in the fridge?
I would cut down, yes. Perhaps 2-4 hours shorter or so just to be safe. I don’t think you’ll over proof this, keep with it.
Loaves came out amazing! I was so happy with them and realized I didn’t mess them up with the longer proof. I tagged you on instagram, thank you for all the detailed advice!
https://imgur.com/y1CnoAa
https://imgur.com/8zSHyUa
https://imgur.com/N2BCL8W
Thank Maurizio! They both came out great—i gave one to my parents and one to my grandparents and they loved it! Can’t wait to keep back https://imgur.com/y1CnoAa
Hi Maurizio, this is the first time I’ve tried any of your recipes, and only my 3rd attempt at sourdough. I only have access to Gold Medal Bread Flour for both the starter and recipe. I followed instructions exactly, temperatures, everything except the flour used.
My question is that after the autolyse and incorporating the levain, salt and 50g water my dough had a consistency that was disturbingly close to waffle batter. Any tips on where I might have gone wrong and what I might do to improve?
I’m continuing with the bake, hopefully it will turn out OK.
Thank you for making such a detailed site.
I also had this problem. I ended up adding flour and it’s fermenting now… Not sure if I ruined it. But there’s something off about the measurements in this recipe.
Even after adding flour, the dough is completely stuck the bottom of the bowl… This is very frustrating.
I added a bit of flour during the folds of the bulk fermentation and that helped a bit. It comes out of the fridge in an hour and see what it looks like then.
How did it turn out, Benjamin?
Sorry to hear this, Shane! Next time I’d say reduce the water in the recipe by 50g to see if that helps bring things together a bit easier.
Just double checked everything, it’s as it’s been here for a long while. It’s likely the flour you’re using — see my comment below about reducing the water (this isn’t a bad thing, it’s just an adjustment as is usually necessary).
Sounds like the dough was over hydrated. Next time reduce the water by 50g overall, and hold back that reserved 50g — only add that if the dough feels like it can take it!
Hi! I am making this now. I just started the bulk fermentation but my dough looks wetter than in your folding picture. I followed your instructions very carefully (except that the levain sat for maybe 7 hours before mixed and I noticed my wheat flour is “bobs whole wheat pastry flour” so not sure that makes a difference?) when I do the lift and folds, there is still a lot of dough stuck to the bowl. Is that normal? I followed all measurements perfectly though…Thank you! Stay safe!
Pastry flour will not work very well in this recipe, try to find a stronger whole wheat (suitable for bread) or omit that whole wheat flour and use all white flour. In that case, I would reduce the hydration of the recipe by 50g.
Hi Maurizio, thanks as always for such great resources! I have made this recipe about 6 times now and keep getting mixed results. My first and fourth times turned out great! The rest of the times the bread has been flat.
I think I follow the recipe pretty exactly, using either King Arthur or Bob’s Bread Flour and WW flour, and a combo cooker, so I’m wondering which of my variables could be off, I know there will be many to tweak:
1. Starter – I typically take it out of the fridge to feed it for 2-3 days before making the levain, every 12 hours. I use a combo of all purpose and rye flour, at 100% hydration.
2. Temp – I live in Portland, OR, and turn my house heat between 68-70 and then put anything that needs to rise (starter/levain/dough) in a bathroom with door shut to try to keep it warm. I tried the oven with oven light on once and realized that was getting up to 90*.
3. Bulk Fermentation time – I have done 4 hours and had success, and also had a flat loaf. I have also had a good loaf with 3 hours. I went for more than 4 hours once and got a flat loaf. I try the “poke” test to see if it is done and don’t have a great sense of what springing back quickly or slowly is. My dough never gets that nice doming shape on the sides like yours does. It will maybe get a few bubbles.
4. Shaping – I follow your video to shape a boule, but perhaps I need to make this shape even better.
5. Fridge Fermentation – I put the dough in bowls with rice flour dusted tea towels, but maybe they’re not spherical enough to keep things in the right shape?
I appreciate all the time you put into this site and if you are able to give any insight here I would be very thankful!
Caitlin,
First thing: try to keep as many of these things as consistent as possible: use the same flour, the same recipe, keep the dough in the same spot, and try to keep it the same temperature. If it’s colder that’s ok, but keep things consistent from bake-to-bake. This will help immensely in trying to debug what’s going on. This extends to your starter maintenance as well: it likes consistency! It will also help keep your bakes on schedule, too.
Everything sounds fine in your process, but it might have been that you were using your starter too early to make your levain, or your dough was too cold (get a thermometer and take temperatures of your dough!), or the process was cut short.
That’s my best advice here, there are a lot of variable throughout the process and keeping things same day in day out really helps you spot what might be wrong along the way.
Keep me posted!
Thank you so much for your reply Maurizio! I will indeed keep you posted.
Hi Maurizio. I have a Dutch oven and a combo cooker (make shift). Is there any reason why I shouldn’t bake the 2 loaves together in the oven at the same time?
That works!
Hi Maurizio! I just finished my very first sourdough this evening following this page, and I am so pleased! The bread has lovely flavor, a tad gummy from the bread flour as you said, but for my first attempt I couldn’t be happier. Thank you tremendously for taking the time to provide such extensive and very helpful guidance and information on beginner bread making, it is such a kind gesture and I owe my first sourdough success to your time and effort. I am excited to experiment and learn moving forward, but thank you so much for getting me up and running in a happy way. Happy to give you credit on IG as well.
Right on, Allison! Glad to hear this turned out so well for you. Happy to help and happy baking!
Flour is getting harder to find! I am a whole wheat girl at heart (so of course I love your recipes!) but I have some enriched white flour with ascorbic acid. Can I use that for bread flour in a sourdough loaf? Will the acid play well with my starter?
Sure, that will work okay in this recipe. Ascorbic acid might bring even more strength to this dough, but it should work!
Hi Maurizio!
I’m having some problems with my levain! First time I baked this recipe, no problems with the levain, room temp water and left in a warm spot (my oven with the light on) and it rose really well (50%) before I incorporated it into the autolyse. This go round, my levain isn’t rising much at all (maybe 20 percent) I’m using the same method as I have before, only thing is that my oven light burnt out a few days ago. I’ve tried three times now to get my levain rising and active, but that isn’t happening, though it smells great, nice and sour and floats with a float test. My starter is happy and is rising predictably 50-60%. Is it essential for my levain to rise a ton?
No, I wouldn’t be too concerned with the amount of rise, but a warm environment does help spur activity. You can warm the mixing water you use to make the levain to bring the temp up well enough!
Hi Maurizio, thanks so much for all your help, im really beginning to enjoy the sourdough -making process (: Is there such thing as overkneading the dough? I tried to use the slap and fold method right after turning the dough out of my large bowl before shaping, and the dough became much more wet and flaccid. Have I overworked the dough?
Thanks so much!
No, it’s very unlikely you’ve overworked the dough (this is virtually impossible by hand). Keep with it, I have a feeling it’ll come back together during bulk fermentation just fine 🙂
Hi. So I have made the beginner recipe a couple of times now, and I today I’m baking Jose’s Red Wheat (Although I substituted sifted Red Fife Flour – didn’t have any stone ground whole grain). I am finding that my dough is really really sticky and hard to work with. It doesn’t look at all like the pictures you have posted. I am used to making yeast bread and I find that your pictures look pretty much what I would expect dough to look like after proofing and before making loaves. Should my dough be really sticky? Could it be my flour or something else that I’m doing wrong? I’ve watched a number of videos on-line and they also seem to have dough that is far less stick than mine. Perhaps it’s because the majority of my flours are sifted (except the white, I use Robin Hood Best for Bread). The bread cooks up looking like yours, and tastes great (although my last batch was a little sour). I’m just not enjoying working with the dough so much (very messy).
I should also add that I’m not getting much rise during the proofing stages. Should I expect there to be a huge difference between proofing sourdough vs yeastdough?
I just watched your video on shaping a boule. Yeah, my dough definitely does not have the structure as yours. Yours appears to be what I would expect to be working with. Mine sticks all over the counter and my hands.
Sounds like you’re using a more-whole wheat flour — which is great, actually, but it’ll feel different. It will likely be a bit more sticky with less rise. The added sourness also points to increased whole grains in the dough. I’d say if you want a less sticky dough you could try reducing the water in the recipe a bit — just hold the mixing water back and add it in slowly as you’re mixing until it feels good to you. This should help!
Thanks for the tip. I’m a bit pedantic when following recipes. I guess with bread you gotta throw this thinking out the window and go with the information your providing about temp, moisture, etc.
Hi Maurizio! Thank you for your thoughtful and detailed guides! My first sourdough loaf is baking now and I’m so excited! Quick question: for the second loaf, do I need to put the dutch oven back in the oven empty for an hour before cooking? Or because it was already in the oven baking the first is there some wiggle room here?
There’s wiggle room, it should still be pretty hot. I’d give it just a few minutes in there to get back up to heat and you’re good to go. Have fun!
Thank you! Both loaves came out great. The crust was a little too dark on top, would you recommend dropping the temp down?
Great! Yes, if they’re coloring too fast on the top, drop it down 25°F or so so the interior finishes baking without scorching the top.
Hi-how long can I let the levain sit before it dies and I need to restart? I mixed the levain at 4pm today and I’m wondering if I can continue the recipe tomorrow morning. Thanks!
I pulled out my starter from the fridge in the AM and fed it. I didn’t get around to baking that day so I fed it again before bed (both times using the ratios suggested above) and then started making the Autolyse in the morning. I did a Float Test on the levain (take a tiny amount of levain and put it in water to see if it floats- if it floats there is gas and bubbles that will make it rise to the top of the water) and it was nice and happy! So I think you should be fine!
Thank you for this recipe! Today I made my first ever sourdough and used this as a guide, I only had spelt flour and white bread flour, not rye and wholewheat but it worked perfectly! I tagged you on instagram. 🙂 Thanks very much! Can’t wait to try more sourdough recipes (just need to get hold of some more flour….)
Unfortunately due to these circumstances I can’t find Whole Wheat Flour– only AP Flour, Bread Flour, and Rye Flour. How should I adjust the recipe? Thanks so much.
Thanks for the recipe, I have a quick question, if I did not bulk rise overnight in the fridge, but just did this at room temperature, how long would that take?
Quick question on the type of salt used in your recipes…I have Red Diamond in my kitchen. I think it is lighter than fone sea salt. Should I do a conversion or will it be fine to substitute? Lastly- I heard a rumor that you can increase the ‘sourness ‘ of a start by storing it in the fridge..any truth to that?
Hi Maurizio, So far so good. Two loaves in the fridge to bake tomorrow. Definitely experienced a lot of what other people are commenting about, my biggest concern is lack of bubble or air in dough. My starter and levain is spelt flour and all purpose and had definite activity. This time I used All purpose, whole wheat and a little rye flour. Feel of dough felt great during stretching phase. I may have over handled during the divide and pre-shape stage, more flour on hands and board would have helped- I tend to not want to over flour.
My biggest question is- Can I bake the loaves on my stone in the oven with a steam water/ice baking sheet under it? and if I can- does the temperature still change and the time still the same?
My first attempt (different recipe) the loaf was good- taste, texture. My scoring needs improvement:) and it was dense, no air holes in the loaf?
Thank you so much- I hope to have some nice bread?
posted on wrong post;/
Baked the loaves- both turned out great, I have nice bubbles, good height, crust is fantastic- still need to work on my scoring, and tastes amazing. Thank you for your blog, I am now a loyal follower:)
Al turned out on stone with steam underneath.
looking forward to next batch:)
Hi! Did you remove the steam tray at any point or leave it in for the duration?
Hello! I tried out this recipe and it came out pretty good. My bread came out. A little gummy though. Would it come out less gummy if I add more whole wheat and less bread flour?
If the hydration is too high for your dough it can lead to an overly wet or gummy interior. If the dough feels “soupy” or very “slack” then try pulling back the water percentage by 5% and see if that helps.
Make sure to bake your loaves completely. The interior should register around 208°F or higher.
If your loaf is under proofed then this will typically lead to a gummy or “wet” textured interior. Make sure your starter and levain are very vigorous and strong when you use them. This is very important! From there, make sure to bulk ferment your dough fully (use the images you see in my posts to guide you on what the dough should look/feel like). You want the dough to be alive and aerated before you divide and shape. From there, a full and complete proof is also very important.
Hello! Getting ready to bake and there was no change to the dough overnight?! It is super dense and not light airy or springy. I am guessing this is from the bulk fermentation phase? Can I leave the second loaf out a little before baking? Would that help?
I had no faith but it turned out amazing!!! I didn’t leave it out/trusted the process… thank you so much!!
Excellent, glad to hear that! You can always leave it out a bit in the morning if you feel it needs more room temp fermentation time as well.
Hi Maurizio, the loaves are turning out great thanks to your detailed explanation. I have one quick question: What is the minimum time any of the loaves should rest in the fridge prior to baking? And what would you say the max time is? Do you only use the “slap and fold” technique on breads that contain more rye or spelt?
Thank you for this beautiful site.
There’s no set max/min time in the fridge as it really depends on the dough and how far along it is when you place it inside. Generally, I find I can do overnight for sure, but also 24 more hours without significant issue. The longer you go in the fridge, the more sour the flavor and, eventually, less rise.
I use the slap/fold on almost all of my doughs!
Thank you for your guides! I used your site to create a starter from rye flour in the beginning of easter, and today I made my first loaf. It was delicious, airy and a hard crust! It was so amazing. I expected it to be a bit more sour, so I will try to achieve that for my next loaf.
Any advice on increasing the acidity of the loaf? Longer proofing? Starve my levain a little? Or starve my starter before making a levain? More rye? I’m still not sure what triggers the production of acidity…
Anyways, thank you so much!
That’s great to hear, Kristian! There are a few things you can do to try and increase the sourness of your bread. First, you want to use your starter, and levain, when it’s very ripe. If it rises up to a certain height, let it sit there for a bit before you use it. If it starts to fall that’s ok too, just try to use it after it falls. That mature, ripe starter/levain has much more acidity than if used when it’s more on the “younger” side. Just be weary that your dough fermentation rate might be a bit faster than previous, keep an eye on it during bulk fermentation and divide the dough when it looks ready.
Additionally, you could try using some rye flour in your final dough mix. Just know that the more rye you include the more dense your loaf will be as rye does have the same gas-trapping capabilities as traditional wheat. It’s up to you on the percentage, but even 5% plays a big role.
Finally, if you can try to push the cold proof in the fridge. There’s a limit of course, but if you could go even a few more hours you should notice more sourness.
Thank you for the reply, I will try these tips the next time!
Hi,
Thanks so much for the recipes. I’m currently baking my fourth loaf of this! They have got progressively better and now I’m happy with the crumb, taste, crust etc. However, despite shaping the loaf when I put into cold fermentation it seems to spread out. When I then put it in my cast iron pot it fills it completely like it’s very slack. The dough still has a skin on it. Any ideas?
Glad to hear that, Hannah! It sounds like your dough needs to be shaped tighter and it needs more structure in general. Be sure to shape it tight enough so it holds itself on the counter after you shape it — it should be a nice taut round with a clean, smooth surface on top. Check out my guide to shaping a round loaf for an in-depth look at this!
First, let me say thank you! I’ve asked several questions on here, and you always answer quickly, patiently, and with so much knowledge! So, much thanks! Second, I made the beginner’s sourdough bread today. It didn’t rise very much during bulk fermentation, and I’m used to really kneading dough for quite some time, so I was wondering if that’s why. There doesn’t appear to be much kneading in your recipe, other than the three stretches during bulk fermentation. Did I miss something? How long do you work your flour and water together during the autolyse phase? Maybe that was it? Or is there some reason your recipe doesn’t require kneading? If that’s not why mine didn’t rise, I guess it’s back to the drawing board … Thanks for your help!
You’re very welcome. This recipe doesn’t require much strengthening because it’s moderate hydration and uses really strong flour (bread flour). It’s also pretty hard to over mix/knead this recipe, unless you’re really forcing it and pushing hard (rare). When mixing for the autolyse, it’s really just to incorporation and no dry bits of flour remaining. If you didn’t see any rise in bulk fermentation (even if you over-mixed, you’d see some rise) perhaps your starter was used before it was mature that morning, or in general, you need to focus on fermentation and ensure temperatures are nice and warm for the dough. That’d be my guess!
I’m sure this isn’t an original idea – It’s cold here in KC so I’ve been using my seed germinating mat to keep my starter at the correct temp. The mat creates an ambient temp of between 75 – 80 degrees. It’s worked well. Made my first sourdough loaf today using your methods and it turned out great!!! Thanks so much for this site – its fantastic!
Yes, that’s a super good idea — works very well! Glad the recipe worked out well for you, enjoy!
I tried this recipe today. I followed the recipe exactly. The loaves were baked in a le cruset cast iron skillet at the recommended temperature with fan on. However, my loaf ended up really hard with the base and top burnt. Do I need to reduce the temperature slightly if I’m using the oven with a fan ?
Also, how do I tweak the recipe such that I can build the Levain over night ? I realised that I’m short of about 10 gms of Levain.
Can the proof In the fridge be longer than 16 hours ?
Yes, I’d reduce the baking temperature, likely by 50F, if you’re using convection.
Check out my simple weekday bread to get an idea on how you can build a long running levain. That recipe has it scheduled for the daytime, but you could do this exact thing at night.
For this recipe, longer than 16 hours would likely work just fine, perhaps up to 24 hours.