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
I’ll be baking my first loaf of sourdough at the end of the week. I’ve followed your instructions for a ripe starter with success. I’ve read the recipe several times and page after page of the Comments section. Question: After mixing in Step 3, do I start Step 4 with folding or wait 30 minutes into bulk fermentation? One person commented that he used a slap and fold technique right at the start of Step 4. Can you clarify?
When bulk starts (step 4), wait 30 minutes before doing your first set of stretch and folds, then do them every 30 minutes thereafter until the dough is strong enough (or follow the number I list in this recipe). If you’d like to do slap/fold (kneading) that’s done at the mix step, bulk fermentation happens after mixing.
Hope that helps!
Thank you. I’m in the process of making my first Beginner’s Loaf, and after 4 hours my levain does not seem to be growing much (it was a mature starter when I started this morning – used your process). If I need to go a full 6 hours for Step 1(I’ve already mixed the dough at noon and it’s in autolyse), will the autolyse dough wait another hour (2 pm instead of 1 pm) while the levain rises more and a teaspoon floats in water?
Yes, the autolyse will have to wait until the levain is ready. Timing there can be tricky if the levain is sluggish, it’s really best to try and keep the levain warm so the timing works out. It’s very possible it’s overly cold in your kitchen!
I do recommend waiting as long as necessary until the levain floats in water.
Success! I’m not 100% satisfied, but this is the best loaf I’ve baked so far (I tried without much success a Cooks Illustrated Almost No Knead Sourdough recipe a few times previous). Thanks for all of your help. It’s really appreciated. You’re my hero!
So glad I could help, Ken. Happy baking!
I’ve been trying to focus on managing my starter and using the levain at its peak. One thing that confuses me is the difference in time to get to peak between the two. If my starter is peaking around 12 hours then how can the levain be at peak in just 5-6 hours? Especially since the levain uses a smaller proportion on starter? When i feed my starter i use 50g of starter to 80g of flour (bread/rye) and water, but the levain uses 40g of starter for 160g of flour and water. I’ve noticed my levain takes a lot longer than 5-6 hours. I’ve even left it over night and it hasn’t fallen. I keep everything in my proofer at 78F. What am I missing? Is it the whole wheat flour as opposed to the rye?
This is a great question. The reason the levain only takes about half the time is because there’s a higher inoculation (the mature starter used to mix the levain) when building the levain versus a typical starter maintenance refreshment. When I refresh my starter I typically do 10-15% inoculation vs. my levain (as shown here) at 50% – 100%. This assumes they are both kept around the same temperature, perhaps the levain a bit higher closer to 80°F.
If it looks like your levain is not ripening by the time you are using it for this mix you could warm the water you’re using in the levain build (instead of using it at room temperature) or push the percentage of inoculation higher to 75% or even 100%. I much prefer to use a levain that’s very ripe than one that’s under — I notice quite a bit more flavor this way!
The rye flour should actually speed things up more than whole wheat. Typically.
I hope that helps clear some of the confusion. I realize that the temperatures between normal maintenance and a levain are similar, but in this case it’s the inoculation (and also flour types) that really changes the duration. Let me know if any of this is unclear and I hope this helps!
10-15% inoculation! Wow your starter must be very active. My inoculation when I refresh is more like 90-110%. Right now I’m doing 40g starter for 40g flour as per your 7 step starter post. Which is one of the best sourdough starter posts I’ve read online by the way.
So since the levain is at 50% inoculation but my starter is at 100%, I can expect the levain to take much longer than my starter to peak right?
My starter is definitely nice and active but at about 50% whole grain and a warm temp of 78°F of so I need it to be that low otherwise it’ll quickly go over! I would suspect yours would do the same.
Yes, the levain would take longer at 50% but you also have to factor in the two things I just mentioned: flour type and temperature. If the flour and temperature are the same as your starter then you can sort of compare the two to each other. Hope that makes sense!
Any thoughts on how to store this bread? It tastes delicious (crusty outside and soft interior) on the day I bake it, but is already hard on the next day, with the inside starting to go stale..
Thanks Mauro
See my reply to @pratima, below!
Thanks you🤗
Any thoughts on how to store this bread? It tastes delicious (crusty outside and soft interior) on the day I bake it, but is already hard on the next day, with the inside starting to go stale. I keep it covered in a towel inside my microwave to get an airtight environment. Also I live in the Bay Area, where it’s now cold and dry. I’m wondering if I should give in and just freeze it or is there a trick to prolong its freshness? Thanks for the recipe!
I usually use a bread box to store my bread after it’s been cut. If I’m using a bread box I won’t place the bread in anything — just straight into the box. The purpose of the box is to keep just enough humidity in there to keep the bread soft but not too soft. If I’m not using my bread box then I’ll either be sure to keep the crumb side of the loaf down on the cutting board so the crust naturally surrounds the entire loaf. Imagine cutting a loaf directly in half and then turning those halves down.
When freezing, I’ll wrap an entire loaf several times in plastic wrap and then place it into a freezer Ziplock. When I want to eat it I’ll take it out the night before and let it thaw in the fridge. Then, you could pop it into the oven to warm up the next day or slice and toast the slices.
Hope that helps!
Thanks! That bread box looks a little too expensive for a grad student budget but I’ll try to look for a cheaper one. I’m looking forward to trying other recipes on your website. Everything looks delicious 😊
This is a lot of work for a piece of bread which I could easily just get up at my local bakery, but hell with it, I’ll give it a try!
Trust me, you’ll see (and taste) the difference immediately!
Hello Maurizio! greetings from Albuquerque. Just wanted to say made your beginners sourdough loaf today and it came out fantastic!! Back in 2003 i got The Bread Bakers Apprentice as a gift and that was the start of making great bread for me. I hadnt veared much from that book for a long time and then recently decided to try out some new stuff from your blog and the fresh loaf. As a grad student at UNM, baking bread and making beer helps keep me sane! Great Blog Man!!! Glad i could enjoy before the whole internet goes to hell. Thanks!
Hey, Brian! Glad to meet a fellow Albuquerquean (or burqueño?). I went to UNM for grad school (computer science) as well! Bread and beer definitely will keep your mind sane 🙂 The Bread Builders is one incredible book — I didn’t get it until a few years ago but have read it cover-to-cover multiple times now and the information is pure gold.
Thanks for the kind words and let’s hope the internet doesn’t go down in a big fireball 🙁
I’m up for round 3 with this recipie tonight.
Last week I tried using a little less water… had great rise and lots of bubbles… but still a slightly gummy texture.
(Tasted so good though.)
Tonight I’m using the amount of water listed in the recipie, but I’m going to try another set of stretch and folds.
Process of elimination 🙂
My fingers are crossed.
Good luck, Emma! Make sure your dough temperature is as I listed above — you really want to make sure it stays warm through bulk. Also, make sure to do a full and complete bulk fermentation, this is super important. Go by the pictures I have above for a visual reference, it should look smooth and feel more elastic than when you started bulk.
Have fun!
Hi Maurizio! I’ve tried this recipe and the “best sourdough” one – a number of times. I’ve followed them exactly. But they have gummy insides. A little on the moist chewy side – what should i do to get rid of the chewiness? I’ve tried longer bake times, higher oven temperature to no avail. Thank you.
Hey there! It sounds like you might not have sufficient fermentation in the dough and thus your loaves are turning out under proofed. Make sure your dough goes long enough in bulk fermentation and keep that dough warm! I actually just posted about the importance of dough temperature in baking and it’s even more timely now that winter has come! Usually as temperatures drop so does the activity in our starter / levain / dough. Keep an eye on the temperature and make sure you keep it warm (temps are listed in the post, above).
Let me know if you’re still having issues!
Thank you for the response Maurizio. I live in Singapore where it’s hot and humid. The temperature of the dough is usually a little higher than what you list in your recipes. I follow your fermentation time 🙂 should i reduce it?
Sure thing! Yes, definitely keep an eye on the dough instead of the clock. If it’s warmer it’s likely (but not certain) that the dough will move a little faster than what I’ve listed here. The key, though, is to just watch that dough and adjust as necessary. Happy baking!
Hi Maurizio, I just made my first sourdough bread using this recipe with a starter I initiated 3 weeks ago. I had no idea what it would taste like. I think the results are fantastic for a first effort and I’ll see if I can figure out how to post a few pics. I did notice that one loaf rose less overnight and was a bit smaller overall after baking. I weighed the dough when dividing. Could this be because the better loaf was in a benneton and the other in a ceramic bowl while in the fridge overnight? The ceramic bowl was of course cold this morning. The only other thing I can think of is the shaping last night. The dough was very slack and took a little effort. I was thinking of perhaps reducing the water a tad (this is what I do with no knead bread) and maybe adding an additional fold for a total of four.
The flavor was very nice and light. My partner told me it was the best crust I’ve ever made. It actually had an interesting aroma, very familiar that I’m trying to place, maybe a bit like molasses I guess.
Lisa
Lisa — glad to hear your first bake went well! I find the crust with a recipe like this is always incredible; the overnight cold proof really helps add color and flavor overall.
It’s possible the different bowls caused the issue, but I’m leaning more towards a shaping issue. You could do an experiment to rule out the bowls, but I do find that even when I’m trying to be super careful there’s always one loaf that doesn’t behave like the others 🙂
If the dough was overly slack, yes, reduce hydration the next go and see if that helps (or you could give it one or two more sets of stretch and folds during bulk to add more strength).
Happy baking!
Hello , I’m confusing about one thing , when I decid to start baking with my starter .. I do my normal feedings one at 10:30 AM , second at 4:30 PM and the last one at 10:30AM .. by the next day , should I make the first feeding and I wait couple of hours to make levain [ if yes , how long should I wait ] or immediately I make it ?
one more question, I keep 40g of starter and I add 40g of water and flour ,. if the recipe needs more quantity , can I keep for example 80g of starter and I add 80g of water and flour , so I have double of the one normally I have ..
Is it must be the same quantity of starter , water and flour ?
thank you ..
It’s not necessary to do 3 feedings with your starter the day before, but if it needs it then give it what you have to. Just be flexible with it, if you want to only give it two feedings per day give it more flour and water so it takes longer to mature (and need more food). I would suggest two feedings the day before each with enough flour and water to make it 12 hours until the next feeding. Then, the day you’re going to mix your dough, make the levain in the morning with your mature starter. At the same time, also feed your starter. Your levain will be ready in 5-6 hours if you follow my steps above, use this for your bake.
If you want to make a larger quantity of your starter or a larger levain, scale everything up proportionately. In other words, keep the same percentages of your starter but increase the quantity. For example, if you feed 40g starter / 40g flour / 40g water and you need more, scale it up by 100% and feed 80g starter / 80g flour / 80g water.
I hope that helps!
Good morning! Thank you so much for your recipe and advise. I have a picky son who has never eaten a sandwich until I started making this bread…now the pressure is on! My bread comes out looking gorgeous and internal temp at 210 f. Recently though, my crumb has become gummy. What could the cause be? Hope this isn’t too vague.
Hey there! There could be various reasons the interior is more gummy but it’s usually either under baked (at 210°F it should be fine) or it’s under proofed. Make sure your dough goes long enough in bulk fermentation and keep that dough warm! I actually just posted about the importance of dough temperature in baking and it’s even more timely now that winter has come!
I hope this helps, happy baking!
Hi maurizio, I tried this recipe earlier and it’s my first time baking with my sourdough starter, the dough just didn’t look like yours. Mine was way wetter and when I tried to divide and shape it it just wouldn’t hold its shape. I followed your recipe exactly, what am I doing wrong??
Update: i’ve made this loaf for a second time and I figured that my levain was too liquidy the first time and I did more stretch and folds this time and shaping was a lot easier. Just took the loaf out of the oven, looking foward to checking the crumb out.
Your mods sound right on, Jacqueline! I would also suggest if it still felt a little weak and/or watery to you it might help if you reduced the hydration of the recipe by 5%. I hope it turned out great, though!
Maurizio, thank you for sharing all this amazing information and in such an organized and easy to follow format. I have two questions for you. I own 2 dutch ovens and my oven can hold both at the same time, so is there any reason why I shouldn’t bake both loaves at the same time? also when it comes to a levain and altering it’s hydration level for say a longer or shorter fermentation period, what changes if any are there to the final dough percentages?
You’re very welcome! You can absolutely bake both at the same time, just be sure to preheat both DO’s fully.
When changing your levain/starter hydration be sure to adjust for the increased, or decreased, water in the final dough mix. Any hydration starter will work with this recipe, just keep that in mind. Also, note that higher hydration levains tend to speed up the fermentation process a bit — just keep an eye on the dough.
Hope that helps and sorry for the late reply!
Hello Maurizio! Really enjoy your site. Tried this recipe a coupe of times with good results (especially for a first time sourdough bake). However my levain does not rise as much as the one you have pictured. Both attempts only reach halfway up the weck jar. I let it go an extra hour this time (7 hours). The starter is from the recipe on the site. It seems to be doing great, its just the levain that’s been sluggish. Should I let it go even longer before I mix it into the dough mix? Also my dough mix seems a little dryer than yours. I used King Arthur Bread Flour with Bob’s Whole Wheat and another brand of rye flour. Thanks!
Awesome! It’s ok if your starter doesn’t reach up as high in the jar, each will be different and there are other factors as well (how much stirring was done to strengthen the mixture, etc.). The important thing is you see a reliable rise and fall of some height and the starter undergoes signs of strong fermentation: from sweet smelling to sour, from a shaggy mixture to a smooth and bubbly one, etc.
If the levain is sluggish it could be due to the flour you’re using for feeding. Higher percentages of whole grains and/or rye will speed things up and increase vigor. Also, the temperature at which each of these is kept is very important (higher temps, within reason, mean increased activity). The important thing here is to use your levain when it’s nice and ripe, usually this is when it’s just about to fall in the jar or it has just fallen.
If your mixture looks/feels more dry you could always add more water — just be cautious doing so as it’ll change the feel of the dough and weaken it. Add more water in stages so you don’t over hydrate the dough.
I hope this helps!
Hey Maurizio, I just wanted to say thank you so much for this incredible blog! I followed your instructions for creating and maintaining my own starter, and just today made my very first loaves of sourdough following this recipe. Needless to say, the loaves turned out almost perfecttly. Your instructions are so precise and easy to follow. My kitchen is seldom at 23 degrees celcius, so I had a few issues with the starter, but I just heated up the tea towel for the jar and had no more issues with it!
I did have one hiccup with baking the loaves however. They were beautiful when I took the top off the combo cooker, but the outside did burn a little in the last 30 minutes. I was wondering, would it be better to cook at a lower temperature for the same length of time, or at the same temperature for a shorter length of time?
Mary — you bet, and I’m glad to hear your bake has gone so well! It sounds like you’re making the right adjustments to keep the process on track, great job. For the bake time: if the interior was baked out fully and not gummy, then you could keep the same temperature just reduce the duration. If you felt like the interior was a little underdone, you could reduce the temperature for the second half of the bake and bake it longer (this helps bake the interior more fully before the exterior colors too far).
Have fun!
Hi there, I love your blog and super appreciate you sharing this information! I am a little confused when you say “Note that the baker’s percentages listed below are with respect to the final dough ingredients and do not take into account the levain.” Because in the dough recipe you do list the levain. If I add up all the grams of flour that is 1,716 grams. Is that correct? I will only be using whole red fife flour. Thank you!
I say that because the percentages and ingredients in the Dough Mix section are shown with respect to just the final dough ingredients and they do not show the flour and water used in the levain. I’ve gone back and forth on which way to display that table and I still think the way I do it more clear to the majority of people. This way you can quickly and easily see what you need to just make the Dough Mix without having to think about the levain — I’m basically splitting it up into two separate things.
The downside is that, taking this recipe for example, the white flour is 82% instead of what it really is when you take the levain into account when doing the calculations: 80%.
So, just follow the amounts needed in the final Dough Mix and you’ll be fine! Hope that makes sense. Happy baking!
I wanted to let you know that your basic sourdough recipe was my first truly successful loaf many months ago. I was elated when I removed the lid of my Dutch oven. The taste was also wonderful. Have since then made 100% wheat with fresh milled berries, sifted.
Thanks so much Mary, really glad to hear this! Happy baking 🙂
Hi! I’m hoping to make this this weekend – only problem is i live in glasgow and the temperature in my flat is extremely low! nowhere near 78 farenheit! do you have any suggestions for proofing/fermenting at such a low temperature?
Low temps will typically mean the dough will take longer at all stages of the process — give the dough the time it needs! Alternatively, heat up the water you use for mixing so your final dough temperature (see above for more details on this) is close to 78°F. Also, I like to use my oven with the inside light on, it stays nice and warm in there!
Hi Maurizio, I just made my life’s first sourdough using this recipe, it was very successful, thank you very much! I didn’t expect it to be this good, because my starter or levain never grew as big as yours, and I forget to add the extra 50g water in the mixing process (tried to add it later after mixing lol). Anyway, my sourdough turned out good, and I’ll continue to learn to make more varieties here and make them better (my husband and I used to live in Paris, we miss so much the baguette there). Thanks again, happy Thanksgiving!
Fantastic, so glad to hear this! No worries on the 50g, maybe that ended up working out for ya! Hydration is so relative to the location and flour…
I’m working on some more baguette recipes here, so maybe one of those will remind you of home!
Thanks for the feedback and happy baking!
Can’t wait to try every every recipe here 😀
I’m almost ready to bake I think…maybe not an important detail, but I don’t have a plastic bag lying around so I’m going to have to get one (or many)…what size is the one shown in the picture? Would 12X20 be large enough? Thanks for this great resource.
This may sound crazy, but I use leftover Walmart plastic bags that we keep in the house, They work great and they’re free.
Oh ok! Great. That I can easily come up with. Thanks again and Happy Thanksgivings!
The bags I use are 18″ x 24″ food safe culinary plastic bags. They are a little bigger than my baskets which is nice because I can easily tie the ends so no air gets in/out. Hope that helps!
Perfect…Thank you so much!
Hello and thanks for this great resource. I’ve baked through the recipe a few times. I got ok loaves, but a bit dense. I’m having trouble deciding when bulk is done and calling proof.
I’ve been bulk fermenting in a proofer at 79 deg. I’ve gone as long as 6 hours and never seem to see the same amount of fermentation as seen in your pictures. I get a slight dome and a few bubbles, but that’s it. My levain nearly tripled in volume and has lots of bubbles on the side. I usually wait to mix the dough until I see bubbles all over the top of the levain.
When I go to call proof the dough never seems to rise much in the bannetons. I’ve even pulled them out and let them sit on the counter for a few hours and there was no change in volume. If anything they just seem to flatten out in the banneton.
Are you using 8” or 10” bannetons in the photos? I feel like my dough volume never quite matches the pictures…which leads me to think I’m underfermenting?
Bummer! That’s very interesting about your dough during bulk, it sounds like your starter is strong and performing well. I’d say to make sure your levain passes the “float test” outlined above. That initial step of fermentation is critical — if your levain isn’t far enough along it slows the timeline for the entire rest of the process.
79F bulk is perfect, keep this there and let it go as long as it needs. At that temp, though, it should be around 4-4.5 hours assuming your starter and levain are in strong working order.
Is your dough strong enough? If the dough feels weak and too extensible by the end of bulk give it another set or two of stretch and folds. Without proper strengthening your dough will only rise so high — it won’t be strong enough to hold onto the gasses produced during fermentation.
One last note: make sure the hydration of the dough looks similar to the photos I have posed above. The dough shouldn’t feel overly wet or soupy. You could try cutting back the hydration by 5% to ensure this is the case.
I have the bannetons listed on My Baking Tools page, they are 10″ in diameter.
I hope these suggestions help — keep me posted!
Thanks for your reply! I tried building my levain the night before and extending bulk a bit, 6 hours. That gave me pretty decent results. Still not seeing what I would expect from your photos. Especially since they are 10” bannetons. So I’m gonna focus on developing the dough a bit more and see what that does for me. Thank you for your suggestions! In the photo of your mature levain above, is that in a 3/4 liter weck jar? Just looking for something to compare against.
Sounds like a good approach. Yes, those Weck jars are the 3/4 L ones!
Hi! Thanks for the amazing work! I’ve been baking sourdough bread for about a year or so here in Brazil. Yesterday I’ve tried this amazing recipe with my starter, but my loaf just flatened. I mean, I’ve got a nice moist crumb with bubbles between 0.5cm and 1cm, but the hole loaf just lost height (from 9 cm in the bowl to around 4 cm when moved to the stone).
My first thought was “overproofing”, but my refrigerator stands around 40F. Also, I did 4 sets of folds instead of 3.
Any tips?
Thank you so much.
Hey, thanks! It’s hard to say, there are so many places where things could go wrong (although typically they do go right). Try to use my photos above for milestones at each step in the process. Focus on your starter and levain, these need to be very strong and working super well. The levain needs to float in water for it to be ready to use (see my recipe above for details).
I’ve heard from a lot of bakers fro Brazil and they do say their flour isn’t as strong as the flour in the USA. I’d suggest you try reducing hydration by 5-10% and see if that helps. The dough should not feel runny or “soupy” for this recipe. It’s rather strong, in fact it’s so strong it shouldn’t require all that much mixing at all. If the dough feels too wet reduce hydration until it feels much stronger (see pictures!).
One more set of folds should be just fine, not a problem.
I hope this helps!
Thanks for replying! Yes, unfortunatly we do struggle with the quality of our flour (we basicly have AP, and that’s it). I tried that technique in wich you pull the boule towards yourself, creating some sort of tension in the surface, and it helped keeping the dough together.
I’ll try decreasing the hydration, as you said. If it works, I’ll mark you on Instagram (amazing profile, btw).
Anyway, thanks once again for the wonderful work. If you’re ever in Fortaleza, you have a friend baker.
Thank you!
Today was they day!
I’d say it was mostly successful…. loaf #1 I was 85% happy with… a little too dense; lots of holes, big and small, but not light.
I expected as much– for whatever reason I didn’t get the best rise yesterday. It looks pretty though, and tastes great.
Loaf # 2… could double as a frisbee for the dog. Ah well.
Next week I will try again!
Ahh, well it sounds like that first one went pretty well! Keep an eye on your starter and levain — you really want to have both of these very active! Test your levain by taking a small bit of it and gently place it in a cup of room temp tap water: does it float or sink? If it sinks your levain needs more time to ferment before you use it.
Keep an eye on that dough temperature as well! If temps are too low things will take longer and if you cut it short fermentation will not be sufficient to get a nice and tall loaf of bread.
Hope this helps!
hey maurizio! love your blog, waiting for your book!
about folds, im curious, more folds adds more streght so more tight the dough will be, so should be less oven spring? I found that when I make 6/8 folds I get a flat bread. But with less folds (2/3) my bread rise much more in the oven. But I dont know if thats the reason because there are so many other variables…
Thanks, Gonzalo! No plans for a book yet, who knows in the future, though 🙂
There are a lot of variables when it come to dough strength. More folds doesn’t necessarily mean a more dense bread — there’s a sweet spot in the middle between a dough that’s too strong and one that’s too weak. You want to find this middle point so your dough expands out enough (it has to be weak to do this) and fill with gasses, but not too weak that it spreads like a pancake (not enough strength). This middle point takes time to find and you’ll build it with experience.
My best advice here is to stick to the same recipe each time you bake, just for a while. Learn to read the dough and how it feels. Try one more set of stretch and folds and see the results — if it’s better then keep moving in that direction, if worse back off a bit. Over time you’ll build up an intuitive sense for dough strength.
I hope that helps and happy baking!
It has taken me many (many!) years and many (don’t even ask) failures to become any good at all at baking bread. I’ve baked some moderately successful sourdough loaves from a starter I made myself about 18 months ago. They are usually a bit too dense, and I’ve never been able to produce any bread that toasts properly until this loaf. Your recipe is now my favourite. I mill my organic whole wheat and rye, and buy a local organic bakers’ flour (I’m in Australia). My loaf didn’t turn out quite as holey as yours, but I will be working on that. The flavour and the texture was just wonderful, and the amount of detail in your recipe was extremely helpful. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with us, Maurizio. 🙂
Thanks for the feedback, Eileen! I really appreciate that. I’m happy to hear you mill your own flour, too, that’s just great. Baking is always a work in progress but it sounds like you’re making some delicious loves in your home kitchen. Thanks again and happy baking!
This is really intimidating for a beginner recipe! I’m worried that when I screw it up (I always ruin a recipe the first try) I won’t even know where I went wrong because there are so many complicated steps.
This post has a lot of explanation littered throughout, for sure! However, the numbered steps listed above really aren’t that many. I tried to include as much information through words and images here as I could without overwhelming. I’d suggest just throwing caution to the wind, try to follow my steps as closely as possible, and see how your bread turns out. My guess is it’ll be totally delicious and any improvements from there on will be minor tweaks, that which you’ll be able to determine immediately if they work or not.
Get your hands dirty! 🙂
Hi Maurizio! I have a question about FDT. In this application your FDT is 78F, but how do you determine an FDT when they don’t specify one in a recipe? Is 78F always a good target no matter the recipe?
Hey, Luc. The FDT really depends on the recipe and what the author intends. That said, I find 78°F to be a good general purpose FDT for most sourdough baking applications. When I do 100% whole grain loaves (especially with fresh milled flour) I’ll typically drop the FDT to 75°F, but otherwise, yes 78°F is a good benchmark!
Hey Maurizio! Just baked my first bread this weekend, and it was better than I expected for the first try! I had a little difficult to find a good quality flour to make bread here in Brazil (most commercial flours don’t do well with 70%+ hydration). One other issue is that my oven don’t reach 500F (even that’s what the manufacturer says on the manual), but with a little more time in the oven (and taking the internal the temperature with a thermometer) it was very good. Tks so much for this guide! I’m looking forward to test other recipes!
Hey, Ricardo! Really happy to hear that. I’ve heard from other bakers in Brazil who have said the same thing: the flour available isn’t able to take on as much water as the flour we use up in the USA. Not a problem! Just reduce the hydration as you’ve done and you’re good to go.
Glad I could help and happy baking!
Took me a half a dozen attempts, but finally got a final product I’m really happy with! Bulk proof in the oven with the light turned on seemed to do the trick in my drafty kitchen. I’m so excited and can’t wait to expand my baking adventures!
Fantastic — glad to hear that! Yes, cool temperatures can cause all sorts of issues 🙂
It has taken me many (many!) years and many (don’t even ask) failures to become any good at all at baking bread. I’ve baked some moderately successful sourdough loaves from a starter I made myself about 18 months ago. They are usually a bit too dense, and I’ve never been able to produce any bread that toasts properly. Your recipe is now my favourite. I mill my organic whole wheat and rye, and buy a local organic bakers’ flour (I’m in Australia). My loaf didn’t turn out quite as holey as yours, but I will be working on that. The flavour and the texture was just wonderful, and the amount of detail in your recipe was most helpful. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with us, Maurizio. 🙂
Hello Maurizio, in your various recipes i notice you use different ratios for building levain from the starter. Sometimes you use 1:2:2 (starter:water:flour) sometimes 1:4:4 (starter:water:flour), etc. Can you please explain what these ratios depend on and what impact these different ratios have on the final loaf. Thank you!
Hey, Oleh! This is a good question, and probably warrants a very long answer — I’ll try to sum it up. The various ratios I use typically depend on the flour used to make the levain, the schedule I’m working with, and the resulting flavor I’m after. In general, the higher the percentage of mature starter used to make the levain, the faster it’ll ripen (assuming a stable temperature and other factors).
When using more whole grains I typically reduce the amount of mature starter used, the amount of water, and/or the temperature — all of these things slow down the timeline of the levain (taking longer to ripen). I reduce these because a higher percentage of whole grain flour will speed up fermentation and cause the levain to ripen faster.
These things roll into the schedule I’m working with as well. For example, if I know I need my levain to be ready after about 5 hours at 80°F, I can use 50% mature starter (with respect to flour weight) to create my levain. If I had 3-4 hours I’d use 100% mature starter to build my levain.
In general my preference is to use a levain that’s fully ripe and mature when I mix it into the rest of the dough ingredients.
I hope this helps!
Thank you Maurizio, this is super helpful. I suppose the speed of levain ripening is important not only in terms of the time passing from you start it till the moment you mix it into the dough, but it must be also important vs its work to raise the dough. In this sense my intuition tells me that with longer hours of bulk fermentation and final cold proof, its important to have levain that works slower. Am i making sense here?
The factors you take into account when building a levain also apply to the dough itself. If you think about it, the levain you build for a dough mix is essentially your starter (perhaps with some variables changed). So, if the dough your mixing, for example, has a lot of whole grain in it you have to be ready for a mix that’ll ferment faster than if there was predominantly more white flour (assuming all other things are the same).
Once you mix your levain into your dough it’ll begin the process of metabolizing the rest of your dough mix, there’s no controlling it specifically. The same things you do to “slow down” your levain can also be used in your dough mix, including one we didn’t talk about: adding salt. Salt inhibits fermentation and a higher percentage, used within reason, helps temper fermentation and make it more manageable. (As a side note, you can add a small percentage of salt to your levain as well).
Hi Mauruzio.
After neglecting and killing my starter over winter and starting a new one as spring approached, I decided to go on a sourdough marathon and deep dive into it even further than before. I have now read Tartine Bread cover to cover a few times and have been visiting other sites and watching videos to allow me to control the fermentation a bit better. I developed a good weekday/night technique which allows me to bake mid-week. I leave home at 8:30am and get home about 6pm if I leave work at 5:30 so I needed to work around those times if I am to bake mid week. The only thing I have changed from your recipe is the timing of things. All ingredients and temperatures have been adhered to as close as I could under my kitchen’s conditions.
Here’s my schedule for anyone who is interested. It may have to be adapted a bit when the weather warms up. Summer nights in our house hover between 25 and 30 celsius.
I’ll try this schedule with the high hydration and a few other recipes and see how they go. I’m thinking that the main risk I have here is of over proofing in the bulk ferment stage overnight so might need to figure out a way to work around that. Anyway, this worked so well that I won first place in the sourdough the local horticultural/floricultural show on Sunday.
Day 1 morning
7am – mix leaven – put in microwave with door slightly open so light is on and towel rolled along length to create “door snake” covering gaps in top and bottom of door. This kept my microwave at 25C (77F)
Day 1 evening
6pm – autolyse
6:30pm – mix in leaven (put in microwave proofer)
7pm – add salt – slap and fold vigorously for 5 mins (put back in microwave proofer)
7:15pm – stretch and fold #2 (put back in microwave proofer)
7:30pm – stretch and fold #3 (put back in microwave proofer)
8pm – stretch and fold #4 (a bit gentler) (put back in microwave proofer)
8:30pm – stretch and fold #5 – (more gentle) (put back in microwave proofer)
9pm – stretch and fold #6 (very gentle) (put back in microwave proofer)
9:30 pm – leave to bulk ferment on bench in plastic bowl with glad wrap over top (my kitchen was approx. 60F)
Day 2 morning
6:20am – flour bench while coffee is brewing
6:30am – tip out dough, divide using bench knife, very gently pre-shape with floured hand and bench knife and leave under bowls
6:40am – take off bowls
6:50am – shape loaf 1 and into banneton and into fridge
6:55 am – shape loaf 2 and into banneton and into fridge
Day 2 evening
6pm – preheat oven (kamado with heat deflector, pizza stone and 2 pieces of slate for extra heat deflection in my case – because I blew up my oven element by heating it up to 500F)
6:40pm – remove loaf 1 from fridge
7:30pm – score loaf 1 and put in combo cooker in oven at 475F
7:55pm – remove deep part from combo cooker, lift loaf out and onto cold pizza pan and put back on top of open combo cooker (this is crucial to not burn the loaves with heat from bottom of kamado. Also helps in ovens with heat from bottom of oven)
8:00pm – remove loaf 2 from fridge
8:15pm – replace now hot pizza pan under loaf with new cold pizza pan
8:30pm – remove loaf 1 and pizza pan from combo cooker and bring up to 500F
8:45pm – score loaf 2 and place in combo cooker
9:10pm – remove deep part from combo cooker and take out of oven, put loaf on cold pizza pan on top of shallow part of combo cooker
9:40pm – remove loaf 2 from oven
Super awesome comments, Aaron — thanks! Listing out your schedule like that is very helpful for others, for sure. A really important point you said I wanted to highlight: you’re adjusting all these things for your environment, starter, and temperatures per season. While the ingredients are important, it’s always important to adjust things for your particular situation, and that does take practice, but it sounds like you’ve got a really firm grip on each part of the process.
Thanks again and glad your bakes are well on their way!
Hi Maurizio. I just have to say a huge ‘thank-you!’ i have followed a few recipes and none of them worked like yours. The bread is so beautiful and so delicious and i love the whole process 🙂
I’m super happy to hear that, Tamsin! Thanks for the feedback and it sounds like you’re well on your way to more awesome loaves. Happy baking!
I halved this recipe and used the full amount of levain as directed. The dough was so wet that I added additional flour just to make it at least be able to somewhat pull away from the sides of the bowl. But I still had a lot of trouble with getting the dough to shape well and have any real surface tension. It’s in the fridge now and I’ll see how it turns out, but I’m just wondering what truck I’m missing to get a workable dough that isn’t overworked or had too much flour added. Any suggestions? I took it back out of the fridge (it had been in just about half an hour) and tried again with just continuing to dust my hands as I rolled the dough in the counter. It did finally come together in a ball and I popped it back in the fridge. I guess I’ll see what it does at baking.
Hey, Amy! Hopefully your loaf turns out great. I’d suggest reducing the water in the recipe at least 5% next attempt. It sounds like your flour (or your environment is causing this) probably isn’t able to take on the same water as the batch I used here. That’s not a problem at all, it’s totally normal. The hydration of the dough really is a component that needs adjustment for each baker (and each bake, really). It’s similar to how when we make pancakes there’s always a slight liquid adjustment that needs to happen so the batter spreads properly, but not too much.
Good luck on this bake and try reducing the water next go and I bet you it’ll bake up even nicer. Happy baking!
It’s still in the fridge and doesn’t appear to be bulking up at all. It’s got another 4 hours to go. This is my second attempt. First one I think I completely overworked and it didn’t rise, but that was fermented at a warm temp (78). I think my starter also may not have been rigorous enough yet. I’ll keep trying!
UPDATE: very little rise and oven spring, so it’s dense. But the flavor is absolutely amazing. I’ll keep at it. My goodness this tastes so amazing and has a wonderful crust and chew (I can imagine it’s more wonderful when less dense).
Hi Amy. I had this problem and found that I wasn’t being gentle enough at the end stretch and fold sessions and put it in the fridge too soon. Now I do slap and fold for the first set, really heavy stretches for the second and third set and by the 5th and 6th I am folding really gently. Also, I found that if I don’t leave my dough out of the fridge until it nearly doubles, my bread will be quite flat when I bake. The poke test is a useful tool to have in your arsenal. Check out poke test videos on youtube.
Thank you, Aaron. I finally had some success but baking at 375 F because my oven refused to heat higher (learned the igniter was toast). The igniter was replaced last night and I have dough going in today and hopefully have better results. I think the dough also may be fermenting faster than I was thinking (it’s about 78 F where my dough and starter do their thing) and subsequently having too much liquid to be workable by the end. I’m feeling more optimistic now that the oven should heat and maintain heat properly.
Glad to hear all of this, Amy! As @azrehan:disqus said it is important to have significant activity in the dough (he said dough height, but that could be different for you) before you place it into the fridge. If you’re keeping your dough at 78°F then that’s great, I think that’s the perfect temp, and by the end of a 4 hour or so bulk you should be doing just fine.
And yes, the amount of water in the mix is super important, adjust as necessary for your flour and environment.
Here’s to many more awesome bakes! Stick to it 🙂
Hi Maurizio! It’s been a little over a month now making sourdough bread and I can vouch for what a learning process this is in the most wonderful way. Inhad a lot of failed loaves without really understanding why and have started to learn to watch and feel and smell the dough to understand where it is in the process. I feel like just this past week or two has been a burst of comprehension for me thanks to a lot of reading, watching videos and a lot of unsuccessful loaves. I’m glad to have so much comprehensive information presented so clearly on your blog. The time and effort you put into the content is impressive and appreciated. Lots of connections in
my brain being made and that is a wonderful thing!
That’s really great news, Amy! I feel like that’s how my progress in baking has happened as well: it’s like lighting strikes causing leaps of proficiency. Thanks for the kind words about my site, I’m happy to help!
Happy baking!
So for halving the recipe you would still use the full 184g of levain? Is there a particular reason for this as wouldn’t you get a much faster proofing time since you have 2x the concentration of leavening agent?
If you halved the recipe you would use half the actual levain in the dough mix (in this case only 92g, half of 184g).
I do recommend still making the levain build the same quantity and the just use half in the final mix. That’s optional, but I find it helps to make a levain at least a certain size and 184g is on the smaller end. This was the levain is a larger mass and it’ll hold its temperature better (a larger mass takes longer to cool) and it’ll also give you a little buffer in case you don’t get to using it right away. That’s optional, but recommended.
Hope that helps, Joseph!
Hello Maurizio,
I’m super new to bread baking but I really enjoy all your “how to’s” and information.
But I have had trouble trying to re-enact this recipe. I have attempted it three times and I’m getting the same issue. My dough seems to be to “wet” and hard to handle and I can never get the dough to firm up unless I add more flour to it during the stretch and fold/bulk fermentation which I know is not right to do, I have also tried to hold back on some of the water aswell during mixing but I’m still having the same issue.
Hope you can help!
Mitch
What flour are you using? I don’t know where you live, but I had a similar problem and it turned out to be due to additives in the flour, which are common here in Canada. Check the ingredients of your flour – does it have amylase and/or ascorbic acid? If do, try to find a flour without them.
Hey, thanks for the help.
I am in Germany and the flour I use should be ok, but I have found a better option, which I will use next time.
I also used less water but warmer water to keep the final dough temp up and help with the fermentation process.
I have them in the fridge for proofing at the moment, but I feel like this will be our best yet.
Thanks again
I hope they turned out well for you, Mitchell!
Hey, Mitch! I’d say hold back as much water as is necessary in the beginning. The hydration percentage listed in my recipe is relative to the flour I have here and also my environment. Your flour sounds like it’s not able to take on quite as much water — and this is totally fine. Keep reducing the hydration until the dough feels right to you and is not overly sticky or slack.
Give it another go!
Thanks for the tips!
I have both loafs in the fridge for proofing at the moment, and ohh what a dream to work with and shape the dough was this time around! I loved every minute of it haha
Ended up holding back on approx 100g of water (did it by feel more than anything)
So I have high hopes for this batch, will keep you informed.
Thanks again,
Mitch