How to Make Sourdough Bread

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Use this step-by-step recipe for making fresh, homemade sourdough bread with just 4 ingredients - flour, water, salt, and sourdough starter.

When it comes to sourdough, it's the process that makes - or breaks - the bread. I've broken this recipe down in to 4 sections that make the process easy to understand and follow. Whether this is your first loaf ever, or you've been baking for a while, I'm sure you're going to love this recipe.

Tools & Equipment

Sourdough baking can come with a lot of unique tools and gadgets, but most of them are nice to have, and not completely necessary to make bread. I've separated the equipment list into two sections so you know what you need to have to start, and what you can get later on if you don't have them yet.

Need to have:

Food scale
Bowl (4QT - 5QT)
Dough whisk or spatula
Tea towel (100% cotton)
Dutch oven (5.5QT - 7.5QT)
Parchment paper
Bread knife

Nice to have:

Stand mixer: to save time kneading and cleaning. This will also help building the gluten structure of your dough, giving it a nicer texture and getting those gorgeous air pockets
Rectangular glass container (1.5QT): to allow your dough to naturally stretch while resting between folds during bulk fermentation. It is easier to perform folds in a shallow glass container and allows for more tension to build in the dough.
Thermometer: for monitoring dough and/or ambient temperature. Knowing the temperature of your dough, or the room it is fermenting in, is valuable in determining the amount of time you should let it sit out.
Bench scraper: for easier shaping. This helps to get a better hold on the dough and move it around without it sticking to your hands. It is also useful for diving your dough if you make more than one loaf at a time.
Bread lame or sharp knife: for scoring. While scoring is not technically necessary, it is what gives your dough a designated space to expand and gives it that gorgeous ear. Without scoring, your loaf will expand and burst at the weakest point - wherever that may be.
Banneton with liner: for cold proofing. While you can absolutely use a bowl lined with a tea towel to proof your dough in the fridge, bannetons were designed to help your dough hold shape while allowing some air to flow through to limit condensation between the dough and the container. The dough will take the shape of the container it is proofed in, so choose a container or bowl that aligns with the shape you want your loaf to be.

Ingredients:

450g unbleached bread flour
50g whole wheat flour
325g water
125g sourdough starter (active and bubbly)
10g salt

Missing an ingredient? Click here for recommended substitutions.

Part 1: Mixing & Kneading

Using a food scale, measure and pour 325g water into a bowl.
Zero the scale and add 450g of bread flour + 50g whole wheat flour.
Mix with dough whisk until it forms a rough dough.
Cover with tea towel and let sit 30 minutes.
Add 125g of active & bubbly starter.
Fold the edges of the dough in over itself until the starter is fully incorporated.
Let the dough sit another 15 minutes.
Add 10g salt. Stretch and knead the dough until the salt is fully incorporated. Place the dough on a clean work surface and begin kneading with wet hands for 7-10 minutes.

*If using a stand mixer with a dough hook, mix on low for 5 minutes. Mix again on low for 1-2 minutes after adding the starter and as well as after adding the salt.

Part 2: Resting & Folding.

Move the dough into a container or bowl. Cover and let rest for 1 hour.
Perform a coil fold by stretching the dough upward from the center and folding it over onto itself a couple times in each direction. Do 3 more coil folds, 35 minutes apart.
After the 4th fold, perform the window-pane test. If it does not pass, wait 35 minutes and perform another coil fold. Your dough must pass the window pane test before proceeding to shaping.
Let dough sit for the remainder of bulk the fermentation time. Depending on the temperature, this could be 2.5 - 9 hours. See bulk fermentation timing chart.

*Dough sticking to your hands? This is normal when kneading and in the first 2 folds. To help reduce the sticking, you can either wet your hands with cold water, or add about 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil to your hands as you work with the dough at each round of folds. By the 3rd or 4th fold, your dough should be much less sticky. I also highly recommend using a DOAP dough scrubber to help remove the sticky dough from your hands and mixing container. You can use my affiliate code MAMA for 15% off your order!

Part 3: Shaping & Proofing.

Flour your bannetons with rice flour or your flour of choice. If your dough is sticky, wet your hands throughout the shaping as needed. If you must flour your work surface, flour it lightly.
Dump the dough out of its container and onto the work surface.
Slowly and gently stretch your dough into a rectangle. Imagine your dough is divided into 3 horizontal rows. Grab the edge of dough closest to you and fold it onto itself, covering the middle third of the dough. Fold it again, covering the final third and creating a log shape.
Roll the dough from the narrow end until the dough is in a tight brick that cannot be rolled over onto itself.
Tuck in the corners and gently turn the dough, continuing to tuck the dough under itself with each rotation. As you do this, the dough should move diagonally across your work surface and begin to form a ball.
Once the surface of the dough appears smooth and taut, cover the dough and let it sit for 20 minutes.
Perform the ‘tuck & turn’ again, until the surface of the dough is smooth and taut again.
Place the dough into the floured banneton.
Cover the banneton with the liner, plastic wrap, or a tea towel.
Place it into the fridge to proof for 8-16 hours.

Part 4: Scoring & Baking.

Place the Dutch oven, with the lid on, into the oven. Turn the oven on to 450F and let it preheat for 1 hour.
When the hour is almost up, remove your banneton from the fridge. Turn it over onto parchment paper (smooth side up).
Score the dough with a bread lame or sharp knife. I love using my WireMonkey lames to score my bread. You can get 10% off your order through my affiliate link here.
Remove the Dutch Oven from the oven and remove the lid. Carefully place the parchment paper and dough into the Dutch Oven and put the lid back on.
Return the Dutch Oven (with the dough inside) to the oven for 20 minutes.
Carefully remove the lid from the Dutch Oven and continue baking for an additional 18-23 minutes. Remove the Dutch Oven from the oven and allow the loaf to cool uncovered or on a cooling rack. Once the loaf has cooled completely, slice with a bread knife to your desired thickness and enjoy!

Sourdough is best enjoyed within 2 days of baking, and must be covered or bagged to prevent drying out. Your loaf can also be preserved in a freezer for up to a month.

Missing an ingredient? Here are some safe substitutions:

Bread flour - You can substitute for all purpose flour! I recommend ensuring your flour is unbleached, as the bleaching process alters the enzymes in the flour and may impact fermentation.
Whole wheat - You can omit the whole wheat and instead increase the amount of unbleached bread flour to 500g. Before omitting the whole wheat, please note that: 1) Whole wheat flour absorbs more of the water and makes the dough a bit easier to work with.
2) Whole wheat also allows for dough to ferment more quickly.
Sourdough starter - Forgot to feed your starter? I recommend using active & bubbly starter for best results, but you can still make great bread with discard (inactive starter that was fed and has fallen) if your starter is mature and established. If using discard, increase the amount to 150g of sourdough starter.

Have Questions?

Check out the Frequently Asked Questions page for more support and troubleshooting, or send me a message on Instagram (@TorontoSourdoughMama) - I'm here for you and happy to help you make the best bread possible!