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Beginner's Sourdough Bread

Baked beginner’s sourdough bread held in hands with a towel around it.
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Discover a beginner's sourdough bread recipe with easy, step-by-step instructions and photos. Learn how to bake your first perfect loaf of sourdough bread with helpful tips and tricks.

Ingredients

Scale

For the levain (an active starter):

  • 35 g sourdough starter
  • 35 g bread flour
  • 35 g water

For the bread dough:

  • 500 g bread flour 
  • 340 g water 
  • 100 g levain (at peak) 
  • 10 g sea salt 

10 g white rice flour (for dusting)

Instructions

  1. Make a levain (an active starter): Feed the "mother" starter in the morning at a 1:1:1 ratio (35g starter, 35g flour, and 35g water), and wait 4-6 hours for it to peak. 
  2. Mix the dough: In a mixing bowl, mix water, levain (active starter), bread flour, and salt by hand for 3–5 minutes. Bulk fermentation begins once the starter is added.
  3. Mark the container: Transfer the dough from the mixing bowl to a large measuring cup or a straight-sided container. If your container doesn’t have measurement lines, use a marker or measuring washi tape to mark the starting level of the dough. Wet your hands and carefully transfer the dough back to the mixing bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel, and let the dough rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, clean the measuring container.
  4. Stretch and fold sourdough: With wet hands, reach underneath the dough and pull it upwards, then fold it on top. Turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat the process. Do this in all four directions (like a compass or a clock) for a total of four folds. Cover and rest for 30 minutes. Then, wet your hand again, and repeat the stretch and fold in all four directions. After that, cover the bowl and let it sit for another 30 minutes.
  5. Coil fold sourdough: Wet your hands and lift the dough from the middle, letting the ends fold under. Turn the bowl 180 degrees and repeat the same fold. Then, turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat the fold. Finally, turn it another 180 degrees and fold again. You will do four folds in total. Cover the bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes. Repeat the set of coil folds one more time, then gently transfer the dough to a large measuring cup or a straight-sided container. Cover it and let it rest at room temperature.
  6. Continue bulk fermentation:  Allow the dough to rise until it increases 50–100% (100% means it has doubled in size in the bowl). The percentage rise depends on your room temperature: the warmer it is, the faster the bulk fermentation and the shorter the rise time. To track the dough rise, look at the starting point you marked on the container:

      • 50% rise means the dough has increased by half its original height.

      • 75% rise means it has grown by three-quarters of that height.

      • 100% rise means the dough has doubled in height from the starting mark.

  7. Finish bulk fermentation: Look for a slightly domed top, large bubbles on the surface, smaller bubbles on the sides of the container, dough that easily pulls away from the sides, and jiggles when shaken. Once you see these signs, it is time for preshaping.
  8. Preshape the dough into a round. Fold the four sides of the dough toward the center, pressing them together. Then, fold the opposite corners into the middle, pressing to seal. Flip the dough seam-side up, and shape it by cupping your hands around it and moving it toward you. Then let it rest uncovered for 15 minutes. 
  9. Shape the dough: Lightly flour your work surface with rice flour. Turn the dough out onto the table and shape it into a boule. Prepare a bowl lined with a cotton tea towel. Generously dust it with rice flour. Place the shaped dough into the prepared bowl, seam side up. Cover the dough with the edges of the towel and let it rest in the bowl for 30 minutes.
  10. Proof the dough: Place the bowl with the dough into a plastic bag and refrigerate for 12–16 hours, or up to 48 hours. The longer the cold proof, the more pronounced the sourdough flavor will be.
  11. Score the dough: Remove the dough from the fridge. Flip it out of the bowl onto a piece of parchment paper. Use a pastry brush to remove any excess flour. Using a sharp knife (or a bread lame if you have one), make three slashes in the dough, forming a triangle, a square, or two slashes in an X shape across the top. Alternatively, you can use kitchen scissors to make small snips across the top of the loaf.
  12. Bake the bread: Place your Dutch oven into the oven and preheat to 500°F (260°C) for 30 minutes. With the oven mitts on, transfer the dough to the Dutch oven, cover with the lid, and place it on the middle rack of the oven. Lower the temperature to 450°F (232°C) and bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, use the oven mitts to remove the lid and continue baking for an additional 17-20 minutes, or until the crust reaches your desired color. 
  13. Cool the bread: Let the bread cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before slicing it.

Notes

  1. Storage and Freezing: Store sourdough bread for 3-5 days. Freeze individual slices for up to 1-2 weeks, a whole loaf for 1-2 months.
  2. Safety Tips: Always use oven mitts or silicone gloves to handle hot pans. 
  3. Check for Doneness: Your bread is fully baked when the internal temperature reaches 205–210°F (96–99°C). I usually aim for 207°F (97°C) or higher. Use a digital probe thermometer to check.
  4. Want to create a custom formula for your loaf? Try my sourdough calculator.
  5. Need help getting started? Check out my beginner's sourdough bread guide to learn sourdough basics first.
  6. Note: Nutritional information does not include the white rice flour used for dusting.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://sourdoughtalk.com/beginners-sourdough-bread-recipe/