Spinach Sourdough Bread with a Soft, Vibrant Green Crumb

This spinach sourdough bread is naturally leavened and made with spinach powder for a vibrant green crumb and a mild savory flavor. It features subtle earthy notes from the spinach powder without overpowering classic sourdough flavor.

If you love flavored sourdough and enjoy experimenting with natural ingredients, make warm turmeric sourdough bread, purple sweet potato sourdough bread, or naturally orange carrot sourdough bread.

Why you will love spinach in your sourdough bread

If you love sourdough but want something fresh, spinach is a great choice to start. It makes a visually striking green crumb, perfect for both savory inclusions and simple slices with butter and olive oil.

It adds a beautiful, mild, savory flavor without overpowering the bread, keeping it versatile for any topping or filling.

Ingredients

• Flour: Use bread flour, Kirkland all-purpose flour, or a flour blend (bread plus all-purpose, or bread plus whole wheat).
• Water: Use filtered water, bottled spring water, or good-quality tap water.
• Levain: Use 100% hydration sourdough starter to make it.
• Salt: Use fine sea salt. Avoid iodized table salt.
• Spinach powder brings color and flavor.

Substitutions & Variations

• Experiment with color: Use 2-4% spinach powder (baker's percentage) for this sourdough bread. 2% gives a light, elegant green, 3% creates a richer natural green, and 4% yields a bold color with a slightly vegetal flavor.

• Use spinach water: Skip the spinach powder and use spinach-infused water instead. Add 80 g of fresh spinach leaves to 225 g of hot water and let them sit for 2 minutes to soften. Press the softened leaves and liquid completely through a fine-mesh sieve. Add more water if needed to reach a total of 225 g.

• Add inclusions: Try feta and black sesame for a striking contrast, or combine feta with sun-dried tomatoes when green, white, and red colors make an unbeatable combination.

Final bread formula

Ingredient	Baker's Percentage	Weight
Bread flour	100%	300g
Water	75%	225g
Levain/Active starter, 100% hydration	20%	60g
Salt	2%	6g
Spinach powder	3%	9g

• Total dough weight is 600g. If you need to adjust the bread formula for your own loaf, use my sourdough calculator.
• My kitchen temperature is 73°F (23°C), with a humidity level of 40%
• Bulk fermentation: 7.30 hours with a 90-100% increase in dough size.
• Proofing time: 14 hours cold-proof in the fridge
• Bake in a conventional oven at 450°F (232°C) with the lid on for 20 minutes; without the lid, 17-20 minutes.

Tools & Equipment

For all the tools and equipment I use, check out my Essential Sourdough Tools & Equipment guide. It covers everything you need to bake sourdough bread successfully.

How to make spinach sourdough bread

1. Make levain

To make levain, mix 22 g of sourdough starter, 22 g of flour, and 22 g of water in a clean empty jar. Cover it loosely with a lid and place it in a warm place to ferment. The levain usually reaches its peak within 4-6 hours (see my post on how to recognize sourdough starter peak).

2. Autolyse

Pour the water into a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the flour with the spinach powder, then add it to the water and mix just until combined.

Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel or a plastic cap and let the dough rest for 30 minutes (see my guide to sourdough autolyse).

3. Incorporate levain and salt

Add levain and mix. Then sprinkle in the salt and mix using one of the bread dough mixing techniques. Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes. Once you add levain (active sourdough starter), bulk fermentation starts.

4. Bulk fermentation

Complete two rounds of stretch and folds followed by two rounds of coil folds, allowing the dough to rest for 30 minutes between each set. Keep the dough covered during these rest periods.

The total number of folds depends on how strong the dough feels. If it seems loose or lacks structure, add one or two more sets of coil folds as needed.

When I mixed the dough with a KitchenAid, I skipped the stretch and folds and instead completed two and a half sets of coil folds. I count two coil folds in opposite directions as half a set.

Once the final coil fold is done, allow the dough to continue bulk fermenting and closely observe its rise.

Note: In my kitchen, the dough rose to just under double at 73°F (24°C), but your dough may rise differently. Warmer conditions speed up fermentation, while cooler temperatures slow it down.

Bulk fermentation is complete when bubbles are visible on the surface and along the sides of the dough, the edges look slightly domed, and the dough jiggles gently when the bowl is shaken.

5. Preshape and shape

Lightly flour your table with white rice flour, preshape the dough into a round, and let it rest for 10-15 minutes. Then shape it into a batard and place it in a prepared 8-inch oval banneton (see my guide to shaping bread dough).

6. Proof

Cover the banneton with a clean towel, a disposable plastic cap, or place it inside a large plastic bag. Refrigerate overnight (8-14 hours).

7. Bake the loaf

Preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C) with a Dutch oven inside for 30 minutes. Carefully transfer the dough onto parchment paper, score the top, and place it in the preheated Dutch oven.

Lower the oven temperature to 450°F (232°C) and bake, covered, for 20 minutes. Then remove the lid and continue baking for another 17-20 minutes, until the crust is golden and crisp.

Take the bread out of the Dutch oven and let it cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before slicing. Check out my guide on the best bread knife and how to slice sourdough perfectly.

Bulk fermentation expectations

Spinach powder sourdough ferments similarly to plain sourdough. The powder absorbs water, making the dough feel tighter at first and masking visual rise. But after a few folds and some rest, the dough usually relaxes and becomes smoother.

Fermentation time may be a bit longer or shorter depending on how much spinach powder you use and how active your starter is.

Don't judge by dough rise alone as green dough can look less pouffy even when fermenting fine. Focus on elasticity, shape retention between folds, and visible bubbles to know bulk fermentation is on track.

Unlike plain sourdough bread, spinach sourdough opens differently. The spinach powder slightly tightens the crumb, which remains elastic, evenly aerated, and well-structured, but not dramatically open.

Expert tips

• Adjust the dough hydration. Spinach powder absorbs water and can thicken the dough slightly. Increase sourdough hydration by about 3% when using the powder to keep the dough balanced and easy to handle.
• Watch dough strength: Check visually and by touch. If the dough is slack or spreads too much, add extra coil folds. If it feels strong, avoid overworking it.
• Safety tip: Always use oven mitts or silicone gloves when handling hot pans.
• Check the bread's internal temperature. It should reach 205-210°F (96-99°C). I usually aim for 207°F (97°C) or higher.
• Keep sourdough at room temperature for 3-5 days. Freeze individual slices for 1-2 weeks or a whole loaf for 1-2 months.
• Advanced notes: Monitor bulk fermentation with an aliquot jar, checking dough temperature after each fold and every 30-40 minutes, and finish fermentation when it reaches the target percentage rise.

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