How to Make Turmeric Sourdough Bread with Black Pepper

This turmeric sourdough bread is vibrant, fragrant, and a little unexpected. There is something magical about the warm, earthy aroma of turmeric with a gentle kick of black pepper when it is baked into a golden sourdough loaf. You will love its color, flavor, and taste.

If you are a fan of flavored sourdough, try making purple sweet potato sourdough bread, vibrant green spinach sourdough bread, or naturally orange carrot sourdough bread.

If you are new to sourdough, start with my Beginner's Sourdough Guide. To learn how to make your own starter, follow my Beginner Sourdough Starter recipe. Then, before trying this recipe, practice the basic techniques in my Beginner's Sourdough Bread recipe.

Turmeric and black pepper sourdough bread recipe

This recipe is part of my flavored sourdough bread series and is a natural next step after mastering plain sourdough. You can subscribe to my learning email series to follow the full step-by-step learning path.

I have been baking this loaf on repeat lately, and every time I pull it from the oven, I am reminded why I love it so much.

The turmeric gives the crumb that beautiful golden hue, while the black pepper adds just enough warmth to make each slice interesting without overwhelming the bread. It is perfect toasted with butter or pair it with a hearty soup.

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, spring-bottled, or good-quality tap water.
• Salt: Use fine sea salt. Avoid iodized table salt.
• Levain (active starter at peak): Use 100% hydration sourdough starter to make levain.
• Turmeric: Brings a vibrant yellow color and a mild, earthy flavor.
• Black pepper: Contains piperine, which brings a warm, subtle heat that balances the turmeric and improves its golden color. Use freshly ground for the best flavor and visual result.

Substitutions & Variations

• Milder flavor: Reduce the amount of turmeric. Strength varies by brand, and turmeric can easily become overpowering.
• Less heat: Use less black pepper, or omit it if desired.
• More texture: Mix in seeds like toasted nigella seeds, sunflower, or pumpkin seeds for added crunch. You can even fold in a handful of dried cherries for a lovely pop of sweetness and contrast.

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
Turmeric	1%	3g
Black Pepper	0.5%	1.5g

• Total dough weight is 596g. 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: 8.30 hours with a 90-95% 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 turmeric sourdough bread

1. Make levain

To make levain, mix 22 g of sourdough starter with 22 g of flour and 22 g of water in a clean jar. Cover it loosely and place it in a warm spot to ferment. It usually takes about 4-6 hours to reach the peak (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 turmeric and black pepper. Add the flour mixture to the water and mix until a shaggy dough forms.

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

3. Incorporate levain and salt

Add levain (active starter at peak) and mix. Sprinkle in the salt and mix using one of the bread dough mixing techniques.

Cover the dough with a damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes. Once you add levain (active sourdough starter), bulk fermentation starts.

4. Bulk fermentation

Perform two sets of stretch and folds and two sets of coil folds, with a 30-minute rest between each set. Keep the bowl covered during resting periods.

The exact number of folds depends on dough strength. If the dough feels slack or lacks structure, add one or two additional sets of coil folds.

When mixing with a KitchenAid, I skipped stretch and folds and performed four sets of coil folds.

After the final set of coil folds, let the dough continue bulk fermentation and monitor its rise closely.

Note: I allowed the dough to rise to just under double at 73°F (24°C), but the target rise may vary in your kitchen. Warmer temperatures speed up bulk fermentation, while cooler environments slow it down.

Bulk fermentation is done when the dough shows bubbles on the surface and along the sides, the edges appear slightly domed, and the dough gently wobbles when you shake the bowl.

5. Preshape and shape

Lightly flour your work surface with white rice flour, preshape the dough into a round, and let it rest for 10-15 minutes. Perform the final shaping into a battard, then place it in a prepared 8-inch oval banneton (see my guide to shaping bread dough).

6. Cold proofing

Cover the banneton with a clean towel, a disposable plastic cap, or place it inside a reusable 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. Transfer the dough onto parchment paper, score the top, and place it inside the Dutch oven.

Decrease the oven temperature to 450°F (232 °C), then bake, covered, for 20 minutes. Then uncover and bake for another 17-20 minutes, until golden and crisp.

Remove the bread from the Dutch oven and let it cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before slicing.

Bulk fermentation expectations

Turmeric contains curcumin, which has mild antimicrobial properties. At 1% of flour weight, it slightly slows the activity of yeast and lactic acid bacteria, but the effect is subtle.

Adding 0.5% black pepper doesn't noticeably affect bulk fermentation. The dough will still rise and ferment normally, so its rise rate will be nearly identical to that of plain dough.

Finish bulk when the dough has a good structure, close to a double increase in volume, and a pleasantly elastic feel.

Note: Remember that bulk fermentation depends on your kitchen temperature. Don't rely on the clock, watch the dough, and let it guide you.

Expert tips

1. Adjust hydration: Powdered turmeric absorbs water from the dough. Increase your usual, comfortable dough hydration by about 1-2% of the flour weight to keep the dough manageable.
2. Mix turmeric powder with the flour before adding water for even distribution.
3. Store sourdough bread for 3-5 days. Freeze individual slices for up to 1-2 weeks, a whole loaf for 1-2 months.
4. Always use oven mitts or silicone gloves when handling hot pans. 
5. Check for doneness: The internal temperature of bread should reach 205-210°F (96-99°C). I usually aim for 207°F (97°C) or higher.
6. Advanced notes: Track bulk fermentation using an aliquot jar method, checking the dough temperature after each fold and every 30-40 minutes. End fermentation once the dough reaches the target percentage rise.

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