This year, learn how to make sourdough bread with our beginner’s guide with helpful tips and easy steps.
Bake delicious sourdough bread!
Today I’m going to show you an easy way to make beautiful, chewy sourdough bread for your family. With these simple tips, we hope you’ll find it surprisingly easy and eventually addictive. Once you master the timing and method, you too can become a sourdough master. We’ll also introduce you to some useful kitchen tools that can make this process easier and smoother.
The best part is that from developing your starter to completing your finished bread, all you need is water, flour, and salt. You only need 3 ingredients to make delicious homemade sourdough.
In my own sourdough journey, I’ve tried so many methods and recipes, but I’ve also had some notable failures. The same day sourdough recipes I tried didn’t work for me. Sourdough is a longer process than yeast bread, but I promise it’s worth your time. The sour taste is very delicious, and the outside dough is also exquisite!
Baking sourdough is easy once you know the timing.
I like to mix the dough at night, let it rise on the counter, then come back the next day to shape and bake my sourdough loaf. Emily Ruff also shares this process. I started with her Everyday Sourdough recipe, but after making sourdough bread probably 50 times, I modified it a bit (see below). Her book, Artisan Sourdough Made Simple by Emilie Raffe, is also a great resource. Highly recommended.
This holiday season, I made Sadow Dough bread, packed it in paper bags, and gave it as gifts to teachers, neighbors, and friends. The feedback was incredible and we were very happy because everyone loved it.
Example baking timeline:
3:00pm – Feed the sourdough starter
9pm – Mix the dough
9:30pm – Stretching and Creases
9:30am – Dough shaping and second fermentation
10:30am – Score and Bake
12:30pm – Slice and enjoy or save for dinner
Below are the basic steps and processes for making sourdough bread. Scroll down for the complete recipe.
1. First, get a sourdough starter!
Instead of using yeast, this bread recipe calls for a heavily fermented sourdough starter to help the dough rise. The quickest way is to get an active starter from a friend. Most people interested in baking sourdough are happy to share. You can grow your own sourdough starter in about a week, or you can buy it dried online.
How to make sourdough starter:
How to make sourdough starter:
Day 1: Mix 1/4 cup all-purpose flour and 1/2 cup water. Day 2: Rest. Days 3-7 Discard all but 1/4 cup of starter. Add 1/4 cup flour and 1/2 cup water. Repeat until starter is activated, foamy, and ready.
I followed this 1:1:1 ratio recipe but only used all-purpose flour and it worked fine.
How to feed sourdough starter:
You will need to continue caring for it daily by discarding some of the active starter and feeding it with water and all-purpose flour. I usually save 1/4 cup of starter, discard the rest, and add 1/4 cup water and 1/2 cup flour once a day. Mixing should result in a very thick batter.
If you don’t want to bake after the starter is activated, you can store it in the refrigerator and then start feeding it again to “wake up” and use it later.
Save the sourdough waste after the starter is activated. Most people keep a waste container in their refrigerator, and you can use it to make amazing things like fluffy pancakes, crackers, cookies, and pizza dough. Search online for sourdough disposal recipes. So many delicious options!
2. Mix the dough before bed.
Take a mixing bowl and add the active sourdough starter, room temperature water, flour and fine salt. Mix first with a whisk, then with clean hands. The dough will be quite sticky and fuzzy at first. Cover with a towel and let rest for 15-30 minutes.
What is my favorite bread crumb? I usually use King Arthur unbleached bread crumbs. I also love Bob’s Red Mill Artisan Flowers. Although it is expensive, it produces soft and delicious dough. Bryn, my hip sidekick, loves Costco’s Kirkland brand all-purpose flour. This is because it has high protein levels and is popular in sourdoughs. It’s fun to try out different brands and find your favorite!
Go back and scrape the sides using a dough scraper to form a ball. Manipulate by stretching the dough a little and folding it a few times with your hands. I often do this all in a bowl because I find it easier.
The dough will become stiffer and more elastic. This will help strengthen your rise and produce a better rise.
Do I need a kitchen scale to bake sourdough? No, I don’t, but honestly, it’s much easier to just add the ingredients, zero the scale, and keep going. Additionally, using a scale allows for the most accurate measurements and provides more consistent results.
3. Batch fermentation is done overnight.
At this point the dough is mostly fermented. Cover the mixing bowl with a damp kitchen towel, lid, or reusable bowl wrap. Leave this overnight for about 8-10 hours. You want to double the size of the dough.
4. In the morning, adjust the shape and do the second rise.
Using a dough scraper, gently transfer the dough from the bowl to a lightly floured surface. Shape the dough into a round loaf. Try rotating the dough by hand or with a dough cutter and folding the dough underneath.
Place the balls in a banneton proof basket or bowl lined with a towel. Cover and let rise again for 30 minutes to 1 hour. It looks like it’s expanding, but it hasn’t doubled in size.
5. Now, cut the bread and bake it!
Transfer the dough to a silicone bread ring or parchment paper. Place the sling and dough in a cast iron Dutch oven with a lid.
Use a knife or dough-scoring tool to create an x-shape on top of the bread. By doing this, the dough will rise evenly and look gorgeous!
Bake uncovered at 450 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for another 25-30 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 204-10 degrees and is golden brown. Let the bread cool on a cooling rack for at least 1 hour before cutting.
Baking Tip: Try placing a large sheet pan on the bottom rack while baking to prevent the bottom of the bread from getting too brown.
How to store sourdough bread:
This bread doesn’t last very long at home, so you can put it in a paper bag, wrap it loosely to let air in, and leave it on the shelf for about a day. You can also choose plastic storage bags or plastic wrap, but they may get a little damp. In the long term, you can slice and freeze sourdough. This is very delicious toast!
easy sourdough bread
Yield: 10 servings
Cooking time: 55 minutes
Total time: 55 minutes
Learn how to proof and bake a simple sourdough boule or round loaf overnight.
60 grams (1/4 cup) active sourdough starter 350 grams (1 1/3 cups + 2 tablespoons) room temperature water 500 grams (4 cups + 2 tablespoons) strong flour 10 grams (2 teaspoons) fine sea salt
1
In the evening, whisk together the starter and water to form a dough. Then add flour and salt. Use a danish whisk at first and then whisk with clean hands until a dough forms. It will be sticky. Cover with a towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
2
Go back and use the dough scraper to form the dough into a ball in the bowl. Pull the dough up, stretch it, fold it in the middle and return it to the bowl. Do some of these to create elasticity and strengthen the dough.
3
Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel or bowl cover and let it sit on the counter overnight, until the dough rises and doubles in size, about 10 to 12 hours.
4
In the morning, gently scrape the dough from the bowl and place it on a lightly floured surface. Shape into a round ball and place in a bannetone basket or towel-lined bowl. Cover for another 30 to 60 minutes, until puffed but not doubled in size.
5
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place the dough on a sling or parchment paper and place it in the Dutch oven. Bake covered for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for another 25-30 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 204-10 degrees and is golden brown. Let the bread cool on a cooling rack for at least 1 hour before cutting.
Brought to you by Hip2Save.
Want to know what baking tools I use?
Here are some of my favorite sourdough baking supplies.
Mainstays Cast Iron 4.5 Quart Dutch Oven – I own two. Both can fit in the oven at once and make two loaves. Very great quality for the price! Sourdough Silicone Bread Slings – Save your parchment paper and buy these instead. It makes it so much easier to remove the bread from the Dutch oven. Kitchen Baking Scale – One thing about sourdough is that it’s important to get your measurements accurate. Easy to use, compact and inexpensive weight scale! Instant-Read Thermometer – The easiest way to know when your dough is cooked is to use a thermometer to make sure it reaches an internal temperature of 205 to 210 degrees. Banneton Bread Proofing Baskets (includes accessories) – These baskets are extremely useful during the final proofing stage, fold flat for storage, and come with all the kitchen tools you need, including scoring blades and dough whisks. I am. Sourdough Starter Kit with Jar – Of course, you can use any glass jar. I like the larger size and flat sides for easy stirring. Additionally, the included spatula helps the lid vent. Bench Scraper – You can never go wrong with any number of tools to help you scrape dough off the sides of your bowl. Sourdough life becomes easier! Paper Bags for Storage and Gifting – Baking and giving away bread can be very thoughtful and rewarding. Please consider this bag, which is also convenient as a gift. Reusable Bowl Covers – Instead of using kitchen towels or plastic wrap on the bowl during fermentation, I choose these bowl covers. Environmentally friendly and works well. My dough doesn’t dry out at all.
I’m still pretty new to sourdough baking, but I love it.
This is the most fun and satisfying hobby. I like that it’s fairly easy and doable since I don’t have a lot of hands-on time. Additionally, this recipe only uses water, flour, and salt. Homemade natural bread is really delicious. The sour taste is my favorite!
What are the benefits of sourdough bread?
It’s easy to digest! The fermentation process used to make sourdough bread breaks down complex carbohydrates for easier digestion. Sourdough fosters more beneficial bacteria in the bread and improves gut health. Sourdough has a low glycemic index and is suitable for gluten sensitivities. Contains less preservatives than commercially available bread! It’s a very natural ingredient and very delicious.
Anyone should try it out. If I can do it, so can you! You don’t need any bread baking experience to make delicious bread. There are countless ways to make sourdough and recipes online, but this is what worked best for me. I wish you all success with your sourdough!
Check out all the amazingly easy and delicious soup recipes to pair with this bread.
