This sourdough bread recipe is easy and foolproof for beginners! Follow my step-by-step guide, including a video, a printable checklist, and expert tips.
After pulling my very first loaf of golden homemade sourdough bread from the oven, I was hooked. Sourdough is a bread that is naturally leavened using a starter, which makes an incredibly complex, tangy flavor. Once you’ve made it at home, you’ll never go back!
Along with my husband Alex, I’ve tested this recipe dozens of times, tweaking hydration levels and shaping techniques, to find a method that works every time. I’ve broken it down into a manageable 3-day process with a handy printable checklist and video so you can see exactly how to do it.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This sourdough bread recipe is years in the making. For 2 years, Alex and I made a loaf of sourdough bread every week. We learned that making sourdough bread is an involved process, but it can also be pretty simple. Here’s why you’ll love our recipe:
- Beginner-friendly: I’ve spent years refining this method for beginners, though it works for bakers of any level! The instructions are clear and I’ve included visual cues so you know what to look for at every stage.
- Video and checklist: Between my step-by-step instructions, video, and printable sourdough bread checklist, you won’t feel lost during any part of the process! Because the best way to learn how to make sourdough bread is by watching it.
- Incredible flavor and texture: This recipe has a chewy crust, tangy flavor, and just enough holes in the bread to be interesting but still hold up to a slather of peanut butter. It’s the perfect everyday bread for snacking, sandwiches, and serving with soup.
5-Star Reader Reviews
“You two are amazing. The methodical and easy-to-follow recipe, coupled with your underlying optimism that everything will work out just fine, is addictive. I have followed this recipe at least 30 times and love it. If you are at all concerned about your ability to make amazing bread, follow these two amazing chefs, and you will be on your way. So grateful for you two.” -Lincoln
“So happy I found this recipe. It’s the most successful sourdough I’ve had so far after a lot of frustration the past few months! 
A friend sent me your sourdough recipe checklist and it worked great!” -Denise
Before You Start: A Few Key Sourdough Terms
If you’re new to baking sourdough, here are the essential terms you’ll encounter throughout this recipe:
- Starter: A living mixture of flour and water that contains wild yeast and bacteria. You’ll need to feed it regularly to keep it active, and it’s what makes your bread rise instead of active dry yeast. Here’s my guide for how to make sourdough starter from scratch, or keep reading.
- Discard: The portion of starter you remove before feeding. Don’t throw it away: you can use it in sourdough discard recipes.
- Autolyse: A resting period where flour and water mix before adding starter and salt. This step begins the gluten development and makes a better texture in the final loaf.
- Bulk fermentation: The first rise after mixing your dough. During this phase (which includes several sets of stretch and folds), the dough develops strength and flavor. Room temperature and starter activity affect how long this takes.
- Proofing: The final rise that happens after shaping your loaf. My recipe uses cold fermentation in the refrigerator overnight, which makes a deeper flavor and also makes the dough easier to score.
- Scoring: Cutting the top of the dough with a sharp knife (or lame) before baking. Scoring allows the bread to expand in the oven and get what’s called an “oven spring.”
- Baker’s percentage: Aka “hydration level,” this refers to the amount of water in the recipe compared to the amount of flour.
As a note, this sourdough bread recipe is a high hydration bread. The baker’s percentage for this bread is 78% hydration (350 grams of water / 450 grams of flour).
How to Make and Feed a Sourdough Starter
Your active sourdough starter is the foundation of this entire recipe. Think of it as a pet you feed regularly! A starter is simply a mixture of flour and water that’s been allowed to ferment, capturing wild yeast from the air and developing good bacteria. It replaces the need for active dry yeast in your bread.
- Making a starter from scratch: If you don’t have a starter yet, make it 5 days before you plan to bake. I have a complete guide on how to make sourdough starter that walks you through the process. You can also purchase a live sourdough starter online.
- Feeding your starter: The night before you make bread, you’ll feed your starter to ensure it’s active and bubbly. Remove it from the refrigerator around 9:00 pm, discard all but 1 tablespoon, then add 50 grams each of purified water and all-purpose flour. Stir well, cover loosely, and leave it at room temperature overnight. See my guide for how to feed sourdough starter, which includes a video.
- How to know if it’s ready: By 9:00 to 11:00 am the next morning, the starter should be bubbly and have roughly doubled in size. If it hasn’t risen much, give it more time. A weak starter leads to dense bread that won’t rise properly.
What You’ll Need
Key Ingredients
Making sourdough bread requires some special equipment to get the job done. Here’s a list of the required tools; I’ve linked to the exact tools that I use.
- Flours: For this recipe, I use a mixture of all-purpose flour (for texture), bread flour (for strength), and whole wheat flour (for flavor). I find that this mix makes a moderately open crumb—those beautiful holes in sourdough, a chewy crust, and tangy flavor. I use King Arthur brand organic flour for all three. In testing many different flours, I found it has the most consistent results for this sourdough bread recipe. (Other flour brands made for a denser bread.)
- Water: Use purified water; the quantity in this recipe creates a 78% hydration dough.
- Sourdough starter: Here’s how to make a sourdough starter or buy one here.
- Kosher salt or sea salt: Either work; make sure to follow the exact quantity in the recipe for best results.
- 50/50 mix of rice flour and all purpose flour: To make sure the bread doesn’t stick to the proofing basket (banneton), the inside is coated with a mix of ½ cup all purpose flour and ½ cup rice flour, a tip I learned from the Tartine cookbook. I keep a container full of this mix on hand for baking days.
Required Tools
- Large Dutch oven: Essential for home baking sourdough! It traps steam and makes that crispy, crackling crust.
- An active sourdough starter: See above!
- Plastic bag for proofing: You can reuse it every time you make bread.
- 500 gram oval banneton proofing basket: This is where your shaped dough does its final proof. The basket supports the dough and makes the beautiful decorative lines on top. Coat it with a mix of equal parts rice flour and all-purpose flour to prevent sticking.
- Kitchen scale: Accurate measurements are crucial in bread baking: it’s important to weigh your ingredients in grams.
- Sourdough Bread Checklist: Make sure to print it before baking.
- Parchment paper: This makes transferring the dough into the hot Dutch oven safe and simple.
- Bench scraper: This tool helps create tension on the dough surface and makes handling the sticky dough easier.
- Dough whisk: This is optional, but it helps to quickly and easily stir the dough mixture.
- Lame: A curved blade specifically for scoring bread; you can also use a very sharp knife.
- Oven gloves: Also optional, but they’re great for easily removing the bread from the oven.
How to Make This Sourdough Bread Recipe
Before you start, print the sourdough bread checklist. The checklist keeps you organized through the entire 3-day process.
This recipe spans three days, but the active work is mostly short bursts of attention spread throughout Day 2. Here’s the overview:
| Day 1 Evening | Feed the starter (5 minutes active time) |
| Day 2 | Make bread and proof overnight (5 hours active time) |
| Day 3 | Bake (1 hour active time) |
The video embedded in this post shows exactly what your dough should look like at each stage: I highly recommend watching it before you start your first loaf.
Not sure you’re ready? My easy no knead bread recipe is so much easier!
Ready to bake? Go right to the Sourdough Bread Recipe below.
Tips for Success
After making this recipe hundreds of times, here are a few tips I’ve learned:
- Set up your proofing area to 80-90°F: For the proofing steps on Day 2, keep the temperature between 80-90°F for consistent results. My recipe below calls for setting up a warm proofing area where the bread can sit at this temperature. If you have it, use the proofing setting on your oven for this step. Or, you can turn on the oven to preheat for about 1 minute and then turn it off before you place the dough in the oven. You can also pour a few cups of boiling water into the oven beneath your bowl to raise the temperature.
- Don’t skip the autolyse: That initial hour where flour and water rest together isn’t optional: it’s when gluten development begins and the flour fully hydrates.
- Use a scale: Volume measurements are unreliable for bread baking. Measuring flour in cups can vary by 20 to 30 grams depending on how you scoop. I cannot say this enough: invest in a kitchen scale and measure everything in grams.
- Resist the urge to add flour: A slightly sticky, high hydration dough bakes into bread with better texture and a more open crumb. Use wet hands and a bench scraper instead of adding flour.
- Keep in mind, timing can vary: Proofing times can vary by 30-60 minutes depending on room temperature, starter strength, and even the weather. Look for puffy dough with visible bubbles that jiggles when shaken.
- Score decisively: When you cut the top of the dough with your lame or sharp knife, make one swift, confident slash. (This is something I struggled with early on!) The score should be about ½ inch deep at a 45-degree angle.
- Let it cool completely: I know it’s torture, but cutting sourdough too early results in gummy texture. Wait at least 45 minutes to 1 hour.
How to Store Homemade Sourdough Bread
Equally as important as making sourdough bread is learning how to store it! Once you’ve baked your homemade bread, it is best eaten within 48 hours.
The most important thing to know: Do not store homemade sourdough bread in plastic, or it becomes soggy!
I store mine wrapped in cloth at room temperature. You can use a clean dish towel; or, made a special bread bag for storage out of a large napkin.
If you don’t think you’ll eat the entire loaf in 48 hours, you can freeze whatever you don’t think you’ll eat! Let the sourdough bread cool fully to room temperature, then cut it into slices and place it into a sealed bag or container.
Banneton care
For the final proofing stage in our sourdough bread recipe, the bread proofs in a basket called a banneton. The banneton helps to shape the bread and also makes for those lovely decorative lines on the top of the bread.
When it’s not in use, you can store the banneton at room temperature. There’s no need to clean the banneton; simply let it dry out after baking. After every few bakes, we scrape out any excess flour with a spoon so that you can still get those nice decorative lines in the top of the dough.
Printable Sourdough Bread Checklist
As I’ve honed this recipe through the years, I found that the hardest part of making sourdough bread was keeping track of which step I was on! To solve that problem, we created a printable checklist so that you don’t miss a beat.
Filling in the circles also adds satisfaction to each step! You can reuse the checklist five times: after that, print a new checklist and you’re good to go.
Trust me, after years of weekly baking, I still reference this checklist. It’s that helpful!
Printable checklist: Download our Sourdough Bread Checklist.
Frequently Asked Questions
Alex and I created this recipe to have a medium-sized crumb. To get holes in the bread like you see in our picture, make sure you are very gently during the folding and shaping steps so that you don’t press out the air.
If you are using a different brand of flour (I use King Arthur) then you may need to increase the bread flour a little bit! Otherwise, just keep practicing your folding technique so that the dough can build strength.
Dense sourdough usually means your starter wasn’t active enough or your bulk fermentation was too short. Make sure your starter is bubbly and has doubled before using it: this indicates the wild yeast is strong enough to leaven the bread.
During bulk fermentation on Day 2, watch for the dough to become puffy with visible air bubbles on the surface. If you shape too early, the yeast hasn’t had enough time to create the gas that makes bread rise.
Temperature also plays a role. If your dough fermented in a cool kitchen (below 75°F), it needs more time than the recipe indicates.
Alex and I like this How to Troubleshoot Bad Bread chart from Serious Eats to determine whether your bread was over-proofed or under-proofed. Over-proofed bread has a more dense crumb, while under-proofed bread will have large holes around the edges
Weak or inactive starter is the most common culprit. Your starter needs to be at peak activity: bubbly and doubled in size.
Other factors include insufficient bulk fermentation (the dough didn’t get puffy enough before shaping), proofing temperature that’s too cool, or over-proofing in the refrigerator (more than 18 hours can exhaust the yeast). Also check that your oven actually reaches 515°F.
Yes! I prefer the oval shape for slicing, but any banneton will work!
Yes, I recommend trying our timing once and seeing how your dough behaves. After that, you can try adjusting the timing to fit your lifestyle.
Using a starter that isn’t truly active. Many people feed their starter in the morning and try to make dough that afternoon when it’s barely bubbling. Your starter needs to be at absolute peak: doubled in size, very bubbly, with a domed top that’s just starting to flatten.
The second biggest mistake is adding too much flour during shaping because the dough feels uncomfortably sticky. High hydration dough is supposed to be tacky. Learning to work with wet hands and a bench scraper instead of adding flour makes a big difference in your the crumb.
Sourdough does offer some nutritional advantages. The fermentation partially breaks down gluten and reduces carbohydrates slightly (though it’s not gluten-free and still contains substantial carbs). Some people with mild gluten sensitivity find sourdough easier to digest than regular bread, though anyone with celiac disease should still avoid it.
The slower fermentation creates a lower glycemic index compared to commercial bread, meaning it doesn’t spike blood sugar as dramatically. Plus, sourdough contains beneficial bacteria similar to yogurt that may support gut health.
Sourdough Bread Recipe (with Printable Checklist!)
Pin Recipe
Print RecipeThis sourdough bread recipe is the ultimate guide to making your own sourdough bread! You’ll be amazed by the tangy flavor, beautiful chewy crust, and perfect texture. And don’t forget the printable checklist!
- Prep Time: 6 hours
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 6 hours 40 minutes
- Yield: 10 slices
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: French
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 200 grams all purpose flour
- 200 grams bread flour
- 50 grams whole wheat flour
- 350 grams purified water, room temperature
- 80 grams active sourdough starter (make your own or buy one here)
- 10 grams kosher salt
- 50/50 blend of rice flour and all purpose flour, for dusting the banneton
Instructions
Day 1: Preparing the Starter
On Day 1, you’ll feed your sourdough starter the night before you prepare the dough.
Feed the starter: Remove the active starter from the refrigerator around 9:00 pm. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of the starter. Add 50 grams of purified water and 50 grams of all purpose flour. Stir, cover, and leave at room temperature overnight. The starter should be bubbly and about doubled in size between 9:00 am and 11:00 am the following day. (More about feeding your starter is at How to Feed Sourdough Starter.)
Print the printable checklist: Print off our Sourdough Bread Checklist to use when preparing the dough tomorrow!
Day 2: Preparing the Dough
On Day 2, you’ll make and proof the dough. This is the most labor intensive day; the entire process will take around 5 hours. The step numbers correspond to the printable checklist; make sure you have it printed and ready to go!
1 Mix flour and water; rest for 1 hour at room temp (“autolyse”): In a small mixing bowl, combine the all purpose flour, bread flour and whole wheat flour with the purified water. Use a spoon or dough whisk to stir until all dry flour has been incorporated into a raggy dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or place the bowl in a large Ziploc bag and place leave room temperature. Set a timer for 1 hour.
2a Prepare the proofing area: Prepare a warm area for proofing before starting next step. For best results, the proofing should be in a warm location, between 80° and 90° degrees. (For more on creating a proofing area, see the section above, “Proofing sourdough bread.”)
2b Stir in the starter and proof for 30 minutes: Add the starter to the dough and stir until loosely incorporated; it does not need to be perfectly stirred in. Cover the bowl and place it in the warm area for proofing. Set a timer for 30 minutes. Watch the video instructions for about folding for the next few steps.
3 Add salt, mix with your hands, and proof for 30 minutes: Add the kosher salt evenly across the dough and mix the dough with your hands until the salt is incorporated. See the video above to watch how to mix the dough. Return the covered dough to the proofing area and set timer for 30 minutes.
4 Fold and proof for 30 minutes: Fold the dough: with wet hands, lift one side of the dough straight up so that it stretches and fold it across the center; turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat 4 times. Lift up the dough and wrap it onto itself until you have a smooth surface, then flip it over and place it in the bowl seam side down. See the video above to watch how to fold the dough. Return the covered dough to the proofing area and set timer for 30 minutes.
5 Fold and proof for 45 minutes: Fold the dough again in the same way as Step 4, wrapping it as much as possible without tearing the dough. Return the covered dough to a warm area and set a timer for 45 minutes.
6 Gently fold and proof for 1 hour 30 minutes: Gently fold the dough in the same way as Step 4, being careful not to deflate built up air in the dough. Return the covered dough to a warm area and set timer for 1 hour 30 minutes. Before you start Step 7, watch the video for instructions on pre-shaping and shaping the dough.
7 Pre-shape the dough and rest for 30 minutes at room temp: At this point the dough should appear bubbly on top and wiggle when shaken. (If it is not ready, proof for a few more minutes; the timing can vary depending on the temperature of your proofing and variations in the starter.) Turn the dough onto an unfloured countertop. Lightly flour the top of the dough and then use a bench scraper to gently scrape the dough into a ball, creating tension on top. Do not go so far that you tear the dough. Place an inverted bowl over the top of the dough. Set a timer and rest the dough for 30 minutes.
8 Shape the dough, place it in the banneton, and rest for 30 minutes at room temp: Prepare the banneton by rubbing the 50/50 rice flour mixture into all of the grooves of the banneton. Remove the bowl from over the dough; the dough should be formed into a gently rounded shape. Rub just enough flour onto the top of the dough so that it isn’t tacky. Use the bench scraper to flip the dough so that the floured side is down. Gently stretch the dough into a rectangle. Moving quickly, fold the top third of the dough down, and the bottom third up to create a packet. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and gently roll it into a log shape. Be careful to not press the dough or deflate it. Use your hands to gently pull the dough tight and pinch off the seams at the end of the dough. Rub a little more flour onto the top of the dough so that it isn’t tacky. Gently flip the dough into the banneton and pinch off the bottom seam. Place the banneton into the proofing bag and set timer for 30 minutes.
9 Refrigerate overnight: Place the banneton in a bag and refrigerate until the following morning.
Day 3: Baking the Dough
10 Preheat the Dutch oven at 515°F for 30 minutes: The following morning, place a covered Dutch oven on the center rack in your oven. Preheat to 515°F for at least 30 minutes. If your oven only reaches to 500°F, the recipe will still work, but you won’t get quite as much rise out of the bread.
11 Place on parchment, score, and bake for 17 minutes in Dutch oven:
- After preheating, cut a piece of parchment paper the width of your banneton. Remove the banneton from the refrigerator and pull back slightly around the edge of the dough to release it from the banneton. Gently invert the banneton onto the parchment paper and reach your hand into the basket to release it from the banneton. Try not to deflate the dough.
- Using a lame or sharp knife, cut a shallow slit at angle across the top of the dough. You can also add additional small shallow cuts for decoration.
- As quickly as possible, remove the lid from the Dutch oven and carefully place the parchment paper with dough into the Dutch oven. Cover it and set the timer for 17 minutes.
12 Place the bread on the oven rack, reduce to 400°F and bake for 23 minutes: After 17 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 400°F. Remove the Dutch oven, carefully take out the bread, and set the bread directly onto the oven rack. Bake for an additional 23 minutes. Remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool on a cooling rack for at least 45 minutes. After cooling, the bread is ready to eat. Store the bread wrapped in cloth or in a bread bag on the counter for up to 2 days, or freeze wrapped in foil in a plastic bag for several months. Do not store the bread in plastic, or it will lose its texture!
Notes
Sources: Alex and I developed this original recipe after extensive research using the Tartine cookbook and The Perfect Loaf.
Flour substitutions: I recommend using bread flour in this recipe; don’t substitute it with more all-purpose flour.
Banneton alternatives: If you don’t have a banneton, you can proof the dough in a bowl lined with a well-floured tea towel.
Hydration level: This is a 78% hydration dough (350g water / 450g flour), which creates that nice balance of manageable handling with good open crumb.
Storage: Store wrapped in a tea towel at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, slice completely and freeze in a plastic bag for up to 3 months. Toast slices directly from frozen.
Timing flexibility: If you need to adjust the schedule, you can leave the dough in the refrigerator for up to 18 hours (longer than that and it may overproof). You can also feed your starter earlier or later: just make sure it’s at peak activity (bubbly and doubled) before using it.
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