This is our best sourdough recipe! The ultimate guide includes easy-to-follow instructions, a printable checklist and a step-by-step video.

Are you ready to do some dirty work? Making your sourdough bread can be one of the most rewarding and transformative activities. It is healthier, cheaper, and tastier than the bread you can buy in the grocery store. Alex and I are both home chefs with backgrounds in business writing. 

An overview of making sourdough bread

Sourdough bread can take up to three days to make.

What is the key to simplifying it? It takes three days to make, but we tried to simplify it while still keeping the essence of the sourdough loaf process. The instructions have been carefully designed to make them easy to follow and remember. Our Dutch oven is a better option than the traditional steam method. We have created a video series and a printable checklist to ensure you don’t miss any steps. Waiting for the bread cools down is the hardest part. Let’s start with the tools needed to make this sourdough loaf recipe.

What you need to know about sourdough bread

Sourdough making requires special equipment. Here is a list of all the tools you will need. You can use any tool you like, although we have linked to our preferred tools.

This recipe calls for the following tools:

  1. Large dutch oven to bake the bread
  2. An active starter for sourdough
  3. Use this bag to proof bread (reuse it each time you make bread).
  4. 500g oval banneton proofing bowl where the dough gets its final rest
  5. Kitchen Scale for Measuring
  6. Parchment paper
  7. For shaping the dough, use the Bench Scraper.
  8. Dough whisk to quickly and easily stir the dough mixture (optional).
  9. Sharp knife or Lame for scoring the bread
  10. Oven gloves to remove the bread easily from the oven (optional).

What flours can be used to make sourdough bread

Many types of flour can be used to make sourdough bread. Our sourdough bread recipe uses a mix of all-purpose flour, bread flour, and whole wheat flour. This is for texture and strength. This mixture makes a medium-open crumb, giving rise to beautiful sourdough holes. It also creates a chewy crust and tangy taste. We use King Arthur brand organic flour in all three flours. We have tested many flours and found that King Arthur brand organic flour produces the best results for our sourdough recipe. Other flour brands produced a denser loaf.

Proofing sourdough bread

So, what’s proofing? Proofing is when bread dough is allowed to rest after being added to yeast. There are several steps in this recipe that require proofing. Some at room temperature, others in warm areas. What is the ideal warm sourdough loaf proofing temperature? Your sourdough bread should be proofed at 80-90 degrees F for best results.

To make the recipe, you will need to set up a warm proofing area to keep the bread at this temperature. This step can be done using the oven’s proofing setting if you have it. You can also turn the oven on for about one minute, then turn it off before placing the dough into the oven. To raise the temperature, you can add a few cups of boiling water to the oven under your bowl. No matter what, when the bread is proofing make sure you don’t accidentally turn the oven on.

What is a banneton?

The bread is baked in a basket known as a banneton. This basket serves to proof the bread during the final stage of our sourdough recipe. The banneton is used to form the bread, and it also creates beautiful decorative lines on top. The inside of the bread is coated with 1/2 cup all-purpose flour and 1/2 cup rice flour to prevent it from sticking to the banneton. The Tartine cookbook inspired this tip. This mix is kept in a small container for baking purposes.

The banneton can be stored at room temperature when it is not being used. The banneton doesn’t need to be cleaned. Let it dry after baking. We scrape off any flour leftover with a spoon after each bake to preserve the decorative lines on the top of your dough.

Maintaining a starter sourdough.

Sourdough bread can be described as naturally leavened bread. It does not use active dry yeast to rise. Instead, it uses a starter sourdough. Our sourdough starter must be fed first. Follow the instructions below to feed your starter the night before making bread. This sourdough recipe includes important information about how to care for your starter. Learn how to feed your starter sourdough bread starter.

What is the baker per cent?

You may have come across the terms “baker’s percentage” and “hydration level” when reading about sourdough bread. These terms refer to how much water is used in the recipe instead of how much flour. This recipe for sourdough bread is high in hydration. This bread has a 78% hydration percentage (350g water/450g flour).

How to store homemade bread

Baked bread should be eaten within 48 hours of baking. Our bread is kept at room temperature in a cloth wrap. A dishtowel can be used, or you can make a bread bag out of a large napkin. You can freeze any portion you don’t think you will eat within 48 hours if you aren’t sure. Let the sourdough bread cool completely to room temperature. Then, cut into slices and place in a container or bag.

Printable checklist for a sourdough loaf

We want to mention that as we have refined this recipe over the years, the most difficult part of making sourdough loaf was remembering which step we were at. This easy-to-follow printable checklist was created to solve this problem. Each step is made more enjoyable by filling in the circles. The checklist can be reused five times. After that, you can print a new one, and you are good to go.

Ingredients

  • 200g all-purpose flour
  • 200 grams of bread flour
  • 50g whole-wheat flour
  • 350 grams purified water, room temperature
  • 80g active starter sourdough
  • 10 grams of kosher salt
  • 50/50 mix of rice flour and all-purpose flour for dusting the banneton

Instructions

Day 1: Preparing for the Starter

You’ll start your sourdough starter on Day 1. This will happen the night before you make the dough.

Starter: Remove the active starter from your refrigerator at 9:00 PM. All but one tablespoon of starter should be thrown out. 50g of purified water and 50g of all-purpose flour should be added. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight. Between 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM, the starter should be bubbly the next day. How To Feed Sourdough Starting has more information.

Download the printable checklist to make your sourdough bread tomorrow. Print our Sourdough Bread Checklist!

Day 2: Making the Dough

You’ll proof and make the dough on Day 2. This day is the most labour-intensive; it will take approximately 5 hours. These steps correspond to the printable checklist. Make sure it is printed and ready for use!

1. Combine flour and water. Allow resting at room temperature for one hour (“autolyse”). 

Combine all-purpose flour, bread flour, and whole wheat flour with purified water in a small bowl. Stir until the flour is incorporated into the dough using a spoon or a dough whisk. Place the bowl in a bowl covered with plastic wrap, or place it in a large Ziploc bag. Let the bowl sit at room temperature. Set the timer for one hour.

2(a). Prepare the proofing location: 

Prepare an area warm for proofing before moving on to the next step. The proofing area should be between 80 and 90 degrees. This will ensure the best results. For more information on creating a proofing zone, please see “Proofing Sourdough Bread.”

2(b). Mix the starter into the dough. 

Stir the starter into the dough until it is well incorporated. Place the bowl in a warm place to proof. For 30 minutes, set a timer. For more information about folding, see the video.

Add salt to the dough, and mix it with your hands for at least 30 minutes. 

Sprinkle the kosher salt all over the dough. Mix the dough with your fingers until it is well combined. The video below shows how to mix the dough. Place the dough covered in a bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes.

4. Fold and proof the dough for 30 minutes. 

Use wet hands to lift one end of the dough, so it stretches. Then fold the dough across the middle. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat the process four times. Wrap the dough around itself until it is smooth. Then, flip the dough over and place it in a bowl seam-side down. The proofing area should be returned to the dough covered. Set the timer for 30 minutes.

5. Roll the dough and let it rest for 45 minutes. 

Fold the dough in half again, wrapping it tightly but not tearing. Set a timer for 45 min to return the dough covered to a warm place.

6. Fold the dough gently and let it rest for 30 minutes. 

Gently fold the dough the same as in Step 4. Be careful not to flatten any air pockets. Set the timer for one hour and thirty minutes, then place the dough covered in a warm place. Watch the video to learn how to shape and pre-shape the dough.

7. Shape the dough and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. 

If the dough is still not ready, let it rest for a few minutes. The timing of proofing and the starter can affect the time taken. Place the dough on a flat surface. The dough should be lightly floured. Next, use a bench scraper or a knife to form a ball. Don’t tear the dough. Place a bowl upside down on top of the dough. The dough should be allowed to rest for 30 minutes.

8. Form the dough and place it in the banneton. 

Prepare banneton by rubbing 50/50 rice flour mixture in all grooves. The bowl should be removed from the top of the dough. The dough should form into a smooth, round shape. The dough should be lightly floured, so it doesn’t become tacky. Flip the dough with a bench scraper so that the floured side faces down. The dough should be rolled into a rectangle. To create a packet, quickly fold the top and bottom thirds of the dough. Turn the dough 90 degrees. Roll it into a log shape. Do not press or flatten the dough. You can gently pull the dough together with your hands and pinch the ends. To make the dough less tacky, sprinkle some flour on the top. Gently turn the dough into a banneton and pinch off the bottom seam. Set the timer for 30 minutes and place the banneton in the proofing bag.

9. Let the banneton cool in the refrigerator overnight. 

Place the bag in the fridge and keep it there until the next morning.

Day 3: Baking the Dough

10. Heat the Dutch oven to 515degF. 

For 30 minutes: For at least 30 minutes, heat the Dutch oven to 515°F. The recipe will still work if your oven reaches 500 degrees F, but the bread won’t rise.

11. Spread the parchment on a baking sheet and score. 

Bake for 17 minutes in a Dutch oven:

  • After heating, cut a piece of parchment paper to the same width as your banneton. To release the banneton from its refrigerator, remove it and gently pull the edges of the dough back. To release the banneton from the refrigerator, gently invert it onto parchment paper. Do not flatten the dough.
  • Cut a small slit across the top of your dough using a lame or sharp knife. For decoration, you can make small shallow cuts.
  • Remove the Dutch oven’s lid as quickly as possible and place the parchment paper containing the dough in the Dutch oven. Cover the Dutch oven and let it cool for 17 minutes.

12 Bake the bread for 23 minutes at 400 deg F. After 17 minutes, lower the oven temperature to 400 deg F. Take the Dutch oven out and carefully remove the bread. Bake the bread for another 23 minutes. Take the bread out of the oven and let it cool on a rack for 45 minutes. The bread can be cooled down and is now ready to be eaten. The bread can be stored wrapped in cloth, in a baggie on the counter, for two days. You can also freeze the bread in foil for several months.