Easy Sourdough Bread for Beginners

Learn to create this classic, crusty loaf of sourdough bread with minimal effort! Only 4 ingredients are needed for this easy sourdough recipe and most of the work is done for you overnight.

This recipe will always hold a dear place in my heart because it’s where my love for fresh sourdough bread first began. My sister-in-law graciously shared with me some of her starter, which I highly encourage everyone to do! Who knows how many future bakers you might inspire with your starter?

From FaceTiming her for each stretch and fold to sending her final snapshots, she took me step by step on how to create my first loaf.

Since then, this sourdough bread recipe has become a staple in our household. What I love most is how flexible and forgiving this recipe is. Can I get a hallelujah from the beginner baker out there!?

Once baked, it creates that classic crunchy crust, yet soft and airy crumb, with a mild signature sourdough tang. It simply is so delicious and once you start, let me forewarn you, there’s no going back.

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What is sourdough bread?

In simple terms, sourdough bread is a naturally leavened, fermented bread. This means that it uses natural yeasts and a long rise time in order to get that soft and chewy bite. Most bread that you find in grocery stores is prepared with commercial yeast. Although these loaves are faster to prepare, they lack the robust flavor and crispy crust that homemade sourdough bread can naturally offer.

Is sourdough bread healthier?

Why, yes it is! Due to the long fermentation of the dough, sourdough is easier for our bodies to digest. Natural components found in grains are broken down during fermentation to allow for easier nutrient absorption. So why not cut yourself another slice?

What is a sourdough starter?

First things first, before one can lather up this delicious loaf with your favorite toppings, you will need a sourdough starter. A starter is made using two ingredients: flour and water. In a 7-14 day process of feeding and watering, (yes, like it’s a pet!) bacteria and wild yeast from its surroundings will grow and feed in the flour/water mixture. Once bubbly and active, you have made a homemade sourdough starter and are ready to embark on your sourdough baking journey!

How much should I feed my starter before baking?

I feed my starter using a 1:1:1 ratio. For example, if I have 30 grams of starter, then I will feed it 30 grams of filtered water at room temperature and 30 grams of bread flour. This will create enough starter for this recipe, plus extra to use for future bakes. If I have too much unfed starter, then I will remove some and put it into a separate jar, known as discard. But don’t throw it away! You can use discard for plenty of delicious recipes.

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When should I feed my starter?

It is best to feed your starter 4-12 hours before you plan to form your dough. Now, why such a long time window? Like people, not all starters will act the same. It depends on a few factors – the strength of the starter and the temperature of your kitchen, to name a few. 

Typically, I will feed my starter before I go to bed and wake up to the bubbly goodness ready to go. If I am hoping to have my sourdough do the fermentation process overnight, then I will typically feed my starter late afternoon.

A few ways to help speed up the process is to use slightly warm water (not boiling! That can kill your starter) when feeding the starter and keeping it in a warm place in your kitchen.

How do I know if my starter is ready?

As I mentioned before, there is no exact timeframe for when a starter is ready to use. Instead, you will gauge if a starter is ready to use by how it looks. This sounds intimidating at first, but trust me, the more you practice and bake, your confidence will grow.

Here are some quick signs to look for:

• The starter has doubled in size (I track this growth by putting a rubber band on the outside of my jar)
• You can see plenty of bubbles on top and throughout the starter.
• Your starter has a pleasant yeasty smell to it, not super sour or pungent.

If all of these are present, your starter should be all set to bake!

But if you are still unsure, one test that I have used in the past is the float test. To do so, fill a drinking glass with lukewarm water and drop a spoonful of your sourdough starter in the cup. If your starter floats, it is ready to use! If not, then allow for more time.

What is the difference between All-Purpose and Bread Flour?

The difference between All-Purpose and Bread flour is the type of grain that is being milled. All-purpose flour is made from winter wheat, while Bread flour is from milled hard spring wheat.

I suggest using Bread flour instead of All-Purpose because of the higher protein content. Protein is what you need to create strong gluten which will allow for the dough to hold its shape and rise high during the baking. This will give you the best results for a showstopper sourdough loaf.

Why do you need to use filtered water?

It is important to use filtered water because your starter needs minerals, like magnesium, calcium, and sodium, to successfully continue to develop the natural yeasts and bacteria within itself. When water is lacking in these essential nutrients, it can kill all the natural bacteria you worked so hard to create!

Waters to avoid: Distilled Water, Hard Water, Chlorinated Water

How do you perform stretch and folds?

Stretch and folds are exactly as they sound! First, you will take a small section of your dough, stretch it above itself, and then fold it on top. Turn your bowl a quarter turn and do another stretch and fold. Repeat until you have come full circle.

Why do you perform stretch and folds?

Performing stretch and folds creates gluten. Gluten is extremely important when it comes to achieving that chewy crumb we desire so much. It’s what gives our loaf its shape and what holds in all of those lovely gas bubbles created during fermentation.

Supplies Needed:

• Large bowl
• Kitchen Scale
• Bowl scraper (optional)
• Banneton (proofing bowl) or small mixing bowl and tea towel
• Danish dough whisk (optional – I just use my hand)
• Dutch Oven
• Parchment Paper
• Lame / Razor blade / Sharp knife
• Tea towel, plastic wrap, or what I like to use, a reusable shower cap

Ingredients Needed:

• Bread flour
• Filter water
• Sourdough starter
• Salt
• Rice flour (optional)

Baker’s Schedule #1

Day 1

Feed starter before bed 1:4:4 ratio (ex. 25g starter /100g flour /100g water)

Day 2

9 am – Mix Ingredients

9:30 – 11:30 am – Stretch and fold every 30 minutes

5 pm – Preshape

5:30 pm – Shape and place in the fridge

Day 3

Score and bake in the morning

** This schedule is made for a 68-70 degree environment. Higher temperatures will quicken the process. Lower will lengthen the process.

Baker’s Schedule # 2

Day 1

Feed starter so that it’s active, bubbly, and at its peak (4-12hrs before mixing dough)

8 pm – Mix Ingredients

8:30 – 10:00 pm – Stretch and fold every 30 minutes

Day 2

5 am – Preshape

5:30 am – Shape and place in the fridge

Score and bake in the evening

** This schedule is made for a 68-70 degree environment. Higher temperatures will quicken the process. Lower will lengthen the process.

Simple Sourdough Schedule – How to Make Sourdough Bread:

4:30 pm – Feed your sourdough starter:

See notes above on how much to feed your starter and how to know when it’s ready to use. (Remember, if your house runs cooler, (like mine!) you may want to feed your starter earlier in the day) Getting an active starter can take around 4-12 hours, so adjust to what works best for your situation.

8:00 pm – Make the dough:

Turn on a digital scale and place a large bowl on top. Set the scale to zero. First, mix the active sourdough starter and filtered water with a Danish Dough Whisk or your hand until it looks like a milky liquid.

Then add flour and salt. Again, mix with a whisk or by hand. Be sure to mix until all of the flour is incorporated. The dough will look shaggy, not like a uniform dough ball.

Let the dough rest for at least a half hour before you move on to the next step.

8:30 pm – Stretch and Folds:

With wet hands, scrape the dough away from the bowl.

Now grab a section and stretch the bread dough above your bowl. Then fold over on top of the dough. Rotate your bowl clockwise a quarter of the way and repeat identical stretch and fold. Repeat the process until you come full circle. You will notice the dough will start to look much smoother than before.

Let rest for another 30 minutes. (Now this is super flexible – you don’t have to stretch and fold every 30 minutes on the dot, but every 30 – 60 minutes will do just fine. As I said, it’s flexible).

9:00 pm – 2nd Stretch and Fold.

Repeat the same step from above. Let rest for another 30 minutes.

9:30 pm – 3rd Stretch and Fold.

Let rest for another 30 minutes.

10:00 pm – 4th Stretch and Fold

Overnight – Bulk Fermentation:

Now this is the most finicky part of sourdough. There isn’t a set time for your bulk ferment. It is greatly dependent on the temperature of your environment. The warmer it is, the faster your dough will ferment. The opposite is true for cooler temperatures.

In an environment of 68-70 degrees, doughs will typically bulk ferment for 6-9 hours, but again, you will have to look for the signs that your dough is done fermenting, rather than the clock. Warm temperatures will be faster, while cooler will be slower.

Here’s what to look for:

• The dough should have increased in size by 50%
• The dough looks light, and jiggles when shaken.
• The dough should easily pull away from the bowl.
• There should be visible bubbles in the dough.
• The dough doesn’t tear when you do a windowpane test

5:00 am – Pre-Shape:

With slightly wet fingers, gently release the dough from the sides of the bowl. Be careful not to pop all of those lovely bubbles!

Tilt the bowl and leave gravity to do the work to move the dough on the counter.

Shape the dough by doing another round of stretch and folds until you have gone full circle.

With a bench scraper or your hands, turn the dough upside down, so the seam is now on the counter. Lightly dust the top with some flour. Let it rest for 30 minutes.

While you are waiting for the dough to rest, prepare your proofing basket. This can either be a banneton or a small mixing bowl lined with a tea towel. The purpose of this proofing basket is to keep the tight shape that you just created, so make sure you are using a standard bowl that is small enough to help keep the shape.

Dust the banneton or the tea towel with flour (most will say to use rice flour, but I have used just regular all-purpose flour) to prevent sticking.

5:30 am – Final Shape:

After 30 minutes of rest, flip the dough, with the floured side down.

Gently pull the bottom of the dough towards you, then fold it towards the center of the dough. Pull the right side of the dough out and fold towards the center. Repeat with the left side. Finally, stretch the top of the dough away from you and fold towards the center of the dough.

Flip the dough over again, seam side down.

Gently cup your hands around the dough ball. Turn the ball in a clockwise motion about a quarter turn and then softly pull the dough towards you. Do this repeatedly until you see the dough form a tighter and more round shape. Stop if the dough starts to tear.

With a bench scraper or just your hands, carefully scope up the dough and lay it upside down (smooth side down) into your floured proofing basket and cover it with a plastic bag or a shower cap.

Cold Proof –

Place your proofing basket in the fridge for cold proof for 8-72 hours!

Placing your dough in the fridge slows down the fermentation process, which deepens the flavors of your loaf.

It also gives you flexibility in when you want to bake your bread.

But don’t wait too long! If left in the fridge for too long, your dough will over-ferment, causing the dough to not be able to rise.

Score

30 minutes before baking, place your dough in the freezer. This helps with the scoring design.

Place parchment paper on your workspace and gently flip the banneton upside down over the parchment paper. Since you dusted the banneton, your dough should slowly release and fall onto the parchment paper, landing in the middle with the floured side facing up.

With a lame / razor blade or sharp knife, score a crescent moon shape. This is necessary for your bread to be able to expand while baking.

Grab the corners of the parchment paper and place it into your COLD Dutch Oven.

Bake:

With its lid on, place your Dutch Oven on a cookie sheet – this helps prevent the bottom of your loaf from burning and getting too hard. Slide the cookie sheet and Dutch Oven into the COLD oven and preheat it to 450 degrees. Bake for 50 minutes, this includes the preheat time.

After 50 minutes, remove the lid and bake for an additional 5-15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Immediately remove the Dutch Oven from your oven. Using the corners of the parchment paper, lift the sourdough bread and place it onto a cooling rack to cool.

Allow your homemade bread to cool for at least 1 hour before cutting into it. (I know!! How can you possibly wait when it looks and smells so good?! But trust me, if you cut in too soon, your masterpiece will turn mushy and gummy.) In the meantime, listen to your loaf “sing” its little tune to you with every crinkle and crack.

Once the hour is up, slice into your work of art, slather on some butter, and VOILA! You have baked your very own sourdough bread! Congratulations, now ENJOY!

Happy baking!

Other Sourdough Recipes to Try:

• Homemade Sourdough Bagels
• Cast Iron Quiche with a Sourdough Crust
• Sourdough Bagel Chips
• Cheddar and Chive Savory Sourdough Irish Soda Bread