Basic Sourdough Bread Recipe

After 5 months of experimenting with baking sourdough bread, I’ve arrived at a reliable process to create a delicious loaf in the home kitchen! I recommend starting with a high quality unbleached flour for best results. You can experiment with a mix of AP, whole wheat, spelt or other speciality flours to see which textures and flavors you prefer. My favorite blend currently is 70% King Arthur Bread Flour, 20% Bob’s Red Mill Whole Wheat, and 10% spelt or rye. Higher protein and higher fiber flours typically require more water. The recipe below is a baseline that you can play with by adjusting one variable at a time to see what works best for you.

Ingredients	Formula	Baby Loaf	Regular Loaf
Flour	x	300g	500g
Water	67%x	201g	335g
Sea salt	2.5%x	8g	13g
Sourdough starter	15%x	45g	75g

Supplies:

• Scale
• Large clear mixing bowl or straight-sided container
• Spatula for stirring starter
• Rice flour for coating the loaf to prevent sticking
• Banneton
• Dutch oven (optional)
• Parchment paper

Total Prep Time: ~12 hours

Active Prep Time: ~1 hour

TIP: The ratios and proof times for this recipe work best in a kitchen that is around 75°F. If you are in a warmer climate or baking during the summer, you can try reducing the percentage of starter or decreasing the proof time. If you are in a cooler climate or baking during the winter, increase the starter percentage up to 20% or increase the proof time. If your kitchen is below 65°F, you can speed up the proofing process by placing your dough in the oven with the oven light on or a pot of boiled water.

STEP 1 Dissolve sea salt in 20g of hot water and set aside.

STEP 2 Measure out flour in mixing bowl. Pour remaining water weight (at room temp) into flour and mix well. Let dough rest for 30 min.

Step 3 Pour in salt water and mix. Wet your hands to fold in the active starter. Make note of the time on the clock. Rest dough for 30 min.

Step 4 Wet your hands and use the stretch and fold method to knead the dough. Place dough back into mixing bowl with cover on and rest for 30 min.

Step 5 Repeat Step 4 two or three more times until dough is smooth and elastic. Make note of the height of the dough when it is in the container.

Step 6 Let dough proof until dough has risen at least 50% or you see large air bubbles on the surface or a dome-like top. Dough should feel a little jiggly. This usually takes 6-8 hours from the time you fold in the starter in Step 3.

Step 7 Shape the dough. Coat top and sides with flour, flip over and place into banneton. Stitch the dough to create surface tension. Let rest covered for 30-60min for final proof.

Step 8 Stitch the loaf one more time. This will help the dough rise upwards. Place parchment paper over the banneton and flip the dough onto the paper. Score the top of the loaf with a lame or paring knife. Slice deeply at a 45° angle, about half way into the dough for the best oven spring.

Step 9 Lift the parchment paper with the loaf into the dutch oven. Place the dutch oven with the lid on into the oven and set temperature to 450°F. Bake for 30min.

Step 10 Remove the lid from the dutch oven and bake for another 30min.

TIP: Place a tray of water on the bottom rack to create steam for a better oven spring and crust.

Alternative: If you don’t have a dutch oven, place the dough with parchment paper on a baking tray or pizza stone. You can also bake the dough in a loaf pan for a uniform shape with a soft crust. If you use a loaf pan, skip Steps 7-10 and instead line pan with parchment paper, shape dough and place directly into loaf pan, score lengthwise down the center of the loaf and bake at 450°F for 1 hour. This technique also works great if you have over fermented your dough and it has become too difficult to shape.

Step 11 Turn off oven. Leave bread in the oven for another 10 min if you want an extra crunchy crust.

Step 12 Remove bread from oven and let cool for at least 1 hour, preferably 2 hours. WARNING: If you slice too soon the bread may be dense and moist because it is still cooking!

For help fitting baking into your busy schedule, see my sourdough bread routine.