Beginner Artisan Sourdough Bread Recipe
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Homemade sourdough bread is one of the most rewarding baking projects you can take on. This beginner artisan sourdough bread recipe uses a Tartine-style method to create a crusty loaf with an open crumb, deep flavor, and beautiful oven spring—without kneading.
If you are new to sourdough, this artisan sourdough bread recipe walks you step by step through the long cold fermentation process that helps build structure, flavor, and rise. It is a true no-knead sourdough bread method designed to help beginners make bakery-style sourdough bread at home.
Over the years, this recipe has brought in hundreds of questions from bakers working through the same common sourdough issues: shaping sticky dough, scoring confidently, getting better oven spring, understanding crumb, and fixing dense loaves. To make this recipe easier to succeed with, I’ve linked my step-by-step sourdough guides throughout this post so you can get help exactly where you need it.
In this guide, you’ll learn:
- how to build dough strength through stretch and folds
- how long cold fermentation improves flavor and structure
- how to bake for a crisp crust and open crumb
- how to avoid common beginner sourdough mistakes
Let’s walk through the process.
Start Here If You’re New to Sourdough
If you want help with specific parts of the process, these sourdough guides will walk you through each step in more detail:
- Want better dough tension and loaf shape? Read How to Shape Sourdough Bread
- Need help scoring your loaf? Read How to Score Sourdough Bread
- Want better oven spring and crust? Read How Steam Baking Sourdough Affects Oven Spring and Crust
- Not sure what your crumb is telling you? Read How to Read Sourdough Crumb Structure
- Struggling with heavy loaves? Read Why Is My Sourdough Bread Dense?
- Wondering whether you need a dramatic ear? Read Do You Need an Ear on Sourdough Bread?
This recipe is the foundation. These guides will help you understand the process and improve your results from one bake to the next.
This beginner artisan sourdough bread recipe includes a complete step-by-step video walkthrough of the Tartine-style method. If you prefer learning visually, watch the entire process from mixing to baking.
If the embedded video does not load due to ad blockers, you can watch the full artisan sourdough bread tutorial directly on our YouTube channel here.
Watch the Video Demonstration:This video compresses the 24 hours it takes to complete this recipe into about 6 minutes. You can accomplish this basic sourdough recipe. And your family will love you for it.
What is sourdough Bread? Sourdough bread is a type of bread that is made through a fermentation process that uses a natural starter culture, rather than commercial yeast. The natural starter culture, also known as a sourdough starter, is made from a mixture of flour and water that has been fermented by wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria. This mixture is then used to ferment the dough for the bread, which gives it its characteristic sour flavor.
Is sourdough a Healthy Bread? Sourdough bread is made through a fermentation process that uses a natural starter culture, rather than commercial yeast. This process can result in a bread that is easier to digest for some people and that has a lower glycemic index than other types of bread. Additionally, sourdough bread is a good source of fiber, protein, B vitamins, and minerals like iron and zinc.
Read My Post on Why Sourdough Bread Is good For you. It goes deep into why sourdough bread benefits your health and should be a regular part of your diet for good health.
This is a basic sourdough bread recipe that uses the long cold rise method. Allowing the dough to ferment in the fridge for 12 to 36 hours will develop the flavor and texture of the bread and allow the fermentation to give you the best health benefits of sourdough bread.
I have had a LARGE number of readers tag us on our various social networks and email me pics of their wonderful results. The best part of my day is seeing your successes.
Learn the techniques used in this naturally fermented bread recipe. Take every step in order and make this beautiful sourdough bread. Let us know in the comments if it helps you out.
This is a lean bread. Very crusty with a tender, creamy well developed crumb. And only THREE ingredients. Flour water and salt.
Learn this beginner sourdough artisan bread recipe. It will pay you back every time you DON’T buy an artisan loaf from the bakery.
Artisan bread making is a HUGE subject. I will go into as much detail as I can for you here and include resources for you. Feel free to ask your questions. But FIRST PLEASE READ the entire tutorial.
Sourdough artisan recipes with the stretch and fold method and long cold rise are a unique class of bread. Learn the methods to make these breads and you will be a bread baking star in your foodie circle.
Do you need a dutch oven for sourdough bread?
Baking sourdough loaves in your dutch oven provides a way to steam the dough as it bakes. This helps form a crusty loaf with a tender moist center. The dutch oven sourdough bread method keeps the outside crust from becoming too tough during the main baking process. The lid comes off the dutch oven the last 10 or 15 minutes of baking which allows for a crispy crust with a tender bread center.
To ensure proper bread baking you will need to create an environment that captures both steam and maintain heat. There are a few other methods you can try if you do not have a dutch oven.
Use a baking stone to help maintain the high heat needed for proper artisan bread baking. Use a casserole dish or deep roasting dish that can hold in the steam. A deep cast Iron pan with a lid on it can also be used for sourdough bread baking, just make sure that it is tall enough to allow the bread to properly rise. And if all else fails try a cookie sheet with a roasting pan lid over it.
Steam Baking:
The point is you need to create steam around the dough as it bakes. Most ovens do not have a great seal. So spritzing the bread in the oven as it bakes is less than ideal. For the best crust and texture you need constant steam around the loaf while it bakes at least the first 15 to 20 minutes. Read our Guide on Steam Baking Sourdough to go deeper into this.
That shattered crust and open tender crumb is the Homemade Food Junkie Artisan sourdough goal. Learn this method. There is no going back. And you can do SO many bread varieties with this recipe.
Supplies:
If you make sourdough loaves like this for a while you will get MUCH better results from a few purchases. The crusty flavorful breads are so good. All you need is flour and salt and a few supplies to bake some pretty amazing breads.
- Measure your ingredients by WEIGHT. Measuring by weight is one of the simplest ways to improve your sourdough results. Learn why it matters in Measure Sourdough Ingredients by Weight. Flours especially need weight rather than volume measures for the most consistent results. Here’s a decent 22 lb. food scale.
- Salt measured by volume is unreliable because crystal size and density vary—weight is consistent. I use sea salt or pink salt for this recipe. Salt plays an important role in fermentation and dough strength. Learn more in Salt in Sourdough Bread: Why It Matters.
- You will need a dutch oven or other HIGH HEAT (to 500 degrees) oven safe skillet with a lid. Use either a cast iron skillet combo or a dutch oven. Here’s my 6.5 quart Le Creuset oval Dutch oven (gifted to me by my Lovely In laws).
- I am SO happy I bought this dough scraper set . They are VERY helpful working with high hydration doughs. The bowl scraper is genius. This is a sticky dough and the bowl scraper (when wet) slides that dough around like a dream.
- 8.5 inch Bannetons are for the final long rise often done in the fridge. They come with handy cloth liners that fit to help keep the dough well formed. The finished bread has lovely ridges in if you remove the cloth liners and just flour the baskets.
- A lame knife for scoring your loaves. Also really helpful in releasing the dough to rise properly.
- A VERY good starter. You can make and strengthen your own with our tips in this post. OR buy it from our friend Sasha on etsy!
Interested in baking 100 percent whole wheat sourdough bread? Hop over to our post on Beginners Whole Wheat Artisan Sourdough Bread .
I put helps, tips and information into the sourdough whole wheat bread post specific to working with whole wheat flour.
How to Bake Sourdough No Knead, Tartine Style Bread:
This is a basic artisan bread. The 4 stretch and folds 30 minutes apart replace the traditional kneading yeast bakers are used to. This bread does all the work for you. It just takes time.
Sourdough dutch oven bread recipe from a wild yeast starter. It uses the long cold rise and the stretch and fold technique we have discussed.
Once you learn how to make Sourdough bread a whole new baking world will open for you.
Use a very active wild yeast starter. Learn How to make Wild Yeast Starter in this post.
- Wild yeast starters provide a much Better, Fuller, more Complex….AMAZING flavor and texture than commercial yeasts can. You can easily build your own wild yeast starter. But plan ahead.
- Give yourself about a week to get it ripe and bubbly.
Sourdough recipes with starter require a VERY active Starter. You can use any starter recipe you prefer IF it can pass the float test. MOST important for a good rise in your loaf.
Where can I buy a Sourdough Starter?
You can purchase a sourdough starter on the online if you do not have one on hand. The other option is to make your own. However, established sourdough starters are a great option to make delicious bread quicker. We have purchased this sourdough starter on Etsy and have used it with great results.
This starter is very tangy. It is local to the San Francisco area and definitely is more of a San Francisco sourdough bread flavor. Click here to purchase the BEAST sourdough starter on Etsy.
How much Sourdough Starter is needed for a loaf of bread?
You will need 100 grams of active sourdough starter to bake one loaf of bread. This recipe calls for 200 grams of sourdough starter and yields 2 loaves of artisan bread. That’s because we feed the starter before baking. Every time.
Balancing Your Starter:
Feed your starter 1:1:1 and bring it back to the float test. I feed my starter the night before I want to bake.
- 100 grams starter-unfed or recently fed-room temperature
- 100 grams flour
- 100 grams warm water
Now let it ferment several hours to overnight to return the starter to the float test. This process is a simple way to ensure your active sourdough starter is properly balanced for bread baking.
The float test:
The float test is NOT 100% accurate. But it most often works well as a tell for starter readiness. If Your starter is weak from going hungry too long, don’t use the float test. Rather feed the starter 1:2:2 and if it doubles in 4 to 8 hours it’s probably strong enough.
Most time the float test is a good indicator of starter readiness. If you take a teaspoon or so of starter and drop it in a cup of room temperature water it will float when it’s ready to make bread.
If your starter does NOT float. Feed and balance it as I describe above and try again after several hours to overnight.
But, even more important, make sure your starter is active enough to double in 4 to 8 hours or overnight. If it doesn’t, I recommend you feed it again before baking.
After the starter is active like this one, (and floats firmly in a cup of water) it’s time to bake bread.
Use high protein bread flour:
When I started making sourdough I used my all regular all purpose flour. The bread was delicious BUT it did not give me the form or the rise I prefer.
I was schooled on this by our contributor Sasha Hunter our bread baker extraordinaire friend.
Sasha recommends King Arthur bread flour or high protein All purpose Montana White flour. What a difference in my loaf rise! Look for flour the is over 12% protein or 5 grams protein on the label. Flour choice has a big impact on dough strength and rise. For a deeper look at how different flours behave, see Sourdough Flour Types Guide.
More Helpful Tips:
- Expect the dough to be sticky:
- WET HANDS really help when handling this dough. The stretch and fold process transforms the dough from a sticky shaggy mess to a workable dough. But it will always be slightly sticky with 100 percent white flour and High hydration.
- MEASURE YOUR INGREDIENTS BY WEIGHT FOR BEST RESULTS:
- Your climate, flour type, season of the year…all sorts of stuff changes the way a bread baking recipe works. This is especially true of this type of bread.
- High hydration loaves can be tricky. Help yourself out and weigh the ingredients. WEIGHING is best for consistent results. Read more about measuring by weight.
- Begin with a healthy leaven (your wild starter) that bubbles and floats in a cup of water. (More on that below.)
What Is Autolyse vs Fermentolyse?
In traditional bread baking, an autolyse is a resting stage where only flour and water are mixed and allowed to hydrate before adding starter and salt. This helps develop gluten and improves dough structure.
In this recipe, the starter is added at the beginning, which makes this step a fermentolyse rather than a true autolyse. That means fermentation begins during the resting period, not just hydration.
Both methods help improve dough strength and handling, but fermentolyse combines hydration and early fermentation into one step, simplifying the process for home bakers.
This is done immediately after you mix your starter, flour and water. The purpose of this passive process is to fully hydrate your dough.
Fermentolyse 60 minutes. it’s Important for complete dough hydration and good fermentation- you can rest the dough up to four hours. Do NOT skip this step.
Hydration and flour type both affect how your dough develops during this stage. Learn more in Understanding Sourdough Hydration.
REMEMBER Temperature affects ferment rate.
- Keep the dough at around 70 to 75 degrees F. for the bulk rise.
- Some flours are easy to over ferment and other flours need a warmer temp (Not too warm though) to get properly fermented.
- Learn your dough as you handle it. Watch it go through the stages. If it gets slack and won’t rise the dough might be over fermented. (pizza!)
f you’re unsure whether your dough is ready to move to the next step, see How to Proof Sourdough Bread for clear visual cues.
The stretch and folds replace kneading in this recipe. Making sourdough bread no knead makes it simpler and less likely you will overwork the dough. In my opinion, the bread texture is significantly improved with the no knead method of sourdough bread making.
Your Dough should pass the windowpane test. Which means when you stretch the dough it’s pliable and stretches thin enough you can see light through it.
This is a test of gluten strength. Read more about dough structure.
The Final Rise.
Cold fermentation and proofing time both affect structure and flavor. This recipe uses both the cold bulk (referred to in this recipe as the Long Cold Rise) and the cold proof (dough in banneton, in fridge for final rise.) Learn more in Cold Proof vs Cold Bulk Sourdough. It explains both processes and why we use them as we do.
- Cold temperature (below 55 degrees F- I use my fridge temperatures) and long rise (12 to 24 hours) give the dough a chance to develop better texture and flavor in the final rise.
- I have made this bread with a four hour final rise and also a 36 hour long cold rise. It all impacts the results. I do notice an improvement in the dough structure with the overnight rise.
NOTE: I sometimes cheat on this recipe by fudging the rise times or reducing the other steps. Life happens 🙂
However, The results DO vary. For best results FOLLOW the directions and keep to the timetable for every step. As you gain experience with this recipe your hands will learn the dough. Then you can play around with it and still get good results.
Shaping your dough:
Learning how to shape sourdough properly is key to oven spring and crumb structure. For a full step-by-step breakdown, see How to Shape Sourdough Bread.
Learning how to properly form your dough into loaves is one KEY to building the rise in your loaves.
- To have a open crumb you have to be very gentle when handling your dough in these final stages. The dough is full of air.
- You want to retain those bubbles in your dough as you work.
- It’s all about keeping the dough arated while you work it and building tension in the surface of the dough.
TIP: Please watch the video and look at how I pull the loaves around to keep the surface tension of the loaf while shaping the boules. This is key to building a good rise.
Making Sourdough Bread in bread pans
You might prefer an even crumb baked in a loaf pan for sandwich bread. Here are the steps.
Shaping dough for bread pans:
- I use two 9 x 4 oiled bread pans.
- After the final rise roll the dough into a rectangle so all the gasses are deflated.
- Fold the wide sides of your rectangle to the middle.
- On ONE end fold the corner to the middle seam making a point.
- Roll your loaf up from the point to the other end.
- Pinch the seams and ends.
- Place in oiled bread pans.
- Rise at room temperature until the dough is at the top of the pans.
IF your dutch oven is large enough put the loaf pan right in the dutch oven and cover it. Bake as directed. Works great!
Baking sourdough hearth breads in bread pans:
- If you have a large dutch oven bake one loaf at a time in it. Follow the directions in the recipe card.
- If you cannot fit the bread pans into your dutch oven place them on a cookie sheet.
- You will also need a lower heat. Preheat to 400 degrees F. for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 and bake another 30 to 40 minutes.
- On the shelf below the pans fill a pan with water (like a roasting pan) for steam.
- Spray your unbaked loaves liberally with water before setting them in your hot oven.
- follow the recipe instructions. Do the thump test to make sure they are done.
Sourdough Bread Recipe with Starter is very different from other yeast bread recipes.
Cooling Your Loaves:
You MUST resist cutting your divine smelling sourdough bread until it’s room temperature all the way through. Why?
- Your loaves are still baking and developing the crumb and crust even as they cool.
- Do you hear the ‘bread music’? Bread music is the crackling sound your crust makes as it cools. This creates a shattery artisan crusty loaf. Let it happen!
- Inside your bread the crumb is also going through its finishing touches. The crumb is setting.
- If you cut your bread when it’s still piping hot you will squish that gorgeous loaf. The crumb will be crushed and your experience with your sourdough artisan bread will disappoint.
- Cut your cooled loaves with a GOOD sharp serrated knife. The crust will be crusty. A good knife will penetrate the crust and NOT squish the tender crumb.
If you print the recipe the pictures will not print. This is to save you paper and ink.
Beginners Artisan Sourdough Bread Recipe
Make your own delicious bakery quality artisan sourdough breads at home. This recipe is a good start for new sourdough bakers. It's a long process but an easy one. These breads are so worth it!
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 525 grams water-80 degree F. -NO chlorine, 2.22 Cups
- 20 grams salt OR 1 Tablespoon MAX. (different salts might weigh out differently. They will also have different volumes so don't go overboard.)
- 200 grams Very active starter - make sure it floats , 1 + Cup
- 700 grams All purpose Flour (or bread flour), 5 1/2 Cups
Instructions
MAKE THE STARTER:
- Make the STARTER AHEAD
(This can take up to a week or more) AND DO NOT USE UNTIL IT IS ACTIVE ENOUGH TO FLOAT A TEASPOON ON A CUP OF WATER. 
Prep the Starter For Baking:
- This process balances your starter for best rise. Feed 100 grams starter with 100 grams flour and 100 grams warm water.
- Let sit overnight.
- It should pass the float test in 8 to 12 hours.
- If it does not repeat feeding.
MIX THE DOUGH:
- Pour the water into a large bowl.
- Add the ripe balanced starter to the water and mix thoroughly with a whisk or by hand until the floating cloud of starter is mixed completely into the water.
- Add the flour to the leavened water and mix with the dough bowl scraper or other spatula. At the end use wet hands to form a shaggy dough ball.
fermentolyse
- Let it rest (fermentolyse stage) about an hour. This stage can be extended without worry up to four hours.
- After fermentolyse, add the salt to the bread dough. Use your hands to pinch and stretch the dough gently until the salt is mixed into the dough.
Stretch and Fold:
This process builds the structure of your dough without kneading.
- Using your wet hands pull the dough from under the dough ball up and stretch it gently as you pull it over the dough ball top. Release. Repeat this process as you give the bowl quarter turns until the dough is stretched and pulled from each quarter of the bowl.
- Over the next 2 1/2 hours repeat the stretch and fold every 30 minutes for a total of FOUR times. The dough will change from a slimy ropy mass to a billowy dough with many air pockets and definite body as you stretch and fold it. DO NOT PUNCH DOWN THE DOUGH AT ANY TIME. Those air bubbles create the excellent crumb and flavor.
- The dough should become an elastic resilient dough that passes the window pane test. IF your dough is still breaking before it goes transparent when pulled. Do ANOTHER stretch and fold.
BULK RISE:
- Allow the dough to bulk rise IN THE BOWL at room temperature an hour or SO until it rises by 30 percent or so. If you're unsure how much rise to look for, see How to Proof Sourdough Bread.
- Cover the bowl of dough with a plastic bag and set it in the fridge for 12 to 15 hours (Or overnight). It should continue to rise slowly so give it room in the bowl.
- Remove the dough from the fridge and let it sit on the counter in the bowl for two hours or until the dough reaches room temperature (or pretty close). The dough will soften and gently rise (a tiny bit) as it warms.
DIVIDE AND BENCH REST THE DOUGH:
- On a clean unfloured counter pour out the dough into a large mass. Flour the top of the dough lightly but evenly.
- BEING CAREFUL NOT TO OVERWORK THE DOUGH-Form each half into a dough ball. The most efficient way to do this is to use the counter as your pivot point. Scrape in a circle around the dough (leave it unturned, flour side up). The unfloured counter will hold the dough center and create tension as you circle the dough with the scraper forming a ball. Repeat to form two dough balls. The DOUGH edge should be round and the dough ball should have some form and resilience to it.
- Let the dough balls rest for 20 to 30 minutes. They will spread out but should not fall off at the edge of the pancake. If they do, reform the loaves and bench rest them again to build the structure of the dough better.
FINAL SHAPE AND RISE:
Gentle handling at this stage helps preserve gas for a lighter crumb. Learn more in How to Shape Sourdough Bread.
- Gently slide the dough scraper under one of your dough balls and flip it over so it rests on the floured side. Gently form into a flat square like this.
Now gently stretch and pull the dough over from the bottom to 1/3 up the loaf. Stretch and pull the dough from the sides to the dough middle. Bring one end up to middle like this.
- For the final stretch take the dough from the top of the ball and pull it all the way down to the bottom. Clinch the dough into a ball and set into your floured banneton. Form a seam on the dough to create more tension as the dough allows. Pinching the seam as necessary. (view the video for help here)
- Place the dough seam side up in your rice floured, cloth lined banneton or bowl.
- Rise in the fridge 2 to four hours.
Baking Instructions:
- Set a baking stone (if you have one) on your oven bottom rack. Set your dutch oven with it's lid on next rack up (lower third of oven). PREHEAT oven to 500 degrees F. for at least 30 minutes.
- Keep the formed loaf in your banneton in the fridge until you actually need to place it in your preheated dutch oven. Cold dough will aide the oven spring.
- Remove one banneton from the fridge. Place the dough in your preheated dutch oven. I do this by flipping it into the dutch oven as gently as possible seam side down.
- Alternate method: Place high heat safe parchment paper over the banneton. Turn the banneton upside down so the dough falls gently onto the parchment paper.
- Score the loaf (For better oven spring and cleaner expansion, see How to Score Sourdough Bread. ) with your lame knife or a razor blade or sharp scissors. Scoring helps the dough rise better.
- Now pick up the scored loaf with the edges of the parchment paper, if using, and gently and carefully place it into your VERY hot dutch oven.
- Put the lid on the dutch oven and return it covered to your preheated oven.
- Bake 30 minutes at 500 degrees with lid on..
- Now REMOVE the lid (and parchment paper if using). Steam should come out. Hopefully the bread is a light golden color with a nice rise and set crust. Reduce heat to 450 degrees F. Bake an additional 20 minutes UNCOVERED or until the loaf thumps hollowly and the surface gets dark (Caramelized darker than you are used to maybe) and the scored areas look shiny. (To prevent over browning turn the parchment paper (or foil) upside down over the loaf as it finishes in the oven.) Loaf internl temp is around 208 to 211 degrees F. when completely baked through.
- Remove the dutch oven. Place the finished loaf on a cooling rack. Do NOT cut it for at least an hour to set the crumb.
- Return the dutch oven (with lid on) to the oven at 450 degrees F and preheat for 15 minutes. Repeat the process with the remaining loaf.
- TELLS: Look at the crust and LISTEN to it cool. The crust should be 'shattery' which means as it cools it will crack. You can see it and hear it. This is bread music 🙂 also a dull sounding bread is probably not completely baked. When you cut the loaf is should have a creamy but springy crumb with lots of aration.
Not sure if your loaf turned out correctly? Learn how to evaluate it in How to Read Sourdough Crumb Structure.
Notes
TIPS:
- WATCH your dough as it goes through the stages of fermentation. This dough can easily over ferment at high room (Or oven proofing) temperatures. If your dough gets slack, unworkable and won't form or rise it is probably over fermented. At this point I suggest you Make pizza with it instead of loaf bread 🙂
- To avoid over fermentation keep the room temperature (or oven) at 80 degrees or less. Whatever flour you are using will influence this process. Learn to work with the dough you are creating.
Freezing:
- This bread freezes VERY well. After it is completely cooled double wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and set in the freezer. I have done this several times. Defrost at room temperature wrapped or unwrapped. Slice and eat.
Storing the loaves:
- For best results store your sourdough bread loaves in a bread box (I use my dutch oven with the lid slightly cocked). That beautiful crunchy Sourdough crust gets soft in an airtight container or plastic sack. Once cut just set the bread cut side down to protect the crumb. These loaves hold very well for at least three days. Freeze the other finished loaf if you can't eat it right away.
Banneton Tips:
I am using my ceramic round bowls lined with linen dish cloths for my bannetons. The high hydration doughs like these tend TO STICK to those cloths. To help with I scrub rice flour into the cloth. And leave an extra bit of it in the banneton bottom. Once the dough is in the banneton I add a bit more rice around the side of the loaf to keep it from sticking during the rise.
IF your dough sticks a bit to the banneton cloth, use a sharp knife to pull it away and add some rice flour to the sticking spot. Now it should invert without too much trouble. For really tough sticks, cut the dough away and repair it carefully by pressing it to reshape it before baking. Careful of burns if you are doing this in a hot pot.
Baking sourdough hearth breads in bread pans:
- If you have a large dutch oven bake one loaf at a time in it. Follow the directions in the recipe card.
- If you cannot fit the bread pans into your dutch oven place them on a cookie sheet.
- You will also need a lower heat. Preheat to 400 degrees F. for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 and bake another 30 to 40 minutes.
- On the shelf below the pans fill a pan with water (like a roasting pan) for steam.
- Spray your unbaked loaves liberally with water before setting them in your hot oven.
- follow the recipe instructions. Do the thump test to make sure they are done.
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Nutrition Information
Yield
24Serving Size
1 sliceAmount Per Serving Calories 104Total Fat 0gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 0mgSodium 324mgCarbohydrates 22gFiber 1gSugar 0gProtein 3g
Common Beginner Sourdough Problems
This post has over 600 comments and questions asking about all things related to baking sourdough. We answered! To help our bakers, we have created, (and will continue to create) an entire sourdough guidance section on this blog to help bakers bake better. We hope these posts help.
- Bread turns out dense: Why Is My Sourdough Bread Dense?
- Dough spreads after shaping: How to Shape Sourdough Bread
- Score won’t open: How to Score Sourdough Bread
- Crust is soft or pale: How Steam Baking Sourdough Affects Oven Spring and Crust
- Not sure what your crumb means: How to Read Sourdough Crumb Structure
- No ear on your loaf: Do You Need an Ear on Sourdough Bread?
In addition to this list, if you read the post in. its entirety it has even more helpful post links answering questions about measuring, flour and salt. Find our complete Sourdough Guides Hub here and remember, we are always here to answer your questions and help you be a sourdough baking success!
More Sourdough Artisan Bread Recipes:
These breads all turn out perfectly when you follow the instructions. If you need more help with getting sourdough bread you want read our sourdough guides.
After you gain experience, feel free to go your own way with techniques and recipes. Please share with us your successes!
- Milk and Honey Sourdough Sandwich Bread
- Rosemary Garlic Sourdough
- Whole Wheat Sourdough
- Walnut Cranberry Sour-dough Bread
- Oatmeal Sour-dough Bread
- MultiGrain Sour-dough Bread
- Sourdough Banana Bread with Blueberries
These gorgeous dutch oven breads are so flavorful and crusty.
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Resources:
These books all were very helpful to me. They are probably available in your local library but make valuable resources to keep on hand. Make your best sourdough bread recipe by getting information and experience.
Books:
- Tartine By Chad Robertson
- Tartine 3 By Chad Robertson
- The Bread Baker’s Apprentice by Peter Reinhart
Thank you for the detailed info. For the second rise 2-4 hours in the fridge in the bannetons, I understand it is to chill the dough and get oven spring, but should the dough actually rise to some degree as well? I’ve had mine in for 3 hours and don’t see an appreciable rise.
Hi Bridget, Thanks for the question. NO you will not see any rise to speak of in this final rise. but it is important. The dough has continued to develop and now it’s chilled which will give you the best oven spring with a preheated dutch oven. Best of luck! Please let us know how it turns out for you.
@Diane,
Here is my first loaf just out of the Dutch oven!!:
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0Ajwk6HzYFVKFrQvWHFjNIM6Q
It looks Perfect!! Congratulations on a beautiful loaf. I’d love this know how you like it once cut. That oven spring looks great!
How wonderful you sent this pic. That loaf looks perfect!! I’m so happy you sent the pic. Please let us know how you like the crumb and the flavor.
@Diane,
Here is the second loaf just as beautiful:
https://share.icloud.com/photos/08IDodg1K3ibfM4DQkKj4pMtA
Here is the inside of the first loaf – nice light airy open crumb:
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0oPmjUc3qw6RNEixEB6mlRQDg
And the best part is the taste is delicious. My son and I each had a piece. Perfect crust, lovely taste. Thank you! Definitely the best success I’ve ever had with sourdough :). Sorry I could only post iCloud links but I’m not that computer savvy.
I’m getting hungry looking at your fantastic results! I am so pleased for you. Thanks again for sharing the pics and your feed back on this recipe. Happy Baking!
I do not know how to measure with grams. Tried finding a way to convert it but wasn’t able to.
Hi Donna, The printable recipe card does have volume measurements in it for you. I don’t recommend volume measurements since it is not a consistent way to measure sourdough starter and other ingredients. I understand you are used to volume baking and weighing ingredients seems foreign and unnecessary. Trust me. A digital scale is inexpensive, easy to use and gives much better results. I encourage you to try weighing.
Below you will see the recipe in both grams and (bolded for you) the volume measurements:
525 grams water-80 degree F. -NO chlorine, 2.22 Cups
20 grams salt OR 1 Tablespoon MAX. (different salts might weigh out differently. They will also have different volumes so don’t go overboard.)
200 grams Very active starter – make sure it floats , 1 + Cup
700 grams All purpose Flour (or bread flour), 5 1/2 Cups
Have a wonderful day. Please let us know how it turns out for you!
This is so delish and has always come out for me. My loaves are always so pretty I have to take a picture of them. Yes every one! LOL
Hi Kimberly, Thanks so much for your great review. We’d love to see your boules. If you are on instagram tag us with a picture. We like, comment and share out pics of our recipes made by our bakers. Happy baking!
for my latest version of this, i added sunflower, caraway, and sesame seeds. yum.
Hi Stephen, Interesting add in ideas. Thanks for sharing with us!
If you read the instructions from Le Creuset you are not suppose to pre-heat empty LC Dutch ovens because it can damage the enamel lining. I pondered this dilemma then decided to preheat the Dutch oven with water in it, then dumped the hot water out before putting the bread dough in it. I figured the additional water (steam) would not hurt and might help the baking. Sure enough it worked. So now I either use a ceramic bread pot (like the Emil Henry) preheated empty or my LC Dutch oven preheated with water in it them emptied for baking artisan bread.
@Christina, I noticed that, too. So I bought a couple of cheap knockoffs of le cruset at the grocery store ($35). these work great for this (although, I wouldn’t use them as I do the real thing). i don’t care much what happens to them. I’ve probably made 25 or 30 loaves in those.
one note is that if you have water in the pan, the highest temperature it can get to is 212 F. not the 450 F
that Diane wanted. I’m glad it worked anyway.
This recipe is the best I’ve found for looking beautiful, soft, spongy and tasty etc! My whole family devours this bread. I really enjoy the sour taste in sourdough bread and that’s the one thing missing from this bread. Do you have any suggestions on how to make the bread have a more sour taste.
Hi Dana, Yes, you can make your sourdough starter more sour by keeping it warmer (easier once the weather heats up) and feeding it less often. I have noticed a distinct change in my breads flavor as I feed my starter differently. You can also use either rye flour or whole wheat to change up that sourness. They are both great at getting the enzyme action going in your starter. Hope this helps!
1st time trying this sourdough and it came out unbelievable. The only exception is that the bottom was burnt. I used a round Le Creuset, could only use bottom rack in my oven with lid. I was wondering should the temp be dropped from 450degrees at any point?
Hi Barbara, I’m sorry you can’t use your middle rack. That is ideal. Next time drop the temp of your oven to 400 degrees after you uncover the bread and check the loaf temp after 15 minutes. Do NOT bring out the boule until the digital thermometer reads 205 degrees F. or so. If you have a way to further protect the bottom of the bread I’d use it. A baking sheet or pizza stone will help. We also have recipes that do not require the dutch oven. Even this recipe can be made in loaf pans if that helps. Best of luck with this!
@Diane, thanks so much for the suggestions. I’m definitely going to keep trying. Your recipe is a definite keeper.
Oh that great to hear. I look forward to hearing from you again with future successes. Happy Baking!
I love this recipe and have used it many times. But recently I have very large tunnels in the bread after baking. This is a new development. I’ve made sure my Dutch oven is well heated and I still get the giant holes! Ugh! I’m trying cutting back on my sourdough but so far no luck. Any thoughts?
Hi Peggy, I’m sad to hear you had this fail. But I remember at least once this happening to me. For me, I have never had this happen since I started ‘balancing my starter’ before baking with it. This means The night before I begin the recipe I feed my (brought to room temp starter) this way: 100 grams starter to 100 grams warm water to 100 grams of flour. I let it sit about 12 hours and then do the float test. I bake if it floats and feed it again if it does not. I believe this gives reliable and consistent results when you follow the recipe.
It could also be in the proofing.
If you need further ideas I recommend this forum link. They are discussing this problem and it’s full of useful comments.
I hope this helps. I know how disappointing it is to have a bad result from a good recipe. Keep at it. Sourdough is a science project. Fun, creative and challenging. Let me know if you find your answers. It all helps our other bakers. I really appreciate you bringing this up.
Love this recipe, but I do have a question. I have two Dutch ovens so would it be okay to bake both loaves at the same time?
Hi Pat, I’m delighted to hear you love this recipe. And you can bake with two dutch ovens at the same time if they will fit on the same shelf in your oven. They might need a few more minutes to finish so be sure to check the temp with a digital thermometer. Thanks for the great review!
My go to recipe~ Great technique and easy, with perfect results!
Hi Troy, Thanks for the great review! We appreciate your feedback.:)
Just one more thing. If I don’t want to use the starter yet, and its been in the frig a week, does the starter have to be at room temp before I feed it and return it to the frig? Does that make sense??
It does. You can feed it cold but it will be harder to mix. So be sure to use pretty warm water to loosen it up. If you can get it properly mixed your fine. I feed mine with more flour for longer fridge storage. This is fine to do but be SURE to feed it one to one to one ratio when getting it ready for baking. This will rebalance the starter and your breads will rise much better. Happy Baking!
@Diane, You are a world of knowledge…thanks again and YES happy baking.
Hello this is my first time making sourdough bread. I just did the mixing of flour and its in the Autolyse phase. Question is, what do I do with the small left over starter (the other half is in the frig from earlier today). Of course I want to save it for next weeks loaf. Do I mix whats left with what I saved earlier today?? Thanks
Hi Patty, Welcome to Homemade Food Junkie! I would use the discard (extra fed starter) to make sourdough cookies. You can add more starter from your unfed starter in the fridge and make LOTS of delicious recipes. We have many in our Sourdough section for you to try.
Otherwise you can add it back into your fridge starter OR just throw it out. Personally I’d learn some discard recipes. They are delicious ways to enjoy that starter. Happy Baking!
@patty a marvin,
Thanks for the reply. I don’t think I asked my question properly. So I shall start again and make more sense. I have starter now in the frig that is left over. What I want to know is…how do I feed it? I heard once weekly. DO I let it sit at room temp FIRST or just right out of the frig. Also, when I am ready to make bread again, do I feed it after taking out of frig, or just go ahead and use it as long as it passes the float test. BTW, I made my first two loaves last Sunday and I want to thank you for all you do. They came out and tasted just wonderful.Thanks so much…
Hi Patty, Thanks for the clarification. Let start with feeding your starter for baking bread. The night before I bake I take the starter out of the fridge and let it sit to room temperature. Then I get a 4 cup bowl (or larger) And I weigh out 100 grams of starter into the bowl. I add 100 grams of warm water and 100 grams of flour. I whisk it up and cover it overnight. The next morning it is almost always floating in water and ready to bake. If it still sinks I feed it again and wait a few more hours until the starter floats. Then I bake.
The REMAINING starter I cover and set back in the fridge. If you bake once a week your starter will be fresh enough this should work great.
If you are feeding your starter less often you may need that second feeding. Remember if your starter is young you definitely want to keep it fed once a week. To build more strength and energy in your starter feed it twice a week. You can feed it with whole wheat flour or rye flour to bring up the action in the starter. They both have enzymes and properties that help boost a weak starter.
Hope this helps!
@Diane, YES this is the questions I wanted answers too…Thanks a million.
Hello! I just love this recipe! I have made it so many times and I am continually amazed at how the bread comes out for this sourdough newby. So delicious and beautiful! I was wondering if anyone has used this recipe to make bread bowls for soup. If I made 5 small loaves instead of 2, any idea how long I would bake it? Thanks so much!
Hi Erin, That’s so great to hear! I’m sure this recipe would make amazing bread bowls. Try baking 15 minutes covered and 10 minutes open on the dutch oven. Watch the bottoms. It the loaves are over browned make that 10 min covered 10 minutes open to same done temp. We’d love to know how they turn out for you. And thanks for the feedback on this sourdough bread.:)
Hey,
Tried following your recipe including the starter and the dough looks very fluid (it is hard to shape a ball as the dough gets flat)
What could be a reason and what can I do to improve?
Thanks,
/aviad
Hi Aviad, Thanks for reaching out. Here’s a few ideas:
If you are used to yeast bread baking sourdough breads like this are very different. This dough is highly hydrated which makes it sticky and hard to work with. Make sure you watch the video to see how I go through the processes. It will help you get a feel for what you are going for as the dough processes.
Learning to handle the dough takes some experience. You need a tight tension on the dough surface when doing the bench rest and final shaping. Pull the dough toward you using the counter to create tension. (video will help).
If your bread bakes without much rise I’d look at two things.
1: Make sure your starter is strong and balanced. The night before you plan to bake feed the starter this way: Put 100 Grams Flour, 100 grams warm water and 100 grams starter in a bowl. Whisk it together and let it sit until it doubles (5 to 12 hours usually). (i leave it out overnight and that works great).
2: Also check your flour for the protein content. It must be a good strong flour. That means the label on it should say 5 grams of protein or about 12%.
3: Try not to over handle the dough. Also before baking score the loaves at least a 1/2 inch deep to allow a good oven spring.
Also make sure you bake your dough in a hot oven with a preheated dutch oven from a COLD dough. The final rise is meant to chill the dough for this purpose. This will give you the best oven spring.
I hope this helps. Please let us know how it goes for you. Have a wonderful day.
@Diane, I am having the same issue as Aviad. The first rise is good, but then when I do the stretch and folds, it is not forming gluten and getting stiffer, it just stays loose.
I’ve tried the recipe twice and it does it both times. The first time I did the cold rise and baked it anyways – it tasted good but was quite dense and flat (although there were definitely bubble inside). This time, I tried doing extra stretch and folds (3 extra I think?) but it didn’t seem to help much, and was quite loose again by the time I took it out of the fridge the next day. Its resting in the two “balls” on the counter now, but they just relax and flatten out to pancakes.
It has been quite warm out, but I cant see it affecting it this much? Its probably ~25-30 degrees celsius inside during the day. My starter was really strong and floaty. I used all purpose flour at the advice of my friend who makes this recipe weekly with the same flour and has beautiful loaves. It doesn’t give a protein percent, but its 4 grams per 30g or 1/2 cup.
Thoughts?
Sincelerly,
Flat Loaves.
Hi Ariele, I’m sorry you’re having trouble. I have Two ideas.
1: Is your starter young? Even active young starters can overproof easily and fail in warm weather. So try feeding your starter more often for a week. Maybe twice a day? You are looking to get it more robust. It should be doubling every 8 hours of so. Try to get it bubbly and about the consistency of a heavy pancake batter. And feed it this way the night before you bake. 100 grams of your starter to 100 grams of warm water to 100 grams of flour. Let it sit and make sure it passes the float test the next morning. If it does not float feed it again and wait another couple hours.
2: If this is about your flour. A strong high protein flour will help a LOT with getting the dough developed properly. You can use a high protein all purpose flour like Montana brand with 5 grams of protein (most Walmarts and groceries carry it). I have used flour with 4 grams of flour and succeeded with this recipe. HOWEVER, my starter is very strong and well aged. It can bring the rise without a lot of help from the flour. This is why I suspect the starter is not yet that strong.
I hope this helps! This is a very reliable process and you have friends that can help you. I believer you are on the road to success. If you need any more help I’m very happy to support you.
Best of luck!
Hi, 2nd time making this bread and it’s great! (First time making any bread) I planned my time poorly, i put the dough in the fridge early afternoon and I can either take it out early (6 hrs) or take it out in the morning and leave on the counter till evening when I get home?
Hi Gittel, I’m glad the recipe is working well for you.
To answer your question: In a pinch you can do either. This dough is fairly flexible. I would let it sit for the longer time and then just bench rest, form and do the final chill while you preheat the oven and dutch oven. Then bake. Should work out fine. Let me know if you have any further questions. Happy Holidays!
Hi there! Thank you so much for this recipe, I’ve been using it with great success for the past 6 months :). I was curious if you’ve ever made 4 small loaves? How long do you think I should cook them for? Have a Dutch oven!
Hi Emily, I’m so happy to hear this recipe is working well for you. The small loaves should work great. Some people have made this recipe into dinner roll too. For the bake I would bake as directed but reduce the time. Check the loaves covered at 20 minutes. If the temperature is close to 200 degrees F in the middle of the loaves then just remove the lid and bake until the top is caramelized. Probably 10 minutes or so. Watch the first bake closely so you learn how it works out best in your oven. Please let us know how it goes for you. Happy Holidays!
Hi Diane,
I was wondering if you have any tips for shipping a loaf as a gift? My plan so far is to cool overnight before wrapping in a layer or 2 of plastic wrap and seal in a freezer zip bag. I’ll let the recipient know to open right away and use priority mail (2-3 days). Does that all sound good to you? Any words of wisdom?
Thanks so much and happy holidays to you!
Cathy D.
Hi Cathy, That sounds like a good way to ship it to me. However, If you can find a box the correct size (pack it firmly to avoid it banging around) that will prevent it getting squished. What a special personal gift. Happy Holidays! 🙂
Hello! I have been making sourdough using this recipe since the Spring and I will never go back to store bought bread. I live in California and it’s finally getting colder and I am noticing it take my bread SO long to rise (I make bread loaves for sandwiches and let them rise at room temp.) Any tips for winter baking? Thanks so much!
Hi Stephanie,
I’m so happy to hear you’re loving this recipe. Be sure to try our other sourdough breads too. You’re going to have fun with all the ways you can do sourdough baking.
TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION:
It easiest to use your oven. You may have a bread warmer feature on your oven. I do have one but I don’t use it for sourdough. I think it raises the bread too fast. So I warm the oven to lowest temp. THEN turn the oven off and set the dough in there until it raises. Hope this helps!
Happy Baking 🙂
@Stephanie Fischer, I do all the resting and proofing in the microwave, with the door cracked (which turns on the light) and a heavy cloth over the crack in the door. It gets nice and toasty in there. OH, put a pot holder under the bowl so the colder glass plate doesn’t pull the heat out of it. Enjoy!
If vital wheat gluten 1/3 cup was added to flour would this sourdough be easier to work with?
Hi Phyllis, I have never used vital wheat gluten in this recipe. It probably won’t hurt anything and may help if you need more dough structure. I found this recipe that does use vital wheat gluten for sourdough bread .
For OUR recipe here are some tips:
-you can try reducing the water a bit to make the dough more manageable.
-Use wet hands and tools when working with it. This is a sticky dough and does not like rough handling for best results.
-Also make sure your starter is active and floating before you begin.
Hope this helps!
I’m pretty new to making sourdough bread. I’ve been using your recipe since my second round of baking bread. I know it’s called a beginner recipe but I’ve used it for several variations on the plain loaf. I’ve not been disappointed yet. I’ve been able to develop a nice crumb and the loaves bake consistently well. I’ve read a few other recipes and they’re really only slight variations on your recipe. I wanted you to know just how great it is having the step by step video along with the excellent written information and recipe. I’ve recommended it to my friends as a go to.
Hi Dee, Thank you so much for stopping by to let us know this recipe is working well for you. And for the great review! It’s so wonderful to know the recipe post is set up well for you. And THANK YOU for recommending us to your fellow bakers. Happy baking! 🙂