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
Hi, I’m a beginner baker for sourdough. I have a plroblem with the whole in my bread. Sometimes, I end up with couple huge wholes, mostly in the middle of the bread. Do you have any suggestion to get rid of them?
Hi Luka, Holes in the crumb are a characteristic of this artisan style bread. So it may be just a natural occurrence for this recipe. HUGE holes could be a problem with the baking process. If the loaf is baked at too low a temperature or taken out before the crumb is formed that may be why a really large hole happens. You’ll know because the crumb will be wet and mushy.
For a smoothly textured bread with no holes in it, you would have to degass the dough before forming it into your boules or loaves. I suggest you try our soft sourdough sandwich bread recipe and follow the recipe closely. This bread post goes into how to degass your dough and form it so the bread has no holes since it is meant for sandwiches. It is a VERY popular bread recipe. Our bakers love making it so I think you’ll find it successful. Just be sure to read the entire post and follow the recipe closely. If you have more questions we are happy to help. Have a wonderful day!
Instead of the Dutch overn, I baked the bread in loaf pans this time around (with a ‘steamer tray’ in the oven) and it came out deliciously! I topped one loaf with sesame seeds before baking. The resulting loaves were more like sandwich loaves (less airy crumb) but still really yummy! Such a great recipe!
Hi Lynmagic, I love how you did this! It sounds yummy. I’ve made this recipe in loaves before with good results. I’ll try it with a sprinkle of sesame seeds soon. Thanks for the great review and your fantastic tips. Have a wonderful day!
LOVE THIS BREAD! I have used this comprehensive and easy to follow recipe dozens of times. Thank you for the video…very helpful. My bread is consistently excellent. Crusty with lovely flavor!
Hi Jojo, We are so happy you enjoy this bread and that the recipe and video are a help with it. Thanks so much for your invaluable feedback. We appreciate it! Happy baking!
I’ve been using your recipe for about a year. Any tips if you want to rise on the counter top vs the fridge for same day baking? Thanks!
Hi Jennifer, I have made this bread in a day with the counter rise and so have other bakers.I suggest you start early. 🙂 After the stretch and folds allow the dough to rise about 4 hours. Then do the bench rest, form and final rise it in the fridge. Chill the dough at least until the dutch oven has preheated with the oven an hour. The dough will not be quite what you’re used to and the bread may suffer a bit, but it will still be good. since you are used to the recipe you can adjust it to fit your desired outcome. Happy Baking!
I’m making this recipe for the first time and I noticed that it is a little wetter than what I’m used to. I’m definitely a beginner baker for sourdough, so how do I take down the moisture? I live in Seattle, so it is a more humid climate I guess. I am baking the loaves this evening, so I’ll see how they actually turn out. I used the King Arthur bread flour.
Hi Lucy, I live about a hundred miles north of you straight up I-5. So howdy neighbor. Our local humidity and sea level are roughly the same. This recipe is a bit wetter than other loaves. The extra hydration gives you the creamy open crumb with that characteristic crispy crust we all love.
If you want to reduce the hydration on this recipe try adding 50 grams of extra flour into step 1. The bread will still turn out fine.
If your willing to give this dough recipe a try as it Is written I do have a few tips. Wetter stickier doughs like this are much easier to work with wet hands and tools. Also handle the dough as little as possible. This reduces dough compression and also frustration for the baker. 🙂
This is a good beginner recipe and MANY bakers have made this loaf as a first sourdough project with no trouble. A good strong starter will help give you the rise you want. So if you have a young starter be patient. With time and feedings the starter will strengthen and this Recipe will just get better and better. Please let us know how it turns out for you. Happy Baking!
I have been using this recipe/process for 3 or 4 years now. It is absolutely stellar. It was the 1st sd recipe I tried, if there are better ones then they are even amazingier.
I run more quantities to get a larger loaf. I scale @ 1.5x. I’ve gone larger. As good as this is, the more is not better maxim kicks in. Here is a frankenloaf: https://imgur.com/a/UeW2EcE
I struggle with the final folding and stretching process. Tbh, I am not going for the looks. The final product in taste and feel is outstanding. Here is a sort-of-ugly finished product: https://imgur.com/3F6TW2E
So I use the recipe @ 1.5x. I make 2 loaves at a time, using two Kitchenaid stand mixer bowls. I start when the starter has grown at least 2x. I feed in the morning and then harvest in early evening. I’ve been lately letting it sit in the over with light on. I had starter that sat 9 months UNTOUCHED in the fridge, I just brought him (Doug) out and in 2 days it was at 2x and ready to go!
I follow the recipe and process, using the extra ingredients, I sometimes double the stretching to 8x every stretch, but I don’t think that has made any difference.
The big change I do, and I think this is critical, is I bulk ferment at room temperature. I do this on the counter and let it sit for close to 24 hours, I’ve gone into the second day at times.
The flavor profile I get form this is, I’ve been told, the absolutely best compared to other high end sourdoughs. Pat myself on the back but I had nothing to do with it other than bulk fermenting longer and at higher temps. Without this recipe I don’t know if I would have reached the level this gives me.
Put cornmeal on bottom of dutch oven to ameliorate (most) of the crust burning.
I do 20 of these every Christmas and, like BBQ, when you make this you find out you had friends you didn’t know you had!
Hi JG, I’m so happy you made this recipe your very own and change it up to suit yourself. Thank you for sharing your tips and experiences with us. Happy Baking!
I’ve been making this recipe for some time now, but never watched the video until now. I was always a little bit confused about the final stretch and fold/shaping before final fridge rise and now understand it better having seen the video. My question is, my dough is never that moist and flexible so I can’t get it to fold and shape quite like you do in your video, and require a lot more muscle to get it to do what I want. It always turns out great regardless (I even totally botched the process and somehow managed to get a decent batch), but just wondering what I might be doing wrong that I’m not getting that ease and pliability with my dough? Should I add a little extra water? I’ve been using Rogers All Purpose Flour, perhaps that’s my issue. Thank you for the wonderful recipe, it’s been the only bread in my house for eons!
Hi Tanya, Thanks for the great review and the question! We are delighted the recipe is working well and is flexible for you. Your flour and maybe your climate may be drier than mine. If so, it will make a difference in the dryness of your dough.
Go ahead and add another 50 grams of water to your recipe and see if that gets you a more pliable bread dough. I have played around with the hydration of this recipe lately and it makes a good tender loaf. If you are comfortable with handling higher hydration doughs you can increase the water even more. But remember, the more water you add the quicker the dough will develop. So watch out for over proofing. Otherwise it should work great.
Also, I do NOT add more flour after making the first mix. Some people do and will make the dough dryer. I use wet hands and tools to keep the dough easy to handle. Happy Baking!
I made this recipe last week and it turned out perfectly! This time around, the dough was much more wet and difficult to handle. I weighed out all the ingredients although I may have made a mistake somewhere… hoping it still tastes good. It definitely did not hold its shape, perhaps that will make for a better crumb? Or should I have tried adding more flour earlier on?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Jamie, The starter may be weaker this time, or the flour?
Be sure you feed the starter the night before baking with it so the starter is not only strong but also well balanced.
Also, this time of year, temperature plays a bit part in how quickly the dough ferments. If you having a hot spell in your kitchen the dough will act very differently and can easily over proof on the counter.
If you think the dough is too sticky, feel free to add a bit more flour in next time. The dough will be much easier to work with. The loaf may be dense, but still very good.
I hope this helps!
I’ve been using your recipe for well over a year and have had great success. I’ve always made the loaves in a dutch oven. I don’t buy bread anymore because what I make is so much better…thanks to you! I decided I wanted to do a couple loaves in regular bread pans. I was confused by your instructions and was hoping you could clarify them. My loaves are baking right now…so who knows if I interpreted your directions correctly. The temps and bake times are confusing. Please help.
I’m glad to help Denise, I’m Not sure what the confusion is? Baking in bread pans can be done in several ways. If you are setting the pans in your dutch oven, just bake them as you usually would. The instructions are the same as for the boules you are used to.
However, if you need to bake them in pans right on the oven rack your will need to use a water bath.
I set a pan on the shelf under the bread pans for that.
I also set the bread pans on my pizza stone to bake to protect the bottom of the loaf. You can use a baking sheet if you have no pizza stone.
As for the baking times and temperature. I do reduce the heat to 400 degrees F so the loaves don’t over brown. I’m assuming you want a more sliceable crust for these loaves rather than the crusty loaf you get with the high heat? After 15 minutes at 400 degrees F. I turn down the heat to ensure the loaves cook through without over browning. You can also add an egg wash to the loaf tops before baking for a shiny crust if you like. Be sure to check the internal temps to make sure the loaves reach 200 degrees F before you remove them from the oven.
I hope this helps. I’m sorry the directions seem confusing. After you bake them in your own oven a few times you’ll decide how to tweak these baking instructions even more to give you perfect loaves. Thanks for the questions and please let me know if you need more help. I’m glad you enjoy this recipe. happy baking!
I too love this recipe. I have found it very forgiving. my current recipe adds 25% more ingredients as I add lots of other “stuff” so it’s more dense, less fluffy and the extra amount makes fuller loaves. Currently I have been adding 150 G of mixed seeds (King Arthur), 150 G Red Whole wheat (sometimes I do half and half with Rye flour), 100 G of SPelt and 100 G of barley, 75 G of oat flour or oatmeal. and then the final is 625G white. I mix and match as long as the amts are accurate. It is a dryer loaf, but it works great and super delicious. I read a recommendation that at the end of baking, turn off oven, crack oven and let cool in oven for 20 min. and then remove and cool normally on counter… it seems to work? do you know why that would be done? Also, I can never get my loaves to 200 degrees, my loaves seem to top out and are wonderfully done at 196 degrees? any thoughts? thanks again for an amazing recipe. I also have two dutch ovens so cook my loaves together.. again it all seems to work great, though sometimes, I need to turn the loaf over and cook an extra 10 min as the bottom is still not quite done. Love it. I havn’t bought a loaf of bread in 6 months. (or bagels or english muffins. dahvey
Hi Dahvey, I’m so happy to hear you love this basic artisan recipe and have good luck tweaking it. Lol I’m not surprised your having different results when baking with your tweaks. Especially if you make the dough heavier and denser. It will certainly bake differently.
ONE BAKING TIP: Your oven may not be as hot as mine. And mine is convection. What works well for a lot of us is to preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. with the dutch oven in there. Now do the bake at that temperature for 25 minutes. Remove the lid and you can either reduce the temp to 450 degrees F. or continue to bake at 500 degrees to get a really caramelized crackling crust. Hope this helps. Happy Baking!
@Dahvey, Thank you for this seeded/grain variation, I came back on this page to look in the comments specifically for that reason and you just happened to comment this morning! Also I agree with @Diane your oven probably isn’t hot enough. You can buy an oven thermometer for around $6. I’ve found that my oven temp is so off that I have to bake my bread at 525 degrees with a pizza stone on the bottom rack, preheat the Dutch oven inside the whole time, and give plenty of time to preheat, don’t believe the oven when it beeps, it is not hot yet! I use the same cooking time though, 30 min with lid then 10 min without and has been perfect every time, been using this recipe for almost a year
I just purchased a dehydrated gluten free sourdough starter. I will wait to use it for a couple months, but was wondering if I use gluten free flour or the high protein flour you refer to, in making GF bread. Am I understanding correctly that the sourdough starter removes gluten from the high protein regular flour? I am excited to get baking.
Hi Deb, Welcome to the world of sourdough. 🙂 I’m happy you found us.
To answer your question:No. sourdough starter containing wheat cannot eliminate gluten. It just breaks it down.
My recipes are all based on flours containing gluten. This is not going to work well for you if you are a celiac. If you are slightly gluten sensitive our recipes might work. This will depend on how sensitive you are. Let me explain. The long cold rise method we use allows time for the sourdough starter to digest gluten to a great degree. But it will NOT eliminate it. This process just makes wheat bread more digestible to those who are only slightly sensitive to wheat. If that is you I hope you give our recipes a try. My gluten sensitive relatives can eat this bread with no problems.
If you need a gluten free bread:
When you are using a gluten free starter you need to feed it with a gluten free flour like rye, rice or teff, (bob’s red mill has a good gluten free bread flour). When you bake also use a gluten free flour. I’m sending you this article by Healthline.. It has all the deets about gluten free Sourdough. It also includes a recipe at the bottom of the article for a gluten free sourdough loaf recipe.
What the Fork Blog also has a gluten free sourdough recipe here.It may be a good one to start with. Happy Baking!
Sorry, should have clarified that by “the next stage”, I meant after the long rise in the fridge.
Hi, just put the dough together at 8 a.m., but I should have done the math first because if I follow your instructions, I will have to get up around 2:30 a.m. for the next step. (I had decided to autolyse 4 hours.). I will definitely not be getting up at 2:30. I wanted to begin the next stage around 9 a.m. What can I do to not mess this up? This is my very first attempt at sourdough bread. And I realize I probably won’t get an answer asap but I’m crossing my fingers! Thanks.
Hi Marianne, For this recipe if you have a strong starter and a good high protein flour, it is very flexible. I usually autolyse 1 hour. You’ll be surprised how the dough changes in that time. If you want to autolyse longer you don’t need to go all the way to 4 hours. The long cold rise is also very flexible. I have gone as short as four hours and some bakers have left the dough in the fridge up to 36 hours. So please feel free to adjust those time frames.
That said, the baked bread pictured in this post was autolysed for one hour and long cold rise was about 15 hours. If the finished bread is not risen as much as you with it’s likely a young starter. Just keep going. Sourdough baking is worth doing. So happy to help with any questions you have along the way! Happy Baking!
@Diane, I ended up putting the bannetons in the refrigerator overnight and baked them 1 pm next day. I am beyond thrilled how well my very first sourdough loaves turned out! I was not expecting them to be such a success because everyone seems to say your first loaf will probably be disappointing. No doubt your instructions were a big help. 👍 I wish I could attach a photo! I’m so proud lol.
Yay!!! I’m so happy and proud the recipe worked well for you first try. Your starter must be strong enough then. Brava. If you are on Instagram please tag us with a picture! We love to share our bakers results on our stories. Happy Baking!
@Diane, I forgot to say I never got notified that you answered so I literally just saw your reply.
Hmm, I’m sorry the reply didn’t ping you. I hope it’s still helpful.
Hi there! This is my second attempt at making sourdough bread with my own starter. I use King Arthur flour and the starter always passes the float test. However, during the stretch and folds I can never get my dough to stop breaking and to do a windowpane test. What could that problem possibly be?
Your starter may be young. Less Than two months of feeding? So even if it has strength it may need more development. However, I’m more inclined to think the starter is out of balance. This happens and makes a difference in how our bake turns out.
TRY THIS: Feed your starter the night before you plan to make the recipe. I feed 100 grams warm water to 100 grams flour to 100 grams starter. Let it sit overnight and see if it is floating in the morning. if not, remove 100 grams of this starter. Add 100 grams warm water and 100 gram flour again. This will get the starter rebalanced for baking. Often our starters get out of balance and need adjustments.
If this is not your problem check your flour. make sure it is fresh and high protein. This means on the label is says 5 grams of protein or over 12%. I have made this bread with 4 grams of protein flour but if your having trouble this may be the culprit.
Finally, You can go ahead and do another stretch and fold or so to develop this dough. If it still won’t stretch after 6 stretch and folds, just continue the recipe. The additional fermenting might be enough to make a really good bake anyway. Hope this helps.
Best of luck!
@Diane, Thank you!!
Your very welcome 🙂
Hi, very new to this art of breadmaking and will be attempting my second with your recipe. Very nice detailed videos, thank you for that. Also, I am looking to make only one bread, can I just half the recipe? Wish me luck!!
Hi Anne, Yes you can just divide the ingredients in half. Thanks so much for your feedback. It’ great to know the videos are helpful. Happy Baking!
I have now made this recipe 4 or 5 times and my last batch was incredible! I definitely recommend watching the video. I didn’t my first round and I wasn’t stretching and folding or shaping it right. I’m trying the sandwich bread shape today!
Hi Ellen, How wonderful to hear your having increasingly better outcomes this this bread. Experience with this recipe is so helpful. I’m glad you found the video a help. You’re absolutely correct. The details in the process help make a better bake.
Thanks so much for sharing your experience with this bread recipe. It’s a big help to other bakers and we love to know how our recipes work for our bakers. Your input is invaluable. Have a wonderful day. 🙂
Hi- this is my third attempt make this recipe. First was great, the repeat was flat. Following the recipe exactly.
After all night in the fridge, and two hours in the oven w/ the light on for warmth (my kitchen is 66* it was 75 in the oven), the dough is still very cool (61*). Even an hour later it’s still really cool. Have divided it but it still doesn’t feel ready? Soft and slack. Have a v strong 1/3 rye fed starter…
Do I let it warm more? is it just pizza dough at this point?
Thanks in advance.
Heather
Hi Heather, Are you using a high protein flour? Did the dough pass the window pane test after the stretch and folds are complete?
The long cold rise is where the work is really done with this recipe. The dough should have bubbles in it and be at least 1/3 increased in size before you go to the next step. (if it never attains this you will have a flat loaf. Look to the starter and flour here or not passing the window pane test))
I would not worry so much if the dough is cold after sitting out two hours. At this point you should be ready for the bench rest. Does the dough hold its shape somewhat after 45 minutes on the bench? If not the dough is unlikely to rise well.
This is a simple recipe but there are some non negotiable elements here. Poor quality flour and starter and usually the problems. If you are confident they are working well (dough passes window pane test and bubbles after long cold rise) I would work it a bit more before bench resting.
The dough must have some life to it at this point or you won’t get much rise. I hope these tips helps. Our video will help you visualize how the dough should look at each stage. Happy Holiday!
So this was my first time trying to make sourdough bread. Definitely a partial failure. I was so careful and followed all the instructions and timings but I think the problem was that they didn’t rise enough and I’m not sure what 8 could have done differently. The crust isn’t bad, not as hard and crusty as it could be, but not bad. It reached the internal temperature it needed to and even has the bubbles. The flavour is fantastic. Its just really HEAVY, even slightly doughy; not light and fluffy. Help!!!!
Trying to send you a pic, but it won’t let me.
Hi Jody, This could be A result of either a young or not quite strong enough starter. OR flour with not enough protein content. Those are the two most common elements that impact the density of the bread. Recently I made this bread .(am actually taking out a loaf just now) with old starter that did activate. But the loaf was not as light as it should have been. The starter was not quite strong enough. The next time it was m much better and I had fed the starter again. This time I purposefully used a starter less active and thought I could get the rise from a longer long rise in the fridge. Nah. The loaves are small and dense again. Same flour so I know its all in my starter. that is where I would start. Best of luck!
Hello! Thank you for this delicious recipe. I’ve been making it for a couple of years (My soul must have known a pandemic was coming 😂). I just got a new oven with proofing capabilities. Can I proof the dough in the oven for a shorter period of time to replace the initial cold rise (I’m doing this overnight) or the 2-4 hour set after shaping? If so, how would you suggest doing so?
Hi Amy, I’m glad you have years of positive experience with this recipe. It’s my personal favorite. 🙂
I think you have enough experience with the dough to know
The dough needs that longer cold fermentation time to develop the flavor and texture you are used to.
That said. I do have a proofing function on my stove. It’s fantastic for yeast breads but sourdough is a different animal entirely.
If you want to hurry it up after the stretch and folds you can just let it counter rise for four hours or until the dough is risen about 30 to 40 %. Skip the long cold rise and do the fridge time for the final proof. Chilled dough will raise better. You will notice the texture is probably a bit heavier and the flavor not so well developed.
Trying to oven raise it…in my oven,.. it will be too warm and the dough will proof too fast. Since you know what you are going for you can try it. Set your oven time and check it every 30 minutes or so to prevent over proofing.
When you like the rise, do the final shape and chill 2 hours at least. Preheat oven really well, score the loaves deep so they can rise and bake. Fingers crossed!
Please let me know if you make this work. Short cuts always come with trade offs in flavor and texture. But it still should be good bread. Hope this helps!
. I have watched your video over and over again and read your directions so many times. I am confused, because in the video it says autolyse for 30 minutes, but in your directions that I printed it says one hour. I am also confused because when you put it in the fridge to proof the next day for the step final shape and rise for two hours, do you cover it? From what I can tell, the only time you do cover it is when you put it in the fridge for the 12 to 15 hours or overnight. Could you just tell me when to cover it and when to leave it out in the open? With another recipe, I was always covering it. And the bread was OK, but I just want to do it right. Also, I am going to get rice flour to put in the bottom of the banneton . But why do you need to also use a cloth And rub the rice flour into the cloth as well as the banneton? Can you just put it right on top of the banneton without a cloth? Thank you so much. My 17 year old daughter has made your cinnamon raisin and sandwich bread over and over. We use have used a different recipe for sourdough bread, and I just really want to give yours a try. I just really like your website and your videos and the way you do things. And I want to master this!
Hi Laura,
Thank you for the encouragement as you ask for our help in clarifying this recipe. 🙂 The thing with sourdough is it is more flexible than you may think. The autolyse can be adjusted to suit your timeline as can all the stages, with the exception of the stretch and folds.
The autolyse is important but 30 minutes can stretch to several hours and not hurt anything. I have forgotten my dough at autolyse several hours without a problem in this recipe.
Covering the dough prevents it from drying out. This is very important in the long cold rise so you don’t have a skin on the dough when you try to work with it. But this is a Higher hydration dough so covering it for the counter rises is not as important. But if you want to that is fine. Your dough will tell you. Is it getting dry on top? Make sure to Cover the dough every time you refrigerate the dough, including the final rise. This prevents evaporation.
The rice flour prevents sticking. I use a cloth if I am NOT using a bamboo banneton OR if I do not want the baked bread to have the ridge lines from the banneton imprinted on the loaf.
When using a cloth for the final rise: Rubbing the rice flour into the cloth helps keep the cloth from sticking to the wet dough. Rice flour is much dryer than wheat flours and will easily fall off you cloth. Rubbing the rice flour into your cloth will help keep it on the cloth where you need it. You do NOT have to use a cloth if you have a bamboo banneton.
I hope this helps. I am happy to support you through this recipe. If you have further questions please ask. I can’t with to hear how it comes out for you!
@Diane, thank you so much for responding! I used my phone to type that question and noticed my multiple errors and you were still able to decipher what I meant. I am impressed! I already have become a better sourdough bread baker because of you. Mine has never passed the float test. I did EXACTLY what you said this time and fed it the 100g and the next day, it floated. Wow! My bread is doing the long cold rise right now. I will be baking my first patch of homemadefoodjunkie sourdough bread tonight. I know I will mess up and prepared another float worthy starter ready to try again after work. Watching my daughter make the sourdough sandwich bread and cinnamon raisin bread was so inspiring. She did it all through quarantine and gave it as gifts. My friend had introduced us to your recipe in 2019. I will be passing this all on to everyone I know. I have decided to master it because your instructions are so detailed and encouraging and my friends always want me to teach them how to make the sourdough bread loaves. I have used a really hard french recipe over the past few years and feel stressed every time making it. And it has been getting noticeably chewier and not as good, and after reading your instructions and tips, I am starting to understand why. My daughter is now off to college and not home to help me through trying the cinnamon raisin bread so I am going to master that somehow soon as well. She is just more relaxed about it all and it always works out. I feel that is a good motto for life too. When you find nice people to give you good instructions and you just give it a try, it normally works out, and if not, try again. Feel pretty blessed by your website and really appreciate your recipes!
Laura, Your reply has blessed me so much. Thanks a million for your kind words. This is why we do this blog. If you are on Instagram please tag us with your results! And watch the video but remember, sourdough is more forgiving than you think. I’m so happy you conquered the starter prep. Be sure to also use the correct flours as I discuss. Good Flour is critical to success. You will do fine. Happy Baking!