How to Make Sourdough Bread | In-Depth Guide

In this Instructable, I will show you how to make sourdough from scratch. This in-depth step-by-step guide to sourdough bread making is perfect for beginners as well as people who have already made sourdough. If you love sourdough and want to learn how to make it, this tutorial is for you!

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Follow the steps below or watch the video tutorial or do both!

Supplies

Sourdough Ingredients:

Levain (Leavening)

25g Mature Active Sourdough starter: Follow this Instructable to make your starter.
20g of whole wheat flour
20g of unbleached bread flour of all-purpose/plain
40g of filtered warm water (85F/29C)

Dough

325g of filtered warm water (85F/29C)
450g of unbleached bread flour or all-purpose/plain
50g of whole wheat flour
25g of filtered warm water (85g/29C)
10g of fine sea salt or another salt

Tools/Equipment

Kitchen Scale
Bowls
Spoon
Glass with rubberband
Kitchen towel
Dough Proofer (optional)
Bench Scraper
Lodge Combo Cooker or Dutch Oven
Round Banneton and Lame Kit (optional)
Parchment paper

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Step 1: Mix the Levain/Feed the Starter

First I want to point out, Sourdough breadmaking is a lengthy process. While the actual active time is around 30 minutes or so, the whole process takes roughly 24 hours from start to finish.

Begin by making the "Levain" which will be the leavening for the sourdough. I usually do this the night before around 8 to 9 pm so I can start the dough at 8 or 9 am the next morning.

But you have some options. If you want to have fresh bread in the morning, you can start this step in the morning and then the dough will cold-proof overnight in the fridge, then you can bake it, more on this later.

Add 25g of mature active starter to a glass or small container. Make sure to zero out the scale with the container/glass on it, of course.

Then add the rest of the Levain ingredients, the 20g of whole wheat flour, 20g of bread flour (unbleached), and 40g of filtered water which will give us a little over 100g of complete starter.

Mix it really well with a fork or spoon, making sure to mix the starter in with the new flour and water.

Add a rubber band around the container so it matches the current height of the starter. This way you can tell how high it rises.

Cover the glass loosely with a lid or plastic wrap and set it on the counter overnight.

*NOTE: If you store your starter in the fridge, you will need to take it out about 2 days before you want to use it and feed it every 12 hours. (Discard, feed, wait 12 hours, etc.) The reason why is when the starter is stored in the fridge it kind of goes dormant, and we want to wake it up and make sure it is thriving before using it to make bread.

Step 2: Autolyse

The next morning around 8 or 9 am you can proceed with making the dough. Check your starter. It should be about doubled in size and have lots of bubbles.

Next, we do what is called Autolyse. This simply means we mix only the water and the flour at first and let it rest for 45 minutes to an hour. This gives the dough a jumpstart and allows the flour to absorb the water and hydrate and helps develop the gluten.

I have skipped this step and just added all the dough ingredients together with great results, but most people that make sourdough for a living will tell you not to skip this step. I recommend you don't skip it, it only adds a little more time to the process.

Place a large bowl on your scale and zero it out. Then measure 325g of filtered water, zero it out, then add 50g of whole wheat flour and 450g of white bread flour. This gives us 500g of flour and will result in a 70% hydration dough, which is great for beginners. It is easier to work with, and although some more advanced recipes have 80% to 85% hydration, that dough is harder to work with.

Start mixing first with a spoon then switch to clean hands and mix until all the flour is incorporated and you are left with a firm somewhat sticky dough.

Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let it rest for 45 minutes to an hour. The ideal room temp is 78 to 80F (25 to 26C)

I always use my dough proofer, it works amazing and I can completely control the temps. They are fairly expensive but if you make bread or yeast-based doughs all the time it is worth the investment. Especially in cooler climates.

That completes the Autolyse phase.

Step 3: Mixing

Next, we do the mixing step. If you skip the Autolyse step you will just mix everything together (all the flour, water, salt, and 100g of mature active starter).

Measure out 25g of filtered water and 10g of salt. Mix those together.

NOTE: I always use filtered water because my tap water is gross. Also, chlorine found it lots of tap water can kill your starter.

Check your starter. If you want a full-proof method for identifying when the starter is ready, scoop a little of it into some water, if it floats it is ready to go! This is called the "float test."

Remove the towel from your bowl of dough. If you pinch and pull a little bit of the dough you can see how stretchy it already is. The Autolyse step worked great and did its job starting the structure of the dough.

Add 100g of your mature active starter, which in this case will be pretty much all of it.

Also, pour in your saltwater solution.

Start mixing with your hands. Push down and pinch with your fingers, fold it over onto itself, knead it a little, and repeat a combination of all of those things until the dough really comes together. This will take 2 to 4 minutes. It is important that it is evenly and completely mixed. You could certainly use a stand mixer with a dough hook if desired. Shape it into a fat disc or oblong shape then cover and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.

Again, I put my dough in my proofer box.

Once you introduced the starter to the dough and mix it in. This begins the Bulk Fermentation Phase sometimes called the bulk rise.

Step 4: Bulk Fermentation - Stretch and Folds/Turns

Stretch and Fold (Turn) 1

After the dough has rested it is time to do a series of stretches and folds or turns.

Grab the side of the dough and gently pull it up and stretch it, you should be able to go 8 to 10 inches. Then fold it over onto the dough. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat the stretch and fold. Do this 4 to 6 times until the dough tightens up and it is harder to stretch. This step only takes 30 seconds to a minute.

Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes. Again, I put the dough in my proofer box.

Stretch and Fold (Turn) 2

Now repeat that same step a second time, stretch fold turn, etc. Then cover and rest for 30 minutes.

Stretch and Fold (Turn) 3

Now repeat that same step a third time, stretch fold turn, etc. Then cover and rest for 30 minutes.

Stretch and Fold (Turn) 4

And finally, repeat that same step a fourth time, stretch fold turn, etc. Then cover and rest for 30 minutes.

At this point and during this whole bulk fermentation process you will probably start to notice little bubbles on the surface of the dough, this is perfect.

Step 5: Bulk Fermentation Continued - Coil Folds

Coil Fold 1

Next, we will do a series of "coil folds" This is gentler on the dough, now that we have gained some volume and structure already.

Gently pull the dough from the center and let it sag down, then lay it down on itself so it is folded. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat. You only need to do this twice.

Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.

Coil Fold 2

Now repeat the above coil fold step and then cover the dough and let it rest 90 minutes to 2 hours this time.

This will conclude the bulk fermentation. This total time will be around 4 to 4.5 hours.

Why do we do these stretch and folds and coil folds? Well, it develops structure, volume, and flavor in the dough. This is in lieu of the classic kneading of dough that has used active dry or instant yeast.

Step 6: First Shaping and Bench Rest

Add a little bit of flour to your counter.

Then place the dough on the counter and gently spread it out into a square or rectangle.

Fold the closest side of the dough toward the middle. Then grab the other side and fold it over, like an envelope. Turn the dough a quarter turn. Grab the end and stretch slightly and then roll it up.

Now push away any excess flour from the counter. Either use your fingers and hands or a bench scraper and shape the dough. This takes a little practice. The result of this is creating tension in the dough which helps it keep its shape. The idea is the bottom of the dough is a little sticky and as you pull and rotate the dough toward you it tightens and adds tension to the top smoothing it out. It is a little easier to see in the video.

This is called the first shaping.

Add some flour to the top of the dough and then add the towel. Or you can use plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes. This is called bench rest.

Step 7: Final Shaping and Final Rise

We are getting closer I promise!

After the bench rest, we can do the final shaping of the dough and do the final rise.

When you look at the dough it should have spread out a little bit but not too much. It should also be mounded still and not flat like a fat disc. If it is flat, you will want to do another shaping and rest. It just needs more time.

This one looks perfect. Dust the top with a little bit of flour then use your bench scraper to go under the dough and flip it over flour side down. Notice we did not flour the counter.

The final shape is similar to the first shape. I am going to make a Boule which is the classic round loaf. You could shape it into a batard as well, but I don't show that shape here.

Stretch the dough gently and form a square. Fold the closest end to you to the middle of the dough. Then grab the end furthest for you and gently pull and stretch and fold it over creating that envelope. It should stick together. Rotate a quarter turn and then roll it up. Now you can stretch the ends over if you like which will make it look better when baked.

Use your bench scraper and then turn the dough and pull it towards you again creating a bit of tension in the dough. You only need to do this a few times. You can also use your fingers.

Now flour your banneton with rice flour generously. Rice flour works better than normal flour. We don't want the dough to stick. Or you can just put a kitchen towel in a bowl and flour that generously. I prefer using the bannetons.

Then add some rice flour on top of your dough. Go under the dough with the bench scraper and pick it up and then flip it over into the banneton (or towel-lined bowl) flour side down. Add more rice flour around the edges and on top of the dough.

Cover and let rise for 3 to 4 hours at room temp or in a proofer box. OR place it in the fridge and let it cold rise for 12 to 16 hours.

This final rise adds more flavor to the dough. The longer you let it proof the more sour the flavor of the dough. IF you like it mildly sour I recommend doing the 3 to 4-hour room temp rise. But the cold rise works super well for people who ran out of time in the day or if they want to bake bread in the morning.

Step 8: Chill Dough and Heat Dutch Oven

After the final rise check your dough. When you gently press on it with a finger, the indentation should slowly come back but not all the way. This is a good indication of a properly risen and fermented dough.

Cover the dough and place it in the freezer. Or if you were doing the cold rise in the fridge, keep the dough in the fridge.

Now put your combo cooker or Dutch oven in the oven and set the temp to 500F/260C. It is very important the Dutch oven is super hot before we bake the bread.

Set the timer for 30 minutes. This will give the oven itself enough time to preheat as well as the Dutch oven time to heat up.

Step 9: Score and Bake That Sourdough

Now the time has finally come to bake that bread. Phew! We got there.

Remove your dough from the freezer or fridge and then lay out a piece of parchment paper. Sprinkle on a bit of rice flour or semolina flour then flip the banneton over and place the dough in the center of the parchment paper.

Using a lame or just a razor blade or sharp knife cut a slit about 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep starting at the bottom and going over the top. Do this twice creating a classic X or + sign in the dough. You can also do a single slice and many decorative slices. Many ways in which to score the dough.

Scoring is essential. This provides a place for the dough to expand. If you don't score the dough, it will most likely expand in places you don't want, misshaping the dough.

Now USE OVEN MITTS and remove the Dutch oven or combo cooker from the oven.

Pick up the dough from the parchment paper and place it in the center of the Dutch oven. This is why I like the combo cooker because the bottom is so shallow. But I have used my Dutch oven too many times.

Now grab the other part of the combo cooker and place it on top ensuring it sits properly and closes. Or if using a Dutch oven, place the lid on top.

Now put it in the oven and turn the heat down to 450F/232C. Bake the bread for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, open the oven door and remove the lid or top part of the combo cooker. The bread should have risen and expanded nicely. This is called an "oven spring."

Close the oven door and further bake the bread for 20 to 30 minutes until you reach your desired color. I like mine fairly dark.

Remove the bread from the oven and grab the parchment paper and remove it from the Dutch oven. Place the loaf on a wire rack and let it cool for 1 hour. Do not cut into it right away, if you do, the inside crumb will get a little gummy. So just relax and smell that wonderful bread before cutting into it.

Step 10: Slice and Serve

Finally, it is time to eat the bread. Slice the loaf in half and check out how it looks on the inside.

A properly fermented and proofed sourdough will have several smaller holes spread out, instead of 2 or 3 really large holes, or just a bunch of tiny holes.

I really enjoy taking a slice of sourdough and toasting it, then spreading butter on it and sprinkling on a bit of sea salt or strawberry jam. OR I love making sandwiches with it.

It also tastes yummy just eating it plain.

Store the leftovers in a brown paper sack for the next few days before putting it in something like a plastic bag or Tupperware. I don't recommend storing it in the fridge.

Enjoy your homemade sourdough!

*Print the FULL sourdough bread recipe here if you want.