(Recipe is under construction, check back later for printable recipe card!)
Every sourdough baker needs a go-to bread recipe. We’ve tried quite a few, and through trial and error, we’ve developed a method and recipe that produces a close to perfect loaf for us every time.
When baking sourdough recipes, it’s important to keep in mind that the temperature of your kitchen, the strength of your sourdough starter, and the slightest adjustments to measurements, time, and technique can produce a very different result. If you don’t get the results you want, feel free to send us a message on Facebook or Instagram, or through our contact form, and we will help you troubleshoot.
Once you’ve mastered this recipe, I encourage you to try making adjustments. For example, make a higher hydration loaf by increasing the water to 380g, try using more starter, or switch out half of the flour for whole wheat or rye. You might like the results even better, and you will learn how these adjustments affect the bread in different ways.

Step #1: Add the Ingredients
Add the following ingredients to a large bowl:
- 80g active, bubbly sourdough starter
- 340g water
- 500g unbleached bread flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
- 10g salt


Step #2: Mix Your Dough
Combine the ingredients together with your hands or a spoon until you can’t see any dry spots of flour. The dough will feel dry, rough and shaggy. Then, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, a wax wrap, a damp towel, or, I highly recommend using a plastic shower cap – it’s reusable, quick, and easy. This step officially begins the fermenting of your dough.

Step #3: Fermentolyse
Let the mixture rest on the counter for about 30 minutes to 1 hour. This is called “fermentolyse” and allows the flour to fully hydrate as it begins fermenting, as well as starts the gluten development, making the dough easier to work with for the next steps. (You may see this step referred to as “autolyse”… its often used interchangably, but technically, autolyse is when you mix the flour and water and letting it rest before adding the starter and salt.)

Step #4: Stretch and Folds
After the fermentolyse, you will do three rounds of stretch and folds. (I recommend wetting your hands slightly before you do this, so the dough doesn’t stick to them.) Think of your dough as having four sides. Grab one side, and gently stretch it out and up, without tearing it. Lay the section you pulled on top of the dough towards the opposite side you pulled from. Turn your bowl a quarter turn and repeat. Do this to all four “sides”, then re-cover your dough.
After 30 minutes has passed, do another set of stretch and folds. The dough will feel slightly firmer this time.
After 30 more minutes, repeat the stretch and folds for the third and final time. The dough will be a lot firmer and more difficult to pull. This is due to the gluten in the dough strengthening. After this final stretch and fold, gently flip your dough over so the seam side is on the bottom, and re-cover.
Step #5: Bulk Rise
The dough is now ready to do the majority of it’s rising, called the bulk rise. Do not skip this step! Cover your bowl, and let it rise at room temperature (around 68-76 degrees F) until it has slightly less than doubled in size. This will take anywhere from 4-12 hours depending on the temperature of the room and the strength of your sourdough starter.
Your dough is ready to shape when:
- It has almost doubled in volume
- There are small bubbles forming under the surface and on the bottom of the dough (I like to use a glass bowl so I can see!)
- The dough is slightly jiggly when you shake the bowl
- The dough pulls away cleanly from the sides of the bowl when you tilt it
Step #6: Pre-Shape and Bench Rest
Once your dough has finished the bulk rise, flour your hands and the top of the dough lightly, then lift it out, keeping the smooth side facing up, and set it onto a lightly floured surface. Then gently shape into a ball. Do not press together or knead the dough. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let the dough sit for 30 minutes. This bench rest period allows the gluten to relax so that the bread is easier to shape.
Step #7: Shape Your Dough
Gently turn your dough over so that the floured side is on the counter and the stickier side is facing up. Pull each edge out slowly so that it forms a rectangle. Do not make it too flat, we do not want to deflate the gas bubbles trapped within the dough.
You will now shape the dough according to the shape of your proofing bowl and basket that you will place it in, which you will choose based on the loaf shape you want to bake. Round loaves are called boules, oval loaves are called batards, or you can use a regular loaf pan. Refer to the video on our resources page about shaping your dough to see the different techniques in action.
Step #8: Overnight Fermentation
After shaping, carefully flip your dough over and place it seam side up into a clean, floured bowl, proofing basket, or loaf pan. Pinch the seams together gently if needed to help the dough maintain it’s shape. Then cover it, and put it inside the refrigerator to ferment overnight. You can skip this step and bake immediately after shaping, but I highly recommend the overnight fermentation. The longer your sourdough ferments, the easier it is to digest, and it adds to the unique flavor that sourdough is famous for. You also can’t beat the timing of being able to pull it out and bake it whenever it’s convenient the next day, and cold dough is much easier to score as well.
Step #9: Score and Bake Your Bread
The following day, leave your dough in the fridge while you preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.
Prepare a dutch oven or roasting pan with a lid by lining it with parchment paper sprinkled with flour. I like to use rice flour for this, as well as on the top of the dough before scoring to help the score and any designs stand out.
Once the oven is preheated, take your bread out of the refrigerator and turn it out, seam side down, into the center of your pan or dutch oven.
Score the dough with a knife, razor blade, or scoring tool. You can do this however you want. I prefer to do a curved line on one side, or a line straight down the middle. If you’re more skilled than I am, you can make pretty designs in it as well.
After scoring, place the lid on your dutch oven or roasting pan and place it into the oven on the middle rack.
Bake covered at 450 for 30 minutes, then remove the lid. Your bread should have risen quite a bit, and won’t have much color to it at this point.
Then, bake uncovered for 25 more minutes.
Remove from the oven. It will be a golden brown color now. This is when we take ours out, but if you prefer yours more done, you can leave in for a few more minutes.
PRO TIPS:
You can also add a layer of rice directly to your pan, under the parchment, or place a baking sheet covered in foil on the lower rack below your bread. This will create a barrier to the direct heat and give your bread a softer bottom.
Steam is what helps your bread to rise. To create more steam and improve the rise, add a few ice cubes in your dutch oven under the parchment when you initially put it in the oven.
Step #10: Cool and Eat
Remove your loaf from the pan and place it on a cooling rack. Let cool for at least an hour to retain the maximum amount of moisture in your bread. Then, slice and enjoy!

I used this recipe and it turned out great!