Homemade Sourdough Bread -- A Real Beginner's Guide

My first sourdough loaf looked like a frisbee. Flat, dense, and roughly the texture of a hockey puck. I ate it anyway out of spite because I'd spent three weeks growing the starter and nine hours waiting for the dough to rise. That was January 2024. Two years and probably 150 loaves later, I can finally pull consistent bread from the oven without holding my breath.

Sourdough isn't hard. It's just slow. And patience doesn't come naturally to me.

TL;DR: Sourdough takes 5-10 loaves to feel comfortable with, but the process is simple: active starter, 72% hydration dough, overnight cold retard, Dutch oven at 500F covered for 20 minutes then 450F uncovered. The cold fridge proof develops flavor and makes the dough much easier to score.

Start With the Starter

You can't skip this part. Sourdough bread needs an active, bubbly starter -- that's the wild yeast that makes the bread rise without commercial yeast packets.

Making a starter from scratch

Day 1: Mix 50g whole wheat flour and 50g lukewarm water (around 78F) in a clean glass jar. Stir until smooth. Cover loosely. Walk away.

Days 2-6: Every 24 hours, discard half and add 50g all-purpose flour and 50g water. You'll see bubbles by day 3 or 4. It might smell weird -- vinegary, almost like nail polish remover. Normal.

Days 7-14: Switch to twice-daily feedings if you see consistent bubbles. Your starter is ready when it doubles in size within 4-6 hours of feeding and smells pleasantly tangy. Serious Eats' sourdough starter testing backs this up -- consistent doubling is the most reliable readiness indicator, more useful than any fixed day count.

I keep mine in a wide-mouth 32-oz Mason jar ($8.99/12-pack at Target). Mark the level with a rubber band after feeding so you can track the rise.

The float test

Drop a small spoonful of fed starter into water. If it floats, it's ready to bake with. If it sinks, feed it again and wait 3-4 hours. I still do this before every single bake.

The Bread Recipe

This is my standard loaf. Nothing fancy. Just flour, water, salt, and starter.

• 375g bread flour (King Arthur, $5.99/5 lb bag)
• 75g whole wheat flour
• 325g water at 80F
• 75g active starter (passes the float test)
• 9g fine sea salt

That's roughly 72% hydration for the nerds keeping score. Higher hydration gives you bigger holes in the crumb but makes the dough stickier and harder to handle. I'd go lower (65-68%) for your first few loaves.

Mixing and Bulk Fermentation

Autolyse (30 minutes)

Combine the flours and water in a large bowl. Mix until no dry patches remain. Cover and let it sit 30 minutes. This rest hydrates the flour and starts gluten development before you even knead.

Add starter and salt

Pour the starter on top. Sprinkle the salt over that. Squeeze and fold the dough until incorporated, about 2-3 minutes. It'll feel shaggy. That's fine.

Stretch and fold (4 rounds)

Every 30 minutes for 2 hours, do a set of stretch and folds. Wet your hand, grab one side of the dough, stretch it up, fold it over the center. Rotate 90 degrees. Repeat four times per round.

After four rounds the dough should feel smooth and slightly elastic. In my kitchen at 72F, this takes exactly 2 hours.

Let it bulk ferment

Cover and leave the dough alone for 3-6 hours at room temperature. At 72F my dough takes about 5 hours total. At 78F it might be 3.5 hours.

You're looking for a 50-75% increase in volume. Poke it -- if the indent springs back slowly, you're there. If it springs back fast, give it more time. Watch the dough, not the clock.

Shaping

Dust your counter with flour. Turn the dough out. Using a bench scraper ($6.99 from Amazon), shape it into a round by tucking the edges underneath. Rest 20 minutes.

Final shape -- pull edges toward center, flip seam-side down, and drag it toward you with the bench scraper, building surface tension. It should feel taut.

Place seam-side up into a floured banneton basket (9-inch round, $12.99). No banneton? A bowl lined with a well-floured kitchen towel works.

Cold Retard (The Secret Weapon)

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 12-16 hours. This cold proof slows fermentation, develops more sour flavor, and makes the dough way easier to score before baking.

I shape around 8 PM and bake the next morning. Could you skip the fridge and bake same-day? Sure. But the flavor won't be as complex, and scoring warm dough is like cutting pudding with a razor.

Baking

Preheat your oven to 500F with a Dutch oven inside for 45 minutes. I use a Lodge 5-quart combo cooker ($44.90).

Pull dough from the fridge. Flip onto parchment paper. Score the top with a razor blade -- one confident slash about 1/4 inch deep at a 30-degree angle.

Lower the dough into the screaming hot Dutch oven. Cover with the lid. Bake at 500F for 20 minutes. Remove lid, drop to 450F, bake 20-25 more minutes until deep golden brown. Internal temp should read 205-210F.

Cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before cutting. Cutting hot bread releases steam and makes the crumb gummy. I've done it twice. Regretted it both times.

Common Problems and Fixes

Flat loaf: Weak starter or overproofed dough. Make sure your starter doubles reliably before baking. If the dough collapsed during the fridge proof, you let bulk fermentation go too long.

Dense crumb: Underproofed. Give it more time during bulk fermentation next round. Also check your water temperature -- cold water slows everything down.

Pale crust: Oven not hot enough, or you didn't bake long enough with the lid off. Push past golden into dark golden. Sourdough can handle it.

Gummy interior: You cut it too soon, or it's underbaked. Use a thermometer. 205-210F internal.

If you're looking for more hands-on kitchen projects, seasoning a cast iron skillet has a similar satisfaction to it -- slow process, big payoff. And once you've got your bread game down, pair fresh sourdough slices with my garlic butter shrimp pasta for garlic bread that'll ruin restaurant versions for you.

Sourdough baking is a skill that takes 5-10 loaves to feel comfortable with. My third loaf was the first one I'd actually serve to guests. Stick with it.