How to Make Sourdough Bread at Home
There is no smell on earth like a sourdough loaf coming out of your own oven. This is a beginner-friendly method for a classic 75% hydration loaf: open crumb, blistered crust, and gentle tang. The total time looks scary, but almost all of it is hands-off fermentation — your active work is under an hour.
Total time: 24h · Servings: 1 loaf (10–12 slices)
Ingredients
- 500g strong bread flour (12–13% protein)
- 375ml water at around 26°C/80°F (75% hydration)
- 100g active sourdough starter (fed 4–8 hours earlier, doubled and bubbly)
- 10g fine sea salt
- Rice flour (for dusting the banneton — it doesn't stick like wheat flour)
- Equipment: Dutch oven or heavy lidded pot
- Equipment: banneton or a bowl lined with a floured tea towel
- Equipment: razor blade or sharp knife for scoring
Instructions
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Check your starter is ready: Feed your starter 4–8 hours before mixing. It's ready when it has at least doubled, is full of bubbles, and smells pleasantly sour. Drop a spoonful in water — if it floats, it's ready.
Tip: A sluggish starter is the number one cause of dense sourdough. If it isn't doubling reliably, feed it twice a day for a few days before baking. -
Autolyse: Mix the flour and water in a large bowl until no dry flour remains — it will look shaggy. Cover and rest for 45–60 minutes. This hydrates the flour and kick-starts gluten development without kneading.
Tip: Hold back the starter and salt for now — autolyse is just flour and water. -
Add starter and salt: Spread the starter over the dough, sprinkle over the salt, and squeeze and fold with wet hands for 3–4 minutes until fully incorporated and the dough starts to smooth out.
Tip: Wet hands are your best tool with high-hydration dough — the dough sticks to dry hands, not wet ones. -
Bulk ferment with stretch and folds: Cover and leave at warm room temperature (24–26°C/75–78°F). Every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours, do a set of stretch and folds: grab one side, stretch it up, and fold it over the dough; rotate and repeat 4 times. Then leave untouched until the dough has risen by about 50%, looks jiggly, and shows bubbles on the surface — 4–6 hours total depending on kitchen temperature.
Tip: Judge by the dough, not the clock. A cold kitchen can push bulk fermentation to 7–8 hours; a hot one can finish it in 3. - Pre-shape and bench rest: Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a loose round using a bench scraper. Rest uncovered for 20–30 minutes so the gluten relaxes.
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Final shape and cold proof: Shape into a tight boule or batard: fold the edges into the centre, flip seam-side down, and drag it towards you to build surface tension. Place seam-side UP in a rice-floured banneton, cover, and refrigerate for 12–16 hours.
Tip: The overnight cold proof develops flavour and makes the dough far easier to score. Don't skip it. -
Bake in a Dutch oven: Put the Dutch oven (with lid) in the oven and preheat to 250°C/480°F for 45–60 minutes. Turn the cold dough onto parchment, score the top about 1cm deep with a swift confident slash, and lower it into the pot. Bake covered for 20 minutes, then remove the lid, reduce to 220°C/430°F, and bake 20–25 minutes more until deep chestnut brown.
Tip: The lid traps steam, which is what gives you oven spring and a glossy, blistered crust. Bake straight from the fridge — cold dough scores cleanly. -
Cool completely: Cool on a wire rack for at least 1–2 hours before slicing. The interior is still cooking as it cools — cutting early gives you a gummy crumb.
Tip: Listen to the crust as it cools: that crackling sound (the "sourdough song") means you nailed it.
Pro Tips
- Temperature is the invisible ingredient. Aim for dough around 25°C/77°F — use warmer water in winter and cooler water in summer to hit it.
- Keep notes on every bake (timings, room temperature, how the dough felt). Sourdough improves fastest when you can compare loaf to loaf.
- No Dutch oven? Bake on a preheated baking steel or tray and throw a cup of boiling water into a hot pan on the oven floor to create steam.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my sourdough dense and gummy?
Usually under-fermentation: either the starter wasn't strong enough or bulk fermentation was cut short. The dough should rise about 50%, feel airy, and jiggle before shaping. Cutting the loaf while still warm also makes the crumb gummy — cool for at least an hour.
Can I skip the overnight cold proof?
You can proof at room temperature for 2–3 hours and bake the same day, but you'll lose flavour complexity and the dough will be harder to score. The fridge proof is also what makes the schedule flexible — the loaf can wait up to 24 hours.
How do I store sourdough bread?
Cut-side down on a board for the first day or two, or in a paper bag. Avoid plastic — it softens the crust. For longer storage, slice and freeze for up to 3 months; toast slices straight from frozen.
What is 75% hydration and does it matter?
It means the water weighs 75% of the flour (375g water to 500g flour). Higher hydration gives a more open crumb but is stickier to handle. If you're a beginner and struggling, drop to 350ml (70%) — the loaf will still be excellent and much easier to shape.
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