Learn how to bake an easy sourdough bread recipe with tips for first-time bakers, proofing techniques, and achieving a golden brown crust.
Whether this is your first time baking or you’re looking to perfect your own sourdough starter, this easy sourdough bread recipe walks you through every step of the fermentation process with minimal effort. There’s nothing quite like slicing into your first loaf of sourdough bread, especially when it’s warm from the hot oven with a deep, golden brown crust and a soft, tangy crumb inside. Made with a mixture of flour, warm water, and natural wild yeast from an active sourdough starter, this bread skips commercial yeast entirely. Let’s break it all down, from feeding your starter to scoring the top of the dough with a razor blade just before baking!
This simple sourdough bread is a great starter recipe if you’re just diving into the world of sourdough baking. With a little patience, the right tools, and an understanding of the fermentation process, you’ll soon be baking your own fresh sourdough bread like a pro—no commercial yeast needed.
It’s a great reminder that bread doesn’t need to come with an extra cost or long ingredient list—just time, care, and the power of wild yeasts.
Common FAQs for First-Time Bakers
How do I know when the dough is proofed enough?
The first rise (bulk fermentation) should result in a dough that has doubled and looks airy. During the final rise, a gentle poke should slowly spring back.
Can I use a mix of flours?
Yes! Try a blend of bread flour, whole wheat flour, or even some whole grain flour for a nuttier flavor and more nutrients.
Why cold proof?
Cold fermentation improves flavor and makes the dough easier to score. It also gives you flexibility—bake the next morning!
Understanding the Float Test
Before you mix your dough, it’s a good idea to make sure your sourdough starter is really active and ready to work its magic. The easiest way to check this is with the float test.
Simply take a small spoonful of your bubbly starter and gently drop it into a glass of room-temperature water. If the starter floats to the top, that means it’s full of air bubbles—light, airy, and bursting with wild yeasts—and ready to give your bread a beautiful rise.
If it sinks instead, don’t worry! That usually means your starter isn’t quite active enough yet. You can let it sit out at room temperature for another hour or two to ferment a bit more, or give it another feeding of flour and water to re-activate those yeasts.
Doing the float test is a simple but crucial step to avoid dense, flat bread and ensure you get the best results from your starter every time.
Why Use a Dutch Oven or Challenger Bread Pan?
One of the secrets to getting that perfect golden brown crust and impressive oven spring in your sourdough bread is baking it inside a hot Dutch oven or a Challenger bread pan. These heavy-duty pans trap steam released by the dough as it bakes, creating a mini steam oven effect right in your kitchen.
Why does that matter? The steam keeps the surface of the dough moist during the initial baking phase, allowing the crust to expand fully without hardening too soon. This results in a beautiful rise—often called “oven spring”—where your loaf puffs up tall and airy.
As the baking continues and the steam dissipates (when you remove the Dutch oven lid partway through baking), the crust dries out and develops that irresistible deep golden brown color with a satisfying crunch.
Using these pans mimics the environment of a professional bakery, which often uses steam-injected ovens to get that artisanal look and texture. If you don’t have one yet, investing in a Dutch oven or Challenger pan is a good idea for serious sourdough bakers!
Why Use a Banneton Basket for Proofing?
If you’ve ever wondered how to get those beautiful spiral or lined patterns on your sourdough loaf and keep its shape during the final rise, a proofing basket—also called a banneton basket—is your new best friend.
These baskets are typically made from natural cane or rattan and are designed to support the dough as it undergoes the final rise (or cold proof). The rice flour dusted on the basket prevents sticking and helps transfer a subtle texture to the dough’s surface.
Using a banneton encourages better surface tension while the dough rests, helping it hold its shape instead of spreading flat on your work surface. This leads to a taller loaf with an even crumb and a professional look.
If you don’t have a banneton, you can use a well-floured bowl lined with a clean tea towel as a simple alternative. Either way, supporting your dough during proofing is a good idea to improve your loaf’s structure and appearance.
Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them
- Dense loaf? Your starter may not be active enough—make sure it passes the float test.
- Flat bread? The dough may have over-proofed or not had enough surface tension during shaping.
- Sticky dough? Lightly flour your work surface or try using wet hands during stretch and folds.
- Crust too hard? Wrap cooled bread in a tea towel overnight to soften slightly without losing texture.
Sourdough Baking Timeline (At a Glance)
| Step | Timeframe | Notes |
| Feed Starter | Morning (6–10am) | Let sit at room temperature until bubbly |
| Mix & Fold Dough | Evening (8–10pm) | Do 2 sets of stretch and folds |
| Bulk Fermentation | Overnight | Let the bread dough rise 8–12 hours |
| Shape Dough | Next morning (6–9am) | Allow for bench rest and shaping |
| Final Rise + Cold Proof | Morning to mid-day | Cold proof for 1–12 hours |
| Bake | Afternoon | Bake in hot oven and cool on a rack |
Add-In Flavor Ideas
Make your sourdough special with fun mix-ins! Add these during the initial mix for even distribution:
- Cheddar and green onion for a savory twist
- Dried cranberries and walnuts for a sweet, nutty loaf
- Sun-dried tomatoes and basil for a Mediterranean feel
- Everything bagel seasoning on top for extra crunch and flavor
- Chia, Flax, and Hemp Seed mix for extra nutrition and flavor
- Shredded cheddar and jalapeño for an extra kick
- Chopped fresh rosemary and garlic to make a light, tasty bread
Nutritional Benefits of a Sourdough Recipe
Thanks to the long fermentation process, sourdough is often easier to digest and may be better tolerated by some with gluten sensitivity (though it’s not gluten-free). The acids produced by wild yeasts help break down phytic acid, making minerals in the grain more bioavailable.
Tips for the Best Sourdough Bread (Especially for First-Time Bakers)
Whether you’re baking your first loaf of sourdough bread or just want more consistent results, these tips will help you bake a better loaf with less time wasted and fewer surprises.
Use a Kitchen Scale for Accuracy
For best results, always measure by weight (especially for flour and water). This helps avoid a too-dry or too-sticky dough and improves gluten formation.
Pay Attention to Temperature
The ambient temperature of your kitchen affects how quickly your dough ferments. Cooler temps = slower rise; warmer = faster. If it’s chilly, let the dough proof in your oven with just the light on.
Use Wet Hands to Prevent Sticking
When doing stretch and folds, dampen your hands with water. Wet hands glide over sticky dough without pulling or tearing it.
Plan Your Time
Use the baking schedule as a guide and adjust based on your day. Don’t rush the bulk fermentation—a full rise gives better flavor and structure.
Do a Bench Rest Before Shaping
Let your dough rest uncovered for 10–15 minutes before shaping. This gives the gluten time to relax, making it easier to form a tight ball and build surface tension.
Use a Preheated Dutch Oven or a Challenger Bread Pan
These trap steam to mimic bakery ovens, giving you that beautiful rise and crispy crust. Always preheat the pan in the oven for at least 30 minutes.
Don’t Skip the Cold Proof
Chilling your dough in the fridge before baking helps develop flavor, makes scoring easier, and gives better oven spring. Next day baking is also convenient!
Score with Confidence
Use a razor blade, sharp knife, or bread lame to make a quick, decisive cut across the top of the dough. This controls how the bread expands and can add artistic flair.
Don’t Over-Flour the Dough
Dust your proofing basket with rice flour to prevent sticking, but avoid adding too much to the dough itself—it can lead to dry bread.
Keep Notes
Every loaf of bread teaches you something! Jot down what flours you used, the temperature of your kitchen, rise times, and results. You’ll improve faster with every bake.
Start with a Bubbly, Active Starter
For a strong rise and great flavor, make sure your active sourdough starter is bubbly and passes the float test before mixing your dough.
Let It Cool Completely Before Slicing
It’s tempting to dive right in, but cutting too soon traps steam, so give your bread time to rest and cool to avoid a gummy center.
Choose Quality Ingredients
You can grab everything you need at the grocery store, but using organic flour or unbleached all-purpose flour makes a big difference in flavor and fermentation.
Serving Suggestions
Serve your sourdough:
- With a smear of butter and jam for breakfast
- As a side with soup or stew
- Toasted with avocado and eggs
- Used for sandwiches or grilled cheese
- Cubed into croutons or torn for stuffing
Why You Don’t Need Commercial Yeast in Sourdough Bread
Sourdough doesn’t require commercial yeast because it relies on natural wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria that live in your own sourdough starter. When you feed your starter with equal parts flour and water, the wild yeasts (from the flour and air) begin to grow and ferment, creating the lift and rise you need for baking.
This natural fermentation process does everything that commercial yeast does—just more slowly. In fact, that extra time allows for better gluten formation, deeper flavor, and improved digestibility.
So while a packet of store-bought yeast can rise dough in a few hours, sourdough baking uses time, temperature, and wild microbes to create a healthier, tastier, and more artisanal loaf of bread.
Sourdough Bread Step by Step
Ingredients
Feed
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (or use a blend of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour)
- 1/2 cup hot water
Bread Dough
- 4 cups bread flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp salt
- ⅓ cup active starter (make sure it passes the float test!)
- 1¾ cups warm water (that’s about 400g water)
- 2–4 tbsp add-ins (optional, for flavor)
- Extra rice flour for dusting the proofing basket
- Olive oil, for brushing if desired
Preparation
Feed the Starter
If your starter has been stored in the fridge, feed it with equal parts flour and water (by weight), using a cup of flour and half a cup of warm water. Let it rest at room temperature until bubbly and doubled—this can take 4–8 hours, depending on the ambient temperature or temperature of your kitchen.
Once your active sourdough starter passes the float test, you’re ready.
Mix the Dough
Combine your bread flour, salt, and any mix-ins in a large bowl.
In another bowl, dissolve your amount of starter (⅓ cup) into the warm water using your wooden spoon or a fork.
Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. You should have a shaggy bread dough.
Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap, and let the dough rest for 15–30 minutes. This is the autolyse, a key part of gluten formation.
Stretch and Fold: Building Strength
With wet hands, complete sets of stretch and folds every 15 minutes for the next 30–60 minutes. To do this, gently pull up one edge of the dough, stretch it upward, then fold it over the center. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and repeat. Do this 4 times per set.
This method helps build surface tension and strengthens the dough without kneading.
Bulk Fermentation (First Rise)
Cover the bowl again and let the dough go through bulk fermentation at room temperature for 8–12 hours. It should double in size and show bubbles along the sides of the bowl—a sign that the wild yeasts are working their magic.
Shape the Dough
In the next step, gently turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Let it bench rest for 10–15 minutes. Flip the dough so the smooth side is up, and shape it into a round loaf by folding it toward the center and creating tension across the surface.
Final Rise and Cold Proof
Dust your proofing basket generously with rice flour and place the dough in it, smooth side down. Cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap, and place in the fridge for a cold proof of at least 1 hour or up to overnight (next day baking is a good idea for better flavor and less stress).
Preheat and Bake
Preheat your Dutch oven in a 450°F oven for 30 minutes. When ready, place a sheet of parchment paper over your dough and invert it onto a baking sheet or countertop.
Score the top of the dough with a sharp knife or razor blade in a simple pattern.
Carefully place the dough (on the parchment paper) into the Dutch oven. Bake covered for 18–20 minutes, then uncovered for another 10–15 minutes until golden brown and the internal temperature reaches around 210°F.
Cool and Enjoy
Remove the loaf and place it on a wire rack. Resist cutting right away! Let it cool for at least an hour to set the crumb and make slicing easier.
Brush with olive oil and sprinkle a pinch of salt or herbs for added flavor.
Sourdough Bread Leftovers
Storage: For the best results, keep your sourdough at room temperature, wrapped in a tea towel or in a paper bag, for up to 3 days.
Reheating: To refresh the crust, warm the bread in a 350°F oven for 5–10 minutes.
Freezing: Slice and freeze in a plastic bag for up to 3 months; toast or thaw at room temperature before serving.
Recipe
Originally Published On: November 10, 2025
Sourdough Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (or use a blend of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour)
- 1/2 cup hot water
- 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (or bread flour)
- 2 tsp salt
- ⅓ cup active starter
- 1¾ cups warm water
- Olive oil (for brushing if desired)
Recommended Equipment
- Large bowl or glass bowl
- Mixing bowl
- Bowl scraper
- Damp towel or tea towel
- Piece of parchment paper or sheet of parchment paper
- Digital Kitchen Scale
- Sharp knife, razor blade, or bread lame
- Dutch oven or Challenger bread pan
- Proofing basket (banneton)
- Plastic bag, for storing leftovers
Instructions
- If your starter has been stored in the fridge, feed it with equal parts flour and water (by weight), using a cup of flour and half a cup of warm water. Let it rest at room temperature until bubbly and doubled—this can take 4–8 hours, depending on the ambient temperature or temperature of your kitchen.
- Once your active sourdough starter passes the float test, you’re ready.
- Combine your bread flour, salt, and any mix-ins in a large bowl.
- In another bowl, dissolve your amount of starter (⅓ cup) into the warm water using your wooden spoon or a fork. Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. You should have a shaggy bread dough.
- Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap, and let the dough rest for 15–30 minutes. This is the autolyse, a key part of gluten formation.
- With wet hands, complete sets of stretch and folds every 15 minutes for the next 30–60 minutes. To do this, gently pull up one edge of the dough, stretch it upward, then fold it over the center. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and repeat. Do this 4 times per set.
- This method helps build surface tension and strengthens the dough without kneading.
- Cover the bowl again and let the dough go through bulk fermentation at room temperature for 8–12 hours. It should double in size and show bubbles along the sides of the bowl—a sign that the wild yeasts are working their magic.
- In the next step, gently turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Let it bench rest for 10–15 minutes. Flip the dough so the smooth side is up, and shape it into a round loaf by folding it toward the center and creating tension across the surface.
- Dust your proofing basket generously with rice flour and place the dough in, smooth side down. Cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap, and place in the fridge for a cold proof of at least 1 hour or up to overnight (next day baking is a good idea for better flavor and less stress).
- Preheat your hot Dutch oven in a 450°F oven for 30 minutes. When ready, place a sheet of parchment paper over your dough and invert it onto a baking sheet or countertop.
- Score the top of the dough with a sharp knife or razor blade in a simple pattern.
- Carefully place the dough (on the parchment paper) into the Dutch oven. Bake covered for 18–20 minutes, then uncovered for another 10–15 minutes until golden brown and the internal temperature reaches around 210°F.
- Remove the loaf and place it on a wire rack. Resist cutting right away! Let it cool for at least an hour to set the crumb and make slicing easier.
- Brush with olive oil and sprinkle a pinch of salt or herbs for added flavor.
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
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I wish I’d had this recipe when I was learning to make sourdough bread. It was such a slog at first. This is great!
You make it sound so easy! In fact, I love how you explain why certain things are important to do and how it affects the outcome of the bread. As someone who’s never made sourdough bread before, I appreciate your step by step procedure/recipe. Now I just need to try making one!
Maureen | http://www.littlemisscasual.com
This recipe makes my heart smile. You’ve taken the mystery out of sourdough and made it feel welcoming for a “first loaf” baker. The way you walk through the simple ingredients, comforting timeline, and encouraging tone really turned me from intimidated to excited. Thank you for making homemade bread feel totally achievable.
I love sourdough bread, but don’t know how to make it. Now, I am so happy to find and make this recipe for my family
WOW, I’ve never made sourdough bread before let alone tried it. Now you have piqued my interest, I’m going to try this recipe, and I sure hope it comes out like yours.
Thanks for this wonderful recipe! I have never heard of the float test before, but now I know for the next time I make sourdough!
I love a good sourdough. It looks so good. I can’t wait to make it.
I have never experimented with making sourdough bread before. This certainly will come in handy when I get around to giving it a try. Hopefully I will find time soon. We all love sourdough so it would be a good idea to experiment with this so we can have a homemade one instead of shop bought.
I tried your recipe today and it was so easy and turned out perfect! The only thing I changed is I mixed a bit of wheat and bread flour together. Great recipe!
This post really lowers the fence for trying sourdough at home. I appreciate how it makes the process approachable and friendly.
This makes sourdough feel so approachable! I can almost smell that fresh-baked crust already.
The tip about using a Dutch oven for the crust is nice 🙂 ~~~
I’ve always baked on a sheet pan, so I’m curious to see if that makes a big difference.
I’ve been wanting to try sourdough but always thought it’d be too much. This actually feels doable. The reminder to feed the starter the night before is super helpful. I’m saving this for a weekend when I’ve got time to play around. Appreciate how clear you made it.
I’ve been curious about making sourdough. I think this is my sign to start baking.