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sourdough bread recipe

Classic Sourdough Bread With Starters

I didn’t plan to fall in love with sourdough. Like most people, I started dabbling in it during a slow week, curious to see what all the fuss was about. What started as a weekend experiment turned into a full-blown obsession with wild yeast, stretchy dough, and those golden crusts that crackle when
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Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

For the dough
  • 100 g active sourdough starter fed and bubbly
  • 750 g warm water
  • 900 g bread flour
  • 100 g whole wheat flour
  • 20 g salt
Optional tools (helpful, not essential)
  • Dutch oven or baking stone
  • Bench scraper
  • Proofing basket or bowl with a towel
  • Kitchen scale strongly recommended for accuracy

Method
 

Build Your Starter First
  1. If you don’t already have a sourdough starter, you’ll need to build one from scratch — a process that takes 5–7 days. Once it’s active, bubbly, and doubling in size between feedings, you’re good to go.
  2. If you’re already feeding a starter, make sure it’s at peak activity before mixing the dough. That means feeding it 4–6 hours before you plan to start.
Mix and Autolyse
  1. In a large bowl, mix the starter with warm water until mostly dissolved. Add both flours and mix until no dry spots remain. Don’t knead — just stir and fold the dough with your hands or a spatula until it comes together.
  2. Cover the bowl and let it sit for 30–45 minutes (this is the autolyse phase, and it helps gluten start forming naturally).
Add Salt and Start Bulk Fermentation
  1. Sprinkle the salt over the dough. Wet your hands and knead it lightly in the bowl to incorporate. Then cover the bowl again and let it rest for 4 to 5 hours, depending on room temperature.
  2. During this time, you’ll do a series of stretch and folds every 30–45 minutes — just lift one edge of the dough, stretch it up, and fold it over. Rotate and repeat on all sides.
  3. You’ll notice the dough becoming smoother, stronger, and puffier as fermentation progresses.
Shape and Pre-Shape
  1. After bulk fermentation, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide it in half. Gently shape each half into a round (or oval) and let them rest uncovered for 20–30 minutes.
  2. Then shape them again more tightly — tucking the edges under and forming a smooth top. Place each loaf seam-side up in a floured proofing basket or bowl lined with a clean towel.
Cold Proof Overnight
  1. Cover your dough with a towel or plastic wrap and place it in the fridge overnight — 8 to 16 hours. This slow fermentation deepens the flavor and helps with oven spring (that nice rise you see during baking).
Bake Hot and Fast
  1. The next day, preheat your oven to 475°F (245°C) with your Dutch oven inside. Once hot, carefully turn a dough round onto a sheet of parchment, score the top with a sharp blade, and lower it into the Dutch oven. Bake covered for 20 minutes, then uncover and bake another 20–25 minutes until deep golden and crisp.
  2. Repeat with the second loaf, or bake both at once if you have two Dutch ovens or baking stones.
  3. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. (Yes, it’s hard to wait. But worth it.)