My easy sourdough bread recipe is perfect for enjoying on its own or using for sandwiches! I’ll be walking you in detail through every step so you can learn how to make perfect sourdough like a pro. Recipe includes a how-to video!
The Best Sourdough Bread Recipe
My easy homemade sourdough bread is the only bread we eat in my household anymore. In fact, I make 2-3 loaves a week and keep a stockpile in my freezer at all times (handy for making sourdough homemade croutons and breadcrumbs)! And once you try it… well, I think you will, too.
That’s because there’s a lot to love about sourdough bread. First and foremost, it has a high nutritional value and none of the additives (no added sugar, either) you’ll find in most store-bought breads. It also tastes amazing: classic, hearty bread (that’s not overly sour) with a thick, crusty exterior and a soft, springy interior.
But what I think you’ll love most about my recipe is how wonderfully versatile it is. It’s ideal both for dipping in soup, serving as a side with a salad, or using as a sandwich; it also makes an awesome grilled cheese that pairs beautifully with my tomato soup!
Homemade Sourdough is Easier Than You Think!
Making sourdough bread at home is shockingly easy, especially if you use the sourdough starter I shared last week. It is time consuming and you must have patience, but the work itself is very approachable and I wanted to share a version that was easy to follow–perfect for beginners and advanced sourdough bakers alike.
There’s no kneading involved; instead, we’ll use the easy process of stretching and folding, which develops the gluten much like kneading would, but is better suited for higher hydration dough like sourdough. There’s also no mixer or fancy equipment needed with my recipe — you don’t even need a banneton or a Dutch oven, just a pair of bread pans!
Let’s get started (and after you try it, pat yourself on the back and leave me a comment to let me know how you like it!).
What You Need
- Sourdough starter. This can be homemade or store-bought. Obviously, I recommend making your own by using my sourdough starter recipe (this does take over a week to prepare, but it’s worth it!).
- Bread flour. I really recommend bread flour over all purpose for my sourdough bread recipe. Bread flour has a higher protein content and produces a better-crumbed sourdough bread, in my opinion. If you don’t have it, all-purpose is not as great but will be “fine”, but try it at least once with bread flour.
- Olive oil. A bit of olive oil helps make the bread perfectly chewy and soft. I also find it keeps my sourdough softer longer.
- Salt. Salt is critical for flavor (unsurprisingly) but it also plays some other important roles in sourdough bread. It helps balance the acidity from our starter, strengthens the gluten in the dough (important for shape and texture), and it even helps extend the shelf life of the bread by acting as a natural preservative. Don’t let anyone tell you it’s going to hinder your yeast, it won’t (or at least won’t to any noticeable degree and your sourdough will be worse off without it).
- Water. The water called for in my recipe will yield a sourdough loaf that is about 70% hydration. I love this hydration level; it produces a crumb that’s neither too dense nor too open, that’s not too sour but is still flavorful, and that is easy to shape and extremely versatile — we use it for everything from dipping in pot pie soup to eating sandwiches. Once you’re comfortable baking a bread at this hydration level, you can experiment with increasing the water if you’d like. More water usually yields a bread with a more open crumb, a more tangy flavor, and a crumb that’s less suitable for sandwiches but good for dipping.
I wrote this sourdough bread recipe with weights because I find it’s the easiest way to make it (just like with my macaron recipe); however, I have included cup measurements as well.
SAM’S TIP: While some people like to bake their sourdough bread in a dutch oven, I like to use a pair of bread pans. It doesn’t look as rustic this way, but it’s much more practical for my family to have a loaf of bread rather than a round of it. If you’re team Dutch oven, don’t worry–I provide instructions for how to make sourdough bread in a Dutch oven below.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Sourdough Bread
Make the Dough
The first 4 steps in my sourdough bread recipe are the “autolyse” period (or sometimes called an “inclusive autolyse” because we are incorporating all of our ingredients at this point). This step helps boost fermentation, improves the texture (more open crumb!) and flavor, and makes the dough easier to work with.
Note that I do, quite intentionally, include salt in this first step. Some bakers argue that salt will inhibit the yeast growth and negatively impact the crumb. Not so! With the duration of this autolyse and the composition of this particular sourdough bread recipe adding salt at this stage does not make a difference. Leaving it out for this step only makes it more difficult to incorporate later and increases your likelihood of accidentally forgetting to add it altogether (which would be a shame!).
- Combine sourdough starter, water, and oil in a large bowl. Make sure your starter is active and bubbly before adding it.
- Add the bread flour and salt.
- Stir until mostly combined (your dough will still look shaggy). Do not over-mix!
- Cover and let sit at room temperature for one hour.
Stretching & Folding Your Sourdough
- Form your dough into a ball using your hands, the run your hands under cool water.
- Stretch the top of the dough up and over the bottom, then turn the dough 90 degrees and repeat. I demonstrate this in the video below if you need a better visual.
- Repeat the stretch and fold process a total of four times, then cover and place in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes.
- Let your dough rise until increased in size by 80%, repeating the stretch and fold process every 30 minutes.
Assembling
- Deflate and form your dough into a rectangular shape on a lightly floured surface.
- Lift the right side of the dough, fold it over to the center, then repeat with the left side (like folding a paper in thirds).
- Roll into a tight log starting with the short end of the rectangle, then tuck the ends under.
- Place in a greased bread pan, cover loosely, and place in the fridge to rest overnight.
SAM’S TIP: I recommend proofing your dough in the refrigerator overnight rather than baking right away (I also provide instructions for baking right away, though). Proofing overnight will help develop the flavor, help the bread rise better, and encourage more fermentation. That being said, I don’t like to let my dough sit in the fridge for longer than 48 hours (absolute max) before baking. Letting it sit too long can cause over-proofing and can compromise the final texture of your sourdough bread. I also don’t freeze my dough before baking, so I can’t advise on that.
Baking
- Let the dough rest at room temperature while your oven preheats.
- Score the bread about ¼″ deep down the center.
- Cover with another bread pan or an aluminum foil tent.
- Bake at 450F for 30 minutes, then remove the cover and bake for 20-23 minutes or until the bread reaches an internal temperature of 206F (97C).
- Let the bread cool in its pan for 15 minutes.
- Remove the bread from the pan (carefully, it’s still hot!) and place on a cooling rack. Don’t let it sit in the bread pan too long, or your sourdough bread could end up soggy from the steam that it releases in the pan that can’t escape. Once removing to a cooling rack, allow the bread cool completely (or at least almost completely) before slicing.
SAM’S TIP: Don’t cut into the bread while it’s still warm (I know, so hard, so tempting!). Doing this can make your loaf gummy and dense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sourdough is definitely one of the more nutritious types of bread. It’s prebiotic-rich, made by fermenting dough with wild yeast and bacteria (sounds not-so appetizing but in reality is delicious) and is more digestible than your standard white bread. It also has a lower glycemic index and less gluten than normal bread. If you’re going to be indulging in bread, this is arguably a better option than standard white bread.
While a traditional sourdough bread recipe is obviously not gluten free, sourdough bread is sometimes tolerated by people who are gluten sensitive (but not people with Celiac Disease). This is because some of the gluten is consumed during the fermentation process, which makes the bread more easily digestible.
Yes, of course! I wanted to share an easy sourdough bread recipe that can be made with basic kitchen equipment, but you can just as well use a Dutch oven. Follow the written recipe through the rolling and tucking step, then place the dough in a lightly floured banneton (I use my Kitchenaid mixer bowl lined with a lightly floured kitchen towel, because I don’t actually have a banneton). Cover and let rise overnight in the fridge.
The next day, carefully turn out your dough onto a large piece of parchment paper and carefully lower this into a 4.5qt Dutch oven (a larger one would work, but your bread will be flatter and will likely cook faster). Allow the dough to sit uncovered while the oven preheats, then score, cover with a lid, and follow recipe instructions for baking.
You can preheat your Dutch oven (as I do in my artisan bread recipe) to make it nice and hot before adding your dough if you’d like, but honestly I rarely do this step with this recipe.
I know that there are many sourdough bread recipes out there and so many different ways to make it, but this is my personal favorite version that I’ve carefully developed over the past year. I can’t wait to hear how you like it (let me know in the comments!), I hope you’ll always want to keep a loaf in your house, too! ❤️
Enjoy!
If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
Sourdough Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup (150 g) active starter bubbly, active, fed
- 1 ⅓ cups (315 g) warm water 90F
- 1 ½ (18 g) Tablesoons olive oil
- 3 ⅔ cups (450 g) bread flour
- 2 teaspoons (13 g) table salt
- Oil for greasing pan
- Additional flour for dusting work-surface
Recommended Equipment
- Bread lame (optional, or use sharp knife)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine sourdough starter, water, and olive oil. Stir until combined.⅔ cup (150 g) active starter, 1 ⅓ cups (315 g) warm water, 1 ½ (18 g) Tablesoons olive oil
- Add bread flour and sprinkle salt overtop. Use your (clean) hands or a wooden spoon to stir together until dough is mostly combined. It will still be a bit shaggy and should not be cohesive (don’t over-mix) but no dry patches of flour should remain.3 ⅔ cups (450 g) bread flour, 2 teaspoons (13 g) table salt
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit undisturbed for one hour (this is the “autolyse” period).
Stretch & Fold
- Form dough into a ball with your hands.
- Run your hands under cool water (prevents sticking!) and grasp the top of the dough and stretch it over the bottom. Turn the dough 90 degrees and repeat. Turn 90 degrees and repeat again, then once more (four total stretch & folds).
- Allow dough to rest, covered, in a warm place for 30 minutes.
- Repeat step 2 above every 30 minutes as dough rises.
- Allow dough to rise (stretching and folding every 30 minutes as indicated) until dough has increased in size about 80% (how long this takes depends on the temperature of your kitchen, typically mine is ready within 4-6 hours).
Forming the Dough
- Lightly grease a 9×5 loaf pan (with olive oil or butter) .Oil for greasing pan
- When dough has risen sufficiently, turn it out onto a clean, lightly floured surface.Additional flour for dusting work-surface
- Use your hands to gently deflate the dough and pat it into a rectangular shape. Lift the right side of the dough and fold it into the center (almost as if you were closing a book). Then, lift the left side of the dough and fold it over the first fold (use a bench scraper if the dough is sticking to your counter).
- Starting with a skinny end, tightly roll the dough, as if you were rolling up a cinnamon roll. Tuck the ends under and carefully transfer to prepared bread pan. Don’t worry if the bread doesn’t fill the pan right now.
- Cover pan tightly with plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator to rest overnight/for 12-24 hours.
Baking
- Remove sourdough from the refrigerator and preheat oven to 450F. Let oven preheat and dough rest (covered or uncovered) for at least 30-35 minutes before proceeding.
- Once oven has preheated, uncover bread, make a clean slice (about ¼” deep) down the center with a sharp knife or bread lame (to score it) then cover with another 9×5 pan (if you don’t have a second pan, you may instead make a makeshift oven using aluminum foil; tent it as high as the bread pan is deep).
- Transfer to center rack of preheated oven. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes then remove the lid and continue to bake another 20-23 minutes/until golden brown and the center of bread reaches 206-208F (97C).
- Allow bread to cool in pan for 15 minutes before gently turning it out onto a cooling rack (careful, the pan will still be hot!) to cool for at least 1-2 hours (until it no longer feels warm) before cutting into it.
Notes
To bake the same day:
Follow recipe through step 4 under the “Forming the Dough” section. Immediately after transferring dough to pan, preheat oven to 450F (230C). Allow dough to rest uncovered while oven preheats, at least 30 minutes. Once oven is preheated, follow directions in recipe starting with step 2 under the “Baking” section. Note that bread will not be as flavorful or nutritious & texture will not be as great if it is not allowed to sit in the fridge overnight.Storing & Freezing
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. You may also freeze this bread. Freeze the whole loaf by wrapping tightly in plastic wrap and then wrapping in foil. When ready to thaw, keep covered completely and defrost at room temperature before unwrapping. We prefer to freeze pre-sliced: Cut bread into slices and storing in a plastic Ziploc bag (remove as much air as you can before freezing). If you struggle with freezer burn or plan to freeze the bread longer than a few weeks, you can individually wrap each slice in plastic wrap before closing in the plastic bag.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Lana
I LOVE this bread! Thanks a lot for such a simple recipe with a fascinating result! I’ve tried over 20 different recipes, but this one is my favorite one. Always a hit when I bake it for friends or family.
Sam
I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed it so much, Lana! 🙂
Selma
Thank you for this lovely sourdough recipe. It turned out really good. I am thinking of doubling the recipe to fit a long baking ceramic loaf pan, what should be the baking time and temperature?
Sam
Hi Selma! Having not tried it in the particular pan you are taking about I can’t say for sure how long it would need to bake. Your temperatures would remain the same. 🙂
Paul Galarneau
Sam, I have tried your recipe twice and both times the loaves came out gummy. My starter is fully active and I followed the recipe to gram. The second loaf looked great, beautiful crust but gummy. Used oven with light on for the rising, temp 75-80 deg. did the folding, put in fridge. for 12 hrs. Baked according to recipe, HELP
Sam
Hi Paul! How frustrating. I definitely want to help troubleshoot this. How long are you waiting to cut into the loaf after it comes out of the oven (is it cooled completely?). Also, are you checking that the loaf is done with a thermometer? That could help as well.
Paul Galarneau
Sam thanks for the quick reply. I wait until the loaf is cool and I checked the temp. with instant read thermometer, I have checked my oven and the heat seems to fluctuate slot. maybe I should leave it in a little longer ?
Sam
Hmmm sometimes my oven will fluctuate a bit, and could take longer but as long as your bread reaches a proper temperature you should be good to go. If it starts burning too much on top you can tent the bread again to prevent it from burning.
Misty
THE BEST BREAD EVER!!!! Your recipies are always a win! Thank you for all your hard work!
Do you have any tips on adding add ins (like jalepeno & chedder or raisin with a cinnamon swirl)? Also have you doubled or trippled the batch with success?
Sam
I’m not sure how a cinnamon swirl would work. I would probably put it in at the end and roll up the cinnamon swirl mixture. For things like Jalapenos and cheese, I would wait until an hour or so into the stretch and fold process and start adding them at that point, stretching and folding them in. Every time I make this bread, I make 2 or 3 loaves at once. 🙂
Teal
I can’t seem to find the video. I am new to sourdough, and to making bread in general. I am on hour 5 and my dough is super wet and sticky and not seeming to grow. I tried adding a bit more flour but it just gets sticky again. Not sure what to do.
Sam
Hi Teal! I’m sorry I didn’t see this earlier! If you have an ad blocker enabled it won’t allow my videos to show up. I do have this video on Youtube as well. Sourdough bread is going to be a bit sticky and shouldn’t need more flour added. I hope it turned out for you! 🙂
Toby1
This recipe is super simple, the video instructions are amongst the best I have followed, and my family now thinks I am a bread Artisan! 😎
Madi Rose
This recipe is so good! So easy and really appreciated the video. I like that this shows the bread being made in a loaf pan. I also appreciated that this doesn’t make you feel like you have to spend $$$$$ on tons of specialized equipment. THANK YOU! My bread turned out DELICIOUS.
Lindsey
I followed this recipe exactly with a brand new starter it turned out perfect! My first time making sourdough I did not expect a great loaf but oh man it was perfect and delicious. Saving this recipe!
Katy
Love the video!! I just started baking sourdough bread. This is the best instructions I have found. I love baking it in a loaf.
Bev
Could you use a round dutch oven instead of 9 x 5 loaf pans?
Sam
Absolutely, see the FAQ section in the post, I outline exactly how to do this 🙂
Tainer
love this recipe. awesome bread. For some reason 20 minutes after removing the lid is too long. I burned one loaf and almost burned another.
Sam
I’m glad you enjoyed it so much! I wonder if your oven is running a little hotter than mine does.
Ashley
just wondering if the baking directions would be different for a stone bread pan? it tends to take longer to cook and I just want it to be perfect.
Sam
Hi Ashley! I think it’s possible it could take longer but I would first check it at the time indicated. Use an instant read thermometer and check for an internal temperature of 206F and just continue to bake until you reach that temperature. Let me know how it goes!
Crystal
Could you please help me? Everytime I make it the dough after my stretch and folds is always wet and sticky 🙁
Sam
Hi Crystal! That actually sounds about right. That normally gets a little more sticky as it sits. 🙂
Jamie
LOVE this recipe. Have had wonderful success – thank you so much! Wondered what you thought about making it into cinnamon raisin bread. Do you think this recipe would work?
Sam
Hi Jamie! That is actually something I hope to experiment with in the near future, but I have not tried it. I definitely think it could work. Let me know how it goes if you try it out. 🙂
Jamie
Hey Sam! I did try it with a cinnamon raisin and it was good, but it wasn’t very sweet. However, I have had huge success with incorporating herbs, pepper, garlic, etc into this recipe. Everyone loves them. Thanks again!
John Dieter
I’m on my third loaf and it’s amazing
Macky Miller
Can you please explain why you refrigerate the dough? I intend to make the recipe as stated but I have always been told to let the bread rise in a warm place. Thank you very much.
Sam
Hi Macky! The purpose of refrigeration is for an overnight ferment to help it develop a better flavor and texture. The refrigeration slows the rise so you don’t over-proof your dough. 🙂
Joy
This recipe turned out perfectly! My 2nd loaf of sourdough and it’s absolutely gorgeous! Thanks for making the perfect recipe!
Misty Jones
Hi Sam, how big of a deal is it that my plastic wrap touches my dough in the bread pain prior to the overnight rise? I’ve tried two different bread pans and can’t seem to avoid it.
Thank you!
Sam
Hi Misty! It doesn’t matter in that it won’t affect the bread at all and mine often does the same thing. If the issue is you prefer to not have plastic touching your food, you could place a piece of parchment paper between the plastic wrap and the bread. Also, some people don’t even cover their sourdough at all for the overnight rise. I personally prefer to, but just wanted to let you know that was an option. I hope that helps!
Kelly S
First timer here, the bread is light and delicious. Two questions though- (1) bottom of the bread is slightly burnt. I used a LeCrueset dutch oven, how can I prevent this in the future (2) The sourdough doesn’t have the usual sour taste, is that a fermenting issue or something I need to pay more attention to? Thank you
Sam
Hi Kelly! Are you lining your dutch oven with parchment paper? Is it possible it needs slightly less time in the oven? I’m not sure why it’s not quite as sour as it should be. 🙁
Kelly S
Hi Sam, yes lining the dutch oven with the parchment paper. I have been using a thermometer to make sure it cooks to the proper temp also. I’d love more of a sour taste but it’s still good!
Linda
I put 5 ice cubes below the parchment paper in the Dutch oven so it steams and prevents burning the bottom.