beginner sourdough

<p class="p1"><i>This beginner sourdough recipe is perfect for bakers looking to jump right in! It's is a low-hydration dough, meaning it will yield a 'tight' crumb (small holes). It is great for sandwiches and toast.</i></p>

Sourdough Bread: A Beginner's Guide

150 grams/ 5.35 oz bubbly, active starter

250 grams/ 8.80 oz warm water, preferably filtered*

grams/ .90 oz olive oil

500 grams/ 17.65 oz bread flour (not all purpose flour)

grams/ .4 oz fine sea salt

cornmeal,

**You will need a 5 1/2 or 6 quart Dutch oven

Whisk the starter, water, and olive oil in a large bowl. Add the flour and salt. Squish everything together with your hands until all of the flour is absorbed. The dough will be dry and shaggy. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, reusable wrap or a clean, very damp kitchen towel. Let rest (autolyse) for 30 minutes or up to 1 hour, if preferred.

After the dough has rested, work the dough in the bowl into a rough ball, about 15 seconds.

Make the Dough

Cover the bowl with wrap or a very damp kitchen cloth. Let rest in a warm spot to rise. The dough is ready when it no longer looks dense and has doubled in size. This can take anywhere from 3-12 hours depending on the temperature of your ingredients, the potency of your starter and surrounding environment. For example, in the summer rise times can take anywhere between 3-4 hours @ 85 F whereas in the winter, the dough will take about 10-12 hours @ 68 F.

Bulk Rise

During bulk rise, you have the option to perform a series of &#8216;stretch &amp; folds&#8217; to strengthen the dough. Start 30 minutes into the bulk rise. Gather a portion of the dough, stretch it upwards and then fold it over itself. Rotate the bowl ¼ turn and repeat this process until you have come full circle to complete 1 set. Do this once or twice spaced about an hour apart. Although this step is not mandatory, it will increase the total volume and height of your bread. Click here for a step-by-step video tutorial.

Optional Step: Stretch &amp; Fold the Dough

Divide your work surface in half; lightly flour one side (for cutting) and leave the other half clean (for shaping).

Remove the dough from the bowl, and place onto the floured section so that it does not stick. You do not need to &#8216;punch down&#8217; the dough; it will gently deflate as you fold and shape it.

Cut the dough in half to make 2 loaves, or leave it whole for a single loaf.

To shape, use a bench scraper to move your dough to the non-floured section (if there is any flour present, it will be difficult to shape- brush away any excess). Starting at the top, fold the dough over toward the center. Give it a slight turn, and then fold over the next section of dough. Repeat until you have come full circle.

Then flip the dough over and place it seam side down. Using your hands, gently cup the sides of the dough and rotate it, using quarter turns in a circular motion. You can also pull it towards you to even out the shape. Repeat this process until you are happy with its appearance. *See note below.

Cut &amp; Shape the Dough

Now the dough needs to rise again, but for a shorter period of time.

Coat the bottom of your Dutch oven with cornmeal. Alternatively, use parchment paper to prevent sticking (this is what I do, now). Place the dough inside for a second shorter rise, about 30 minutes to 1 hour and cover with the lid of the pot or a very damp cloth. The dough ready when it is slightly puffy but not double in size.

Preheat your oven to 450 F towards the tail end of the second rise.

Second Rise

Right before your bread goes into the oven, make a shallow slash about 2 inches long in the center of the dough. Use a bread lame, sharp pairing or a small serrated steak knife.

Score the Dough

Place the bread into the oven on the center rack (lid on) and reduce the temperature to 400 F. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the lid, and continue to bake (uncovered) for an additional 40 minutes or until deep, golden brown. Keep in mind that all ovens are different; you might have to make minimal adjustments to these temperatures.

You can also take the internal temperature of your bread to double check that it is done. For sourdough, it should read about 205-210 F.

Remove the bread from the oven, and cool on a wire rack for at least an hour before slicing. Don&#8217;t cut too soon or else the inside will have a gummy texture!

Bake the Dough

Thank u so much for your recipe! I am trying it right now and so far very pleased. I have been comparing many recipes and so far your s seems to be by far the clearest to understand.

I am recipe resistant. I feel obligated to embellish. This time I followed to the letter. Great result! The only difference is that, with each feeding, I add a pinch of diastatic malt powder and a few drops of lemon juice to the starter

This dish looks delicious and nutritious. I really like it. I have tried it many times but still not as good as today. I follow your recipe and I have a delicious meal. May I ask if I add more flour to this dish is it okay? What do you think?

How long after feeding the starter can i put it in the fridge? Straight away, or do i have to wait for it to ferment?

Also, when taking it out of the fridge, does it need to warm up before feeding it again?

Our son sent us this recipe after getting into Sourdough baking (with starter from his sister).  What a beautiful loaf this recipe produced!  We did stretch the dough and we proofed it in a closed oven with the light on.  Perfect temp!  Wet baked it on an oblong Dutch oven, scoring it in three places.  Everything worked perfectly!
Thank you for Fabulous recipe!

This recipe had served me so well in making sourdough bread. Thank you for the inspiration to make easy, delicious bread.

Do you have any other recipes using this starter?

I've made this recipe several times with great success, but the last two times after the bulk raise, the dough is completely slack and sticky.  I've added flour to handle it, but then it won't raise for the shorter raise before going in the oven.  What is happening?

I have used this recipe time and time again, and it always produces the perfect loaf. It’s a great low maintenance recipe with plenty of optional easily made adjustments that don’t sacrifice the quality of the loaf. I send it to all my friends, from beginners to seasoned sourdough bakers, and everyone loves it.

This recipe produces a delicious sour dough loaf with great bubbles. But although I've  followed the recipe carefully each time, the dough is too saggy to properly shape. it stays quite sticky so that it just spreads on baking. No boule shape remains after baking.  Should I change the quantities, or knead it?

This recipe is amazing - first time making sourdough! It is very user friendly. 

Quick question - can I proof in the fridge overnight so that it is ready to be baked in the morning? 

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING YOUR RECIPE!!

I’ve been using this recipe for months and absolutely love it.  The bread always comes out delicious, and when we have kerrygold butter on hand it rarely lasts to the next day.  Would I be able to bake this bread in loaf pans?  If so, how would that change the baking time?  Thank you for creating and sharing this recipe!

I love this recipe - so easy to follow and the bread is amazing! However, I have the opposite problem from so many other people - my bread after to autolysis looks nothing like yours. It is dry and is extremely hard to stretch. I’ve increased the water to 280g and it still is hard to handle. It tastes amazing, but it’s the nice beautiful shape like you get. Thoughts? Just add more water? Thanks again for the very easy and tasty recipe!

I’ve followed this recipe twice now and both times had great results. A different, more involved recipe really let me down so I’m back to this one! Relatively quick and easy process compared to some that call for 4 days of work before baking. I did notice this bread comes out a bit gummy, even after letting it cool for several hours. What can I do for it to be less dense and chewy inside? Also, my crust stays kinda pale and never gets golden brown. Do I need to bake longer or something?

Whenever I need to use up a lot of starter at one time, this is my go-to recipe.  I've made it with freshly fed starter many times, but I've also made it with starter that was straight out of the fridge and hadn't been fed in several days and it worked great. I always end up adding the extra water to get a higher hydration because I like working with doughs of that texture better. this recipe just seems to work no matter what I do, maybe because there is SO much starter in it - it has not choice but to perform!  When I use the starter straight from the fridge, the dough takes a little longer to get going, but it always does eventually. This time I experimented with adding about 120 grams of pumpkin puree (because I wanted a nice golden tinted bread)  in the initial stage with the starter, thinking that it would take the place of some of the water.  Strangely enough, it was still way too stiff - I still ended up having to add the full 325 grams of water, even with the pumpkin puree.  I was surprised by how little moisture the pumpkin ended up adding, given that it is usually considered a liquid ingredient.  It also made the dough stickier than I would have expected.  In addition to the pumpkin, I also added some chiffonaded fresh sage leaves,  120 grams of chopped sautéed pancetta, 120 grams of diced Reggiano Parmigiano, crushed black pepper, and a little garlic powder.  It is SO GOOD!!! Thanks for this virtually foolproof recipe!!

Admiring the time and energy you put into your site and in depth information you present.
It's good to come across a blog every once in a while that isn't the same old rehashed information. Fantastic read!
I've saved your site and I'm adding your RSS feeds to my Google account.

Yes, you’re reading it correctly! It just heats up nice and hot to 450 with nothing in the oven, then when it reaches temp, you pop the lid on your pot, put it in the oven and immediately drop the temp to 400 for baking :) It yields a nice crusty bread, you’ll love it! Enjoy!

Will it help the dough to rise if I put a teaspoon of sugar in the first phase of mixing starter, water and olive oil?

I have tried other sour dough bread recipes but this one is the easiest and the best.

My first try at this recipe is autolysing as I type! I’m planning to split the dough in two and just bake half right now. How long will the other half keep in the fridge wrapped in a damp tea towel as you advise?

My loaves cook up nicely as shown except they always burn black on the very bottom before they get to 250 degrees.  Could my oven be too hot?  I put them on a mid to high center rack in a le cruset dutch oven.

“Watch the dough, not the clock”
Thank you so much for this! It will become my baking mantra. I have just made the most beautiful crusty and tasty sour dough ever. It took a very very long while, it’s about 20degrees in the house at the moment. I started on Saturday and baked on Monday. As an experiment, I was determined not to move on from one process to the next until the dough was ready even if it meant throwing away a mouldy mess after three weeks. More than 24hrs first rising and 4 for the final rise. The bread is beautiful and I have experienced a lightbulb moment. At 65yrs old is it just possible that “patience” has finally come to me?

Thank you so much for this recipe, with your tips, mine worked out great using All purpose flour.

I was intimidated to start making sourdough, i love bread so much i didnt want to mess it up!
Thank you thank you thank you

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/6d6x2gPy.mp4

A simple and easy technique that strengthens the gluten and incorporates air into bread dough

How to Stretch and Fold Sourdough 

This introduction to sourdough recipe has a high amount of sourdough at almost 30% but is great for a quick homestyle loaf.  This loaf is crisp and thin with a great contrast of flavour between crust and crumb. 

Easy Introduction to Sourdough Recipe.

g bread flour

whole wheat flour

water

g levain

bread flour

130 g whole wheat flour flour

salt

225 g liquid levain

Mix the flour, water and liquid starter together until fully combined.  Let stand at room temperature 18-21C (65-70F) for 10-12 hours.  

For the Levain:

Add all ingredients, but the salt, 30g of water 26-27C (78-80F) and the levain into a large bowl. Mix until just combined and let the flour water mixture rest for 30 minutes.

Add the levain to the bowl and mix with your hand until well just combined and let rest for 30-60 minutes.

Using your hand like a claw, pinch in the rest of the salt and remaining water. 

Desired dough temperature &#8211; 26C/78F.

Let the dough bulk ferment for 3 to 3.5 hours. 

Give the dough 3 folds after 60, 90 and 120 min.  

If the dough feels weak give it one more fold 30 minutes after the 3rd fold. 

At the end of the bulk fermentation the dough should have risen significantly, be light and airy and be slightly domed.  

Divide the dough according to your batch size.

Pre shape the dough into rounds and bench rest for 30 minutes.  

Leave the dough on the counter for 20 minutes and then place it into the fridge overnight. 

The dough can stay in the fridge for 12-18 hours.  

Preheat a dutch oven in your oven on the highest setting. 

Flip the dough onto parchment and very carefully lower into the preheated dutch oven then immediately lower the oven temperature to 245C/470F

Cook the bread for 35-40 minutes removing the lid to the dutch oven after 20 minutes. 

When finished tap the bottom to see if it sounds hollow.  The bread should be light and look golden brown. 

Allow the bread to cool for at least 60 minutes before slicing. 

For the Dough:

Hello Matt! Thanks for sharing your recipe and technique with us. I am new to sourdough baking and just created my starter using Nancy Silverton's method. Now I am branching out and found you on Instagram. I have my bannetons in the fridge now so I was able to follow OK. However, I am wondering if you could direct me to any videos you created or if you can explain in your recipe a bit more about how exactly to "fold" the dough. I have seen on insta so many different fancy ways of doing it I'm kind of lost! I learned a long time ago that folding meant folding the dough in half essentially and then pushing the palm of your hand down and up into the dough. But, I'm not seeing anyone do that. Don't want to ruin my work!

Hi Matthew 
Thank you for sharing all your knowledge!
I'm completely confused though.   I see you're adding the strayer to water.  When am I supposed to do this??
I muddled my way through and my bread turned out good,  I'm thinking I may have messed up somewhere. 
Thanks again for everything!!

beginner sourdough crumbshot

This beginner sourdough recipe is perfect for bakers looking to jump right in! It's is a low-hydration dough, meaning it will yield a 'tight' crumb (small holes). It is great for sandwiches and toast.

150 grams/ 5.35 oz bubbly, active sourdough starter

Cover the bowl with wrap or a very damp kitchen cloth. Let rest in a warm spot to rise. The dough is ready when it no longer looks dense and has doubled in size. This can take anywhere from 3-12 hours depending on the temperature of your ingredients, the potency of your starter and surrounding environment. For example, in the summer rise times can take anywhere between 2-4 hours @ 85º F/ 29º C whereas in the winter, the dough will take about 10-12 hours @ 68º F/ 20º C.

Preheat your oven to 450º F/ 232º C towards the tail end of the second rise.

Right before your bread goes into the oven, make a shallow slash about 2-3 inches long (or more) in the center of the dough. Use a bread lame, sharp pairing or a small serrated steak knife. The cut should be about 1/4-inch deep.

Place the bread into the oven on the center rack (lid on) and reduce the temperature to 400° F/ 204° C. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the lid, and continue to bake (uncovered) for an additional 40 minutes or until deep, golden brown. Keep in mind that all ovens are different; you might have to make minimal adjustments to these temperatures.

You can also take the internal temperature of your bread to double check that it is done. For sourdough, it should read about 205-210º F/ 96-98º C.

I followed your recipe and did an overnight rise. I only did the optional stretch in the bowl once because I didn't have time to do it an hour apart. But my loaf didn't rise in the oven that much - it is quite flat. I'm wondering if either my starter wasn't potent enough or the room I proved it in was too cold (scottish winter!), I proved it for 11 hours. It browned fine though. 

Any tips?

I bought your book and came here to comment because I have a couple questions. I followed your directions to make my starter, and it's looking great - even in the cold and dry Wyoming winter weather!

For the bulk rise, you mention stretching and folding every hour or so, up to four or five times. But since the bulk rise will take eight hours at least, are these all meant to be done in the first several hours of the rise, or just whenever I get a chance?

Second, after coming to this page, I see the recipe here is different than the beginner recipe in your book. Will that affect the outcome, and is one different than the other?

Thanks so much - am so excited to keep trying and eventually make some of the awesome more complicated recipes from your book. Hope to hear back on these questions!

Thank you Emilie! I just made my first loaf of sourdough, with my very first starter (his name is Souruman the Wheat - very proud of him :)

The loaf came out wonderfully, except that my score marks didn’t seem deep or wide enough. The loaf instead split on the side. 

Question: Any additional guidance on how much to score the dough other than your “2-3 inch” instruction?

So excited to be making my own sourdough! All thanks to you!

~Patrick and Souruman

This recipe has been working great! I have been dividing into two smaller loaves. If I left it as one large loaf would baking time stay the same?

I absolutely love your step by step directions, makes it super easy to follow! This is my first ever sourdough adventure, I began with your starter recipe as well! But for some reason, in the process of shaping the dough, second rise, and scoring, it is still SO sticky that my hands are covered and it's nearly impossible to shape and score (because the dough just sticks to the knife). I realize that I must be doing something wrong, but I can't figure out what!

I did not read the directions completely and fed y starter on day 3 before I halved it. Can I do it now or is it too late?

I started this early in the day, making my baking time the middle of the night (poor planning on my part). we keep our house cooler (around 65 degrees). I just started my 1st rise, which I will do for an hour. Once that is complete I will need to get it into the Dutch Oven for about 12 hours. I will place it in the oven over night, but If I don't get up until 6am, will it over proof or do you think, in the cooler climate of my house, a 13-14 hour proof is ok?

Hi, Thanks for making this sourdough lark sound more than doable! I have just bought a dutch oven but the lid does not fit perfectly (it rocks a couple of millimeters, is this okay? or does it need a perfect seal to keep the all the steam in? thanks. Darryl

Would adding seeds to this bread mess with the texture? If not when would you recommend putting the seeds in?

Hi there!! love this recipe, it always tastes SO delicious. I however, can never get a good tall loaf. i do stretch and pull twice as recommended, but my bread comes out pretty flat comparatively. i’m wondering what might be going wrong? i follow the recipe to a T. Thank you!!

I was nervous but I found this recipe super easy to follow and I’m so happy with how the bread turned out! I kept it in for 10 minutes longer than in the recipe because my oven isn’t the best :)

How long do your recommend baking this recipe if you only make one loaf with the dough?

I tried the basic sourdough recipe first time and it didn’t rise so spent a few days feeding my starter and it worked a treat second time and my bread tastes amazing!

I've been baking sourdough bread for almost three years now, but this might be my favorite recipe. I like the fact that it can all be done in one day. My previous recipes called for making a levain Friday night, stretch and folds Saturday, overnight refrigerator proofing Saturday night and baking Sunday morning. I found this tedious. Also, I like the lower hydration of this bread as I live in a high humidity area in the South.

I followed your recipe for the starter as well as this recipe for sourdough bread and both worked perfectly.  I am so excited to be able to make my own delicious sourdough bread. Great recipes and tips-thanks so much!

I’ve been on a somewhat of a quest to learn sourdough. Most have turned out “ok” until I found your page. I made your recipe, followed every step to the letter. I have to say it’s the best sourdough I have ever made. It was very hard to wait for it to cool down enough to dig in. Thank you for a “sourdough for dummies” recipe. I now have a measuring stick of what to strive for moving on in my sourdough journey. Many thanks!

I've never baked bread in my entire life until now. This recipe is soo easy and the bread was stunning!! I didn't make my own starter however. My sister purchased online and shared. Highly recommend this recipe if you're a beginner.

I’ve been baking bread since 1971 and sourdough for about ten years and this recipe is perfect for me because I can add cheese and fresh pepper and herbs and figs whatever and it never fails. I’ve found that bread is a journey and I’ll consider myself a beginner and be happy with that forever. Thank you!

As first time SD baker I’ve found this the best starter &amp; sourdough recipe! Now have a strong healthy starter made by following your instructions  &amp; onto my fourth perfect loaf. This recipe is the perfect amount for one loaf in my Emile Henry Bread Loaf Baker. Thanks so much for sharing x

Putting it into the fridge overnight makes it easier to handle from my experience, since the dough is cold and is less likely to stick. Also, elevation plays a really big part in terms of how sticky your dough is; I'm from London - elevation about 10m, so I have to use less water in the recipe (225g rather than 250g) but aside from that the recipe always turns out perfect.

Recipe is a keeper! I even tried it with dried cherries and mini chocolate chips! So so good. The top wasn't as smooth for making a pretty design into it because of it but the taste is amazing!

Please give cup and spoon measurements,  I, like most home bakers don't use ml or grams at all . Its too much fuss and the cup and spoon is simpler as well as easier for visually impaired people or those over 40 to see the significant lines.  That would be awesome.

How is pouring ingredients into a bowl and looking at the weight "too much fuss"? It's easier than counting cups and spoons, not to mention more accurate.

This is a great recipe, especially for beginners

Newbie here, I use the recipe for my first loaf which was good but wanted to try other recipes. After my fifth loaf I’m back to this one, doesn’t disappoint.

An easy recipe with almost foolproof results

I have followed your starter recipe and have been making this bread. I have tried some variations,  eg, cheese and herbs, cinnamon raisin, all a hit! I am now considered a pro in my group, after a couple of months, have taken the bread to potlucks, given away to friends. Now some are seeing me as an expert and have asked me to teach them how to make it. Such a fun experience.  I now have my routine and haven't purchased bread since starting with it. Thank you!

I am currently baking my first loaf of sourdough and somewhere I have made a mistake… I’m 25 minutes in and my sourdough no longer looks like a ball. It seems to have fallen and spread out, I won’t repeat what my teenagers said it looks like!

The starter went really well following this recipe. Hopefully the bread tastes better than it looks, lol!

Thank you!  The tip on using a Dutch oven is something I’ve never heard before and is genius.  I can’t even count how many fails I have had with rock hard crust.  Your instructions have inspired me to pick up baking again!

Hi Emilie!
Love your Guide.  Hoping it is as easy as it looks.  I have a question about turning my liquid starter to the dry starter... After I mixed in the flour (weighing and tare on scale) the dough seems very dry... a big lump and doesn't look like it will activate.  I will wait the 6-10 hours and hope it works.  What am I looking for and how will I know it is ok to put it in the fridge?
Thank you in advance!

The perfect no knead, rustic sourdough bread for beginners! This recipe will produce a crunchy crust, yummy middle and it does all the work itself in this relatively hands-off sourdough made with no commercial yeast. It&#039;s the perfect starter recipe if you are new to sourdough.

No-Knead Beginner Sourdough

ripe sourdough starter

water (warm

all purpose flour

levain (about 1 cup)

water, room temperature (about 1 3/4 cups)

salt (about 2 teaspoons)

To a clear liquid measuring cup add 90 grams of starter, 90 grams of water and 90 grams of flour. Mix together. Cover and let sit at warm room temperature (78-80ºF) for about 3-4 hours until the mixture is bubbly, doubled in size and just about to fall. Once the levain has doubled in size and has reached it&#39;s peak height, it is ready to use.

Mix Levain (ready in 3-4 hours at 78-80ºF)

Mix Dough: Mix 230 grams of ripe levain, room temperature water, flour and salt in a bowl using a wooden spoon or dough whisk (affiliate link). The dough will look “shaggy” (rough, craggy and a little bit lumpy) at first but mix until it forms a ball. Cover the bowl and let rest for 1 hour at 78-80ºF.

Stretch &amp; Fold #1: After an hour, uncover the bowl and do a series of three &quot;stretch and folds&quot;. To do this, pick up the underside of the dough and fold it on top of itself, turning the bowl after each fold and picking up a different section of the dough to fold and turn. An example of this folding technique is found here (halfway through the video). Cover the bowl again and let it rest for another hour, keeping the dough at 78-80ºF.

Stretch &amp; Fold #2: After an hour, uncover the bowl and repeat the series of three stretch and folds. Notice how the dough is coming together. It doesn’t feel shaggy anymore and is becoming more stretchy and cohesive. Cover the bowl again and let rest at a warm temperature 78-80ºF for one hour.

Stretch &amp; Fold #3: Uncover the bowl and repeat the series of three stretch and folds. This is your final set of stretch and folds. Cover the dough and let rest for another hour, keeping the dough warm 78-80ºF.

At this point about 4 hours should have passed from the time you initially mixed the dough. The dough should have risen 30-40%, have some scattered bubbles over the top of the dough, pull away from the sides and start to dome toward the center and feel more elastic. If it doesn&#39;t look that way, let it keep fermenting for another 30 minutes and check again. Check your dough temperature and make sure your dough is in the 78-80ºF range.

Cold Bulk Fermentation: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lid and put it in the refrigerator to rest overnight. The dough can stay in the refrigerator for 12 to 48 hours. See recipe notes for instructions on baking the same day.

Pre-heat the Oven: The next morning (or whenever you are ready to bake your bread), put a dutch oven into your oven with the lid on and set the oven to 500ºF. Preheat the dutch oven by leaving it in the oven for 30 minutes.

Shaping: Immediately after setting the dutch oven to preheat, pull out a piece of parchment paper. Take your dough out of the fridge. Dump dough on the counter and use your hands to shape the dough into a round ball, gently dragging the dough on the counter as you shape it into a ball. The dough should be fairly easy to work with because it is cold. Use wet hands if the dough is sticky.

Scoring: When your dutch oven has preheated for 30 minutes, score the top of your bread with a bread lame (affiliate link), sharp knife or razor.

Bake the Bread: Take the dutch oven out of the oven. Warning: This is a VERY HOT dutch oven. Keep those oven mitts on and be very careful not to burn yourself. Take the top off the dutch oven and place the dough and parchment paper into the dutch oven. Place the top back on the dutch oven and close the oven door. Immediately decrease the baking temperature to 450 degrees and bake for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, take the top off the dutch oven and continue baking for 20 more minutes. The internal temperature should be 205ºF when finished baking.

Pull the bread out of the oven. Wait until cool to cut into it. Enjoy!

Thank you. This recipe was perfect for me as a beginner. One more question, would doubling the recipe work? Would I be able to go through the stretch and folds and bulk fermenting and then just split the dough at the end before baking?

I was given a proofing basket. Should I use it for during the cold bulk fermentation? Or is it not necessary? Thanks!

This is the the only recipe I use! My bread comes out perfect every time! Thank you for sharing this and all of your recipes!

Hi Amy! I've tried a few sourdough starter recipes, but I have found yours to be the most helpful! One quick question - my dough, when I turned it out onto the parchment this morning, stuck! I pulled it off, floured a new parchment sheet, and put the formed ball on there and it STILL stuck to the parchment in the oven! What am I doing wrong??

Using freshly milled whole grains, this recipe creates a rustic, flavorful bread with a crisp crust and soft, airy interior.

The Easiest Beginner Fresh Milled Sourdough Loaf

sourdough starter (active)

flour

Mill the wheat berries.

In a large bowl, add the water and starter. Mix well.

Add the flour and salt. Mix just until combined.

Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 30 minutes to an hour.

Start a series of stretch and folds on the dough.

To do a stretch and fold, lift up on a corner of the dough and fold it over itself. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and continue this process all the way around the bowl.

Perform these every 30 minutes or so. Aim to do 4-6 sets.

After the last stretch and fold, cover the bowl and let rise for an additional 2-3 hours.

You will know the dough has fermented properly when it is domed and feels like it is full of air when poked with your finger tip.

Gently turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface.

Pull up on each corner and fold it back onto itself. Do this all the way around the dough.

Prepare a banneton basket by lining with a linen towel or tea towel and generously flouring.

Turn the dough over, seam side down, and drag the dough against the counter in a circular motion to seal the seam and build surface tension.

Place the dough in the basket SEAM SIDE UP. Gently stitch the seam to ensure it is sealed.

Cover and place in the fridge overnight or up to 2-3 days before baking.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F with a Dutch oven or roasting pan with a lid in the oven while it preheats.

Once preheated, take the dough out of the fridge and turn onto a piece of parchment paper.

Using a sharp knife or razor blade, slash the top of the dough to about 1/2 inch deep.

Remove the baking vessel from the oven and take the lid off. Carefully lower the sheet of parchment paper into the Dutch oven or roasting pan.

Replace the lid and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove the lid and bake an additional 15 minutes until deeply golden brown.

Place on a cooling rack and let cool completely before slicing and storing.

I followed the recipe exactly as written and I made a beautiful and delicious loaf of bread. I will be making this recipe again!

Sourdough baking can often feel like an overwhelming task. Between feeding your starter, waiting hours between folds, and babysitting the dough through an overnight fridge proof—many give up before they ever get to taste a warm, homemade loaf. I used to be one of those people. But over time, I discovered a relaxed, low-maintenance method that not only works beautifully, but fits seamlessly into a regular routine. You don’t need to be a professional baker to enjoy fresh sourdough at home—you just need the right approach. If you're a busy home cook looking for great results without all the stress, this method was made for you.

A No-Fuss Sourdough Routine That Changed My Baking Life

active sourdough starter (about ½ cup)

water (about 1 ½ cups), room temperature

bread

cornmeal flour

Feed your sourdough starter in the morning so it’s active and bubbly by the evening.

In a large bowl, mix the starter, water, flour, and salt. Stir with a spatula or your hands until it comes together into a rough dough. Don’t worry if it looks messy—it’ll smooth out as it rests.

Cover the bowl with a clean towel or plastic wrap and leave it on your kitchen counter overnight (8–12 hours). During this time, the dough will rise slowly, becoming airy and stretchy.

Preheat your oven to 450°F with your Dutch oven inside. Let it heat for at least 30–45 minutes.

Meanwhile, gently turn the dough out onto parchment paper. Use floured hands to shape it into a round loaf. There’s no need to knead—just tuck the edges underneath.

Cover the dough loosely with an inverted bowl or towel and let it rest at room temperature for about an hour. This final rise helps it puff up before baking.

Carefully remove the hot Dutch oven from the oven, lower the temperature to 400°F, and transfer the dough (on parchment) inside. Cover and bake for 40 minutes.

Remove the lid and bake uncovered for an additional 3–5 minutes to brown the crust.

Let your bread cool on a rack for at least 1 hour before slicing—this helps the steam escape and gives you the best texture.

Light, fluffy, tender and absolutely delicious, this zucchini bread recipe is perfect for using up garden zucchini and sourdough discard.

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