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Learn how to make delicious sourdough bread with this Beginner Sourdough Bread recipe. Easy to follow, simple ingredients and a delicious crispy crust with a soft middle, this is a lower-hydration, easy-to-handle dough that makes it perfect for a beginner.
If you are looking to start sourdough, you’re in the right place! I’ve been baking sourdough bread for many years – without using commercial yeast – and this is still one of my go-to sourdough recipes. You will learn easy techniques to build on later when you want to make a more advanced, classic sourdough bread.
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Note: If you’re just getting started and don’t yet have a sourdough starter yet, learn how to make a sourdough starter from scratch, get one from a friend or purchase one to get started.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love Beginner Sourdough Bread
- Almost No-Knead & Beginner-Friendly – This recipe is perfect for new bakers! With little effort, you’ll be able to bake incredible sourdough bread right in your home oven and after you try this loaf, you’ll also want to check out my overnight easy sourdough bread recipe or try my easy sourdough discard bread – my easiest versions yet!
- Flexible & Convenient – The dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two days before baking, so you can have fresh sourdough bread whenever you want.
- Tried, Tested & Loved – With over a decade of sourdough baking experience and hundreds of recipes on my website, I still come back to this one because it’s just that good!
New to Sourdough? If you are new to sourdough, learn how to maintain your sourdough starter and check out my Free Sourdough Beginner Guide. Using naturally fermented sourdough with all the good bacteria and wild yeast will take much longer, but you will love the fermentation benefits and the flavor!
Why Sourdough?
If you are new to the world of sourdough, you may be wondering, “Why take the time to bake with sourdough?!” Unlike conventional loaves that rely on quick-rise store-bought yeast, sourdough takes its time. That slow fermentation doesn’t just develop better flavor and texture—it also makes the bread easier to digest by breaking down gluten and phytic acid and unlocking more nutrients along the way.
Whether you’re baking for the texture, flavor, or the fermentation benefits, sourdough is worth the wait. Once you try it, you’ll see why so many bakers stick with it for life!
Important Ingredients
With only FOUR ingredients, this sourdough bread is better for you than any store-bought version with many more ingredients.
- Levain – This recipe uses the French style of sourdough (levain) that acts as a power feed for your sourdough starter. It’s not hard – just an extra feeding step to give you the best bread. If you don’t have a sourdough starter, first make your own, get some from a friend, or purchase one.
- Bread Flour – I use good quality bread flour with 12-12.5% protein content. All-purpose flour can also work in this recipe if that’s all you have.
- Water – Use warm water to warm up your dough or cool water to cool it down so it can stay in the 76-78ºF temperature range.
- Salt – I use table salt.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities
Substitutions
There’s not much in the way of substitutions when you are working with only a few ingredients!
- All-Purpose Flour: I like the chewy, fluffy crumb bread flour produces, but all-purpose flour can work well too. I have not tried using whole wheat flour in this recipe, but I think you could add some with good results.
- Sourdough Starter: Skip the levain and substitute ripe, active sourdough starter that is 100% hydration (starter that has been fed equal weights of flour and water).
- Mix-Ins: This loaf is delicious with a little fresh rosemary or other herbs sprinkled in after the first rise and right before shaping the dough. Or check out my Top 10 Sourdough Add-Ins for more mix-in inspiration.
Sourdough Baker’s Timeline
Because working with a sourdough starter can be unfamiliar and new at first, I include sourdough sample schedules in my sourdough recipes. These schedules are not meant to be followed exactly but rather give you an idea of a timeline – which is very dependent on the temperature of your dough/starter and the activity of your starter.
Note: The schedule assumes a dough temperature of 78-80ºF. I hope it’s helpful to you.
| Day 1 | Mix Levain, Mix Dough, Refrigerate |
| 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Mix Levain (or feed your starter): Mix together ripe sourdough starter, water and flour to make levain. Let rest at 78ºF until bubbly and ripe, about 3-4 hours. If you already have a ripe, bubbly, active starter, you can replace that with the levain in this recipe. |
| 12:00 PM | Mix together levain (or bubbly starter), flour, water and salt. Begin Bulk Fermentation (let it rest). |
| 1:00 PM | Stretch and Fold #1 |
| 2:00 PM | Stretch and Fold #2 |
| 3:00 PM | Stretch and Fold #3 |
| 4:00 or 5:00 PM | Finish Bulk Fermentation Cover and Refrigerate Overnight |
| Day 2 | Shape and Bake |
| 10:00 AM | Preheat oven and Shape Dough |
| 10:30 AM | Bake |
How to Maintain Sourdough Temperature: If you are having issues keeping your dough or starter warm enough for the starter to activate, try a bread-proofing mat, bread proofer or use some of the ideas in my guide on how temperature affects sourdough. You can also increase the amount of starter in your dough to help with colder temperatures or adjust your expectations for how long the dough will take to rise. For warmer ambient temperatures, use cold water, your refrigerator and less starter in your dough.
How to Make Beginner Sourdough Bread
Mix the Levain
Step 1: Mix the Levain. Take 80 grams ripe, active sourdough starter. Feed it 80 grams flour and 80 grams water (Image 1). Cover and let sit in a warm (78ºF) place for 3-4 hours until bubbly, doubled in size and active (Image 2). Do not use the levain or your sourdough starter if it has not shown these signs. Starter is best to used in its peaked and active state.
Do you have to use a levain in this recipe? No. I prefer it, but if you have a well-maintained and frequently refreshed sourdough starter, you can substitute it in place of the levain in the recipe. A levain is an offshoot of your sourdough starter. It acts as a power feed for your starter and using one will give you a better loaf.
Mix the Dough
Step 2: Mix the Dough. In a large bowl, combine the ripe levain (or sourdough starter), flour, water, and salt. Use a dough whisk or your hands to mix until a shaggy dough forms (Images 3 & 4).
Note: Temperature affects how long it will take for your sourdough to rise. Use cool water if your kitchen is warm and the ingredients are warm. Use warmer water if your kitchen and ingredients are cold. Take the temperature of your dough with a thermometer to know for sure and do your best to keep the dough right around 78-80º F for best results.
Bulk Fermentation and Stretch and Folds
Step 3: Bulk Fermentation. Let the dough rest at warm room temperature (78-80ºF) for 4-5 hours. During this time, the dough will ferment and develop strength and flavor. You will perform three sets of stretch and folds, one set every hour, to build gluten strength and structure in the dough.
Stretch and Folds: Instead of traditional kneading, this simple technique of pulling and stretching the dough is what we use to strengthen the dough. To do this, gently lift a section of the dough, stretch it upward, and fold it over itself (Images 5 & 6). Rotate the bowl and repeat for all sides (Images 7 & 8). Sometimes it helps to see a visual of this process.
Why use stretch and folds? Stretch and folds replace kneading in higher hydration doughs, which are naturally stickier due to their higher water content. This technique helps align and strengthen the gluten strands without overworking the dough. Over time, the combination of hydration and gentle folding builds structure, allowing for a proper rise and a light, soft crumb.
Cold Fermentation (Refrigerate Dough)
Step 4. End Bulk Fermentation and Refrigerate Dough. Once the dough has puffed up and has risen about 30-40% in the bowl, place the covered dough in the refrigerator for overnight (or up to 48 hours) cold fermentation. This cold fermentation slows down the rise and helps develop flavor. If you want to skip the cold fermentation, let the dough rise another hour or two on the counter and proceed with shaping and baking.
Signs Dough is Ready for the Refrigerator: Dough is ready to put in the refrigerator when it has:
- Risen about 40% at 78-80ºF (if your temperature is cooler you want the dough to rise more)
- Doming toward the middle and pulling away from edges
- Puffed up, jiggly and a few scattered bubbles Cold dough will take longer. Warm dough will move faster.
Shape and Bake
Step 5: Preheat Dutch Oven. Place the Dutch oven (lid included) in the oven and preheat to 500°F for 30 minutes. Use quality oven mitts—this gets very hot!
Step 6: Shape the Dough. While preheating, lay out a piece of parchment paper. Remove dough from the fridge and gently shape it into a ball, using your hands to roll the edges under the dough. Place on parchment paper (Image 10). Let it rest for 30 minutes while the oven preheats.
Parchment Note: Use a good-quality parchment paper. I’ve used some brands that stick to the bottom of the dough when baked (so annoying!) and others where the parchment peels right off. You can also use a reusable silicone sling if you prefer.
Step 7: Score the Top. Once the oven is ready and the dough has finished resting, use a sharp knife to make one or two simple slashes on the dough, creating a place for the steam to burst through the dough once baked (Image 11).
Step 8. Bake the Bread. Carefully remove the Dutch oven from the oven (it’s extremely hot). Place the dough and parchment paper inside, cover with the lid, and reduce the temperature to 450°F. Bake for 25 minutes covered, then remove the lid (Image 12) and bake for 20 more minutes until golden and crispy and the internal temperature registers about 205-210ºF (Image 13).
Do I have to use a Dutch Oven? I think a Dutch Oven is the easiest way for a home baker or beginner sourdough baker to get a crispy crust and beautiful sourdough bread. You can use other baking methods to bake sourdough bread, but they do come with more of a learning curve.
Cool and Enjoy
This may be the most difficult part – letting the loaf cool before enjoying it! Sourdough needs to rest and cool so the crumb sets properly and gives you the best texture – but sometimes I’ll still snag a heel because warm sourdough bread?! Yes please!
How to Store Leftovers
Store leftover sourdough bread in an airtight container or bread bag at room temperature for a day or two. After that freeze the loaf or bread slices (put a piece of parchment in between each slice if desired) for best results. Bread can stay frozen for up to a couple of months.
Amy’s Recipe Tips
How You Maintain Your Starter Matters: Good sourdough starts with a good sourdough starter. A well-maintained sourdough starter that is frequently refreshed will give you the best loaf of bread – or use the levain method as outlined in this recipe for a powerfeed.
Use Active Levain: Levain or starter that has doubled in size, peaked and is just starting to fall back down is going to have the most wild yeast and least amount of acid carryover into your bread – which will result in the best loaf of sourdough.
Temperature Matters: The temperature of your dough (and starter) will affect how quickly your dough will rise. It’s okay to stick a thermometer in your dough so you know exactly what your temperature is – it may surprise you!
Use a Kitchen Scale: I know, I know. You don’t want to use a scale to measure your flour, water and salt. I get it! I grew up using cup measurements too. BUT, sourdough has taught me how inaccurate cup measurements really are.
Everyone measures a cup of flour differently and when you are working with a higher hydration (more water) dough, it can be difficult to go by “feel” until you have quite a few loaves under your belt. I do include cup measurements in this recipe if you don’t have your scale yet, but I highly recommend using a scale for best results.
Top 4 Beginner Mistakes & Fixes
- Flat bread? If you dough baked up flat like a pancake, then it needed to rise before baking OR it rose way too much and over-proofed and then deflated during baking.
- Hard crust, Gummy Inside? If your bread turned out gummy it’s usually for one of two reasons: Your starter is not active enough yet to bake with or needs more refreshments/feedings OR you under-proofed your loaf and it needed to rise more (at either a warmer temperature or for a longer amount of time).
- Dough Not Rising? If your dough is not rising, warm it up! Often this is a temperature issue and you need to find a way to warm the dough up by placing the bowl near a warm appliance, using your oven with the light on (don’t turn the oven on!), a dough warming mat or even the microwave with boiling water.
- Dense Loaf? This could be a sign your dough has under-proved OR your starter may not be quite active enough or ready to use. Give it a few more feeds and us it right after it reaches its peak height.
Frequently Asked Questions
I’m a big believer in using what you already have! This recipe is nice because it doesn’t require you to go out and purchase all the sourdough tools. I do recommend a good kitchen scale and a Dutch oven as two tools that will really help you with baking sourdough in general and also in this recipe.
After you’ve made this beginner sourdough loaf and are feeling confident, try my Classic Sourdough Bread. It is my go-to, the one I make the most in my home with an open, airy crumb and beautiful scoring.
You may also want to try my easy sourdough bread recipe which is very hands-off and lets the dough sit overnight. And finally, if you want a little extra help, enroll in my online sourdough course that goes at your own pace, includes a Q&A forum, and gets you making incredible sourdough quickly!
This beginner sourdough bread has a lower hydration than a typical loaf of sourdough artisan bread. This is by design – to help you learn how to handle the dough and get comfortable with the sourdough process. It also means your dough won’t score quite as well. When you’re ready, try out this classic sourdough bread recipe that will teach you more about scoring and has a higher hydration (more water) which allows for a more open crumb and better scoring.
This can happen when you are baking at high heat. To help prevent that, stick a baking stone or baking sheet on the rack below the Dutch oven to help offset some of the heat. You can also add a trivet or some cornmeal on the bottom of your Dutch oven which can help.
What to Bake Next
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Beginner Sourdough Bread
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Ingredients
Levain(1:1:1 ratio, 3-4 hours until peak at 78ºF)
- 80 grams ripe sourdough starter, about 1/3 cup
- 80 grams water, warm or cool depending on the temperature, 1/3 cup
- 80 grams all purpose flour, about 2/3 cup
Dough (8-36 hour rise)
- 230 grams levain or sourdough starter, see recipe notes, about 1 cup
- 400 grams water, room temperature, about 1 3/4 cups
- 600 grams bread flour or all purpose (see recipe note), about 4 1/2 cups
- 12 grams salt, about 2 teaspoons
Instructions
Mix Levain (ready in 3-4 hours at 78-80ºF)
- To a clear liquid measuring cup add 80 grams of starter, 80 grams of water and 80 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's peak height, it is ready to use.Note: If you have ripe, bubbly, active sourdough starter you want to use instead of making a levain, you can skip this step and substitute it for the levain in this recipe.
Beginner Sourdough Bread
- Mix Dough: Mix 230 grams of ripe levain, room temperature water, flour and salt in a bowl using a wooden spoon or dough whisk. 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 & Fold #1: After an hour, uncover the bowl and do a series of three "stretch and folds". 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. Cover the bowl again and let it rest for another hour, keeping the dough at 78-80ºF.
- Stretch & 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 & 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 or two, keeping the dough warm 78-80ºF.
- At this point about 4-5 hours should have passed from the time you initially mixed the dough. The dough should have risen about 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'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 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.
- Preheat 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. Place the dough ball on a piece of parchment paper.
- Scoring: When your dutch oven has preheated for 30 minutes, score the top of your bread with a sharp knife with one or two slashes.Note: This dough is not meant for intricate scoring. A few simple slashes will suffice. If you want to make a loaf with intricate scoring, try my more advanced sourdough bread recipe.
- 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 450ºF 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!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I have made this many times now. I think I finally have a feel for the texture of the dough and usually shape into baguettes.
It takes time to get a feel for the dough, but it feels so rewarding once you do! Happy baking!
My perfect go to recipe. Easy flexible and works every time. I even added inclusions with much success. Thanks Amy.
Thanks for the review! I’m glad it turned out great.
This has been the only recipe that has worked for me I love it!!
I’m glad it works for you! Happy baking!
Hi! I have made this loaf successfully twice now and I love it! I was wondering if you think this is a loaf I could add inclusions to? I was thinking maybe garlic and rosemary? But not sure if for some reason that would not work for this loaf specifically… Thanks for the great recipe!
Adding inclusions should work! You can also check out all of Amy’s artisan loaf recipes here.