Hi Friend!

I’m Amy, sourdough teacher and recipe developer. My goal is to help YOU make the most incredible sourdough bread. I’ll teach you the ins and outs of sourdough from how to get a sourdough starter to making your first loaf of bread.

You will find everything you need to know along with the BEST recipes on my website. I also offer online sourdough courses if you want a little more help and support along the way.

I am your biggest cheerleader and supporter. I know you can make incredible bread and can’t wait to see your results. Let’s get started!

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. As an Amazon Affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. Rest assured, I only share my favorite items and am grateful for your support!

1. It Starts with a Sourdough Starter

Sourdough is a process of leavening bread. It doesn’t use any commercial yeast to raise bread dough. Instead it uses a “starter” of fermented flour and water to raise bread. The key to a good loaf of sourdough bread is in the health and strength of your sourdough starter. So, how do you get a sourdough starter? You can get a sourdough starter in a couple of ways:

  1. Make One Yourself: This process can take a minimum of 2-3 weeks. Check out my guide to making a starter from scratch and download your free sourdough starter guide.
  2. Rehydrate Dehydrated Starter: Purchase my sourdough masterclass or my mini course. It comes with dehydrated sourdough starter (U.S. only) and you can rehydrate it within a couple of days to use.
  3. Purchase Sourdough Starter: Purchase sourdough starter here or get some from a local artisan bakery or a friend who bakes sourdough.

2. Learn How to Maintain Your Sourdough Starter

Once you’ve got a sourdough starter, it’s important to understand how to maintain it and when to use it to mix up your sourdough. Read through my Free Beginner Guide filled with just enough science to help you understand how sourdough works, or take my online sourdough master class.

Feeding Your Starter: Sourdough starter is maintained through feeding a portion of inactive starter fresh flour and water. It then goes through a fermentation cycle where it rises, peaks and then falls. Understanding this fermentation cycle and is key to making a starter work for you.

When to use Your Starter: Starter should be added to dough when it’s the most active. That point is right after your starter reaches its peak height. I also recommend making a levain for many sourdough recipes. You can learn more about that here.

3. Bake Your First Loaf of Bread

Once your sourdough starter is rising and falling predictably, a few days in a row, it’s time to make your first loaf of bread! I recommend starting with my no-knead beginner sourdough bread:

No Knead Beginner Sourdough: This recipe is easy, delicious and makes a great loaf of bread. It gets you comfortable working with a higher hydration dough (more water in the dough than bread you may be used to working with) and tastes incredible. If you want me to walk you through every step, you can check out my mini course that includes a video of this entire recipe.

Sourdough Artisan Bread: This is the recipe I keep coming back to. I make it weekly for my family and it is crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. It’s the type of sourdough you see all over social media for good reason – it’s delicious. I guide you through the recipe on this post or you can take my mini course that walks you through every step of the process. You can also read through my sourdough artisan bread guide for help in specific sections.

4. Make Some Discard Recipes

Sourdough discard is a byproduct of sourdough starter. It’s inactive sourdough starter which we choose not to re-feed because then we would end up with a whole lot of extra starter. You can read more about sourdough discard here or take a mini course to better understand it. I love adding sourdough discard to my baked goods and develop many recipes that use sourdough discard. Here are some favorites you should try:

  1. Sourdough Discard Sandwich Bread
  2. Sourdough Discard Pretzel Bites
  3. Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chunk Cookies
  4. Sourdough Discard Banana Bread
  5. Sourdough Discard Granola

Find More Sourdough Discard Recipes Here:

5. Get Some New Baking Tools

After you’ve baked a couple of loaves, you may decide you want to upgrade or purchase some new baking tools to help make your bakes even better. I baked sourdough for years using kitchen bowls, my hands and just a few basic tools, but have since upgraded to a few items that make the sourdough process easier.

  1. Digital Scale: I think this is a must for sourdough bakers. Most recipes are in grams and it is much easier to maintain a starter using a scale.
  2. Dutch Oven: A Dutch oven helps a home baker get the crispy crust with soft interior and a beautiful rise. Home ovens aren’t built to trap steam, so a Dutch oven serves this purpose in a home.
  3. Bread Lame: I love using this to score my dough instead of a sharp knife. This is how bakers get beautiful designs and scores on their sourdough bread.

You can shop more of my favorite baking items on my Amazon Storefront (affiliate links) or check out the post below for my list of essential tools baking with sourdough.

6. Keep Baking and Share Your Results!

Part of the fun of baking is trying new recipes, making them your own and then sharing the results! I love seeing your bakes. Please tag me @amybakesbread on Instagram and come join the “We Bake Sourdough” community on Facebook. I have so many favorite sourdough recipes on my website and am adding more every week. Here are a few favorites I definitely recommend trying:

  1. Soft Sourdough Sandwich Bread
  2. Sourdough Focaccia Bread
  3. Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
  4. Sourdough Neapolitan Pizza Dough
  5. Sourdough Bagels
  6. Soft Sourdough Rosemary Bread

More Amazing Sourdough Recipes Here:

Enjoy the Journey!

Whatever you are baking, remember to have FUN and enjoy the process. Sourdough takes practice. It takes some evaluating and learning from your past bakes. Sourdough can change with the seasons (temperature). Just keep on baking. Almost every time you will bake something edible and delicious. You will learn and you will improve. You can do it!

Your Sourdough Journey Starts Today!