Whether you are just starting out or if you’re a seasoned baker, this is the BEST sourdough bread recipe. When I was first experimenting with sourdough I tried so many recipes, and I eventually combined two recipes and several tricks I learned along the way to create my own perfect sourdough recipe.
If you’re like me and hopped on the sourdough bread train during 2020, then you already know how lifechanging good sourdough bread can be. If you’ve never made sourdough bread before, welcome! I am so excited for you!
This blog post is all about the best sourdough bread recipe PLUS tips and tricks for beginner bakers so you’re loaves always come out perfect!
In my opinion, sourdough bread is literally magic. It never ceases to amaze me how only three ingredients: flour, salt, and water, can create an a gorgeous artisan bread that tastes like you bought it from the best bakery in town. When I was first wanting to start baking sourdough bread I was so overwhelmed with all of the different recipes, flour types, fermenting times, etc, etc; but eventually I combined two recipes plus several tips I learned along the way to create the perfect sourdough bread recipe.
I am confident that every single one of you could make this recipe and have beautiful delicious bread on your first try. My mom used this recipe and had amazing loaves on her first try! I watched hours of Youtube videos and did lots of research so that you don’t have to!
By the end of this post you will understand sourdough starter, have the most foolproof sourdough bread recipe, and know the common beginner mistakes and the tips and tricks to avoid them!
Sourdough Starter
Sourdough starter is how your sourdough rises because sourdough does not use yeast like traditional bread. The starter is simply a mixture of flour and water that uses natural bacteria to make the bread rise. Sourdough starter is something that has to be fed and taken care of like a plant as it uses fresh water and flour to fuel itself.
If you are just starting out with sourdough you can either make your own starter from scratch and let it ferment for a few weeks before you bake your first loaves, or you can buy or get mature starter from someone else. I personally got some starter from a friend, but my mom made her own starter – both work!
Once you have your starter, you need to feed it incrementally based on how much bread you plan to make on a weekly basis. Some people feed their starter every single day and keep it on the counter top if they make bread daily or several times a week. On the other hand, some feed their starter about every 7-10 days and keep it in the refrigerator in between feedings like I do.
I recommend watching THIS Youtube video if you want to know more about sourdough starter. Just remember not to get overwhelmed! Sourdough starter is relatively forgiving!
How to Feed Sourdough Starter
It is key to remember that your sourdough starter is a living breathing thing that feeds on water and flour. To keep your starter alive you have to feed it. To feed my starter, I take it out of the refrigerator and put 20 grams of the starter in to a clean glass jar. I then mix in 100 grams of warm water and 100 grams of bread flour. This is my starter that I will either use to make bread dough the next day OR I will put it back in the refrigerator if I am not planning on baking.
What to Do With Sourdough Starter
But what do you do with the remaining starter in the original jar that you didn’t use? This is what people refer to as “discard” and you can either use it in a recipe that calls for sourdough starter, or you can throw it away.
There are so many delicious sourdough discard recipes on Pinterest. Some of my favorite things to make with discard are chocolate chip scones or pancakes. The sourdough discard adds a pleasant and subtle “sour” taste to whatever you are baking and also helps to act as a leavening agent.
Best Sourdough Bread Recipe
Now for what you came here for: the best sourdough bread recipe!
The Best Sourdough Bread
Ingredients
- 200 grams ripe sourdough starter
- 700 grams bread flour
- 300 grams wheat flour
- 750 + 20 grams warm water
- 20 grams salt
- rice flour
Instructions
Making the Dough
- Measure and combine 700 grams of white bread flour and 300 grams of whole wheat flour. Stir in 750 grams of warm water and combine with the flour until no dry flour is remaining. Cover with a damp dish towel and let this mixture sit for 30 minutes.
- Uncover the bowl and add in 200 grams of ripe starter. Use a dough hook or your hands and mix in the starter until completely combined.
- Sprinkle 20 grams of salt into the bowl and sprinkle the additional 20 grams of warm water over the salt. Use a dough hook or your hands and mix in the salt and water. Cover with a damp towel and let sit for 10-20 minutes.
- Uncover the bowl and wet your hands with warm water. Reach down along the side of the dough and stretch the dough upward and then fold it back down into the bowl. Turn the bowl and repeatedly stretch and fold the dough for 10 minutes. Cover the dough with a damp towel and let sit for 60 minutes. Your dough is now in the bulk fermentation stage.
- After 1 hour, uncover the bowl and wet your hands. Reach down into the dough like you did before and stretch and fold the dough four times. Rotating the bowl in between each stretch and fold so you fold all the way around the dough. Cover and let sit for another 60 minutes. Repeat this step 4-6 times (4-6 hours) to complete the bulk fermentation of your dough. You know when the dough is ready when it is jiggly and feels soft and airy.
Shaping the Dough into Loaves
- Now it is time to shape the dough into loaves. Flour your surface with rice flour and gently dump the dough onto the counter. Cut the dough in half using a bench scraper. Take one half of the dough and fold and pinch the edges of the dough toward the center to create a ball. Flip the ball over and use your bench scraper to create tension in the dough by scooting the dough ball towards you. Repeat this motion 5-10 times. The surface of the dough should become tight. Repeat this with the other half of the dough. Cover both dough balls with a damp towel and let sit for 20 minutes.
- Uncover the dough. Take one dough ball and gently stretch the dough into a rectangle shape. Fold the rectangle into itself in thirds hotdog style. Then take the short end of the rectangle and start to roll the dough onto itself like a cinnamon roll. Repeat with the other dough ball.
- Sprinkle the dough balls with rice flour and use your bench scraper to scoop the dough balls and put them each in their own banneton. You can also use a small mixing bowl with a tea towel. Cover both bannetons or bowls and let your dough sit for 60-90 minutes.
- Poke your finger into the dough. If your finger leaves an indentation in the dough you know the dough is ready to go into the refrigerator. If the dough springs back quickly, it needs more time.
- Transfer your covered dough into the refrigerator and let it chill for 8-12 hours. This time helps the sourdough flavor develop in your bread. The longer the bread chills, the more sour it will taste. I prefer 12 hours.
Baking the Dough
- When the dough ready to bake. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees and put your dutch oven on a lower rack. Let the dutch oven warm up in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
- Remove on dough ball from the refrigerator and transfer the dough to a sheet of parchment paper. Use a sharp knife or blade to score the top of the bread about 3/4 inches deep. Carefully remove the preheated dutch oven from the oven and carefully drop the dough on the parchment paper into the dutch oven. Put the lid on the dutch oven and transfer it back to the oven.
- Let your bread bake for 30 minutes with the lid on. After 30 minutes, remove the lid and let the dough bake for an additional 10-12 minutes or until it is a dark golden brown.
- Carefully remove the dutch oven from the oven and use mitted hands to take the bread loaf out of the dutch oven. Immediately bake your second dough ball using the same process.
- Let your bread loaves cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting into them.
Sourdough Bread Tips
Sourdough Bread Tip #1
Beware of burning the bottom of your loaf! If you find that the bottom of your sourdough loaves are getting too dark for your liking in the oven, I have just the trick for you! This exact problem was happening to me, and I solved it by simply putting a cookie sheet on a rack below the dutch oven. What this does is prevent the bottom of your dutch oven getting disproportionally hot and burning your bread. It works every time!
Sourdough Bread Tip #2
Your dough might not be rising fast enough because your house is too cold! Sourdough likes it warm, preferably in the high 70s, but not very many people keep their home that warm. The simple fix for this is to let your dough rise in between fold in your oven with the oven light on. Your oven light will generate a few degrees of heat that will keep the dough nice and warm. Make sure you keep the oven door open slightly for plenty of oxygen flow.
Sourdough Bread Tip #3
Is your sourdough sticking to your counter top and your bannetons? Sticky dough is so frustrating, but this tip is easy! Sprinkle your counters and your bannetons with a dusting of rice flour. Rice flour absorbs less moisture than traditional flour and creates a great barrier for your dough.
Sourdough Bread Tip #4
Use filtered water in your dough! Tap water is different everywhere and can often contain lots of chemicals. Bread dough is sensitive to any changes, and using filtered water ensures that there is nothing weird going into your dough that could affect how it rises. I just use water out of our Brita filter!
Sourdough Bread Tip #5
Use your sourdough starter at its peak! You want to use your sourdough starter when it is at its strongest so it can have full strength to make your dough rise. Beware of letting your starter rise too much! You want the top of your starter to be nice and bubbly and have a slight dome on the top – that way you know it is still strong and growing. If the top of your starter has fallen, it is a little too late and I would feed a fresh batch of starter.
I hope you enjoyed this post on the best sourdough bread recipe!
