This is my favorite easy sourdough bread recipe! I’m still very new to sourdough making, but I finally figured out a sourdough bread recipe that’s worked well for me! The water content is higher than some recipes, so it makes a nice moist dough. I’ll include special instructions if you’re like me and baking this in the winter. I didn’t realize how much longer dough needs to rise when the weather’s cold!

If You Don’t Have a Sourdough Starter…

Don’t worry! Visit this recipe first and I’ll help you create a strong sourdough starter for your bread. You’ll have to do that first and come back to this recipe when it’s ready.

Using All Purpose Flour

Most sourdough recipes will call for bread flour specifically. I found that I have the best success by using King Arthur All Purpose Flour instead. This could be partly because when I feed my starter, I’m using a mix of AP Flour and whole wheat flour. I’ll be posting exactly how I make a sourdough starter and feed it soon!

Suggested Baking Supplies

When Should You Start Making Your Bread?

Unlike bread maker bread, you’ll need to plan ahead when you want to make a loaf. You don’t want to have the kneading steps in the middle of the night!

You’ll need to pull your sourdough starter out of the fridge and start a feeding cycle the morning before you’d like fresh baked bread.

For example, if you want to have freshly baked bread for dinner on a Sunday, I suggest feeding your sourdough starter on Saturday morning. This will give you some extra time on Saturday if your starter doesn’t rise quickly enough.

You want your sourdough starter to be peaked by the afternoon on the first day, so you can ideally let your bread bulk rise overnight. Then, the next day, you’ll cold proof it until you’re ready to bake.

If this sounds confusing, just follow the steps of the recipe and after a few times, it will make sense!

Easy Sourdough Bread Recipe

Homestead With Grace

After numerous attempts at making sourdough, I've landed on a recipe that works well–even in the colder months! If you don't have all of the tools listed, be sure to read the recipe notes.

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Prep Time 3

Cook Time 45

Estimated Proofing Time 16

Total Time 19 45

Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Servings 10 slices

Calories 185 kcal

Equipment

1 Baking Scale
1 Rubber spatula
1 Large Bowl
1 8 Inch Bowl for Proofing
1 Cotton or Linen Towel
1 Pastry Cutter (optional)
1 Silicone Bread Sling
1 Bread Lame for Scoring
1 Cast Iron Dutch Oven
1 Cooling Rack

Ingredients

100 grams Active Bubbly Sourdough Starter
375 grams Warm Water (about 100-120℉) *see notes
10 grams Sea Salt
500 grams All Purpose Flour **see notes

Instructions

Do a float test to confirm that your starter is active and ready for use.

Drop a pea sized portion of starter into a glass of lukewarm water.
If the droplet floats to the top, your starter is ready for baking. If it sinks completely, you have either missed the peak rise (and you must start the feeding cycle again) or the peak hasn't occurred yet.

Make the dough.

Combine starter and warm water in a large bowl and stir with the rubber spatula until well combined.
Add sea salt followed by the all purpose flour. Stir with the spatula until the flour is well mixed into the dough. If you need to, you can use your hands to mash the flour in, but do not knead yet.
Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let it rest for 30 minutes.
In the winter, I prefer to let my dough rest in a microwave to lock in some warmth. If it's still too cold, you can warm a bean bag hot pack and let that rest near your bowl to keep it warm (just be careful not to scorch your dough).

Knead, rest, repeat.

Knead 1: After resting for 30 minutes, perform your first knead. Begin by wetting your fingers with water so the dough doesn't stick to them. Pinch the top edge of the dough (at 12:00) and fold it down into the middle of the dough. Then rotate your bowl slightly and pinch the top and fold down. Repeat this about 4-5 times or until fully rotated.
Cover with the damp towel and rest for 30 minutes.
Knead 2 and 3: Pinch and fold as above, cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
Knead 4: Pinch and fold as above. Then cover again and place it in a preferable warm area for the first rise.

Perform the warm, bulk rise. (~10 hours)

Let your dough rise, covered with a towel at room temperature or slightly warmer for 8-12 hours. In the summer or warmer conditions, the dough may only need 4-6 hours to rise.
You want the dough to rise until it has doubled in size. I take a picture of my bowl when I start the rise and check it every few hours. I've found my dough takes about 10 hours to double.

Prepare for proofing.

At the end of the bulk rise, line an 8 inch bowl with a cotton or linen towel. Sprinkle flour on the towel to prevent sticking.
Gently move the dough from the large bowl onto a floured, flat surface. Make sure you have enough flour to prevent sticking and dab your fingers in flour.
Using both hands, take the top of the dough and fold it down over the bottom. Moving clockwise, take the right side and fold it over the left side. Bottom of the top, and finally, left over the right. It will look like a badly wrapped present.
Let the dough rest on the counter for 30 minutes with the seams up.
Repeat the two handed folding and then flip the dough so the seams are down. If using a pastry cutter, slide the cutter underneath the dough working your way around, to help tuck the seams underneath. You can do this with a flat hand, if needed.
Using the pastry cutter or something flat, like a large spatula, slide underneath the dough and flip it into the cloth lined bowl. Be sure to keep the seams on top.
Fold the excess fabric over the dough lightly to cover and move the bowl to the fridge.

Perform cold proof in the fridge. (6 hours)

Let your dough proof for at least 6 hours but no more than 48 hours in the fridge.

Bake the bread.

Place dutch oven with the lid on into the oven and preheat to 500℉.
Flip the dough onto either a bread sling or parchment paper (cut large enough to move bread into the dutch oven) seam side down.
Sprinkle some flour onto the dough and use a bread lame to score the sourdough.
When the oven is done preheating, lower the temperature to 450℉, then remove the dutch oven and place the dough into it carefully.
Bake with the lid on for 30 minutes.
Lower the oven temperature to 400℉. Remove the loaf from the dutch oven and place it directly on the wire rack.
Bake directly on rack for 15 minutes.
Remove the loaf and place it onto a cooling rack.
Let it cool for at least 1 hour before you attempt to slice it.
Once completely cooled, store the bread on the counter in a sealed bag or container for no more than one week.

Notes

*Warmer water is better in the winter to help speed up the rise. Just don’t use scalding because you can kill the yeast.

**I use the King Arthur brand and love it. I’ve tried to use bread flour in my sourdough, but I didn’t have good success with it. Once I switched to AP flour, I started getting amazing results.

Tool Substitutions:

Baking Scale: https://amzn.to/4a3bKdV

Essential for getting the proper measurements. Don’t go by only cup measures for this!

Cotton or Linen Towel: https://amzn.to/4fJX5oS

I found some cheap, plain white ones in the fabric section of Walmart (towels meant for embroidering). You can also use a regular kitchen towel, but make sure it’s not too porous.

Silicone Bread Sling: https://amzn.to/4a3Rvwn

You can use parchment paper, but I recommend using two layers to prevent it from breaking when you lift bread out of the dutch oven.

Bread Lame: https://amzn.to/41Zb6Mu

A sharp kitchen knife can work, but I highly recommend the lame for proper scoring. If you use a knife that’s not sharp enough, it will snag on the dough or not score deep enough.

Cast Iron Dutch Oven: https://amzn.to/3Pk9yVO

Don’t substitute this! I’ve tried using bake methods that don’t use one, but they didn’t turn out.

Keyword baked goods, baking, beginner sourdough, bread, sourdough

Easy Sourdough Bread Recipe | How Do You Sourdough?