This easy Beginner’s Sourdough Bread Recipe is made of three simple ingredients, flour, water and salt and there is no kneading required!
The dough is left to slowly ferment and rise overnight, then baked in a Dutch oven to develop a crispy, golden brown crust.
It is the perfect bread recipe for anyone that would like to try their hand at homemade sourdough bread!
We have a new website, Little Spoon Farm, dedicated to sourdough recipes for beginners and home bakers. It includes our updated tutorial for making a sourdough starter. It’s even easier than this one! We’ve got a bunch of beginner’s sourdough recipes to choose from too!
What is Sourdough Bread?
Sourdough bread is fermented for 8 or more hours with wild yeast and bacteria that have been captured from the environment in a sourdough starter. The yeast and bacteria in the starter naturally leaven the dough and slowly break down the gluten in the flour; in turn making it easier for humans to digest the bread.
Sourdough may take longer to make than bread made with commercial yeast but the reward is well worth the wait. Once you’ve made a fresh loaf of sourdough bread, you’ll never want to buy bread again!
Ingredients and Tools You Need to Make Sourdough Bread
- Sourdough Starter. If you already have a mature sourdough starter, great! If not, check out my Sourdough Starter Recipe Tutorial for getting one going and you’ll be able to bake this sourdough in about 7 days!
- Flour. For this recipe you will need 2 types of flour. Unbleached Bread flour and Whole Wheat flour.
- Sea Salt. Use sea salt that is finely ground so that the salt can dissolve more easily into the dough.
- Water. Fill a large jar with tap water and let it sit for an hour to let any chlorine dissipate or use filtered water.
- Kitchen Scale. When baking sourdough bread, a kitchen scale is a must-have in order to properly weigh ingredients!
- Glass Jars. Weck Jars are perfect for storing your sourdough starter and levain. You can also use a mason jar.
- Spatula. The oxo spatula is great because it has a super stiff handle. It’s perfect for mixing your starter and during the initial mix of sourdough bread ingredients.
- Mixing Bowl. Any bowl will do as long as it’s big enough to hold the dough.
- Bread Bowl Scraper. A bread bowl scraper can come in handy when flour is stuck to the sides of the bowl.
- Bowl Cover. You will need to cover the bowl during different phases to prevent it from drying out. Use a kitchen towel, plastic wrap, shower cap or a plate.
- Parchment Paper or Corn Meal. In order to prevent the bread from sticking to the bottom of the Dutch oven, use parchment paper or a light dusting of corn meal.
- Razor Blade. Right before the sourdough goes into the oven, you will score the top of the dough with a razor blade or a very sharp knife. This will give the dough a place to rise upwards instead of busting out of the sides of the loaf.
- Oven Mitts. Long silicone oven mitts will help to protect your hands and your arms when removing the heavy baking vessel from the oven.
- Baking Vessel. In order to create the steam needed to achieve a great “oven-spring”, it’s crucial to bake the sourdough bread in a Dutch oven. It creates the perfect steamy environment inside of your oven by capturing the moisture in the dough and releasing it inside of the Dutch oven during the first 15 minutes of baking.
How to make Sourdough Bread
Step 1: Build the Levain – 12 hours before you are ready to mix your dough, prepare the levain by mixing 1 tablespoon of mature starter with 100 grams of water and 100 grams of all-purpose flour. (I usually mix my dough in the morning, so I prepare my levain right before I go to bed!)
Step 2: Autolyse – In a large bowl, use a spatula or your hands to mix 200 grams of levain with 700 grams of water, 800 grams of strong bread flour and 200 grams of whole wheat flour until there are no dry bits of flour left. The dough will be sticky and shaggy looking. Cover the bowl with a tea towel or plastic wrap to keep it from drying out and let it rest for 1 hour.
Step 3: Add Salt – Now it is time to add the salt and extra water to the dough. Pour 50 grams of water and 20 grams of salt on the top of the dough. Use your hands to incorporate the ingredients by pinching and squeezing the dough until it comes together. It will still be a lumpy but the dough will feel a little smoother.Cover the bowl and let the dough rest 1 hour.
Step 4: Bulk Fermentation – During the bulk fermentation phase you will do 3 sets of stretch and folds over the first 1.5 hours (one set every 30 minutes). A stretch and fold is exactly as it sounds. Place your hand underneath one side of the dough, pull it upwards and stretch it over itself to the opposite side. Continue this until you’ve come full circle. Place the cover back on the bowl and perform the next set in 30 minutes.
Once you’ve completed the 3rd set of stretch and folds, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough bulk ferment for 3-5 hours on the counter. The dough should rise about 1.5 times its original size and you should see signs of activity around the edge of the bowl in the form of bubbles. (The amount of time it takes to rise depends on the temperature of your kitchen. Warmer temperatures will cause the dough to rise faster.)
*My kitchen stays around 67 degrees and my dough is usually ready for the next step of pre-shaping in about 4 hours.
Step 5: Pre-shape – Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and use a bench scraper to cut the dough in half. To pre-shape the dough, take your bench scraper in one hand and push it under one side of the dough. Push the dough forward with the bench scraper while turning it in a circular motion. Repeat this process until you have a tight, round dough ball.
Repeat with the other half of the dough and cover with a towel. Let it rest for 20 minutes.
Step 6: Final Shape – Lightly flour the surface of the dough and then use your bench scraper to flip it over. Gently pull the dough out from the right side and fold it over to the center of itself. Repeat with the left side. Repeat this shaping process with the top and bottom sides of the dough.
Flip the dough over so that the seam side is down. Cup your hands around the dough and gently pull it towards yourself to help create tension on the outside of the dough. Turn the dough in a circular motion and repeat the pulling and turning motions until the dough has developed a “tight skin”.
Dust the dough ball with flour to prevent it sticking to the towel in the bowl.
Place the dough, seam side up, in a bowl that is lined with a floured tea towel. (You can use a banneton if you have one.) Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit on the counter for 30 minutes before placing in the refrigerator. Let the dough ferment, up to 12 hours or until the next morning in the refrigerator.
Step 7: Bake – Preheat the oven to 450 degrees (without the Dutch oven inside).
Remove the sourdough from the fridge, place a piece of parchment paper over the top of the bowl and invert it onto the parchment paper. Use the parchment paper to pick the dough up and place it into the Dutch oven. Score the top of the dough with a sharp knife or a razor.
Score the bread with a razor or sharp knife right before baking. This will help create the “oven-spring”.
Place the cover on the Dutch oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes. The inside of the dough should be somewhere in between 205-210 degrees. (Remember to use oven mitts so that you do not burn yourself!)
Step 8: Cool – It’s important to let the sourdough bread cool on a cooling rack for at least 2 hours before slicing. (You can cut it earlier, but the crumb is more likely to have a “gummy” texture because it continues to bake after you take it out of the oven.)
Make sure to check out my easy How to Make Sourdough Starter tutorial if you’re new to sourdough bread making!
Sourdough Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cups (200 g) levain
- 6 3/8 cups (800 g) unbleached bread flour
- 1.5 cups (200 g) whole wheat flour
- 3 1/4 cups (750 g) water reserve 50 grams
- 4 teaspoons (20 g) salt
Instructions
- Build the Levain – The night before you wish to mix the dough, combine 1 tablespoon mature starter, 100 grams water and 100 grams all-purpose unbleached flour in a clean jar. Cover and let sit overnight.
- Autolyse –Mix the levain, 800 grams bread flour, 200 grams whole wheat flour and 700 grams of water in a large mixing bowl with your hands or a spatula until it forms a sticky, shaggy mass. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a towel and let rest for 1 hour.
- Add Salt – Add 20 grams of salt and the remaining 50 grams of waterto the dough. Use your hands to pinch the dough so that the salt and water are incorporated well. Cover the bowl and let rest for 1 hour.
- Bulk Fermentation –Remove the cover and stretch and fold the dough. Starting on the right side, wet your hand and then pull the dough up and over it's self to the opposite side of the bowl. Turn the bowl a quarter-turn and repeat this 3 times until you have completed 4 stretch and folds. Repeat for a total of 3 sets every 30 minutes. Cover and let rise on the counter at room temperature for 4-5 hours or until the dough has risen 1.5 times it's original size.
- Pre-shape – Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and cut the dough in half. Use the bench scraper to shape the dough into a tight round. Cover with a towel and let rest for 20 minutes.
- Final Shape – Lightly flour the top of the dough and flip it over using the bench scraper. Pull the right side up and over to the center. Repeat with the left, top and bottom sides. Flip the seam side down, cup your hands around the dough and gently pull it towards your self. Turn the dough in a circular motion on the work surface and repeat these steps until the dough has a "tight skin". Dust the top of the dough with flour and place it in a bowl, seam side up, that's been lined with a floured tea towel. Let rest on the counter for 30 minutes, cover with plastic and place in the refrigerator overnight to ferment.
- Bake – Preheat oven to 450 degrees (without the Dutch oven inside). Remove the sourdough from the refrigerator, place a piece of parchment paper on top and invert the dough onto the paper. Use the paper to pick up the dough and place it into the cold Dutch oven. Score the top of the dough with a razor or sharp knife. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and bake for 15-20 minutes.
- Cool –Carefully remove the bread from the Dutch oven and let cool for 2 hours before slicing.
Notes
- Levain is made by using this Sourdough Starter.
- This recipe can be halved to make one loaf.
- Each loaf contains 20 slices.
Nisha says
Question 1- I read above that all purpose can be used instead of the bread flour. what it ratio of the bread flour to all purpose unbleached? Is it 1:1?
Question 2- if I want to make only 1loaf, can I half this recipe?
Amy Duska says
If you have bread flour, I would use 100% in this recipe. Yes you can half the recipe
Nisha says
Hi Amy,
Thanks for your reply. I don’t have bread flour. Hence, checking if I want to substitute it with all purpose flour then what is the ratio of bread flour to unbleached all purpose flour?
Thanks.
Amy Duska says
Gotcha! Just use a 1:1 ratio!
Tony says
Thank you so much!!!
I’ve been a sourdough bread lover and now am a sourdough bread maker, thanks to you. It took 14 days for my starter to be ready. The last 3 days it more than doubled and hit the lid of the jar each day. Now that I made the bread, it was definitely worth the wait. For my next attempt, I would like to have it extra sour. Would that require more starter/levain or a longer fermentation?
Also, I after making this recipe, I saw the easier/faster recipe you have on Little Spoon Farm. It appears to be half of this one, but only uses 1/4 of the levain. I also noticed that it uses only bread flour and no whole wheat flour. Can you please explain how those two differences affect the results?
Amy Duska says
Hi Tony! You can develop more flavor by pushing the cold ferment out up to 36 hours. On the new site, the sourdough country loaf is the same as this recipe (just cut in half). The beginner sourdough recipe on the new site, is more of a true beginner recipe. It involves the one flour and less steps. The levain is cut down considerably in order to allow an overnight ferment that won’t over prove. 🙂
Tim says
Hi Amy,
I’ve already used your recipe with a few adjustments as I don’t have a scale, to great success, and am wondering how long/at what temp(s) I should bake a half sized loaf (not half of the dough but half the size of a regular loaf)?
Thanks,
Tim
Amy Duska says
I would bake for 30-40 minutes. The first 20 covered, and then bake until the color is where you want it to be 🙂
Elaine says
Hi, my dough was very sticky after adding the salt water to the first part of the autolyse process and rose properly overnight. When it came to step five the dough was VERY sticky I couldn’t work the dough into a “tight round” so I had to add flour, and the dough was not as sticky, but my tight round spread out on the cookie sheet and it sat for 30 minutes. I will move on to step six, but my dough still appears tacky. Is proceeding ok?
Nazarina says
the process seemed to take forever but then again, I’m a beginner. but I have to say, for my first time, the loaves actually came out pretty good. the taste was good. the starter worked out really well too. thank you Amy!
Amy Duska says
You’re welcome!
Lisa says
If this recipe makes 2 loaves should I have 2 bowls going? Or at what point do I split it into 2 loaves?
Amy Duska says
Split the dough before the preshape.
Bridgette says
I have worked with this recipe over the last 2 months. Each time my results improve.
Maureen says
I have tried other recipes and this is my go to one. I really only want to make one loaf at a time though. I’m hesitant to cut the recipe in half for fear it won’t work the same.
Sally says
Many other recipes call for preheating the Dutch oven. Is there a reason yours says without preheating? Thanks!
Gabriel says
I’m curious about this as well, as this is the first recipe I’ve seen calling to leave the Dutch oven out during preheating.
Sarah says
Do I feed my starter prior to starting this? Or is the first step feeding it? Thank you!!
Amy Duska says
Yes, make sure it is active!
Edward says
I am in the process of trying to complete the fermentation stage!
Sarah says
First, I had to do the bulk fermentation in the fridge overnight because I got started too late in the day. It had a good rise by this morning. Given that, do I need to do the second fermentation in the fridge for 12+ hours, or can I do it for less time or not in the fridge?
Second, I have a 3 qt and an 8 qt Dutch oven. Is the 3 too small, so I should bake only in the 8 in succession? Is the 8 too big and will make the loaf spread out?
Thanks for your advice!
Mary Ann Van Cura says
Amy, can I add more wheat flour in place of white, or is that not a good idea?
Jessica says
I’ve made the recipe once and it turned out great! Thank you
I’m making it again but my timing might be a little off
My question is, how long can it be left in the fridge ?
I’m probably going to be done to the final step putting in the fridge at 4 tomorrow but won’t be able to bake it until 9-10am the next day is this too long should I wait to make the bread when my wait time isn’t so long? Is there a golden time rule for this step ?
Thanks for any help
Jessica
Amy Duska says
The dough can be left in the fridge for up to 36 hours!
Jessica says
Thanks! I ended baking it after 18 hours and it was wonderful and a little more sour that previous loaves .
Brent says
Joining the chorus in appreciation of this recipe + the starter recipe. I was a little worried when my dough seemed too wet prior to the 12 hour overnight fermentation. That was silly of me since it turned out great! Thanks so much for this simple recipe that really makes a great bread in a novice baker’s kitchen.
Brandon B says
Hey there!
I’m at the stage of adding salt and water, and the dough seems very wet. Is this normal for this stage?
Mary Rose says
Hi Amy,
Thank you so much for your clear directions and helpful videos. I just prepared the levain tonight and will be making the dough tomorrow. Do I need to adjust cooking times or amounts for high-altitude baking?
Thanks a million!
Jennifer says
if I don’t have bread flour, can unbleached all purpose flour be used?
Amy Duska says
Yes
Edward says
My dough is very runny after adding the flour and water quantities asked for after being added to my leaven I made the night before? Any thoughts as to why or suggestions how to correct!
Gail in Vancouver says
After 21 days of feeding my white/rye starter it was finally rising predictably (yay!) so it was time to bake. At the moment I have a sore thumb so it was wonderful to find a recipe that did not require kneading the dough but rather gently grabbing the dough and stretching it– which was kind of cool and yielded a nice puffy result. Sadly, I failed to notice the part about placing the dough in the fridge overnight; I had started my bread baking at 10am and was hoping to have it ready for dinner. So half of the dough went into the fridge to rise overnight and the other half was formed into an oblong loaf and placed, covered, in my Le Creuset to rise for dinner. After a couple of hours I could poke the loaf and it felt like soft jiggly Jello. This was so fun that I had to resist the urge to just stand there and keep poking it! I preheated the enameled cast iron lid in the oven to 450F and then placed the Le Creuset pan on a baking sheet, covered it with the preheated lid and into the oven it went for 30 minutes, then another 20 minutes with the lid off to brown it. The taste, texture and appearance were all great. Today I baked up the second loaf and it tasted even better after the overnight rest. My exacto knife is not in great shape so I used kitchen scissors to snip the top of the dough instead of slashing it before baking and that seemed to work out okay. Next time I will put the dough on parchment in the pan that I plan to bake it in before popping it in the fridge overnight to see if not having to transfer the dough to a new baking vessel in the morning will permit a better rise. All in all a very good recipe if you have time on your hands— and with quarantine we definitely have time! Thank you for sharing Amy 🙂
Cyndi Jahn says
This was my first sourdough and I am thrilled with how it came out. Thank you for this recipe! I was helped by the comment section so much as well. I was able to avoid the bottom of the loaf getting burned. I found however, that my second loaf did not have the nice “spring” of the first. It was a bit smaller as well, though the raw dough was the same size. I suspect it was because the dutch oven was still very hot when I put the second loaf in. Next time I will wait until the dutch oven is cool again before baking the second loaf.
Sharon says
EXCELLENT recipe. What is the best way to store sourdough bread?