Easy Sourdough Bread Recipe (Perfect For Beginners)

I developed an Easy Sourdough Bread Recipe that removes the guesswork for beginners and includes one surprising pantry hack you’ll want to try.

I used to think sourdough was some slow, mysterious thing, but this Easy Sourdough Bread Recipe proved me wrong. With just good bread flour and an active sourdough starter you can coax out a loaf that has tang and a crackly crust, yet still feels doable.

This Sourdough Bread Beginner Recipe taught me to stop overthinking and enjoy the little surprises in the crumb, plus I found a few hacks that save time and drama. I’ll admit I mess up sometimes, but those mistakes led to tasty results, so if you’re curious, give it a try and see what happens.

Ingredients

• Bread flour: High in protein for good gluten structure, gives chew, tastes mildly nutty
• Water: Hydrates dough, controls texture and crust, it’s key for fermentation
• Sourdough starter: Wild yeast and bacteria, makes tangy flavor, helps rise and gut digestion
• Fine sea salt: Sharpens flavor, strengthens gluten, balances sour notes and controls fermentation rate
• Extra or rice flour for dusting: Prevents sticking when proofing; rice flour wont absorb like wheat, keeps crust pattern
• Optional oil for greasing: Lightly greased pans stop sticking, adds moistness to crust, no sweetness added

Ingredient Quantities

• 500 g bread flour (about 4 cups), unbleached if you got it
• 375 g water, room temperature (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 100 g active sourdough starter, bubbly and recently fed (about 1/2 cup)
• 10 g fine sea salt (about 1 3/4 teaspoons)
• Extra flour or rice flour for dusting, and optional oil for greasing

How to Make this

1. Weigh and mix: put 500 g bread flour and 375 g room temp water in a big bowl, stir until no dry flour remains and you have a shaggy, sticky dough. Cover and let rest 30 to 60 minutes for an autolyse.

2. Add starter and salt: once rested add 100 g active bubbly sourdough starter and 10 g fine sea salt. Mix by pinching and folding until starter and salt are evenly distributed. It will be sticky, that is ok.

3. Develop gluten: either do 5 to 7 minutes of gentle kneading, or use the slap and fold method for a few minutes, until dough feels slightly smoother and springs back a bit. You can also do a series of stretch and folds in the bowl if you prefer less mess.

4. Bulk fermentation: let the dough rise at room temp (about 21 to 24C) for 3 to 5 hours. During the first 2 hours do 3 to 4 sets of stretch and folds spaced about 20 to 30 minutes apart to build strength. After that just let it rest until it’s puffed and airy but not doubled.

5. Pre-shape and bench rest: turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, do a light pre-shape into a round, tuck the dough seams under, then rest uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes.

6. Final shape and proof: tighten into a boule or batard, dust a banneton or bowl with extra flour or rice flour, place dough seam side up. Cover and either proof at room temp 2 to 4 hours or put in the fridge for an overnight cold proof (8 to 16 hours) for more flavor. If you don’t have a banneton use a bowl lined with a floured towel, or oil the bowl lightly.

7. Preheat your oven and vessel: about 30 to 45 minutes before baking preheat a Dutch oven (or heavy ovenproof pot) and the oven to 475F (245C). If you don’t have a covered pot use a baking stone and a tray for steam.

8. Score and load: when ready, turn the proofed dough onto parchment (seam side down), score the top with a sharp lame or knife to control the rise, then carefully transfer into the hot Dutch oven on the parchment.

9. Bake: put the covered pot in the oven, reduce temp to 450F (230C). Bake covered 20 minutes to trap steam, then remove the lid and bake another 15 to 25 minutes until the crust is deep golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Internal temp should be around 200 to 210F if you use a thermometer.

10. Cool and store: remove loaf and cool on a wire rack at least 1 hour before slicing so the crumb sets. Store wrapped at room temp up to 3 days or freeze slices. Tips: use rice flour for dusting to prevent sticking, warm proofing speeds things up, and a cold overnight proof gives better flavor.

Equipment Needed

1. Digital kitchen scale, for weighing flour, water, starter and salt precisely (essential).
2. Large mixing bowl, big enough to stir 500 g flour and 375 g water without spilling.
3. Bench scraper, for folding, turning dough and getting sticky dough off the counter.
4. Stiff spatula or wooden spoon, to mix the initial shaggy dough and to help incorporate starter.
5. Proofing basket or banneton, or a bowl lined with a well floured towel (rice flour works great).
6. Dutch oven or heavy ovenproof pot with lid, or alternatively a baking stone plus a steam tray.
7. Parchment paper, to transfer the loaf into the hot pot and keep things neat.
8. Sharp lame or razor blade, for scoring so the loaf rises the way you want it to.
9. Instant read thermometer and a cooling rack, so you can check 200 to 210F and cool the loaf properly.

FAQ

Easy Sourdough Bread Recipe (Perfect For Beginners) Substitutions and Variations

• Bread flour: No bread flour? Use 500 g all purpose plus about 30-40 g vital wheat gluten (roughly 1 tbsp per cup) to mimic the higher protein, or swap 100-150 g of the bread flour for whole wheat for a nuttier loaf, but add ~10-20 g more water and expect a slightly denser crumb.
• Water: Want a richer, softer crumb? Replace up to ~100 g of the water with whole milk or buttermilk, but the crust will brown faster. Or if you need fermentation to move faster, use water about 30-35°C (warm, not hot) instead of room temp.
• Sourdough starter: No active starter? Use 1 to 1.5 teaspoons instant yeast (reduce bulk fermentation to ~1-2 hours) and treat it like a quick rise loaf. If using starter discard (less active) bump the amount up to ~150 g and give longer bulk/proof times.
• Fine sea salt (for dusting or seasoning): If you only have table salt, use a little less by volume, about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 tsp instead of 1 3/4 tsp fine sea salt; if using kosher salt, amounts vary by brand so it’s best to weigh, aim for 10 g of salt total.

Pro Tips

1. Always weigh everything, even your starter, its the only way to get consistent results. If your dough seems glassy and too slack after autolyse add 10 to 20 g extra flour, if it feels rock hard add 10 to 20 g more water, small tweaks go a long way.

2. Use a lively starter, not just one that smells sour. Feed it so it peaks 3 to 6 hours before mixing, do a quick float test if you want to check activity, and keep the starter and dough in the same temp range so fermentation timing stays predictable.

3. For sticky dough work with wet hands and do stretch and folds in the bowl rather than fighting with too much flour on the counter, that way you keep the hydration and get good strength. When shaping, build surface tension by dragging the dough toward you on the bench until the top is tight, it helps with oven spring.

4. Cold proof in the fridge for 12 to 16 hours for deeper flavor but dont forget to give the dough a gentle poke before baking, if it springs back slowly it’s good, if it barely springs back its overproofed. Bake straight from fridge onto a smoking hot pot or stone for better oven spring.

5. Preheat your Dutch oven or stone at least 40 minutes so the interior is truly hot, score confidently with a sharp lame for controlled bloom, bake covered to trap steam then uncover to brown. Use an instant read thermometer and pull the loaf at about 200 to 210 F, then cool at least an hour before slicing.