The BEST Classic Sourdough Bread Recipe

Sourdough Bread is INCREDIBLE! What’s not to love? I adore its tangy flavor, crispy crust, and how soft and chewy it is on the inside. PURE HEAVEN. The natural fermentation process enhances its taste, makes it easier to digest, and increases its nutritional value.  Learning to make sourdough bread has truly been life-changing. It’s a simple process and so rewarding. Sourdough Bread also makes for the best gifts!

When I first started learning how to make sourdough over a year ago, it felt like a whole new world to me! Almost like learning a new language! So many terms to learn such as starter, fermentation, ratios, hydration, autolyse, proofing, scoring, spring, discard, etc. Initially, it felt overwhelming, but with some study and practice, I found the process to be quite approachable.

In this post, I aim to guide you through the steps to confidently bake sourdough bread and have success making The BEST Classic Sourdough Bread Recipe!

WHAT IS SOURDOUGH BREAD?

Sourdough bread is made with a naturally fermented starter that gives it that signature tangy flavor and chewy texture. It doesn’t use regular yeast—instead, it relies on wild yeast and good bacteria to rise. The result? A deliciously complex flavor and a perfectly crisp crust. 

(Shout out to my favorite recipe using yeast, Honey White Bread.)

Ingredients Needed to Make The BEST Classic Sourdough Bread Recipe:

Sourdough Starter: The most important ingredient! You can make your own, buy one, or get one from a friend.

Water: Use filtered water since chlorine and other chemicals in tap water can hinder starter growth and weaken fermentation. In the winter, I warm my water, but in summer, I skip this step.

Bread Flour: This is a must in this recipe. You will not get the same results using all-purpose flour. It will be less springy, soft, and chewy. Use high-quality bread flour. I buy mine at Costco. (Peacock brand.)

Salt: Don’t forget to add salt! I use French grey coarse sea salt for its flavor, but fine sea salt or kosher salt works as well.

Just 4 simple ingredients to create the most incredible loaf of sourdough bread!How To Make The BEST Classic Sourdough Bread Recipe:

Here’s an overview of instructions on how to make Classic Sourdough Bread. For full measurements and directions, check out the printable recipe card below.

FIRST, check out my tried and true Sourdough Essential Tools HERE.

STEP 1- Using a Kitchen Scale, weigh the water. (I warm the water up in the winter months but don’t in the summer months.)

STEP 2- Make sure to zero out the scale between additions. Add the active and bubbly starter.

STEP 3- Stir using a Danish Dough Hook or spatula.

STEP 4- Add the bread flour.

STEP 6- Add the salt. (Note, some people say to add salt later but I don’t want to risk forgetting to add it and haven’t noticed a difference so I just add it in on this step.)

STEP 7- Take the bowl off the scale and stir.

STEP 8- Keep stirring until all the flour is moist.

STEP 9- Cover with plastic wrap, a damp towel, or my favorite, a shower cap.

STEP 10- Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.

STEP 11- STRETCH & FOLDS- Stretch and fold the dough into the center, rotating the bowl each time. Repeat 5-6 times, then rest covered for 30 minutes. Do this three more times every 30 minutes (total of 4 rounds).

STEP 12- BULK FERMENTATION (1ST Rise): Cover and let the dough rise at room temperature for around 7–10 hours. It’s ready when it increases 50–75%, has surface bubbles, jiggles slightly, and springs back slowly when pressed.

STEP 13- SHAPE THE SOURDOUGH: Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and gently stretch it into a rectangle. Fold the sides, then the top and bottom, into a square. Flip seam-side down, then shape into a smooth, tight ball by tucking the edges under while rotating.

STEP 14- REST: Let the dough rest seam-side up for 15-30 minutes. Reshape, then place it seam-side up in a proofing bowl. Dust with rice flour and cover.

STEP 15-COLD PROOF (2nd Rise): Cover the dough and refrigerate for 12-24 hours. (I usually just keep it in the fridge overnight until I am ready to bake.) 

STEP 16– PREPARE TO BAKE- Preheat the oven to 530°F with a Dutch oven inside (lid off). Cut parchment paper to fit. (This is my favorite parchment paper, the bread doesn’t stick to it.)

STEP 17- SCORE- Turn the dough onto the parchment, seam-side down. Score with a bread lame or razor, adding designs if desired. Lightly dust with rice flour to make it easier to see the design. Place the dough into the preheated pot.

STEP 18- BAKE- Lower the oven to 450°F, cover, and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover, reduce to 400°F, and bake 15 more minutes until the internal temp reaches 200–205°F. Cool for 1 hour.

STEP 19- ENJOY! Once cool, cut and enjoy! (I tried a lot of different bread knives and this one is my favorite!)

Tips & Tricks:

I feed my starter the evening before I plan to make sourdough the next morning. I almost always make 2-8 sourdough loaves at a time (for family, friends, and neighbors.) So I generally don’t feed my starter specifically for 1 loaf of bread, I just feed starter in a few jars at a 1:3:3 ratio. But if you would like the exact amount to yield 100 grams of strong sourdough starter you can follow these rations:

For 100 grams starter:

• 15 grams sourdough starter
• 45 grams filtered water
• 45 grams bread flour

Then by the next morning (or 8-12 hours later) it should be active and bubbly! Go ahead and still weigh it because it likely will vary a little from exactly 100 grams. But to be honest, this recipe is flexible and it’s ok if you add just a little less or more than 100 grams starter. I like to use closer to 100 grams in the winter and a little less in the summer months.

Additions:

To add mix-ins, I like to wait until shaping to add them. After bulk fermentation, shape the dough into a large rectangle, add 1/3 of the mix-ins on the bottom third of the dough, then fold to the middle. Add another third of the toppings to the top of the dough and fold that to the middle. Then add the rest to the dough, which is now a smaller and long rectangle and fold and shape into a round, and put in the banneton seam side up, chill in the refrigerator, then continue on with the regular instructions.

Storage:

Keep at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze.

Avoid refrigerating the bread, as it will turn hard.

For longer storage, freeze whole loaves or slices by wrapping them tightly in plastic wrap and placing them in a freezer-safe container. They’ll stay fresh for up to 3 months.

You Might Also Like:

• Essential Products for Baking Sourdough Bread
• Honey White Bread
• Moist Banana Bread
• Whipped Cinnamon Honey Butter
• Honey Cornbread Muffins

The BEST Classic Sourdough Bread Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Servings 1 loaf

Prep: 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Cook: 45 minutes mins

Additional Time 18 hours hrs

Total: 20 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

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The Ultimate Classic Sourdough Bread Recipe – Perfect for Beginners & Foolproof Every Time

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Ingredients

 

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• ▢ 370 grams water (filtered)
• ▢ 100 grams bubbly (active starter)
• ▢ 475 grams bread flour
• ▢ 11 grams salt

Instructions

 

• Feed your starter:

  About 8-12 hours before making the Sourdough bread, feed your starter to ensure it is bubbly and active when you start making the bread.
• Make the dough: 

  Whisk the water and starter in a large bowl with a Danish Dough Whisk or spatula. Add the flour and salt. Combine the ingredients until a rough dough forms. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, a shower cap, or a damp towel, and let it rest for 30 minutes.
• Stretch and fold

  After 30 minutes, With a wet hand, pull a section of the dough, stretch it upward, and fold it over itself into the center. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat this series of folds around 5 -6 times. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes, covered, and repeat the stretch and folds. Do this three more times, every 30 minutes, for a total of 4 times. (With each stretch and fold, the dough will become less sticky and smoother.)
• Bulk Fermentation (first rise):

  Cover the bowl and let the dough rise at room temperature for 5–8 hours, depending on the temperature of your kitchen. The dough is ready when it has increased by about 50 - 75% in volume, shows a few bubbles on the surface, and jiggles slightly when you move the bowl. You can also test it by gently pressing your finger into the dough—if it springs back slowly and leaves a light indentation.
• Laminate Sourdough

  Gently transfer the dough from the bowl to a lightly floured countertop. Carefully stretch it into a large rectangle without tearing it. A gentle shake can help spread it out evenly. Shape the dough into a round by folding one side into the middle, and the opposite side over the top of it. Then fold the top down and the bottom over it. It should look like a square. Flip it so the dough is seam-side down, cup your hands around it, and tuck all the sides down and under as you move it around in a circle to form a tight, smooth ball.
• Rest

  Let the dough rest seam side up rest for 15-30 minutes. Using a bench scraper or your hands, shape it again as described in step 5. Place the round into your proofing bowl, seam side up. Lightly dust the top with rice flour. Cover with plastic wrap or a shower cap.
• Proof (second rise):

   Cover the dough and refrigerate for 12-24 hours. (I usually just keep it in the fridge overnight until I am ready to bake.)  
• Prepare to Bake:

  Place a Dutch oven (without the lid) in your oven and preheat it to 530°F. While it’s heating, cut a piece of parchment paper to fit inside the Dutch oven.
• Score

  Gently turn the dough out of the proofing basket onto the center of the parchment paper, seam side down. Using the tip of a bread lame or razor blade, make at least one deep, long score in the dough, adding any designs. (Tip: lightly dust with rice flour to make it easier to see designs.) Lift the parchment paper and carefully place the dough into the preheated baking pot.
• Bake

  Lower the oven temperature to 450ºF. Carefully cover the pot with the lid and place in the oven. Bake the dough for 30 minutes, covered. Remove the lid, lower the temperature to 400ºF, and continue to bake for 15 minutes more. (Until it reaches an internal temperature of 200-205 degrees F.) Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour before slicing.
• Store

  This loaf will stay fresh for up to 3 days if stored at room temperature in an airtight plastic bag or container. You can also freeze it. 

The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.

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