Easy Sourdough Recipe for Beginners

Ingredients

This recipe makes one large loaf. For the best result, weigh each ingredient using digital scales.

• 420g strong bread flour – use all white flour or combine 330g white flour with 90g wholemeal, rye or spelt flour.
• 80g active sourdough starter – recently fed, bubbly and ready to bake with.
• 300g water – filtered or bottled if your tap water is heavily chlorinated.
• 10g fine sea salt.
• Extra flour or rice flour – for dusting your work surface and banneton.

Day 1: Mix and ferment the dough

1. Mix the dough

• Add 300g water and 80g active starter to a large mixing bowl.
• Stir until the starter is mostly dispersed through the water.
• Add 420g flour and 10g salt.
• Mix until no dry flour remains and a rough, sticky dough forms.
• Cover the bowl and leave the dough to rest for approximately 30 minutes.

2. Strengthen the dough

• With slightly damp hands, lift one side of the dough and fold it over itself.
• Turn the bowl and repeat until you have folded all four sides.
• Cover the bowl and rest the dough for another 30–60 minutes.
• Repeat this stretch-and-fold process three or four times during the first few hours of fermentation.
• Handle the dough gently. It should gradually become smoother, stronger and more elastic.

3. Bulk fermentation

• Keep the dough covered and leave it to ferment at room temperature.
• Bulk fermentation will usually take 4–8 hours, depending on the temperature of your kitchen and the strength of your starter.
• A warm kitchen will speed up fermentation. A cool kitchen will slow it down.
• For best results, keep the dough somewhere around 20–24°C.
• The dough is ready when it looks aerated, has a gentle wobble and has increased noticeably in volume.
• Look for bubbles around the sides and surface of the dough rather than waiting for it to double exactly.

4. Shape the loaf

• Lightly flour your work surface.
• Gently turn out the dough, taking care not to knock out all the trapped air.
• Fold the edges towards the centre to create a loose round.
• Turn the dough over so the seam sits underneath.
• Use your hands or a dough scraper to gently pull the dough towards you, creating tension across the surface.
• Leave it to rest for 15–20 minutes if it begins to spread.
• Give the dough one final gentle shape before transferring it to the banneton.

5. Place in the banneton

• Dust your banneton generously with flour or rice flour.
• Place the shaped dough into the banneton with the seam facing upwards.
• Pinch together any open seams if necessary.
• Cover the banneton so the surface of the dough cannot dry out.
• Place it in the fridge overnight, ideally for 8–16 hours.

Day 2: Score and bake

6. Prepare the loaf

• Remove the dough from the fridge when you are ready to bake.
• Cut a piece of baking parchment slightly larger than the loaf.
• Turn the banneton over and gently release the cold dough onto the parchment.
• Brush away any large patches of excess flour if needed.
• Use a bread lame or very sharp blade to make one confident cut across the top.
• Score approximately 1cm deep, holding the blade at a slight angle.

7. Bake with the lid on

• Carefully lower the dough and parchment into a Dutch oven or lidded casserole dish.
• Fit the lid securely. The enclosed steam helps the loaf expand before the crust sets.
• Place the covered Dutch oven into a cold oven.
• Set the oven to 220°C or 200°C fan.
• Bake with the lid on for 40–45 minutes.

8. Finish the crust

• Carefully remove the Dutch oven lid. Hot steam may escape, so keep your hands and face clear.
• Reduce the temperature to 205°C or approximately 185°C fan.
• Bake uncovered for another 20–30 minutes.
• The loaf is ready when the crust is deeply golden and the base sounds hollow when tapped.
• If you use a temperature probe, the centre should be around 96–98°C.

9. Cool before slicing

• Lift the loaf out of the Dutch oven and place it on a wire cooling rack.
• Leave it to cool for at least one hour.
• For the best crumb, wait until the loaf has cooled completely before slicing.
• Cutting it while hot can leave the centre gummy, even when the bread is fully baked.

Storing your sourdough

• Keep the cooled loaf in a bread bag, bread bin or wrapped in a clean cloth.
• Avoid sealing fresh sourdough in plastic unless you prefer a softer crust.
• Store the loaf cut-side down on a chopping board for short-term storage.
• For longer storage, slice the loaf and freeze it in a sealed bag.
• Toast individual slices directly from frozen when needed.