If you know me, you know I love my sourdough starter. A couple of friends recently asked for some of my starter, along with tips and tricks for bread making. Sourdough tutorials already litter the internet, but most are unnecessarily complicated. So I created a little printable for my friends with all the information you need to know to get started, but not too much information to be overwhelming. Today I want to share those resources with you guys too!

If you’ve wanted to explore sourdough but feel intimidated, or if you could use a few tips to streamline your process, read on! This recipe uses only three ordinary ingredients, needs no special tools to create, and doesn’t require constant babysitting. It’s the perfect beginner loaf – and tasty enough to make for years to come.

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sample Timeline

To start with, here’s a very stripped-down timeline to give you a big-picture view of the steps. Most of the process is hands-off, with only a few touchpoints needed throughout the day.

***Rising times will vary depending on the temperature of your home.

recipe step-by-step

1. You’ll need active starter for this recipe. Always feed your starter in a 1:1:1 ratio to maintain the right consistency. Weigh the inactive starter on a kitchen scale using the grams setting, then add the same amount each of flour and water. I like to feed mine with fresh-milled flour for extra nutrition. 

2. Let the starter ferment until it doubles in size and is filled with air bubbles. Times will vary depending on the temperature – probably between 4-8 hours.

3. Mix 1 cup of active starter and 2 1/2 cups of water thoroughly in large bowl. If the starter floats when you drop it in, that’s a good sign that it’s active enough to use! Add 6 cups of flour and 3 tsp. of salt, and mix well until a shaggy, sticky dough forms.

4. Cover the bowl and let dough rest for 15-30 minutes to allow the gluten to develop. Then stretch and fold the dough a few times until it becomes less sticky and develops some resistance. I do this by pulling out a corner of the dough and pressing it down into the middle, going around in a circle and repeating the motion.

5. Cover bowl with a towel or plastic (I use a disposable shower cap) and let dough rise on the counter overnight, or about 8-12 hours. Dough should double in size.

6. Transfer dough to a floured countertop and divide into two pieces. Let rest for 15-30 minutes, then shape each half into a ball with several more stretch and folds. 

7. Dust your banneton (or towel-lined bowl) with flour. Place boules inside, cover, and let rise for 2-4 hours, or until doubled in size.

8. During the last 30 minutes or so of rising time, preheat oven to 425°F and insert two Dutch oven pans to heat. Gently turn boules out onto sheets of parchment paper and score top with sharp knife. I usually just do a simple “X” shape.

9. Place each boule carefully in hot Dutch ovens or cast iron skillets. Bake for 45-48 minutes, or until internal temperature is 205-210°F. I usually cover the Dutch oven for 25-30 minutes to trap the steam and create more rise, then leave it uncovered for the remaining time to brown the crust.

10. Let cool completely (or at least as long as you can wait) before you slice and enjoy! Bread is best when eaten fresh, but you can store in a Ziploc at room temperature for 1-3 days, or freeze loaves and thaw/reheat later.

what about all the fancy techniques?

Many techniques you see online are useful for taking your sourdough to the next level, and some are necessary for specific types of breads. If you’re overwhelmed, start with this bread recipe and don’t worry about implementing the following fancy tips at first. Of course, feel free to explore and research these ideas if they interest you!

• Constantly feeding/discarding starter. Your starter doesn’t need constant attention unless it’s always out on the countertop. You can keep it in the fridge for up to a month (or more) when you’re not using it. It may form a gray liquid on top, which is just fine – it’s not mold! Simply pour or scrape the liquid off and feed your starter as normal. Very inactive starters may need to be fed multiple times before they’re strong enough to use.
• Mixing salt after autolyse. Salt slightly changes the structure of the dough, so some people add it after a resting period, or autolyse. In my experience, mixing all ingredients at once works just fine.
• Specialty ingredients. You can play around with bread flour, whole wheat, or fancy salt, but if all you have is standard all-purpose flour and table salt, your bread will still be tasty!
• Specialty tools. All you need for this recipe is a bowl, a lid or cover for the bowl, a fork or spoon to mix the dough, a knife for scoring, and a Dutch oven for baking . See the Tips & Tricks section for Dutch oven alternatives and specialty tools that could be fun if you’re interested.
• Constant stretch and folds. Some breads do require constant “pats on the head” to create their soft, smooth texture. But for a classic, rustic loaf like this one, the gluten develops mainly by resting the dough rather than working it.
• The windowpane test. Again, this depends on the bread. The windowpane test refers to stretching the dough thin enough to see light through. It’s a useful technique when making very smooth doughs like brioche, but you don’t need to worry about that level of stretchiness for this recipe.
• Using a stand mixer. Although I have a Kitchen-Aid mixer, I always mix up this dough by hand. It’s easy to get in there with my hands to help the dough come together.
• Adding steam to your oven. Some people add ice cubes to a hot pan to create tons of steam in a preheated oven. Steam is great for oven spring, but a preheated Dutch oven with a lid works just fine.

tips & Tricks

Here are a few tips and tricks that I actually do find useful. 

• Starter Safety: When feeding your starter, make sure to cover it only loosely with a lid rather than screwing it on. You don’t want your container to explode or overflow and make a huge mess.
• How to Use “Discard”: Once it is no longer bubbly, the starter is called “discard.” But you don’t have to throw it away! I make more recipes using inactive starter than active. Check out FarmhouseOnBoone.com and LittleSpoonFarm.com for tons of great sourdough recipes. My favorites are tortillas, crepes, crackers, and pancakes.
• Whole Wheat Sourdough: I like to add a bit of fresh-milled flour to my loaves for added flavor and nutrition. Try swapping out just 1 or 2 cups of flour at first; too much whole wheat will make a dense, dry loaf. If you really want to make a whole-wheat loaf, I recommend looking up sandwich bread recipes which convert better without becoming so dense.
• Rising Times: Sourdough is very sensitive to temperature. A hot kitchen (or barely warm oven) will make starters and dough rise far more quickly than a cool winter kitchen. You can use this to your advantage to fit bread baking into your schedule. Refrigerating the dough will drastically slow down or nearly pause the rising process.
• Dutch Oven Alternatives: Dutch ovens are the best choice for baking sourdough as they hold heat and steam well to create a crusty exterior. I’ve also used a stoneware baking pan or cast iron skillet topped with an oven-safe bowl for a lid. You can experiment with regular bread pans too.
• Sourdough Tools: If you’re ready to dive deeper into sourdough, consider buying bannetons: breathable wooden baskets lined with fabric. They’re easier to work with than bowls and floured tea towels. (I still flour the banneton fabric, however.) I love to use cheap disposable shower caps to cover bannetons or bowls while the dough is rising. You can also buy specific blades or “lames” for scoring loaves in pretty patterns, as well as bench scrapers for dividing dough.

download the printable

I summarized all this information into a handy printable that will fit on one double-sided page. Feel free to print this off and stick it to your fridge so you don’t have to look off of your phone every time.

recipe card

If you don’t want to print anything, here’s a simplified version of the recipe without photos.

(Note: I originally got this recipe from Jill Winger at theprairiehomestead.com and have modified the techniques and amounts over time. Check out her original post here.)

Yields 2 loaves.

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups water
• 1 cup active sourdough starter
• 6 cups flour
• 3 tsp. salt

Instructions

1. Mix starter and water thoroughly in large bowl. Add flour and salt and mix well until a shaggy, sticky dough forms.
2. Cover bowl and let dough rest for 15-30 minutes.
3. Stretch and fold the dough a few times (see notes). It should become less sticky and develop some resistance.
4. Cover bowl with towel or plastic and let dough rise on the counter overnight, or about 8-12 hours. Dough should double in size.
5. Transfer dough to a floured countertop and divide into two pieces. Let rest for 15-30 minutes, then shape each half into a ball with several more stretch and folds. Place each boule in a banneton or a bowl well-dusted with flour.
6. Cover and let rise for 2-4 hours, or until doubled in size.
7. During last 30 minutes or so, preheat oven to 425 and insert two Dutch oven pans to heat.
8. Gently turn boules out onto sheets of parchment paper and score top with sharp knife if desired. Place each boule carefully in hot Dutch ovens.
9. Bake for 45-48 minutes, or until internal temperature is 205-210 degrees. (See notes.)
10. Let cool completely before you slice and enjoy! Bread is best when eaten fresh, but you can store in a Ziploc at room temperature for 1-3 days, or freeze loaves and thaw/reheat later.

And there you go! That wraps up this rather in-depth introduction to sourdough bread. I really hope you borrow some starter from a friend and give this a go. There’s nothing like the smell, taste, and joy of a fresh-baked sourdough loaf. You can do it! I believe in you! 🙂

Let me know in the comments if you have any questions – or advice of your own you’d like to share!

***Allison***