Easy Sourdough Bread Recipe: Step by Step Photos

You guys have been asking, so I am finally sharing my sourdough bread recipe! It works exceptionally well for me, and I know you're going to love the results too.

If you're new to sourdough baking, please don't be intimidated! I know there are quite a few terms and techniques to learn, but after a few loaves, you'll really start to understand the process and feel more confident. To make things easier on you, in this post I broke down all the terms you need to know and provided step-by-step instructions with photos!

If you have any questions about my sourdough bread recipe, leave a comment or message me on Instagram!

With your leftover sourdough discard, you absolutely have to make my homemade sourdough discard tortillas! They are the softest and most flavorful tortillas you will ever eat!! And if you're craving something sweet, my fudgy sourdough brownies or sourdough banana bread are both favorites of mine.

What is Sourdough Bread?

Sourdough is naturally leavened bread, which means it doesn't use any commercial yeast to rise. Instead, sourdough bread rises naturally using a starter - fermented flour and water mixture that contains natural yeast and good bacteria. This fermenting process is what gives sourdough it's tangy flavor, chewy texture, airy crumb and crispy crust!

What is a sourdough starter?

Sourdough starter is used in place of yeast to make sourdough bread.

Sourdough starter naturally develops good bacteria and wild yeast that feed on the carbohydrates in flour when hydrated with water and allowed to ferment, which is where the phrase "feed your starter" comes in.

Creating a sourdough starter at home usually takes about 2 weeks. The process involves mixing together water and flour everyday until the starter is active, which means it's ready to bake with.

Once your starter is active, you can continue to feed it everyday if you plan to bake bread everyday, otherwise you can store your starter in the fridge and feed it once a week when you're ready to bake.

If you forget to feed your starter or you go on vacation, don't stress. Your starter will be just fine in the fridge for a few weeks without being fed. But, before baking with it, feed your starter 2-3 times to reactive it.

How do I make a sourdough starter?

There are a lot of great articles online that will walk you through how to make your own sourdough starter. Just do a Google search. I recommend making a sourdough starter when the weather is warm because starters like a warm environment. I also recommend finding a sourdough starter recipe that is fed with equal parts starter, water and flour. Those are two things I learned from my experience.

But, you do not have to make your own starter. If you know someone who has a starter, ask them for a cup. They will always have extra! Alternatively, you can buy fresh sourdough starter online! Here are a couple links:

King Arthur Live Sourdough Starter

Breadtopia Live Sourdough Starter

What equipment do I need?

Despite what you may think, you don't need special equipment for this sourdough bread recipe! Below, I broke down the absolutely essential equipment that you need, and some fun optional equipment that you can collect along the way to enhance your bread making skills!

Essential equipment

• kitchen scale
• 4-6 quart dutch oven
• parchment paper
• mixing bowl
• kitchen towel
• sharp knife or razor blade

Optional equipment

• proofing basket, round or oval
• bread lame
• bench scraper/dough cutter
• dough whisk
• bread knife

Sourdough terms

What is sourdough crumb?

Crumb refers to the texture of the inside of the loaf, and is often referred to as "open" or "closed" crumb. Open crumb means the sourdough has large, open holes through the interior of the bread - this is typical of a traditional sourdough loaf. Closed or tight crumb loaves don't have all those big holes, instead the interior of the bread more closely resembles sandwich bread.

This sourdough bread recipe creates a loaf with an open crumb.

What is sourdough bulk fermentation?

Bulk fermentation is just a term for the first rise. During the first 2 hours of bulk fermentation, you will perform a series of stretch and folds, which help to activate the gluten, giving the dough strength.

During the remainder of the bulk fermentation, the dough will sit at room temperature until doubled in size.

What is sourdough shaping?

Sourdough shaping is essentially taking the dough from a loose and shaggy to a well rounded ball. You can use your hands to shape the shape the dough and create tension, but using a bench scraper really helps!

The goal of sourdough shaping is to create a "skin" on the surface of the dough, creating tension and allowing the dough to hold it's shape while it bakes.

What is sourdough proofing?

When it comes to sourdough, proofing is a period of rest for the dough after shaping, but before baking. Proofing improves the flavor, texture and structure of the bread. Longer proofing will give you a more open, airy crumb (the holes in sourdough bread).

What is sourdough scoring?

Cutting a slash into the dough using a sharp knife or razor blade to allow for expansion during baking. Bread dough rapidly expands in the oven (also known as "oven spring"), and scoring allows you to control where the bread expands.

You don't have to score the dough, but it will burst open as it bakes.

How to make sourdough bread (step by step overview with photos)

Step 1: Feed your starter.

Feed your sourdough starter, and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 4-6 hours.

Step 2: Mix the dough.

Mix together the active sourdough starter, water, bread flour and salt until a sticky, shaggy dough ball forms. Let rest for 30 minutes.

Step 3: Stretch and folds.

Perform a series of stretch and folds every 30 minutes for 2 hours (total of 4 stretch and fold series) to give the dough strength. To do so, grab under the top side of dough and stretch it up then fold it over the center. Quarter turn the bowl and repeat until you've performed the stretch and fold series on all 4 sides. The dough will tighten up as you go along.

Step 4: Bulk fermentation.

Cover the dough and let rise at room temperature overnight until doubled in volume.

Step 5: Shape the dough.

Grab one side of the dough and fold it over the center. Do the same to the opposite side. Grab the top and loosely roll the dough over itself until you reach the bottom. Then use your hands or a bench scraper to push and pull the dough to create tension.

Step 6: Cold proof.

Place the dough seam side up (smooth side down) in a proofing basket. Cover with a towel and transfer to the fridge. Proof for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

Step 7: Score + Bake.

Once the dough has proofed, flip the dough out onto parchment paper and score. Lift the parchment paper with the dough into a preheated dutch oven. Put the lid on and bake.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is my sourdough starter ready to use?

Your sourdough stater should double in size within 4-6 hours after feeding. You want to use the starter to make bread when it is most active, so once it has doubled in size.

Every time I feed my starter, I put it in a quart mason jar to easily track it's height. Most mason jars have measurement lines on the side. I make note of which line the starter is at after I feed it. Once it's doubled in size, it's ready to use! Alternatively, you can use a rubber band on any other tall sided vessel. Place the rubber band around the vessel it mark the height of the sourdough right after it was fed.

If your starter hasn't been fed in over one week or it's not doubling in size in 4-6 hours, I recommend feeding it twice before using it to bake bread. You can feed it in the morning and at night or two separate days. Then use the starter after the second feeding (if it rises in 4-6 hours).

When feeding my starter, I always mix together equal parts starter, flour and water. Typically, I use 100-120 grams of each.

If you want to double check that your sourdough starter is ready to bake with, you can drop a spoonful into a bowl of water. If it floats, the starter is ready to use.

How long does bulk fermentation take?

The amount of time needed for bulk fermentation depends on how much starter you use and the temperature of your kitchen.

I like schedule my dough so that bulk fermentation happens overnight. I typically use 75-100 grams of starter, and perform 2 hours of stretch and folds then let the dough rise (bulk ferment) from about 10pm - 7am, so about 9 hours, or however long it needs.

My kitchen is cold most of the year (Minnesota resident over here), usually about 68 degrees. During these cold months when my kitchen is below 70 degrees, I like to use 100 grams of starter for overnight bulk fermentation.

During the warmer months when my kitchen is above 70 degrees, the dough rises quicker due to the warmer, humid weather. If you live in a warm place or it's summer, I recommend trying 75 grams of starter for an overnight bulk fermentation.

How long does proofing take?

For this recipe, you'll cold proof in the fridge at least 1 hour, or up to 12-24 hours.

Even 1 hour of cold proofing will do wonders to help to improve the structure of the bread, but I do recommend a longer proofing, if possible!

What hydration should sourdough be?

Hydration is the ratio of flour to water. Higher hydration levels create bread with a more chewy, open crumb (those holes you see in sourdough bread). Lower hydration creates bread that more closely resembles sandwich bread.

Hydration levels are calculated by diving the grams of water by the grams of flour. This recipe calls for 375 grams of water and 500 grams of flour, so you take 375 and divide by 500, getting 75% hydration. This bread is higher hydration, making it a more traditional loaf of sourdough bread.

Higher hydration levels create a sticker dough that's a little more difficult to work with, but still easy enough for beginners!

Storage

Room temperature

Once the loaf has been sliced into, store in an airtight bag for up to 5 days. After a couple days, I think sourdough bread tastes best lightly toasted.

Freezing

You can freeze sourdough bread in an airtight bag for up to 3 months. You can freeze the loaf whole or cut into slices first.

I like to slice the loaf, then I can just grab one or two slices at a time and pop them into the toaster to thaw and toast before eating.

To thaw a whole frozen loaf of bread:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Remove the loaf from the freezer and bag
3. Place the loaf directly on the center rack
4. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until soft
5. Let cool before slicing

If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and a comment below! I'd love to hear from you! If you’re on Instagram, share a picture of the food you created and tag me at Modern Farmhouse Eats! I enjoy seeing all the pictures! 😊