Homemade Sourdough Bread Recipe for Beginners

Sourdough looks hard, but most of the work is waiting. You don't need to knead. You mix four simple ingredients, fold the dough a few times, let it rest overnight in the fridge, and bake it in a hot pot. This homemade sourdough bread recipe for beginners keeps every step simple and explains what the dough should look like, so you're never guessing.

Before you start: You need an active sourdough starter. That's a bubbly mix of flour and water full of wild yeast. If you don't have one, you can make one in 7–10 days, or ask a friend or local bakery for a little.

Quick Facts

• Hands-on time: about 30 minutes in total
• Rising time: 4–6 hours at room temperature
• Fridge rest: 12–16 hours (overnight)
• Bake time: about 45 minutes
• Total time: about 1–2 days (mostly waiting)
• Yield: 1 round loaf (about 12 slices)
• Difficulty: Medium

A Simple Two-Day Schedule

Time	Step
Day 1, 8 am	Feed your starter
Day 1, 12 pm	Mix flour and water, rest 30–60 minutes
Day 1, 1 pm	Add starter and salt
Day 1, 1:30–4 pm	Stretch and folds every 30 minutes
Day 1, 4–6 pm	Let the dough rise until puffy
Day 1, 6 pm	Shape and put in the fridge
Day 2, morning	Bake

Warm kitchens move faster; cool kitchens move slower. Watch the dough, not just the clock.

Ingredients

• 100 g (about ½ cup) active sourdough starter, bubbly and at its peak
• 375 g (about 1½ cups + 1 tablespoon) warm water
• 500 g (about 4 cups) bread flour
• 10 g (about 1¾ teaspoons) fine salt
• Rice flour or extra flour for dusting

Why grams? Sourdough works best with a kitchen scale. Cups can be off by a lot with flour.

How to know your starter is ready: It should have doubled in size since feeding, look bubbly on top and on the sides, and smell pleasantly sour. A spoonful dropped in water should float.

Equipment

• Kitchen scale
• Large bowl
• Banneton (proofing basket), or a bowl lined with a well-floured kitchen towel
• Dutch oven (a heavy pot with a lid)
• Parchment paper and a sharp knife or razor blade

Step-by-Step

1. Mix flour and water (rest)

Stir the flour and 350 g of the water together until no dry flour is left. Cover and rest for 30–60 minutes. This rest makes the dough smoother and easier to handle.

2. Add starter and salt

Add the starter, salt and the remaining 25 g water. Squeeze and pinch the dough with wet hands for 2–3 minutes until everything is mixed in. It will feel sticky. That's normal.

3. Stretch and folds

Every 30 minutes for 2–2½ hours (4–5 sets), do one set of stretch and folds:

• Wet your hand.
• Grab one side of the dough, gently pull it up until it resists, and fold it over the middle.
• Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat 4 times.

The dough will get smoother, stronger and less sticky with each set.

4. Let it rise (bulk fermentation)

Cover and leave the dough at warm room temperature (about 75°F / 24°C) until it is:

• About 50–75% bigger
• Puffy, with a slightly domed top
• Showing bubbles on top and sides
• Jiggly when you shake the bowl

This usually takes 2–4 more hours after the last fold. This is the most important step. Under-risen dough makes a dense loaf.

5. Shape

Tip the dough gently onto a lightly floured counter. Fold the edges into the middle to make a round. Flip it seam-side down and pull it toward you a few times on the counter to tighten the top. Rest 20 minutes. Then shape once more and place it seam-side up into a well-floured banneton.

6. Overnight in the fridge

Cover and refrigerate for 12–16 hours. The cold rest adds flavor, gives the bread its tang, and makes the dough firm and easy to score.

7. Heat the oven and pot

Put the Dutch oven with its lid inside the oven. Preheat to 450°F (230°C) for 45 minutes. The pot must be very hot.

8. Score

Take the dough straight from the fridge. Turn it onto a piece of parchment. Use a razor or very sharp knife to cut one confident slash about ½ inch deep across the top. This lets the bread open up in a controlled way.

9. Bake

Carefully lower the dough (on its parchment) into the hot pot. Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and bake 20–25 minutes more, until the crust is deep golden brown. The inside should reach about 205°F–210°F (96°C–99°C). Tapping the bottom should sound hollow.

10. Cool

Cool on a rack for at least 1 hour before slicing. The inside is still cooking. Cutting early makes it gummy.

Tips for Beginners

• Watch the dough, not the clock. Temperature changes everything.
• Use wet hands. Sticky dough is much easier to handle with damp hands than with extra flour.
• Use rice flour in the basket. It doesn't absorb into the dough, so the loaf won't stick.
• Bake dark. A deep brown crust tastes better than a pale one.

Common Problems

Flat loaf that spreads. The dough over-rose, or the shaping wasn't tight. Try a shorter rise and tighter shaping.

Dense, tight inside. The dough didn't rise enough, or the starter wasn't active. Let it rise longer next time.

Gummy inside. It was cut too soon or underbaked. Bake to 205°F and cool fully.

Stuck to the basket. The basket wasn't floured enough. Use rice flour.

Burnt bottom. Put a baking sheet on the rack below the pot, or a little cornmeal under the parchment.

Variations

• Part whole wheat: Replace 100 g bread flour with whole wheat flour. Add 10–15 g more water.
• Seeded: Add ½ cup mixed seeds (sesame, sunflower, flax) after the first stretch and fold.
• Cheese and jalapeño: Fold in ¾ cup cubed cheddar and 2 chopped jalapeños during the third fold.
• All-purpose flour: Works, but use 350 g water total. The loaf will be a bit softer and flatter.

How to Enjoy It

Toast slices with butter, make avocado toast, use it for grilled cheese, or serve it with soup. It's also perfect for sandwiches with homemade turkey lunch meat.

Storage and Freezing

Room temperature: Store cut-side down on a board, or in a paper or cloth bag, for 2–3 days. Plastic makes the crust soft.

Freezer: Slice the cooled loaf and freeze in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Toast slices straight from frozen.

Refresh: Warm a day-old loaf at 350°F for 5–10 minutes to crisp the crust again.

Nutrition Estimate

Per slice (1/12 of the loaf):

• Calories: about 160
• Carbohydrates: about 32 g
• Protein: about 6 g
• Fat: under 1 g
• Fiber: about 1 g

FAQs

Can I make sourdough without a Dutch oven?

Yes. Bake on a hot baking stone or sheet, and put a pan of hot water on the bottom rack for steam in the first 20 minutes.

Why is my sourdough not sour?

A shorter fridge rest makes milder bread. Rest it longer (up to 24 hours) for more tang.

Can I skip the fridge rest?

You can bake after a 1–2 hour rise at room temperature, but the flavor is milder and scoring is harder.

How do I know the rise is finished?

The dough should be puffy, jiggly, domed and about 50–75% bigger, with bubbles on the sides.

More Recipes to Try

• Easy Homemade Pizza Dough, No Yeast (coming soon)
• Old Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits (coming soon)
• Healthy Avocado Toast With Egg (coming soon)
• Classic French Onion Soup With Gruyère (coming soon)
• Browse all recipes

A Final Note

Your first loaf may not be perfect, and that's completely normal. Write down your times and kitchen temperature, adjust a little each time, and by your third or fourth loaf you'll be proud of what comes out of that pot.