The wild yeasts produce carbon dioxide gas and ethanol during fermentation. And then, each step of the process has lots of information to ensure you understand what is happening and what to do. Be sure to see the end for a complete video walkthrough of me making this recipe! I’d heard others talk about flat and dense loaves—dough that never rose. And conversely, if it’s warm where you are, see my post on how to bake in the summer. Lower temperatures generally mean less activity; therefore, things will take longer. Temperature determines the amount of fermentation activity you’ll see. Beginner’s Sourdough Bread Formula Salt is rarely added to an autolyse because the salt would diminish enzymatic activity during this time, which is precisely why we are doing an autolyse.Sourdough is made by combining flour and water and then setting it aside for a period of a few days.The photo below shows my levain before it goes into my dough mix.Lightly flour the top of your dough rounds and the work surface.After the third set of stretch and folds, let the dough rest for the remainder of bulk fermentation.I like to spread everything on top of the dough and use wet hands to pinch all the ingredients together.During this time, yeasts that are naturally present in the air combine with the mixture and begin to ferment, which creates the sour flavour noted in its name. Place it back into the oven and cover the shallow side with the deep side, or put the lid on the Dutch oven. While wearing your heavy-duty oven mitt, and with caution, pull out your shallow side of the combo cooker and place it on a heat-safe rack or stovetop. Gently remove the basket; your dough should rest on the parchment. Place a pizza peel, cutting board, or inverted baking sheet on top of the parchment and, using both hands, flip everything over. When your oven is preheated, remove one of the proofing baskets from the fridge, uncover it, and place a piece of parchment paper over it. Let the dough rest on the bench for a few minutes to help the bottom seam seal. This dragging helps create surface tension on the dough, which helps keep it in shape during proofing. The angle of your hands will gently press the dough’s bottom on the counter. Using both hands, cup the top part of the round and drag the dough gently towards your body to create surface tension on the dough. Finally, flip or roll down the dough so the seams are all on the bottom. Then, grab the top of the circle, stretch it away from your body, and then fold it down to the bottom of the dough. For the second loaf, preheat the combo cooker or Dutch oven for 15 minutes and repeat.Lower temperatures generally mean less activity; therefore, things will take longer.Sourdough, leaven made of flour, water, and wild yeasts by a process of fermentation, used to make bread and other baked goods.See my in-depth post on the autolyse technique for more information.I typically proof at a cold temperature in the refrigerator (also called “retarding”).You can find a full list of all the tools I use when baking on my baking tools page.I like to use a Dutch oven or combo cooker, which is very easy.It wasn’t until I read a sourdough book cover to cover and painted it with post-it notes, highlights, and dog-eared pages that I felt ready to put my newborn sourdough starter to work. The following might look like a long list, but you probably already have many of these in your kitchen—There are a few tools necessary for baking this beginner’s sourdough bread. But, before we go on this beginner’s sourdough bread recipe, let’s first take a look at what sourdough bread is. Cool for 1 to 2 hours before slicing into your beginner’s sourdough bread. Now we get to the formula for the beginner’s sourdough bread formula. Remember that sometimes bread doesn’t come out as you intended–but stick with it, and you’ll be rewarded time and time again. For the second loaf, preheat the combo cooker or Dutch oven for 15 minutes and repeat. Use your oven mitt to transfer the bread to a wire rack carefully. When done, the loaf should have an internal temperature of around 208°F (97°C), and the crust should be a deep mahogany color and crackle/crunch when squeezed. If using scissors, snip the dough a few times at a very shallow angle between the scissors and the dough, forming a set of ridges down the dough’s center. And then, each step of the process has lots of information to ensure you understand what is happening and what to do.Stretch the dough high enough so you can fold it completely over to the other side.Gently transfer each piece of shaped dough to a proofing basket, seam-side-up.As seen in the image below, with lightly floured hands, grab the bottom of the round and stretch it lightly downward towards your body, and then up and over about 2/3 of the way to the top.Put your combo cooker or Dutch oven on the oven rack, and preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C) for at least 30 minutes.If you’re new to shaping bread dough, check out my guide to shaping a boule (a round) in addition to the steps below.In this guide, you will see the visual and aromatic cues to look for when your starter is ready for refreshment (feeding).That’s why I’ve put together this beginner’s sourdough bread tutorial and recipe—it will give you confidence as you take your first steps in baking sourdough bread from your home kitchen. The photo below shows my levain before it goes into my dough mix. The Vitals table gives you a high-level view of the contents of the dough, as well as how much the recipe makes (in this case, two loaves). Higher temperatures generally mean more activity; therefore, things will take less time. TPL Members (the baking community here) have access to all the recipes here at The Perfect Loaf in spreadsheet form, making scaling up and down recipes as simple as changing a few numbers. Salt is rarely added to an autolyse because the salt would diminish enzymatic activity during this time, which is precisely why we are doing an autolyse. Note that the autolyse stage does not incorporate salt or the levain in any way since the autolyse is a long one hour. Place the flour and the water called for in the table above in a large bowl. The desired dough temperature (DDT) for this dough is 78°F (25°C). Latest Tool Posts As the new obsession set in, I started making fresh sourdough bread for every meal. I folded ever-so-gently while I held my bread until, hours later, I pulled my first sourdough from the oven. It wasn’t until I read a sourdough book cover to cover and painted it with post-it notes, highlights, and dog-eared pages that I felt ready to put my newborn sourdough starter to work. The last is probably the most important factor, and some places—San Francisco notable among them—produce sourdough bread and sourdough cultures that are held superior in flavour to others. Autolyse – 12:00 p.m. The perfect bread to get started baking sourdough bread at home. See my full guide to baking sourdough bread for tips on scoring your dough, pots, and steaming. Mix the ingredients in the table above in a clean jar (I use the same sourdough starter jars) and leave it at warm room temperature, 74-76°F (23-24°C), for 5 to 6 hours. But it does have tanginess which is the byproduct of lactic acid fermentation. Sourdough isn’t super sour in the traditional sense—it’s not sour like taking a bit of a lemon. Additionally, fermentation helps “unlock” the nutrition inherent in the grain, allowing for better absorption. Follow my guide to storing bread to keep your loaves fresh for as long as possible. Leave the large side of the combo cooker in the oven to the side. You’ll refresh (feed) the starter indefinitely to keep the fermentation active and healthy, and you will wait for it to become fully ripe before you use any of it to make bread. A starter is a mixture of flour and water you allow to ferment naturally. For a high-level look at each step of the sourdough process, read through the Beginner’s Guide to Sourdough Bread → When this gas becomes trapped in the dough’s airtight gluten matrix, the dough begins to rise, resulting in a final loaf of bread with a light and airy texture. Scientists working on the metagenomics of sourdough, however, suggest that it may be a combination of factors that shape the quality of the starter. I’d heard others talk about flat and dense loaves—dough that never rose.Place the flour and the water called for in the table above in a large bowl.Let the dough rest on the bench for a few minutes to help the bottom seam seal.And conversely, if it’s warm where you are, see my post on how to bake in the summer.Then, grab the left and right sides of the dough and stretch them away from each other.The fermentation process involved in making sourdough bread helps free B vitamins from flour, and it has probiotic qualities that are believed to be beneficial to gut flora. Working with consistent temperatures will ensure consistency in your bread baking, and you’ll get the desired results in terms of flavor, rise, texture–well, everything. Read through my introduction to baker’s percentages for a more in-depth explanation (including how to scale up and down a bread recipe). I have a handy water temperature calculator you can use to quickly figure out what you need to warm or cool your mixing water to get the dough to the right temperature. Beginner’s Sourdough Bread (With Video) When your oven is preheated, remove one of the proofing baskets from the fridge, uncover it, and place a piece of parchment paper over it.As the new obsession set in, I started making fresh sourdough bread for every meal.Additionally, fermentation helps “unlock” the nutrition inherent in the grain, allowing for better absorption.There are a few necessary tools for baking your first loaf of this beginner’s sourdough bread.The Vitals table gives you a high-level view of the contents of the dough, as well as how much the recipe makes (in this case, two loaves).In the video below, you can see how I shape bread dough into a boule shape.After mixing the flour, salt, and levain into a dough, you put it all into a bowl or container, cover it, and let it rest.Wet your hands with a little water to prevent sticking, and then lift one side (North) of the dough with two hands.Some argue that it is from microbes on the bodies of the chefs themselves, others the grain and water used, and still others the climate. In the video below, you can see how I stretch and fold this dough during bulk fermentation. At 74-76°F (23-24°C) ambient temperature, bulk fermentation should go for about 4 hours. Transfer the dough to a container or thick-walled bowl for bulk fermentation. If the dough feels very wet and shaggy, do not use all of the reserved 50g of water; use only a splash to help incorporate the salt and levain. Additionally, it helps increase dough extensibility (the ability for the dough to stretch out without tearing). See my post on starter creation to read more about the starter and learn how to make one. In this guide, you will see the visual and aromatic cues to look for when your starter is ready for refreshment (feeding). All recipes on The Perfect Loaf are naturally leavened; in other words, you won’t find any commercial yeast or instant yeast here. What I mean by that, practically, is that if one day you mix with water that is 70°F (21°C) and then a week later mix with water that is 80°F (26°C), you will get drastically different outcomes. You can find a full list of all the tools I use when baking on my baking tools page. Measuring flour with cups and scoops is entirely inaccurate! I typically proof at a cold temperature in the refrigerator (also called “retarding”). See my in-depth post on the autolyse technique for more information. About The Perfect Loaf Naturally, each component (levain, the flour, the water, and the ambient environment) has a temperature. For more on this critical step in the bread-making process, see my in-depth guide to bulk fermentation. It occurs at the beginning of bread baking and is a step in which only flour and water are mixed together and left to rest. If you’d like to look at how I feed my starter daily, look at my sourdough starter maintenance routine. Generally speaking, bacteria are primarily responsible for producing organic acids (lactic acid and acetic acid) that contribute to sourdough bread’s flavor, texture, and storage qualities. The Total Formula table lists the ingredients needed for the entire recipe and their respective amounts. The baking schedule to the right shows you a high-level view of what step takes place and when. These are great flour choices, but any of King Arthur’s offerings are equally suitable. Overall, dietitians hold that sourdough bread, especially if made with whole grains, is more healthful than processed bread that uses baker’s yeast. The Perfect Loaf is an independent website dedicated to helping you bake the best sourdough bread & pizza in your home kitchen. Finally, now that you have your sourdough starter bubbling away on your counter check out my sourdough starter discard recipes for ideas on how to use leftovers! Or, have a look at my Simple Weekday Sourdough Bread for a way to squeeze sourdough bread baking into a busy workday. If you’re looking to add mix-ins to your bread, have a look at my walnut cranberry sourdough bread—it’s one of the most popular recipes here at The Perfect Loaf—and for good reason! If you don’t see these signs, leave it for another 15 minutes in bulk fermentation and check again. Wet your hands with a little water to prevent sticking, and then lift one side (North) of the dough with two hands. Perform 3 sets of stretches and folds during bulk fermentation, spaced out by 30 minutes. If your FDT is below 78°F (25°C), next time use warmer water, and conversely, if it’s above 78°F (25°C), use cooler water. Take the temperature of the dough to get your final dough temperature. I write all the formulas on The Perfect Loaf in baker’s percentages, where all ingredient weights are a percentage of the total flour weight, which always adds up to 100%. Baker’s math, or baker’s percentages, helps bakers adjust the actual quantity of the ingredients up or down, depending on how much bread they want to make. The final dough temperature (FDT) is the dough’s temperature after mixing all ingredients. In my ultimate guide to proofing, I talk about how to spot when the dough is finished rising and ready to bake, plus a whole lot more. During this time, the dough continues to ferment, further strengthening and leavening it. Some argue that it is from microbes on the bodies of the chefs themselves, others the grain and water used, and still others the climate. During this time, yeasts that are naturally present in the air combine with the mixture and begin to ferment, which creates the sour flavour noted in its name. In order to make bread, the fermented leaven is added to a second batch of flour and water, kneaded, and baked.See my guide to preshaping bread dough for more information.To the autolyse, add the ingredients in the table above (salt, reserved water to help adjust dough hydration and consistency, and levain).When I first started baking, I didn’t quite grasp how important temperature is in the bread-making process.But, before we go on this beginner’s sourdough bread recipe, let’s first take a look at what sourdough bread is.Temperature determines the amount of fermentation activity you’ll see.In my YouTube video below, you can see how I make my Beginner’s Sourdough Bread, from creating the levain to slicing the final loaves.Use a bowl scraper to scrape down the sides of the bowl, keeping all the dough in one area at the bottom. After baking this beginner’s sourdough bread, check out my Baking Guides for more in-depth discussions on all parts of the sourdough bread-making process. This beginner’s sourdough bread is a two-day-long process where the bread is mixed and prepared on day one, cold-proofed (retarded) in the fridge overnight, then baked on day two. There are a few necessary tools for baking your first loaf of this beginner’s sourdough bread. That’s why I’ve put together this beginner’s sourdough bread tutorial and recipe—it will give you confidence as you take your first steps in baking sourdough bread from your home kitchen. It’s such a simple thing, and yet it brought me so much joy to see my family and friends tear into a freshly baked loaf that I wanted to bake every day of every week. There was something about the whole bread-making process that I found captivating. There is much discussion among chefs about the origin of the yeasts that make sourdough what it is. The dough lends itself to experimentation, and, while the basic flavour will remain the same, sourdough loaves can take many forms. French bakers favour the boule (ball) form, while many home chefs use a simple rectangular baking pan. This Beginner’s Sourdough Bread post has several videos where I walk you through each step of the sourdough bread-making process. To the autolyse, add the ingredients in the table above (salt, reserved water to help adjust dough hydration and consistency, and levain). At this point, your autolyse is complete and your levain is ready—it’s time to mix and strengthen the dough. Adding the levain to the autolyse would mean fermentation would begin, which could end up overproofing the dough. Warm or cool the autolyse water so the mixed dough reaches the FDT for this recipe. Using a razor blade, sharp knife, or baker’s lame, score the dough at a 90° angle between the blade and the dough. During this time, overall fermentation will slow (especially yeast activity), but bacterial activity will continue at a reduced rate, resulting in a more complex flavor and, ultimately, deeper crust coloring. You can also top this dough with sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pepitas, and much more—see my guide to topping bread dough for more ideas and instructions. Using a bowl scraper, gently scrape the dough onto the work surface and use your bench knife to divide the dough directly in half. It should show some bubbles on the top and sides, and the edge of the dough where it meets the bowl should be slightly domed, which indicates strength. Stretch the dough high enough so you can fold it completely over to the other side. I like to spread everything on top of the dough and use wet hands to pinch all the ingredients together. If it is higher, use cold water for the reserved water; if it is lower, use warm water. Use a bowl scraper to scrape down the sides of the bowl, keeping all the dough in one area at the bottom. Use wet hands to mix until no dry bits remain; the dough will be shaggy and loose. The baking schedule to the right shows you a high-level view of what step takes place and when.This sealed environment helps trap the moisture (escaping steam) from your dough to steam the loaf exterior as it bakes, which encourages maximal rise and a crunchy, shiny crust.Read through my introduction to baker’s percentages for a more in-depth explanation (including how to scale up and down a bread recipe).While wearing your heavy-duty oven mitt, and with caution, pull out your shallow side of the combo cooker and place it on a heat-safe rack or stovetop.The dough lends itself to experimentation, and, while the basic flavour will remain the same, sourdough loaves can take many forms.Use your oven mitt to transfer the bread to a wire rack carefully.It occurs at the beginning of bread baking and is a step in which only flour and water are mixed together and left to rest. See my guide to preshaping bread dough for more information. Preshaping bread dough is an often overlooked step, but it sets the stage for successful shaping later. Using your bench knife in your dominant hand, and the other hand wet (or floured, if you prefer) to reduce sticking, turn each half of the dough on the counter while lightly pulling the dough towards you. Bacteria and yeast begin to generate organic acids and alcohols and leaven the dough, which will translate to flavor and rise in your final bread. In most cases, increased extensibility is good as it helps the dough expand and fill with gasses, resulting in a light and airy loaf. This how-to guide starts with explaining baking terms and definitions so that we will have a common vocabulary once we get to the recipe. The fermentation process involved in making sourdough bread helps free B vitamins from flour, and it has probiotic qualities that are believed to be beneficial to gut flora. Sourdough, leaven made of flour, water, and wild yeasts by a process of fermentation, used to make bread and other baked goods. If it’s cold where you’re baking, see my tips on how to bake sourdough bread in the winter. This recipe will give you confidence as you take your first steps in baking sourdough bread from your home kitchen. Put your combo cooker or Dutch oven on the oven rack, and preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C) for at least 30 minutes. Place an oven rack in the bottom third of the oven with no rack above it. These pots trap the steam released from the dough and provide the right environment for it to rise optimally. I like to use a Dutch oven or combo cooker, which is very easy. As described in the temperature section above, we will try to get the dough to this temperature right at the end of mixing (which is also at the beginning of bulk fermentation). You make this levain well before you mix the dough, so it has time to ferment, and eventually, it’s added to the dough to seed fermentation. When I first started baking, I didn’t quite grasp how important temperature is in the bread-making process. While most of these are out of our control, we can easily adjust the water temperature, which enables us to change the FDT of the entire dough to meet whatever the recipe calls for. While waiting for your sourdough starter, let’s look at some terms bakers often use to discuss the various parts of the bread-making process. Before we look at how to make sourdough bread, you need to create a healthy sourdough starter that shows consistent signs of fermentation each day. A sourdough starter culture is used to seed fermentation in new dough when making sourdough bread. See my post on what a levain is and how it’s different from a sourdough starter for more information. A levain is made by mixing a small off-shoot of your ripe starter with water and flour and allowing it to ferment before mixing it into a dough. Starting to make your first loaf of sourdough bread can be daunting. Autolyse The autolyse and levain are two separate entities that will be mixed together later in the process.Place a pizza peel, cutting board, or inverted baking sheet on top of the parchment and, using both hands, flip everything over.Transfer the dough to a container or thick-walled bowl for bulk fermentation.The angle of your hands will gently press the dough’s bottom on the counter.Additionally, it helps increase dough extensibility (the ability for the dough to stretch out without tearing).Dust lightly and evenly with plain white flour or white rice flour.In my ultimate guide to proofing, I talk about how to spot when the dough is finished rising and ready to bake, plus a whole lot more.TPL Members (the baking community here) have access to all the recipes here at The Perfect Loaf in spreadsheet form, making scaling up and down recipes as simple as changing a few numbers.There was something about the whole bread-making process that I found captivating. This sealed environment helps trap the moisture (escaping steam) from your dough to steam the loaf exterior as it bakes, which encourages maximal rise and a crunchy, shiny crust. At the end of bulk fermentation, your dough should have risen by 20% to 50%. During this time, fermentation aerates the dough (making it rise), continues to strengthen it, and further develops its flavor. After the third set of stretch and folds, let the dough rest for the remainder of bulk fermentation. In order to make bread, the fermented leaven is added to a second batch of flour and water, kneaded, and baked. Next, strengthen the dough sufficiently during mixing and bulk fermentation by using stretches and folds. Sourdough bread will have more sourness than one made with 100% commercial yeast due to the acids created by natural fermentation. Sourdough, and its lengthy natural fermentation process, can help break down the gluten in grain, which helps aid in the body’s digestion. While the recipe calls for 16 hours of total proof time, you could extend this time and bake the loaves in the morning, afternoon, or even the evening on day two. Then, retard (a baker’s term meaning place into a cold area to proof) in the refrigerator at 38°F (3°C) for 16 hours (overnight). To prevent your dough from drying out overnight, place your bowls containing your shaped dough into reusable plastic bags and seal. Gently transfer each piece of shaped dough to a proofing basket, seam-side-up. Dust lightly and evenly with plain white flour or white rice flour. Sourdough is made by combining flour and water and then setting it aside for a period of a few days. This crusty, crunchy, and absolutely delicious loaf of bread is perfect for any lunch or dinner table. In my YouTube video below, you can see how I make my Beginner’s Sourdough Bread, from creating the levain to slicing the final loaves. The proof is the dough’s final, or second, rise after the dough has been divided and shaped and lasts until the dough is finally baked in the oven. The dough will undergo a fermentation process during this critical step. After mixing the flour, salt, and levain into a dough, you put it all into a bowl or container, cover it, and let it rest. The goal of autolyse is to initiate enzymatic activity in the dough to help draw out sugars from the flour. When you want to make bread, you take a small amount of your starter to create an off-shoot called a levain (see below). Then, grab the left and right sides of the dough and stretch them away from each other. As seen in the image below, with lightly floured hands, grab the bottom of the round and stretch it lightly downward towards your body, and then up and over about 2/3 of the way to the top. This gentle turning and pulling motion will develop tension on the dough’s top, forming a circle. Use your instant-read thermometer to take the dough’s temperature and compare it to the FDT for this recipe. The autolyse and levain are two separate entities that will be mixed together later in the process. Treat temperature as an ingredient, just as flour, water, and salt are ingredients. In the video below, you can see how I shape bread dough into a boule shape. Working with one round at a time, flip the round so the floured top is now down on the floured work surface. Lightly flour the top of your dough rounds and the work surface. If you’re new to shaping bread dough, check out my guide to shaping a boule (a round) in addition to the steps below.