Easy Sourdough Loaf Bread Recipe for Beginners

This sourdough loaf bread recipe walks you through every stage — from feeding your starter to pulling a crackling, golden crust from the oven — so you can bake with real confidence at home.

A sourdough loaf bread recipe is one of those projects that sounds intimidating until you actually try it, and then it becomes the kind of thing you look forward to every weekend. There is something deeply satisfying about working with a live starter, watching the dough slowly transform through folds and fermentation, and finally lifting a properly risen loaf into a hot Dutch oven. The process rewards patience, and the result — a tangy, chewy, beautifully open crumb wrapped in a blistered crust — is worth every hour it takes.

What makes this particular recipe work for home bakers is the structure. Rather than asking you to do everything in one rushed afternoon, the method is built around your actual schedule. You mix and fold in the evening, let the dough do its long fermentation overnight in the refrigerator, and bake the next morning when you are fresh. This cold retard approach not only makes the timing manageable, it deepens the sour flavor and makes the dough easier to shape. You do not need a stand mixer, a banneton basket, or a bread proofer. A large bowl, a bench scraper, a kitchen scale, and a Dutch oven are enough to produce a genuinely impressive loaf.

Why This Sourdough Loaf Bread Recipe Works Every Time

The foundation of this recipe is a properly active starter. When your starter is bubbly, has roughly doubled in size after feeding, and passes the float test — a small spoonful dropped into water bobs on the surface rather than sinking — it is ready to leaven a loaf. Using a starter at its peak activity means the dough gets a strong initial rise, which sets up everything that follows. The autolyse step, where flour and water are mixed and left to rest before the starter is added, is another reason this recipe holds up consistently. During that rest, the flour fully hydrates and gluten begins to develop without any kneading. By the time you fold in the starter and salt, you are already working with dough that has structure and elasticity.

The stretch-and-fold technique replaces traditional kneading here. You perform four sets of folds during the bulk fermentation, each set spaced thirty minutes apart. This gentle approach builds tension in the dough without degassing it, which is exactly what gives sourdough that coveted open crumb. Finally, the high heat of a preheated Dutch oven traps steam in the first phase of baking, allowing the loaf to spring up fully before the crust sets. The lid comes off for the final portion of baking to develop color and that signature crackle.

What You’ll Need: Ingredients and Notes

This recipe uses a short, clean list of ingredients, which means quality matters. Bread flour is the best choice here because its higher protein content builds stronger gluten strands that can trap the gas your starter produces. You can substitute up to twenty percent of the bread flour with whole wheat flour if you want a slightly earthier, nuttier flavor without disrupting the structure significantly. All-purpose flour works in a pinch, but expect a slightly denser crumb.

• Bread flour: 450 grams — this is the backbone of the loaf
• Active sourdough starter: 90 grams, fed 4 to 8 hours before use
• Filtered or room-temperature water: 315 grams (about 70% hydration)
• Fine sea salt: 9 grams

Use a kitchen scale rather than volume measurements. Bread baking is precise, and a few grams off on hydration can change the feel of the dough considerably. The water percentage here sits at a moderate hydration level, making it manageable for beginners while still producing good open structure. If you are new to sourdough, resist the urge to add more water — wetter dough is harder to shape and more prone to spreading.

How to Make This Sourdough Loaf: A Step-by-Step Walkthrough

Start the evening before you want to bake. Combine the bread flour and 290 grams of your water in a large bowl, mixing until no dry flour remains. Cover the bowl and let it rest for 45 minutes. This is your autolyse. After the rest, add the active starter and the remaining 25 grams of water, squeezing and folding the dough to incorporate everything fully. Add the salt next and fold it in the same way. Cover and let the dough rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.

Now begin your stretch-and-fold sets. With wet hands, grab one side of the dough, stretch it upward until you feel resistance, and fold it over itself toward the center. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and repeat. Do this four times per set, then cover and rest for 30 minutes. Repeat this process three more times for a total of four sets over two hours. After the final fold, the dough should feel noticeably smoother, slightly domed on top, and show small bubbles just below the surface. This tells you bulk fermentation is on track.

Once bulk fermentation is complete — typically three to five hours total from when you added your starter, depending on room temperature — turn the dough onto an unfloured surface. Gently pre-shape it into a rough round by folding the edges toward the center, then flip it seam-side down and use your bench scraper to drag it toward you a few times, building surface tension. Let it rest uncovered for 20 minutes. Then do your final shape: flip the dough, stretch it slightly, fold the sides in and roll it toward you into a tight round or oval. Place it seam-side up into a well-floured proofing basket or a bowl lined with a heavily floured kitchen towel. Cover and refrigerate overnight, anywhere from 8 to 16 hours.

When you are ready to bake, place your Dutch oven — lid on — into the oven and preheat to 500°F (260°C) for at least 45 minutes. Pull the cold dough from the refrigerator. Turn it out onto a piece of parchment paper, score the top with a sharp knife or bread lame at a 30-to-45-degree angle, and carefully lower the dough into the screaming-hot Dutch oven. Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and reduce the temperature to 450°F (230°C). Continue baking for 20 to 25 minutes until the crust is a deep mahogany brown and the internal temperature reads around 205°F to 210°F (96°C to 99°C). Let the loaf cool on a wire rack for at least one hour before slicing — the crumb is still setting during this time.

Tips for Getting the Best Results from Your Loaf

• Temperature affects everything. A warmer kitchen (around 75°F to 78°F) speeds up fermentation; a cooler one slows it. Get to know your space rather than relying only on timing.
• Do not rush the bulk fermentation. The dough should increase by about 50 to 75 percent in volume and look puffy with visible bubbles before you move to shaping.
• Score confidently with one decisive stroke rather than a hesitant drag. A bold score allows the loaf to expand properly in the oven rather than bursting at a weak seam.
• The Dutch oven is not optional for best results. It creates the steam environment that a home oven cannot otherwise replicate, which is what produces a fully risen, open loaf with a blistered crust.
• Let the loaf cool fully. Cutting into hot bread releases steam and leaves the crumb gummy, even if the loaf is perfectly baked.

Ways to Change Up This Sourdough Loaf

Once you are comfortable with the base recipe, there are many directions you can take it depending on your taste and what you plan to serve it with.

• Whole wheat blend: Replace 90 grams of bread flour with whole wheat flour for a nuttier, more complex flavor and a slightly denser crumb that slices beautifully for sandwiches.
• Seeded crust: Before the final shaping, roll the top of your dough in a mixture of sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and rolled oats. The seeds toast against the hot Dutch oven and add texture to every slice.
• Herb-infused loaf: Fold 2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh rosemary and a teaspoon of garlic powder into the dough during the last stretch-and-fold set. This version pairs particularly well with soups and stews.
• Olive and sun-dried tomato: Gently press halved olives and roughly chopped sun-dried tomatoes into the dough just before the final shaping. The savory pockets throughout the crumb make this a standout pull-apart loaf for dinner parties.
• Dark rye addition: Swap 50 grams of bread flour for dark rye flour for a heartier loaf with deeper, earthier notes. Rye absorbs water differently, so the dough may feel stickier — handle it with confidence and avoid adding extra flour.
• Higher hydration: Once you have a few loaves under your belt, try increasing the water to 335 grams (roughly 74% hydration) for a more open, irregular crumb. It requires more careful handling, but the result is a bakery-style texture.

How to Store Your Sourdough Loaf and Keep It Fresh

Sourdough keeps better than most yeasted breads because its natural acidity slows mold growth. At room temperature, store the loaf cut-side down on a cutting board or wrap it in a clean kitchen towel — avoid plastic bags, which trap moisture and soften the crust. Most loaves stay at their best for two to three days this way.

For longer storage, freeze the bread. Slice the loaf completely once it has cooled, then lay the slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze for one hour. Transfer the frozen slices to a freezer bag. Pull out individual slices as needed and toast them directly from frozen for the closest thing to fresh-baked texture. A whole unsliced loaf can also be frozen — wrap it tightly in two layers of plastic wrap and then foil. Let it thaw at room temperature for several hours, then refresh it in a 350°F oven for 10 to 12 minutes to bring the crust back to life.

Frequently Asked Questions About This Sourdough Loaf Bread Recipe

Why did my loaf come out flat? The most common cause is an underactive starter. Make sure it is visibly bubbly and has at least doubled in size after feeding before you use it. Under-proofing during bulk fermentation is the second most common culprit — if the dough has not expanded and looks dense with no surface bubbles, give it more time.

Why is my crumb gummy inside? Either the loaf was underbaked or it was cut too soon. Check the internal temperature before pulling it from the oven, and always let it cool for a minimum of one hour, ideally two.

Can you use discard instead of active starter? Discard will not provide enough leavening power for this recipe. Discard works well in pancakes, crackers, and quick breads, but a proper sourdough loaf needs an active, recently fed starter at peak activity.

What if you do not have a Dutch oven? You can bake on a heavy baking sheet and place a shallow oven-safe pan of hot water on the rack below to generate steam. The crust will not blister quite as dramatically, but you can still achieve a well-risen loaf. Preheat the baking sheet just as you would the Dutch oven.

If this sourdough loaf bread recipe helped you finally crack the code on homemade sourdough, save this post to your Pinterest board so it is easy to find the next time bake day rolls around. KitchenGuide101 has plenty more bread recipes, hearty dinner ideas, and kitchen guides waiting for you whenever you are ready to keep cooking.

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