My Everyday Sourdough Bread Recipe – Sourdough Brandon (2024)

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⏰ Sample Schedule for Sourdough Bread:

Below is my typical schedule for baking this sourdough bread recipe. These times are adjustable, and most of the steps are hands-off. I find this schedule works well if you work from home or on the weekends.

You might be unfamiliar with some of these terms if you’re new to sourdough baking, but I discuss each one in more detail throughout the guide.

For example, you will only need to make minor adjustments to the schedule if you work a 9 am-5 pm workday schedule away from home. Here’s a sample adjustment in that case:

• Build the levain in the morning before you leave so it is ripe by the time you arrive home (you likely want to use less starter, so it takes longer to ripen).
• Start the autolyse when you arrive home.
• Shorten autolyse and some of the mixing rest times.
• Continue with bulk fermentation, so it is proofing in the evening and into the refrigerator by the time you sleep.
• Bake the next day whenever it fits your schedule or up to 48 hours later.

Click the toggles below for my recommendations, comments, and possible substitutions. See my updated favorite sourdough bread-baking tools here.

👨‍🏫 Baker’s Percentage Table:

I include a baker’s percentage chart so you can readily scale a recipe up or down. With baker’s percentages, the total weight of all flour in the formula is 100%. The other ingredients are noted in relation to the total weight of flour (in this case, 430g total flour). This is why the percentages below will add up to over 100%. The King Arthur website has a more detailed reference page on why and how baker’s percentages are calculated if you’re interested and would like to learn more.

🍞 How to Make My Everyday Sourdough Bread:

I’ve intentionally made the guided walkthrough of my process as detailed as possible for a wide range of home bakers. I will be as technical and exact as I can with my baking conditions and indicators, but sometimes with sourdough, you have to go with your gut and modify something.

As always, adjust as needed for your schedule or preferences.

1. Build the levain- 8:00am

Measure 30g sourdough starter, 30g bread flour, and 30g water. Place an empty jar on a scale and tare it (set it to 0). Then, add each ingredient to the jar.

Mix, cover, and let set in a warm location (between 75-80ºF) for about five hours until bubbly and ripe. The levain should at least double in size during this time.

Note: Please refer to my guide on How To Make A Sourdough Starter if you do not have a sourdough starter. Read more about the difference between a starter and a levain. Learn how to make a more vigorous sourdough starter with my sourdough starter tips guide.

2. Autolyse- 12:00pm

Autolyse (commonly pronounced “auto-lease”) is the process of mixing a portion of flour and water and letting it rest.

This step will jumpstart gluten formation, and the bread dough will be easier to mix later, among other benefits. At a minimum, a 30-minute autolyse is sufficient. I typically autolyse for at least an hour.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add 360g bread flour, 31g whole wheat flour, and 9g rye flour, and mix.

Create a well in the center of the bowl and pour in 310g of warm water.

Mix the flours and warm water just until it comes together. It’s okay if there are a few dry bits left. The dough will be extremely sticky during mixing. You can mix with your hands, a spatula, or a dough whisk.

Cover and rest an hour or up until the levain is ripe.

At the beginning of autolyse, the dough will be shaggy and rip easily if pulled because there is minimal gluten development. However, by the end of autolyse, the dough will be more extensible with time alone, and most of the flour should be absorbed.

3. Mix- 1:00pm

Mix the levain and salt in two separate steps with a 30-minute rest. Mixing the two separately will help each incorporate better into the dough. Salt also slows down fermentation, so the half-hour rest in between kickstarts fermentation.

Add all of the ripe levain to the mixing bowl. Dimple the levain into the dough and mix to combine.

To incorporate the levain, I use my fingers as pincers and stretch and fold the dough continuously on top of itself while rotating the bowl throughout. This takes about five minutes. The dough will still be wet and shaggy.

Cover and rest for 30 minutes.

After resting for 30 minutes, sprinkle 9g of sea salt and the remaining 6g of water on top of the dough. Dimple the salt and water into the dough. Begin mixing the dough.

There are many mixing methods you can use, including using a machine. However, I prefer to combine all my bread by hand and will typically stretch & fold my dough onto itself while rotating the bowl throughout.

In the beginning, the dough will be squishy and still quite wet. It might even be slightly soupy. As you mix, the dough will become stronger and smoother. Mix until the salt and water are thoroughly combined, the dough is silky, and you cannot feel any individual salt granules between your fingers. This process can take anywhere from 5-10 minutes or longer.

Cover and rest for 15-20 minutes.

4. Bulk Fermentation (including coil folds)- 2:00 pm (4 to 5 hours at 78ºF)

Bulk fermentation is the dough’s first rise. This stage is critical as the sourdough yeast begins to multiply and create gases in the dough. Bulk fermentation is also the time to build more structure and strengthen your dough through a series of coil folds.

Coil Folds

While you develop gluten in the mixing stage, this is the chance to perform a series of gentle coil folds to create even more structure and strength in the dough before shaping.

How to do a coil fold:

• Each set is a series of four-folds.
• Lightly wet your hands and tuck them under the center of the dough.
• Gently lift and stretch the dough until you can fold a portion of the dough underneath itself. Don’t stretch it so far that it tears.
• Repeat this coil fold three more times in the bowl to complete the set, rotating the bowl in between.
• At the end of the set, the dough should be a somewhat taut, plump round in the bowl.
• Cover in between sets.

Perform six sets of gentle coil folds during bulk fermentation: The first two sets are in 15-minute intervals. The second two in 30-minute intervals. And the last two in one-hour intervals. Let the dough rest, covered for the remainder of bulk fermentation.

You can cover the bread dough during bulk fermentation with a damp kitchen towel or a reusable bowl lid.

Note: If the dough hasn’t spread to the sides of the mixing bowl in between coil folds and the dough seems very strong when you lift it, you may want to delay or skip one or two of the folds during bulk fermentation.

How do you know when bulk fermentation is complete?

Knowing when bulk fermentation is finished can be challenging. The dough should be smooth and rounded, feel full of air, and you should see some visible air bubbles on the dough. If you shake the bowl, it should wobble and jiggle.

A clear bowl is helpful to use during bulk fermentation to gauge the rise and fermentation activity around the dough. An exact rise percentage is difficult to estimate, and the other indicators are more vital, but the dough should rise about 30-50%. The before & after images below show the differences between the dough at the start and end of bulk fermentation.

For more bulk fermentation tips, see my Bulk Fermentation 101 guide.

At a constant 78ºF, bulk fermentation should be complete between 4 to 5 hours.

If your dough is colder, bulk fermentation will take longer. If your dough is warmer, bulk fermentation will be faster. As a general guide, add 15-20 minutes for each degree in either direction.

Note: It’s better to end your bulk fermentation slightly early and compensate with a longer bench rest or a more extended overnight proof if you’re unsure when bulk fermentation is complete. If you overproof at this stage, it is difficult to course correct, and you will have a wet, very sticky, and sloppy dough that will be hard to shape.

5. Shape: 6:00pm

After bulk fermentation, the bread needs to be “shaped” into its final form before its overnight rest and baking.

The most typical way to shape sourdough is as a batard (oval) or boule (round). This depends on your baking vessel. I prefer batard loaves, but if you have a round dutch oven, you will likely need to shape your bread as a boule.

Shaping high hydration bread takes practice. There are many ways to shape bread, but my preference (and what I think is the easiest shaping method) is a letter fold and roll up. The process is similar for both batards and boule. The video embedded below shows a batard shaping, but I also have a shaping video for a boule.

Note: As this recipe is only for a single loaf and the dough should be rather strong at this point from coil folds, I skip a “preshaping” step. If you’re doubling this recipe to make two loaves, divide the dough in half with a bench scraper at the end of bulk fermentation and shape each half into a taut round. Let the dough bench rest on the counter for about 30 minutes before shaping.

After the dough is shaped and rested for 30 minutes, transfer the dough to a floured banneton. I lightly flour my proofing basket with rice flour and bread flour to prevent sticking.

• Flour your hands and bench scraper.
• Slide the bench scraper under the shaped dough and quickly turn it over. The bottom seam is now the top.
• With both hands or a bench scraper, gently lift the dough. Place the dough into the banneton like laying a baby into a crib.

Optional but helpful: Stitching the dough (6:30 pm)

High-hydration sourdough tends to spread out during shaping. So, I stitch my dough in the banneton to make even more taut dough, especially at such high hydration. The video and steps below are for a batard, but I also have a boule stitching video.

Cover and rest the dough for 30 minutes.

Note: After shaping your dough, if you believe it’s under-proofed, this is a good time to let your dough proof longer at room temperature in its banneton.

6. Cold Overnight Proof: 7:00pm

The cold-proof, or retard, slows down fermentation and will give the sourdough a more complex flavor. Proofing it overnight also allows you to bake it at a later time.

Cover the banneton and place in a cold refrigerator for a long, overnight proof.

I typically bake my sourdough 12-18 hours after placing it in the refrigerator. The longer and slower the bread proofs, the sourer it will be, but you run the risk of over-proofing. I keep my refrigerator as close to 37ºF as possible, and I’ve extended the retard up to 48 hours successfully.

7. Bake: Next day at 10:00am

Place the baking vessel and oven-safe lid in an oven (please see the tools needed section and my baking tools and equipment guide for my baking vessel recommendations).

Preheat the oven to 500ºF for one hour. Cast iron needs this time to heat thoroughly.

Scoring Dough: 11:00am

Purposefully slicing a part of the dough surface, known as scoring, helps control how the dough will expand when it goes into the hot oven. Otherwise, your dough will rupture in unexpected places.

I use a bread lame with a sharp razor blade to score my dough. You can also use a sharp knife, but it is more likely to drag than a lame made specifically for scoring dough. Please see my tools needed section for recommendations.

• Remove the banneton from the refrigerator and turn the dough out slowly on a piece of parchment paper the size of the banneton (or score directly in the preheated base of the pan if it has low sides).
• I like to score one extended cut that will flap open in the oven (works for both batards and boules). This is a simple and effective scoring that is dramatic and minimalist:
• Start at one short side of the dough furthest from you. Quickly and swiftly, score the dough about ¼”-½” deep and at a shallow angle (around 30-45 degrees).
• Score in a slightly curved line or crescent shape to the other end of the dough nearest you.
• There are many scoring designs and patterns. I encourage you to start simple and feel free to add other designs and patterns to your scoring as you get more comfortable. Intricate patterns like stars, spirals, snowflakes, etc., are all beautiful!

I often post videos on my Instagram of me scoring and baking in action if you’re interested in seeing more.

Baking:

Carefully remove the preheated baking vessel and lid from the oven wearing oven-safe gloves.

Transfer the scored dough into the baking vessel. For a low-sided vessel like the Challenger Bread Pan orLodge double dutch oven, you can use a pizza peel or bread peel to slide the dough onto the base of the pan (or score directly in the pan). If using a tall-sided dutch oven, wear oven-safe gloves and carefully lower the dough with parchment into the dutch oven.

Optional but helpful: For added steam which assists with oven spring and a shiny, brown crust, I drop two ice cubes into my pan or lightly mist my dough.

Place lid on vessel and place into the oven at 500ºF.

Bake at 500ºF with the lid on for 20 minutes. Baking with the cover on traps steam and replicates a steam-injected oven that professional bakeries use for their bread. The hot oven will quickly allow the gases trapped in the dough to rise exceptionally fast. This is called “oven spring.”

After 20 minutes and wearing oven-safe gloves, remove the lid.

The dough expanded dramatically in the first 20 minutes in the photo above, but the crust itself is parbaked and pale. It still needs longer to bake.

The flap I created from shallow scoring made what is called a sourdough “ear.” A sourdough ear is developed from a properly fermented loaf (likely, but under proofed dough can create an ear too), shallow scoring, steam, and hot initial baking temperature. These factors can give your bread a great ear and significant oven spring.

Lower the oven temperature to 450ºF. Bake with the lid off for another 20 minutes or until the crust is dark brown and golden. If you want to check the internal temperature, it should be between 200-210ºF.

Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least two hours before slicing.

Note: I don’t typically bake in a convection oven. However, if you do, you can still make this recipe. To bake sourdough bread in a convection oven, lower the temperatures by 25ºF and shorten the baking times by a few minutes.

Waiting for the bread to cool might be one of the most challenging parts of this process, but it’s essential!

If you cut into the sourdough too early, you risk the open crumb interior not being fully set, which might have a gummy texture. Cutting into hot bread also releases a lot of steam, making your bread dry out faster.

Slice and enjoy!

I love this bread on its own but also with butter and flaky salt, dipped in a cozy soup, as grilled cheese, or reheated as morning toast with jam. It’s best in the first two days as it gets harder to slice.

If I want to save any for later, I cut the entire loaf and keep the slices in a freezer-safe bag in the freezer. Reheat slices in a toaster oven for a few minutes, and it will taste just as fresh as on day one!

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