If you want to learn how to make Sourdough Bread from home, follow along as I give you step-by-step instructions and my sourdough tricks! So, come and learn how to make this easy homemade sourdough bread recipe perfect for beginners. All you need is a few ingredients, some time, and patience. You’ll never want to go back to store-bought bread ever again.

Why you will love this Easy Sourdough Bread Recipe

My grandpa is the one I learned sourdough from. He has been making sourdough bread for as long as I can remember and this is his recipe, the first recipe I learned, and it has never failed me!

freshly cooked easy Sourdough bread recipe

@_sadiesimmons_
Growing up, I loved visiting my grandpa — he would make his special sourdough waffles, and I could eat one after another without feeling heavy or bloated. 💛 When I went to college, I started connecting the dots and began making my own sourdough. I was amazed that I could make bread with just a few simple ingredients, while store-bought loaves have 10+ things I couldn’t even pronounce. If I can’t pronounce it, why eat it? I noticed a huge difference — I felt lighter, healthier, and more in tune with my body. Meanwhile, regular store-bought bread often left me feeling sick. I realized that our bodies notice what we don’t, and they’re always trying to tell us something ✨ Plus… sourdough just tastes better. 😋 • • • #fyp #homemadefood #sourdough #viral #recipes
♬ Little Sparrow – Paul Alan Morris

What is Sourdough Bread?

Sourdough bread is a naturally fermented bread. Instead of using traditional yeast, it used wild yeast collected from the air around all of us to rise. So, Sourdough bread can taste different in Utah than it does in Georgia. Utah is a dry state, and Georgia has lots of humidity in the air, making it taste a little different. This is how bread is supposed to be made!

Health Benefits of Sourdough

As the flour ferments, the gluten and phytic acid are broken down. This makes it easier to digest and more nutritious, how bread is supposed to be. People that are sensitive to gluten may be able to tolerate real sourdough products because of the fermentation of the grain. You can make it even more tolerable with unbleached flour or by grinding your own wheat to use. The more natural the better!

easy Sourdough bread recipe beginners guide

How do you feed Sourdough Starter?

Lots of people do a one-to-one ratio. This would be 100g starter, 100g water, and 100g flour. You can measure it out, although I find it lots better to do it by feel and look. Get to know your starter, it is one of my biggest tips. Play around with different ratios and consistencies. I feed my starter once a day (twice if I feel like it isn’t as active or healthy) and put enough flour and enough water to get it to the texture of thick brownie mix. Usually about 1/4-1/2c.

When is my starter ready to use?

After feeding your starter, you want to catch it at its peak rise. This would be when it has doubled in size and has not started going back down. If it looks like a hill on the top, it is still rising. If it looks like a bowl on the top, it is over-risen.

Troubleshooting: Common mistake with Sourdough

Not cooking in a dutch oven or on a pizza stone: This will make or break your bread. Starting out i would recommend investing in a dutch oven!
Burning the bottom on your sourdough bread: Some ovens cook differently, like mine, and burn the bottom of the loaves. Placing rolled oats at the bottom on the dutch oven will avoid this. (between the parchment and the dutch oven.
Didn’t rise in the oven: Was your starter active? Did you let your loaf double in size during the bulk fermentation? Did your score your loaf? If all of those are a yes, try putting ice or some water in the dutch oven while your bread is cooking.
Didn’t rise during the bulk ferment: Did you have an active starter? Even with an inactive starter, you can get a rise out of your bread but it will take much longer and will be lots more sour. Try putting your bread in a warm place (the oven, under a window, etc.)
Dough was hard to work with and impossible to shape: You probably let it over ferment. This is a great problem to have because it means you need to shorten your bulk fermenting time, your starter is super healthy!

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Easy Sourdough Bread Recipe

Print Recipe

My grandpa gave me this recipe, which is how you know its a good one! The best sourdough loaves have come from this recipe. Give it a try!

Total Time: 8 – 21 hours
Yield: 1 Loaf

Ingredients

600 g flour
400 g water
200 g active sourdough starter
5 g salt (optional)
add-ins: cheese, jalapeños, cinnamon and sugar, sun-dried tomatoes, etc. (optional)

Instructions

Mix the Dough
In a large bowl, whisk together the water and active sourdough starter until fully incorporated. Add the flour and mix, with hands, until a shaggy dough forms.
Rest
Cover and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
Add Salt & Stretch and Folds
Sprinkle the salt over the dough and perform your first set of stretch and folds.
Continue with 3 more sets of stretch and folds, spaced 30 minutes apart (4 sets total over the course of 2 hours).
Bulk Ferment
After the final stretch and fold, cover and allow the dough to bulk ferment at room temperature for 6–8 hours, or until doubled in size.
Shape & Cold Proof
Shape the dough into a loaf (see video here). This is where you will add any add-ins you are wanting. Place it into a proofing basket and cover with a towel.
Transfer to the refrigerator and cold proof for 1–12 hours. (Overnight is what I do)
Preheat Oven
When your ready to cook, place a dutch oven into the oven and preheat to 450°F (232°C).
Bake
Once heated, carefully remove the dutch oven.
Place the loaf onto parchment paper, score the top, and transfer it into the dutch oven. Add a few ice cubes along the sides (behind the parchment so it’s not touching your loaf) for steam and cover with the lid.
Bake for 35 minutes with the lid on.

Remove the lid and bake for an additional 10 minutes, until deeply golden.
Cool
Remove the bread from the Dutch oven and allow it to cool for an hour before slicing.

Notes

When adding the salt, I like to add a splash of water to help incorporate the salt and add some more liquid if I feel like the dough is really rough.
If your bread gets a dry crust during your cold proof, try laying a damp paper towel over the top to prevent drying.
Sprinkle oats onto the bottom on the dutch oven when it come out of the oven to prevent burning.

Author: Sadie
Prep Time: 30 – 40 minutes
Proof Time: 7 – 20 hours
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Category: Appetizer, Side Dish
Method: Baking