I’m a late trend-adopter. I watch other people test out something new and then once I’ve seen whether it works or not, I decide to hop in on it or abandon it.

Enter the sourdough craze during lockdown 2020.

I was firmly in the “I will never do this” camp and thought “why would I want to spend so much time on this?!” Sure we had all of the time in the world to do nothing during lockdown, but I had a toddler to run after, random coffee-date-work-zooms, and grocery staples to order for delivery three weeks before they’d actually arrive due to global shortages and shipping delays.

So mid 2021, I finally tried sourdough. After nearly everyone got into it and promptly abandoned it a few months later. I picked up starter from a neighbor in a Buy Nothing group and have been thoroughly enjoying the processes of making sourdough ever since.

I did a good amount of research, nearly chickened out, panic texted friends about how in the world to do it, and then finally tried a recipe that I didn’t love. So I tried again and liked it a little better, and tried another recipe and liked it a little better. Almost two years later I’ve finally found a recipe that I loved and tweaked it to make it my own.

This is what I present to you today.

Before we dive in, let me just say — sourdough sounds intimidating at first, but really it’s pretty simple once you get used to it.

Tools You Need to Bake Sourdough

Kitchen scale: I steal my coffee scale and it works well (and looks beautiful), but you can grab a more basic one like this. We will be making this recipe by weight in grams so this tool is essential.

Jars for starter & discard: use any wide mouth jar you have, but I highly recommend these from Weck. I’ll probably be ordering more soon.

Rubber spatula: this may be non essential, but I still find these to be the easiest tool to mix up my starter with.

Glass bowls: this recipe can be doubled, so find a medium and large size like these if needed!

Dough scraper: not entirely necessary, but definitely helps when shaping the dough. I prefer a plastic one (like these) for a little more flexibility, and a sharp edge for use in cutting if needed.

Bread proofing basket (banneton): the dough will rest in these in the fridge overnight to help maintain its shape. I bought this set of two for when I make a double batch.

Scoring tool (lame): not necessary, but if you’d like to make pretty designs on your loaf, these are fun to have on hand. The bread will naturally split when baking, or by using a lame, you can guide where the bread steams — resulting in a beautiful crust.

Dutch Oven: I like to use this ceramic pot from Caraway — it’s the perfect size for the loaf I bake, but they also carry a larger dutch oven. Any cast iron dutch oven should do the trick though!

Bread knife: this knife cuts fresh bread like no other. It’s not a strictly necessary tool but, boy, is it satisfying to cut your sourdough like butter.

Sourdough Ingredients

Making sourdough only takes a few key ingredients! Here’s what I use in mine:

Sourdough starter: if you don’t already have one, the best way to find some is from a friend! I picked mine up from a Buy Nothing group. If you’d like to make your own, give this recipe a try. Just keep in mind it takes a few days to fully ferment and be ready to use.

Water: I use filtered water for my recipe, but tap water works as well. Just know it might add a slight taste to the bread depending on how clean your tap water is.

Bread flour: The majority of flour used in this recipe is bread flour. Bread flour has a slightly higher protein content than all purpose flour, which makes for a stronger & stretchier dough. The final loaf will have good height & a tall, airy structure to it. I love using King Arthur flour products, so I usually try to buy this brand. If it is unavailable where I’m shopping, I try to grab another organic brand.

All-purpose flour: I add in a little bit of all-purpose flour to give a little bit of density to the loaf. The combo of both all purpose and bread flour makes for a strong but airy loaf that I am obsessed with. King Arthur flour is my go to again! Or whenever I do a Costco run, I buy their two pack of organic all purpose flour. We use a lot of flour around here!

White whole wheat flour: I only use a little bit of whole wheat flour in my recipe — this small amount adds a little bit of depth to the bread without making it overly wheat-y. I also tend to have a bag from King Arthur lying around or I pick up a smaller pouch from Thrive Market since I don’t run through a bag as quickly.

Salt: I only ever use Redmond Real Salt — it’s the best in my opinion!

Polenta/corn grits: grits are sprinkled at the bottom of the pot to help prevent sticking — Bob’s Red Mill is my favorite!

Alisa’s Sourdough Bread Method (with timing!)

I’m going to list out what to do with time stamps for an ideal sourdough bake day. Though admittedly, I’ve started sourdough way later than these timelines and gotten a decent loaf. So you do you. Or do this method. You choose.

8-9am: pull your starter out of the fridge and feed it. I weigh out 100g of starter in a new jar and add 100g filtered water and 100g all purpose flour. Mix it thoroughly — it will not rise if the flour is not fully incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap and place a rubber band around your jar, marking where the starter sits in the jar. Allow to rise in a warm spot in your house or your unheated oven with only the light turned on for 3-4 hours. This step should take you about 5-10 minutes of active work.

12pm: once your starter has doubled (per your rubber band measurement), it is time to mix your dough. Add 100g of starter to a large glass bowl (you will have some starter leftover which you can feed and use for another bake). Add your flour(s) and 75% of your filtered water for the recipe (about 250g). I usually add 300g bread flour, 150g all purpose flour, and 50g white whole wheat flour. You can play around with different amounts of each, but you should end up with 500g of flour in the bowl. Working with your hands, squeeze all of the ingredients together until a shaggy dough is formed. Add 50g more of water and squeeze to mix again. Allow dough to autolyse (rest) for 30 minutes. This step should take you about 10-15 minutes of active work.

12:45pm: after initial mixing and resting, add 10g of salt to your dough and remaining filtered water, about 50g. Mix the dough, using your hands to squeeze the mixture together until dough is smooth and free of clumps. Cover with a damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap and rest for 30 minutes. This step should take 5-10 minutes of active work.

1:25pm: begin stretching and folding the dough. Take about 1/4 of the dough and pull it up as high as it can go without breaking (usually 6ish inches out of the bowl), fold this portion into the center of the dough ball. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat with another 1/4 of dough. Do this a total of four times until each section of dough has been stretched and folded in on itself. Cover and allow to rest for 30 minutes. This step should only take 1 minute of active work.

1:55pm: complete a second round of stretch and folds. Cover and allow to rest for 30 minutes.

2:25pm: complete a third and final round of stretch and folds. Cover and allow to rise for 4 hours in a clean, well oiled glass bowl.

6:30pm: remove dough from the glass bowl onto a smooth (un-floured) surface. The dough should be slightly sticky, but should not need flour to help you in shaping it. Use a dough scraper if needed. Flatten dough to a rectangle about 12 by 18 inches. Fold the long sides of the rectangle to meet in the middle. Roll the short end of the rectangle in on itself. Keeping the dough on the flat surface, rotate the dough between your hands to create a round, tucking it underneath itself to smooth. Place in floured proofing basket, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest on the counter for 30 minutes. This step should take 5-10 minutes of active work.

7:10pm: place proofing basket in the fridge overnight for a 15 hour proof.

NOTE: At some point in between mixing the flour and putting the bread in the fridge, remember to feed your starter again and let it rise before you throw it back in the fridge. I use the same 100g water—100g starter—100g AP flour as stated above.

9:30am: place your dutch oven into the oven while preheating to 475 degrees F

10am: remove dutch oven from preheated oven and sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of grits/polenta on the bottom. Remove dough from fridge & proofing basket & place into preheated dutch oven. Use a lame to cut a large slit into the bread and make designs if desired (you can also skip this step — the bread will naturally split in the oven as steam is released). Place the lid onto the dutch oven and place in the oven. Bake for 25 minutes

10:30am: when your timer goes off, remove bread from the dutch oven and place directly onto oven rack. Place a wooden spoon in the door of the oven to allow some heat to escape (forgetting this step with burn the crust of the bread!). Continue cooking for 25 minutes.

11am: remove sourdough from the oven and allow to rest on cooling rack. Dive in as soon as possible! Sourdough is super delicious hot out of then oven.

My Favorite Ways to Enjoy Sourdough

Eat right out of the oven with butter and flakey salt.
Make avocado toasts for breakfast/lunch. I like to top mine with pepitas, everything but the bagel seasoning, feta, and tomatoes.
Make a sandwich. I like spreading hummus and stacking with cucumber, roasted peppers, red onion, tomato, and avocado slices.
Make a grilled cheese. Enough said, right? Best with tomato soup IMO.
Toast into croutons. If your bread is starting to stale a bit, chop or tear into small pieces and cook on the stovetop with butter/olive oil and your favorite herb seasonings.

How to Store Sourdough

If you’re not eating it right away, store in a bread bag or box, away from direct sunlight. We usually wrap in plastic wrap to keep the bread from going stale quickly.

Slice and freeze in a bag in between pieces of parchment paper if you won’t be using all of the bread within 5 days.

My Favorite Ways to Use Up Discard

Sourdough baking naturally leaves a good amount of starter leftover (called discard). I like to collect this in a jar to use in recipes right away or throughout the week. These recipes don’t require the starter to be hydrated (risen), so they’ll usually include another leavening agent. But adding the sourdough to everyday recipes gives them that sour tang and added probiotic benefits of sourdough.

Here are some of my favorite discard recipes from around the web:

I’m always looking for more ways to use up discard! I’m currently tweaking my own cracker recipe and I have a pizza dough recipe and sourdough chocolate chip cookie recipe on my list to try next.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read through all of my sourdough tips! I hope your bread comes out beautifully! If not, try, and try again. It takes some time but sourdough baking is worth the effort in my opinion.

Yield: 1 loaf

Author: Alisa Jeffus

Homemade Sourdough Loaf

This delicious sourdough loaf is crunchy on the outside but light and airy on the inside. Perfect all on its own or for toasts and sandwiches!

Prep time: 1 HourCook time: 50 MinInactive time: 25 H & 30 MTotal time: 27 H & 20 M

Ingredients

100 grams sourdough starter
340 grams filtered water
300 grams bread flour
150 grams all purpose flour
50 grams white whole wheat flour
10 grams salt
Polenta (corn grits) for sprinkling

Instructions

Feed your sourdough starter and allow to rise for 3-4 hours.
When your starter has doubled in size, mix together 100 grams of starter with 290 grams of filtered water in a glass mixing bowl. Mix by hand until starter is dissolved in water.
Add bread flour, all purpose flour, and white whole wheat flour to your bowl. Use your hand to squeeze together the ingredients for 3-5 minutes until a shaggy dough is formed. Cover the dough with a damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, add salt and remaining 50 grams of water. Use your hand to squeeze together the ingredients for 3-5 minutes until a smooth dough forms. Cover for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, stretch and fold the dough. Start by pulling 1/4 of the dough up and out of the bowl as high as it will stretch. Fold into the middle of itself. Repeat 3 more times until all sides of the dough have been stretched and folded. Cover for 30 minutes.
Repeat step 5 two more times for a total of three rounds of stretch and folds.
After completing all stretch and folds, set the dough on the counter to rise for 4 hours.
After four hours, turn the dough out onto a clean surface and shape your loaf. Stretch out the dough to a 12 by 18 inch rectangle, then fold the long sides in to meet in the middle. Roll the dough up into a log and turn in your hands until a round loaf shape in formed. Place into floured banneton, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise for 30 minutes on the counter.
After 30 minutes, place dough into fridge.
After 15 hours, preheat your oven to 475 degrees. Place your dutch oven into your oven while it preheats.
Once oven has preheated, pull dough out of fridge. Remove the dutch oven from preheated oven and sprinkle polenta into the bottom. Place sourdough directly into dutch oven as score as desired. Cover with lid and place into the oven.
Bake for 25 minutes.
Remove loaf from dutch oven and place directly on oven rack. Stick a wooden spoon into the door of your oven and bake loaf for an additional 25 minutes.
Remove loaf from oven and place on cooling rack until ready to enjoy.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

1923.6

Fat

7.64 g

Sat. Fat

0.98 g

Carbs

394.09 g

Fiber

17.09 g

Net carbs

377.01 g

Sugar

1.4 g

Protein

61.57 g

Sodium

3903.34 mg

Cholesterol

0 mg