Your First Sourdough Loaf: a Forgiving Beginner Recipe
This beginner sourdough recipe makes one loaf from 500 g flour, 350 g water (70% hydration), 100 g active starter, and 10 g salt. You mix in the afternoon, do 4 stretch and folds, cold proof overnight in the fridge, and bake in a hot Dutch oven the next morning. The whole process takes about 20 hours from mixing to slicing, but only around 30 minutes of it is hands-on work. The 70% hydration is deliberately moderate, so the dough stays manageable for first-time hands instead of gluing itself to the counter, and the overnight cold proof makes scoring easy while letting the schedule bend around a normal evening. The only real prerequisite is a starter that doubles reliably within 4 to 8 hours of feeding; if yours is not there yet, King Arthur Baking's classic starter recipe will get you one in about a week.
What ingredients do I need for one loaf?
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Bread flour | 400 g (plus 100 g whole wheat if you have it, otherwise 500 g bread flour) |
| Water | 350 g (70% hydration, deliberately manageable) |
| Active, recently-fed starter at its peak | 100 g |
| Salt | 10 g |
What is the schedule? (afternoon start, morning bake)
| Time | Step |
|---|---|
| 2:00 pm | Mix flour and water; rest 45 min (autolyse). |
| 2:45 pm | Add starter and salt; squeeze and fold until combined. |
| 3:15–5:15 pm | 4 sets of stretch and folds, 30 minutes apart. Then leave untouched. |
| ~8:00 pm | Bulk done when the dough is ~50% bigger, domed, and jiggly. Shape into a tight ball, seam side up in a floured banneton or towel-lined bowl. |
| 8:15 pm | Into the fridge, covered, overnight (8–14 hours). |
| 8:00 am | Heat oven to 250°C / 480°F with a Dutch oven inside for 45–60 min. |
| 9:00 am | Score the cold dough, load it, lid on: 20 min. Lid off, 230°C / 450°F: 20–25 min until deep brown. |
| 10:00 am | The hard part: cool 1 hour before slicing. Cutting hot bread gums the crumb. |
If you want the bigger picture behind these steps, our how to make sourdough bread overview walks through the whole process from starter to sliced loaf.
What mistakes flatten first sourdough loaves?
- Baking with a starter that wasn't ready. It must double reliably within 4–8 hours of feeding. No shortcut exists.
- Ending bulk too early. Watch the dough (bigger, domed, bubbly at the edges), not the clock, cold kitchens can need hours longer.
Frequently asked questions
Can I bake this sourdough without a Dutch oven?
Yes. Bake on a preheated baking steel or heavy sheet pan and create steam by placing a metal pan of boiling water on the oven floor for the first 20 minutes. The crust will be a little less blistered than a Dutch oven bake, but the loaf works the same way.
Can I use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour?
Yes, but expect a slightly slacker dough and a somewhat flatter loaf, because all-purpose flour has less protein. Keep everything else the same, handle the dough gently, and consider adding one extra set of stretch and folds to build strength.
Can I skip the overnight cold proof and bake the same day?
You can: after shaping, proof at room temperature for about 2 to 3 hours until the dough passes the poke test, then bake. The overnight fridge proof exists for convenience and easier scoring, not because the bread requires it, though the cold version develops a bit more flavor.
Bake it with a coach in your pocket
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