Bake Your First Loaf

Written By Molly Warren

What You Need:

Ingredients:

  • 80g Active Sourdough Starter

  • 350g of Water, room-temperature

  • 500g Bread Flour

  • 6g Honey

  • 12g Sea Salt, fine

Equipment:

  • Mixing bowl

  • Kitchen scale (for accuracy)

  • Clean kitchen towel (for covering the dough during proofing)

  • Bench scraper (optional! for shaping dough)

  • Sharp knife or bread lame (for scoring the bread)

  • Dutch oven

Step 1: Prepare Your Sourdough Starter

You want to ensure your starter is at peak activity—this means it has been fed and doubles within 4-12 hours. When you go to use it, it should be bubbly and stringy. You can feed it a lower ratio of 1:1:1 (one part starter to one part water to one part flour) if you want it active sooner, or a higher ratio like 1:5:5 if you prefer to feed your starter at night and start your bread the following day (the higher the ratio, the longer it will take your starter to “eat” its flour/food).

I prefer to maintain my starter with a higher ratio so I don’t have to feed it quite so often. When prepping, add 10-20g of extra starter for each recipe so you have some to keep feeding your starter for next time!

Step 2: Mix the Dough

  1. Add the Starter: add 80g of active starter to your bowl

  2. Add Water and Honey: add 350g of room-temperature water and 6g of honey to your bowl with the starter. Whisk the three together until it’s fully incorporated – it should look like milky water.

  3. Add the Flour: add 500g of unbleached bread flour. Don’t mix it in quite yet!

    • You want to use bread flour or flour with a high protein content. My personal favorite is the Kirkland organic unbleached AP flour from Costco. It’s well-known to be a private-label version of Central Milling’s Artisan Bakers Craft Plus Bread Flour. It’s a great bang for your buck flour if you make a lot of bread!

    • The King Arthur Bread Flour is a great option widely available in grocery stores.

  4. Add the Salt: sprinkle your salt on top of the flour and mix just the dry bits a little on top of your bowl.

  5. Mix all ingredients: Using a dough whisk (or clean hands!) mix all the ingredients until it forms a rough, shaggy ball. You’ll want to mix a little more than you think at this point. You should have a little structure, but it will NOT be smooth!

  6. Let it rest: Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and let it sit for 45 minutes (this allows the flour to get fully hydrated).

Step 3: Bulk Fermentation

  1. Stretch and Fold:

    • For the first 2-3 hours of fermentation, do a series of “stretch and folds” every 30 minutes.

    • To do this, grab a portion of dough, stretch it up, and fold it back over itself. Turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat the process 4-6 times.

    • The dough will be sticky, so you can wet your hands just a little before doing these to keep the dough in the bowl and off yours hands!

    • This helps strengthen the dough and builds structure.

  2. Let the Dough Rise:

    • After the series of stretch and folds, cover the dough and let it rise at room temperature for 4-6 hours, or until it has almost, but not quite, doubled in size. This is the bulk fermentation stage.

    • This period can vary depending on how cool/warm your house is! Warmer temps will speed up fermentation, so keep an eye on it. Your dough should have good jiggle, and if you push it with your finger, it shouldn’t stick and should spring back a little, but not all the way.

Step 4: Shape the Dough

  1. Pre-shape:

    • Gently remove the dough from the bowl onto a very lightly floured surface (I don’t usually need flour on my granite countertops, but sometimes use a small amount of flour). It should fall out of the bowl on its own. Using your hands, form it into a loose ball and let it rest for 20 minutes.

  2. Final Shape:

    • After resting, shape the dough into a tight round or oval loaf (depending on your preference). WATCH YOUTUBE VIDEOS for this! Everyone has a different method, but it’s beneficial to watch others do it!

    • Use a bench scraper to tighten the dough by folding the edges under itself.

  3. Final Proof/Cold-Proof:

    • Place your shaped dough into a floured proofing basket or bowl. Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap.

    • Put it in the fridge overnight (up to 36 hours!) This slows the fermentation process and helps develop the sour flavor and texture (typically, the longer the cold-proof, the more sour your bread will be).

Step 5: Bake the Sourdough

  1. Preheat the Oven:

    • Preheat your oven to 450°F (245°C) for at least 30 minutes before baking.

    • Place your Dutch oven inside while preheating.

  2. Score the Dough:

    • Just before baking, use a sharp knife or bread lame to score the top of your dough. This allows the bread to expand as it bakes and helps control the shape.

  3. Bake the Bread:

    • Place your dough in the preheated Dutch and cover it with the lid.

    • Bake for 30 minutes with the lid on.

    • After 30 minutes, remove the lid and bake for another 15 minutes until the bread is golden brown and has a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom. The internal temperature should be between 205-210°F (96-98°C)

  4. Cool:

    • Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for at least an hour before slicing.

Tips for Success:

  • Patience is key: Sourdough is a slow process. Don’t rush the fermentation and proofing times.

  • Starter health: Make sure your starter is active and bubbly before using it.

  • Hydration: The dough can be sticky, but it should hold its shape. Adjust water content slightly if needed.

  • Flavor development: The longer the proofing, the more flavorful your bread will be. A cold-proof overnight helps develop a tangier taste.

Enjoy Your Sourdough Bread!

Once you’ve completed these steps, you’ll have a delicious, homemade sourdough loaf! Experiment with the process to find what works best for your kitchen and taste preferences. Happy baking!

Molly Warren