This Easy Sourdough Bread Recipe for beginners will make you a Scratch Made Baking superstar. You won’t believe how simple it actually is to bake your own delicious loaves of artisan, hand crafted sourdough bread!
You can get started fast with some help from this easy Sourdough Starter!
Easy Sourdough Bread Recipe
There’s nothing quite as glorious as a fresh-baked, golden crusty loaf of artisan sourdough bread, right?
And this Easy Sourdough Bread Recipe will show you step-by-step just what you need to do to become an AMAZING sourdough bread baker!
Molly writes: "Love how easy this recipe is."
Baking a gorgeous loaf of sourdough bread is an art and takes a bit of practice, but it is SO worth it!
Trust me… once you know how to make sourdough bread, you’ll become the superstar of your kitchen!
And these simple sourdough bread tips and tricks will make it so EASY!
Now the entire process of baking a loaf of sourdough bread takes a bit of time, but don’t worry… most of the time is just allowing the dough to rise.
The actual hands-on time that you’ll be working with dough is not much at all.
So my suggestion to you is… if you’re an early riser, start the process early in the morning.
Or if you’re a night owl (like I am), start the process with feeding your starter in the late afternoon, starting the dough in the late evening, and letting the dough do its extended rise overnight.
Plus, as if you needed any more reason to learn how to make your own sourdough bread at home, let me just say… your home will smell glorious as it bakes!
Seriously ~ it’s like you’re in the most amazing bakery, right at home!
So what are you waiting for? Let’s do this!
Here’s what you’ll need to make your Sourdough bread…
Related: How To Cut Your Grocery Bill In Half (35 Money Saving Tips)
How Do You Make Sourdough Bread From Scratch?
It’s actually really easy!
You’ll just need these ingredients to get started…
- Bread Flour
- Active Sourdough Starter
- Sea Salt
- Warm Water
You’ll also need a 5 – 6 qt Round Enameled Dutch Oven to get the job done.
Get started fast when you use my homemade Easy Sourdough Starter recipe!
What Kind of Flour is Best for Sourdough Bread?
When it comes to baking sourdough bread, I highly recommend using Bread Flour.
It will give you a much better rise on your loaf. And if you don’t have any bread flour, I’ll show you below how to make it yourself!
How do you Make a Loaf of Bread Taller?
Making your loaf of sourdough bread taller is simple! Here’s what you need to remember…
1. Start with a Strong & Active Sourdough Starter.
2. Always Use Bread Flour.
3. Be Patient, and let that dough rise.
4. Stretch and fold your dough to add more volume.
It’s a long process to create a gorgeous tall loaf of bread, but most of it is just waiting for the rise.
Then my two other tricks are to always use bread flour, and to give the dough several stretch and fold motions to add height and more glorious air pockets.
Can you Make a Bread Flour Substitute?
You sure can, and it’s SO easy!
Bread flour can be expensive, so here is a simple substitute for bread flour…
How to Make Bread Flour with All Purpose Flour
You’ll just need the following two ingredients…
- 3 Cups All Purpose Flour
- 1.5 tbsp. Vital Wheat Gluten
Then, in a large mixing bowl, just whisk together the all purpose flour and vital wheat gluten, and you’ve got bread flour!
Talk about EASY!!!
So are you ready to make your perfect loaf of Sourdough bread?
Here’s what you need to do…
How to Make Sourdough Bread in a Dutch Oven
Nothing beats a perfect loaf of sourdough bread with a golden, crispy crust… and it’s actually SO simple to make!
1. Make the Dough per the instructions in the recipe card below.
2. Then simply wait while your dough rises.
3. After the dough has finished rising, form your dough into a round ball.
4. Then cover the dough and let it rise again.
5. Then transfer the dough to a banneton bowl to finish rising.
6. Finally, use my recipe instructions below for how to bake it in the oven.
7. Once done… cool, slice, serve & ENJOY!
See… I told you this was going to be EASY!
Scroll down for the printable recipe card with detailed, step-by-step instructions.
What To Serve With Your Loaf of Sourdough Bread
Add the perfect finishing touch to your homemade sourdough loaf with one of these delightful homemade butters…
- Easy Cinnamon Honey Butter
- Cinnamon Brown Sugar Butter
- Easy Maple Butter Recipe
- Canned Strawberry Jam
- Freezer Strawberry Jam
- Canned Blackberry Jam
- Canned Raspberry Jam
Sourdough Bread Reviews
Here’s what your frugal friends are saying about this easy Sourdough Bread Recipe for beginners…
One reader writes: “Perfect crust, I definitely love this recipe, and you have made it so easy!”
Christie writes: “Incredible texture”
Diane writes: “My husband’s favorite!”
Sherri writes: “Perfect for lunch sandwiches for school and so much better than store-bought.”
Kim writes: “So delish!”
Rebecca writes: “I love that I can make my own. I had no idea it was this easy. This is so much cheaper than buying it, and so much better than store bought! Thanks for the great recipe.”
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Easy Sourdough Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup Active Sourdough Starter*
- 2 tsp. Sea Salt
- 1 ¼ cup Warm Water
- 3 cups Bread Flour**
- 1/2 tsp. Cornmeal
Instructions
- When you're ready to bake your bread, the first step is to feed your sourdough starter. If starter has been stored in the refrigerator, remove from fridge and let it come to room temperature on the counter after feeding for 4 – 6 hours.
- Once starter has come to room temperature, and ‘woken up’ a bit, it’s time to start!
- Add Active Starter and Water to large mixing bowl, and stir with wooden spoon.
- Then add Bread Flour and Sea Salt to bowl, and stir into a shaggy dough. After stirring well with a wooden spoon, get your hands in there to finish combining the dough.
- After mixing all ingredients, cover bowl with plastic wrap, and let dough rest for 1 hour.
- After 1 hour of resting, remove plastic wrap. To add height and gorgeous air pockets to your finished loaf, it’s time to stretch and fold your dough four times. To “stretch & fold” grab one corner of the dough, pull it up, then fold it over. Rotate the bowl ¼ turn and repeat for a total of 4 times (once on each corner of the dough ball).
- Then cover bowl with a light tea towel or flour sack cloth and let it rise for 8 – 10 hours in a warm area of your home, or until it doubles in size. Keep out of direct sunlight. (If it’s chilly inside, I like to place it in the oven with just the oven light on to add a little warmth, just like we did with our Sourdough Starter.)
- After 8 – 10 hours, lightly flour cutting board or counter and transfer dough to the floured surface by carefully using dough scraper around edges to preserve as many air pockets as possible while removing it from the bowl.
- Brush or spray inside of proofing basket (banneton bowl) with cool water, then sprinkle hefty amount of flour on top, shake it around, and let it dry. Then sprinkle a little more flour in proofing basket and shake again, to make sure it’s well floured.
- Sprinkle top of dough with a little flour, then with well-floured hands carefully shape dough into ball, adding a bit more flour where it’s too sticky to handle. To shape dough, I like to do 4 more stretch & fold motions (1 on each side), then 4 more stretch & fold motions (1 from each corner), then flip dough over (seam side down), and shape into a ball using my hands and stainless bench scraper (dough cutter) to tuck any extra dough on the sides underneath.
- Then, using your bench scraper, carefully place dough ball in proofing basket, seam side UP for the final rise.
- Gently drape towel over proofing basket, and let it rest for 1 – 2 more hours in a warm spot of your home. When dough is puffy and growing, it’s ready to bake!
- Now cut out a large rectangular piece of parchment paper to fit inside bottom and sides of 5.5 quart – 6 quart dutch oven, place paper in dutch oven, and firmly press creases along the sides. (This will help the paper not indent into your bread while baking.) Then trim tall edges around the rim so the lid will fit on nicely. Set parchment paper aside for later.
- When dough is ready to bake, preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Sprinkle top of dough in the proofing basket (which is the seam side up) with cornmeal.
- Then place cut piece of parchment paper over top of proofing basket, and carefully & quickly, flip dough over out onto paper.
- Use a sharp serrated knife to cut two 4″ intersecting lines in the top of the dough, like a plus sign. This will give the finished crust a beautiful and dramatic look, and allow the bread to expand when baking.
- Then transfer to dutch oven and flatten parchment paper creases again.
- Place lid on dutch oven, and bake on center rack for 25 minutes.
- After 25 minutes, remove lid and bake for 25 – 30 more minutes, or until bread is a deep golden brown color. IMPORTANT: For the last 10 minutes of baking, prop the oven door open a crack using two small balls of tinfoil. This will allow some moisture to escape, and help develop a gorgeous crispier crust on your loaf.
- Once it’s done, transfer to wire rack to cool for 1 – 2 hours. (Even though it's hard to wait, allowing it to cool will make sure it finishes the baking process and prevents you from ending up with a gummy loaf.)
- After it has cooled, slice, slather with butter, build a sandwich, or dip in Bread Dipping Oil… and ENJOY! Beat eaten fresh or toasted within 48 hours.
- FRESHNESS TIP: Best eaten fresh within 48 hours. If storing for use within the next two days, allow to cool completely, slice (or leave the loaf whole and slice as you go), wrap in a flour sack cloth, and place in an old plastic bread bag in the pantry. It's excellent up to 2 days later and makes AMAZING toast, paninis and grilled cheese. 🙂
- FREEZING TIP: If you'd like to freeze your loaf for later, you can either leave your loaf whole or slice it up now so you can just grab a few slices here and there as you need them. Wrap your cooled loaf in 2 – 3 layers of plastic wrap, then wrap in foil and place in a gallon freezer ziploc bag for up to 2 months. When ready to use your bread, just remove the bag from the freezer and allow to come to room temperature on the counter.
Notes
- *Make sure to feed your starter after you use it, to replace whatever you took out.
- **If you don’t have bread flour, just whisk or sift together 3 cups All Purpose Flour with 1.5 tbsp. Vital Wheat Gluten.
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Rachael says
I’m hoping to make this recipe this afternoon, do I need to refrigerate my dough at all? Also, how many grams of starter should I use?
Heidi says
Hi Rachael ~ you’ll use 1/2 cup of Sourdough Starter when making the dough. Also, you won’t need to refrigerate your dough, as the dough rises best at room temperature in a warm area of your home. Hope that helps!
Nancy says
I’ve been meaning to try out making sourdough bread!! But first, I need to make the starter haha. I buy a loaf every week, so might as well know how to make what I am buying. I like that it is easy to bake in that pot as well. Love how it turned out!! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Nancy ✨
Heidi says
You’re very welcome, Nancy! You will LOVE knowing how to make it yourself… we used to buy a loaf every week too, but love having it freshly made at home now. Plus, it saves so much money! 🙂
Molly Pisula says
Love how easy this recipe is. Your bread turned out so amazing! Love the color and the bubbles in there! When I move back from France, I’ll have to make this all the time because I’ll miss the bread here so much.
Heidi says
Aww… thank you, Molly! And yes, you’ll definitely have to make some when you move back. In the meantime, enjoy your time in France! What an incredible opportunity! 🙂
Sophie says
This looks so good! I miss gluten bread so much . I’d love to be able to eat that x
Heidi says
Aww… I’m sorry you can’t, but hope you’ve found some yummy new gluten free treats you love!
CoCo says
My family loves bread, Heidi, so I am super excited to try this recipe. I’ve never been able to get the outside crusty without burning it but that doesn’t stop me from trying. Can’t wait to make this for everyone! Hugs and thank you for the recipe, CoCo
Heidi says
You’re very welcome, CoCo! Hopefully the trick to prop the oven open for the last 10 minutes or so will help. 🙂
delphine says
J’adore faire mon pain maison, merci pour tes recettes
Belle soirée
Heidi says
De rien… Belle soirée 🙂
Katherine | Love In My Oven says
I regret giving up my sourdough starter! Your bread looks so perfect, Heidi. A delicious crispy crust and chewy inside!
Heidi says
Thanks so much, Katherine! It sounds like it’s time to start another Sourdough Starter! 🙂
John / Kitchen Riffs says
Never met a bread I didn’t like! The crust on this looks fantastic — really nice job. Thanks!
Heidi says
Thanks so much, John! And I agree… I pretty much love all breads, too! 🙂
Kathrine Eldridge says
I am so hungry now looking at this sourdough bread! You are an amazing baker.
https://www.kathrineeldridge.com
Heidi says
You’re so sweet… thanks, Kathrine! I wish I could some with you! 🙂
Christie says
MMM your sourdough looks amazing with that incredible texture Heidi! I’m definitely into full baking mode these days!
Heidi says
Aww ~thanks, Christie! I’m with you… baking frenzies all Winter long are so much fun! 🙂
Michelle | Sift & Simmer says
Love sourdough bread — it’s one of those recipes that I started making before Covid hit, and is still a favourite in our house!
Heidi says
That’s so fun you’ve been baking sourdough regularly, Michelle! My family just loves it too… it’s so comforting! 🙂
Alex says
This looks incredible, and it is so simple to prepare!
Heidi says
Thanks, Alex! And you’re right… it really is surprisingly easy to make! So much of the time is just spent waiting for the delicious loaf. 🙂
Caleb - Never Ending Journeys says
Very cool idea, this sourdough looks so tasty!
Heidi says
Thank you… nothing beats fresh homemade bread!
Josiah - DIY Thrill says
Sourdough bread is my absolute favorite, it looks amazing!
Heidi says
Thanks so much… it’s definitely my favorite, too! I’m absolutely obsessed!! 🙂
Tasia ~ two sugar bugs says
There is nothing as intoxicating as the smell of freshly baked bread! The texture on this one looks absolutely perfect too!
Heidi says
Aww… thanks, Tasia! And I agree… the smell is out of this world, and the easiest way to make your home smell like a top-notch bakery!
angiesrecipes says
Love artisan bread! This looks chewy and crusty…perfect.
Heidi says
Thanks, Angie! I love how sourdough gives you that crunchy crust and soft, tender inside. 🙂