Classic Sourdough Bread Recipe
Make a classic sourdough loaf with an active, bubbly starter, bread flour, water, and salt. This recipe includes optional olive oil and video demonstrations for folding, shaping, and scoring.
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Ingredients
- 360g water
- 140g active, bubbly sourdough starter
- 25g olive oil, optional
- 500g bread flour, such as King Arthur
- 10g fine sea salt
Makes one large loaf or two smaller loaves. Fermentation timing varies with your starter and kitchen temperature. Before mixing, prepare your starter with our step-by-step feeding guide.
1. Mix the dough
Mix the starter with the water and stir until dispersed. If using olive oil, stir it into the wet ingredients. Add the flour, then the salt.
Squish the mixture together with your hands until the flour is fully absorbed. The dough will feel wet and shaggy at this stage.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, reusable wax wrap, or a very damp kitchen towel. Rest for about 30 minutes, then work the dough into a ball directly in the bowl. It does not need to look perfect.
2. Fold and bulk ferment
Cover the bowl and let the dough rise at room temperature, around 68–70°F.
About 30 minutes into the bulk rise, perform a series of stretch and folds to strengthen the dough.
Watch the stretch-and-fold demonstration.
About 30 minutes later, perform a series of coil folds.
Watch the coil-fold demonstration.
Continue bulk fermentation until the dough has doubled in size and no longer looks dense. This can take approximately 3–12 hours; judge the dough rather than the clock.
3. Shape the loaf
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Cut it in half for two smaller loaves, or leave it whole for one large loaf.
Starting at the top, fold the dough toward the center. Give it a slight turn and fold the next section inward. Repeat until you have worked all the way around.
Watch the shaping demonstration.
4. Proof and score
After shaping, cover the dough and let it rise again for about 30–60 minutes, adjusting for its condition and room temperature. Before baking, make a slash about 2–3 inches long down the center.
Watch the scoring demonstration.
For a longer fermentation, the original recipe also offers refrigeration for 24–48 hours, either in the mixing bowl before shaping or in a banneton after shaping. Dust the dough and banneton with rice flour or white flour to help prevent sticking. Treat refrigeration as an alternative schedule, watching the dough to avoid overproofing.
5. Preheat and bake
Use a lidded pot rated by its manufacturer for 450°F, including its handles and lid. Preheat the oven to 450°F with the pot inside. Use parchment or a bread sling rated for your baking temperature.
- Place the dough on parchment paper or a silicone bread sling and carefully lower it into the hot pot.
- Cover with the lid and bake on the center rack for 25 minutes.
- Remove the lid and bake for about 12 minutes more, or until the loaf is deep golden brown. The original recipe gives an internal temperature target of 205–210°F.
The original recipe includes two optional techniques: scoring about 6 minutes into the bake instead of before baking, and adding two ice cubes for steam. Opening and working around a very hot pot introduces burn and steam risks. Scoring before baking is the simpler option; add ice only if the cookware manufacturer permits it, as sudden temperature changes can damage some cookware.
Carefully transfer the loaf to a rack and let it cool before slicing.
Starter help and more baking ideas
If your starter is sluggish, read why a sourdough starter may not rise. For keeping it between baking days, see our starter storage guide.
Looking for something different? Explore sourdough baking ideas beyond bread or return to all sourdough bread recipes.