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This sourdough bread recipe gives you that bakery-worthy crackly crust and tangy, chewy crumb right from your own oven, and honestly it is so much easier than it looks. I baked my first loaf on a slow winter weekend while Maddie watched through the oven door, and the smell alone made us instant believers. If you love baking from scratch like our easy crescent roll cinnamon rolls, this is your next project.
With just four simple ingredients and a Dutch oven, you can turn flour, water, salt, and a bubbly starter into a stunning artisan loaf.
Sourdough Bread Recipe Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 50 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 2 days (mostly resting)
- 🍽️ Serving: 2 loaves
- ⚡ Calories: 1128kcal per loaf
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Tangy, chewy, and crusty
- ✋ Difficulty: Intermediate, but mostly hands-off
Quick Answer
To make this sourdough bread recipe, mix flour, salt, active sourdough starter, and warm water into a shaggy dough. Stretch and fold it over a few hours, let it rise, then cold-proof overnight in the fridge. Shape into loaves, score the tops, and bake in a preheated covered Dutch oven at 450 degrees Fahrenheit until deep golden and crusty.
Jump to:
- Sourdough Bread Recipe Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Sourdough Bread Recipe
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Sourdough Bread Recipe FAQs
- Other Recommended Homemade Bread Recipes
- Sourdough Bread Recipe
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- An active starter does the leavening. A bubbly, well-fed sourdough starter is what makes the bread rise naturally and gives it that signature tangy flavor, no commercial yeast needed.
- Stretch and folds build strength. Instead of hard kneading, gentle wet-handed stretch and folds develop the gluten so you get a chewy, open crumb with very little effort.
- The cold overnight proof deepens flavor. Resting the dough in the fridge overnight slows fermentation, which develops a richer, more complex sourdough tang and makes the dough easier to shape.
- A Dutch oven traps steam. Baking in a covered Dutch oven creates a steamy environment that gives the loaf a thin, crackly, professional-looking crust.
- Only four ingredients. Flour, water, salt, and starter are all you need, which makes this sourdough bread recipe as affordable as it is impressive.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- You get a crackly artisan crust and tangy, chewy crumb without any fancy equipment beyond a Dutch oven.
- It is almost entirely hands-off, with most of the time spent resting while you go about your day.
- It uses just four pantry ingredients and makes two beautiful loaves, perfect for sharing or freezing.
Key Ingredients
You only need four simple ingredients to make this sourdough bread recipe at home.
- Bread flour: The higher protein in bread flour builds extra structure and chew, though all-purpose flour works in a pinch.
- Active sourdough starter: A bubbly, recently fed starter is the heart of the loaf and provides all the rise and tang.
- Warm water: Slightly warm water (around 70 to 80 degrees) helps the dough come together and keeps fermentation moving.
- Salt: Salt strengthens the gluten, controls fermentation, and brings out all that lovely sourdough flavor.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
Once you have the basic sourdough bread recipe down, there are so many ways to make it your own.
- Whole wheat: Swap up to a third of the bread flour for whole wheat flour for a heartier, nuttier loaf.
- Add-ins: Fold in roasted garlic, shredded cheese, fresh rosemary, or dried cranberries during the last stretch and fold.
- Seeded crust: Brush the shaped loaf with water and roll it in sesame, poppy, or sunflower seeds before baking.
- One big loaf: Keep the dough as a single boule instead of dividing it, and add a few extra minutes to the bake time.
- No Dutch oven: Bake on a preheated baking stone with a pan of water on the bottom rack to create steam.
How to Make Sourdough Bread Recipe
- Make sure your starter is active and bubbly first. In a medium bowl, add the bread flour, salt, and active sourdough starter.
- Pour in the warm water and begin mixing the starter, water, and flour together.
- Mix well until a shaggy dough forms and no dry flour remains. Cover and let it rest for 1 to 2 hours at room temperature.
- Let the dough rest covered so the flour fully hydrates and the gluten begins to develop.
- With wet hands, stretch the bottom of the dough up and over the top, turning the bowl and repeating several times. Rest 2 hours, then repeat the stretch and folds.
- Cover and let the dough rise 1 to 2 hours until puffy, then transfer to the fridge to cold-proof overnight.
- Bring the dough to room temperature for about 2 hours, divide it in two, and shape each piece into a tight round. Score the tops with a sharp knife.
- Bake one loaf at a time in a preheated covered Dutch oven at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 to 40 minutes, then uncover and bake 10 more minutes until deep golden. Cool 30 minutes before slicing.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Feed your starter 4 to 12 hours before mixing so it is at its bubbly peak when you build the dough.
- Use a kitchen scale if you can, since weighing the flour gives you the most consistent, reliable loaf.
- Keep your hands wet during the stretch and folds so the sticky dough does not cling to you.
- Do not skip the cold proof. The overnight rest in the fridge is what builds that deep sourdough flavor and makes shaping easy.
- Preheat the Dutch oven fully before the dough goes in, which is the secret to a dramatic oven spring and crackly crust.
- Let it cool completely before slicing so the crumb finishes setting and does not turn gummy.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
There is truly nothing better than a thick slice of this sourdough bread recipe still slightly warm, slathered with salted butter that melts right into the chewy crumb. It is the kind of simple pleasure that makes all the resting time worth it.
Use it for the best toast of your life, pile it high for sandwiches, or tear it into chunks to dunk into a cozy bowl of easy beef stew or soup. Day-old slices also make incredible grilled cheese and French toast.
For a beautiful spread, serve it alongside whipped honey butter, a soft cheese, or a drizzle of good olive oil. Store the cooled loaf at room temperature in a paper bag or bread box for up to 3 days, or slice and freeze it for up to 3 months.
Sourdough Bread Recipe FAQs
You need an active, bubbly sourdough starter that has been fed within the last 4 to 12 hours and has roughly doubled in size. If you are starting from scratch, it takes about 5 days of daily feedings to get a new starter strong enough to bake with.
Yes. If you do not have a Dutch oven, bake the loaf on a preheated baking stone or sheet pan and place a metal pan of boiling water on the lower oven rack to create steam. The steam is what gives the crust its signature crackle.
A dense loaf usually means the starter was not active enough or the dough was under-proofed. Make sure your starter is bubbly and at its peak, and give the dough enough time to rise until it looks puffy before the cold proof.
Yes, all-purpose flour works in this sourdough bread recipe and still makes a delicious loaf. Bread flour has more protein, so it gives you a slightly chewier texture and a bit more rise, but the difference is small.
Store the cooled loaf cut-side down on a board, or in a paper bag or bread box, at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, slice the loaf and freeze it in a zip-top bag for up to 3 months, then toast slices straight from frozen.
Absolutely. Simply halve all four ingredients to make a single loaf. The timing for resting, folding, and baking stays the same, so it is an easy way to bake a smaller batch.
Want more cozy baking projects? Try our soft and fluffy crescent roll cinnamon rolls next.
Love baking from scratch? This rich, buttery brioche bread bakes into two tender braided loaves.
If you bake bread at home, add our garlicky air fryer naan bread to the rotation next.
Sourdough Bread Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 cup active starter
- 2 cups warm water 70-80°F
Instructions
- The first step is to make an active starter. The starter will take about 5 days to be ready.
- In a medium-sized bowl, add the flour, salt, and active starter.5 cups bread flour, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 cup active starter
- Add the water and mix well until the active starter combines with water and the flour. Stir with a dough bowl scraper or spatula. At the end-use your hand to make the shaggy dough.2 cups warm water
- Cover, and let it rest for 1-2 hours at room temperature (or up to 4-5 hours).
- Use wet hands to knead the dough. Pull the bottom of the dough onto the top of the dough. Repeat this several times.
- Cover and let the dough rest for the next 2 hours at room temperature.
- Repeat this step (Use wet hands to knead the dough. Pull the bottom of the dough onto the top of the dough. Repeat this several times) every 30-minute intervals for the next 2 hours (so you will do this 4 times total). The dough should turn into an elastic dough.
- Cover and allow the dough to rise for another 1-2 hours at room temperature.
- Transfer to the fridge and leave it overnight.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and leave at room temperature for about 2 hours. Divide into two and then shape the dough into two balls.
- Add parchment paper to a Dutch oven, place one dough ball in the center, and cover it with the lid. Allow to rest while the oven heats up. (Keep the other dough ball covered until the first loaf is baked, or you can use two Dutch ovens!)
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Add the Dutch oven with the lid on into the oven.
- Bake the bread for 30-40 minutes. Now remove the lid. The bread must be a light golden color. Bake for another 10 minutes. It is done when it is golden brown and sounds hollow. Repeat with the other dough ball.
- Let the bread rest for 30-40 minutes on a wire rack before cutting.
Notes
- Ensure your starter is very active for the best results.
- Use warm water (not hot) to help activate the fermentation process.
- Be patient with the bread dough rise time – a longer rise means better flavor.
- Use a Dutch oven to bake the bread for that perfect crispy crust.
- Score the top of the loaf with a sharp knife or razor blade for a beautiful artisan look.
- Let the bread cool on a wire rack to maintain its crispy crust.
- Nutrition is calculated per loaf.
Nutrition
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