How to Bake a Sourdough Loaf

Before You Start

This recipe assumes you already have an active sourdough starter — one that reliably doubles within 4–8 hours of feeding and passes the float test. If you don't have one yet, start here: How to Make and Maintain a Sourdough Starter.

Baking a loaf spans two days: a morning and afternoon of folding and fermenting, an overnight cold prove in the fridge, then a hot bake the next morning. None of it is hard work — most of the time the dough looks after itself. Curious why sourdough is worth the effort? See Sourdough: The Ancient Art of Real Bread.

Ingredients

• 100g active starter (fed 4–8 hours before, doubled in size and bubbly)
• 500g strong bread flour (white, wholemeal, or a mix)
• 350g water (lukewarm)
• 10g salt

Equipment

• Large mixing bowl
• A clean tea towel or proving basket (banneton)
• A Dutch oven or heavy pot with lid (this creates the steam environment for a great crust)
• A sharp blade or razor for scoring

Step-by-Step

1. Mix (Morning). Combine the flour and water in a large bowl. Stir until no dry flour remains. Cover and leave for 30–60 minutes. This rest period is called autolyse — it allows the flour to fully hydrate and begins gluten development before you even start working the dough.

2. Add starter and salt. Add your active starter and the salt to the dough. Squeeze and fold it through until fully incorporated. The dough will feel shaggy and sticky — that's normal.

3. Stretch and fold. Over the next 2–3 hours, perform 3–4 sets of stretch and folds, spaced about 30 minutes apart. To do a stretch and fold: wet your hand, grab one side of the dough, stretch it up, and fold it over to the other side. Rotate the bowl 90° and repeat. Do this 4 times (all four sides) per set. The dough will become progressively smoother, stronger, and more elastic.

4. Bulk ferment. After your last set of folds, cover the bowl and leave the dough at room temperature for 3–5 hours total (including the stretch-and-fold period). The dough is ready when it has increased in volume by about 50–75%, feels airy, and you can see bubbles on the surface and sides.

5. Shape. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently shape it into a round (boule) or oval (batard) by folding the edges in towards the centre, then flipping it seam-side down and using your hands to create surface tension by dragging it towards you on the counter.

6. Final prove. Place the shaped dough seam-side up in a floured banneton or a bowl lined with a well-floured tea towel. Cover and refrigerate overnight (8–14 hours). This cold retard slows fermentation, develops flavour, and makes the dough easier to handle and score.

7. Bake (Next Morning). Preheat your oven to 250°C (480°F) with your Dutch oven inside for at least 30 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a piece of baking paper, score the top with a sharp blade (a single confident slash works well), lower it into the hot Dutch oven, and put the lid on. Bake covered for 30 minutes, then remove the lid and bake for a further 15–20 minutes until deeply golden brown.

8. Cool. This is the hardest part — and everyone who's ever baked bread knows it: let the bread cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before cutting. The interior continues cooking as it cools, and cutting too early will result in a gummy crumb. The smell will test every ounce of willpower. Stay strong.

Tips and Troubleshooting

• Dense loaf? Your starter may not have been active enough, or the dough may have been under-fermented. Make sure your starter passes the float test before you begin.
• Too sour? Reduce fermentation time, use a warmer environment for bulk ferment, or feed your starter more frequently before baking.
• Not sour enough? Extend the cold prove, use more wholemeal flour, or add a small amount of rye flour.
• Flat loaf that spreads sideways? The dough may be over-fermented, or it needs better shaping to build surface tension.
• Crust too thick? More steam at the start of baking (make sure the Dutch oven lid is on) and don't over-bake.
• Start with bread flour (strong flour with ~12% protein). Plain flour can work but gives a weaker structure.
• Hydration matters. The recipe above is about 70% hydration (350g water ÷ 500g flour). Start here. As you gain confidence, you can increase hydration for a more open crumb, but wetter dough is harder to handle.

A note on safety: sourdough fermentation reduces gluten but does not eliminate it, so this bread is not suitable for people with coeliac disease.