Sourdough Beginner Guide
Sourdough Starter
What Is a Sourdough Starter?
How to Care for It
How to Know It Is Ready
A sourdough starter is where real sourdough begins. It is a live mix of flour and water that naturally grows wild yeast and good bacteria over time.
Sourdough starter is the replacement for commercial yeast. This is what gives sourdough its deeper flavor, crisp crust, soft inside, and signature texture.
A healthy starter should look bubbly, airy, and active. After it is fed, it should rise over several hours, usually doubling before slowly falling back down.
A starter is alive, so honestly, it is kind of like a pet. It needs food, water, and a little attention to stay strong.
Feeding it with fresh flour and water keeps the natural yeast and bacteria active. After feeding, loosely cover the jar and leave it at room temperature until it becomes bubbly and rises. Do not seal it airtight because it releases gas as it ferments.
If you bake often, you can keep your starter on the counter and feed it regularly. If you do not bake often, store it in the fridge for a few weeks, then feed it a few times before using it again.
Your starter is ready to use when it has doubled in size and looks bubbly throughout.
You can also do the float test. Drop a small spoonful of starter into a bowl of water. If it floats, that usually means it is full of air and ready to help your dough rise.
The best time to use your starter is near its peak, before it starts falling back down. It should feel light and airy and smell pleasantly tangy, fruity, yeasty, or like fresh dough.
Original Sourdough Recipe
The loaf we're known for. Here's the full process, start to finish — no shortcuts. It's a labor of love that takes the better part of three days.
TOTAL TIME
~ 36 Hours
Ingredients
4
STAGES
8 Steps
The Recipe
500g bread flour
340g filtered water 100g active starter
12g fine sea salt
03
First Mix / Fermentolyse
30-60 min
Add the flour and mix for about 3 minutes, or until fully combined. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour so the flour can hydrate and the gluten can begin developing before salt is added
.png)
06
Pre-Shape, Rest + Final Shape
40 min
Once bulk fermentation is complete, gently pre-shape the dough and let it rest for about 30 minutes. Then complete the final shape, creating tension so the loaf holds its structure and bakes with a beautiful rise
.png)
01
Feed the starter
8-12 hrs before
Feed the starter and let it rise until it reaches its peak.
.png)
04
Add Salt + Final Mix
5-10 min
Add salt with a small splash of water, then mix again — about 10 minutes by hand or 5 minutes in a mixer. The dough should become smoother, stronger, and more elastic
.png)
07
Cold Proof
12-24 hrs
Place the shaped dough in the fridge for a long, slow cold proof. This develops deeper flavor, improves the crumb, and makes the loaf easier to digest. Real sourdough takes time — do not rush this step
.png)
02
Mix Water + Starter
5 min
Mix the water and active starter together first. This helps spread the natural yeast evenly throughout the dough before adding flour
.png)
05
Stretch, Folds + Bulk Fermentation
4-7 hrs
Bulk ferment for 4–7 hours at room temperature, doing 3 sets of stretch and folds, each about 30 minutes apart for the first few hours. After that, let the dough continue fermenting until it feels lighter, stronger, and less sticky.
.png)
08
Score + Bake
30 min
Score each loaf right before baking. Bake in a preheated Dutch oven with an ice cube or splash of water at 500°F for 20 minutes with the lid on, then about 10 minutes without the lid, until the crust is golden brown or temped at 210 F. Let the bread cool fully before slicing so the inside can set properly
.png)
Sourdough Tips and Tricks
How to Do Coil Folds Wet your hands, then slide both hands underneath the center of the dough. Lift it straight up until the ends release from the bowl, then let the dough fold underneath itself. Rotate the bowl 90° and repeat until you've gone all the way around. One full rotation is one set. Perform 3 sets, about 30 minutes apart during bulk fermentation.
How to Pre-Shape Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Using your hands or a bench scraper, gently push the dough away from you while tucking the bottom underneath, then pull it back toward you. Rotate the dough and repeat until it forms a loose round. Avoid squishing or dragging the dough. The goal is to gently build surface tension without deflating or tearing the dough. Let it rest for 20–30 minutes before the final shape.
How to Final Shape Flip the pre-shaped dough over so the smooth side is facing down. Gently stretch the dough out and fold the top down toward the center, then fold each side inward like you're folding a towel into a rectangle. Then roll the dough up tightly like a burrito. Pinch the seam closed, then place the dough seam-side up into a floured proofing basket.
How to Know Bulk Fermentation Is Done Your dough is ready when it: Has increased by about 75–100% in size doubled Feels light, airy, and jiggly Has small bubbles on the surface and around the sides Pulls away from the bowl more easily with less sticking Watch the dough, not the clock. A warm kitchen speeds up fermentation, while a cool kitchen slows it down.
How to Know If Your Dough Is Properly Proofed Use the poke test before baking: Springs back slowly and leaves a slight indentation: Ready to bake. Springs back immediately: Under-proofed. Let it proof longer. Stays deeply indented and doesn't spring back: Over-proofed.
How to Read Your Crumb - Even, medium-sized holes: Well-fermented and properly proofed. - Large holes near\ the top with a dense bottom: Under-proofed. - Very small, tight crumb: Under-fermented or under-proofed. - Collapsed or gummy crumb: Over-proofed or underbaked.
Working With Dough - Wet your hands before handling sticky dough. - If the dough starts tearing while stretching, let it rest for 15–20 minutes before continuing. - Build tension gently—don't force it. - Lightly flour your work surface, but avoid using too much flour during shaping. - Keep a bench scraper nearby to help move and shape the dough without damaging it.
How to Pre-Shape
How to Do Coil Folds
How to Final Shape