This homemade sourdough bread is one of my favorite things to eat. Although sourdough is often associated with experienced bakers, my husband, Drew, has created a sourdough recipe that simplifies the process while still producing incredible results. It has a crispy outer crust and a super soft interior, paired with that classic sourdough structure and taste. You will be blown away that you can make such delicious bread at home!

The inside structure of a halved loaf of sourdough propped up against another loaf of sourdough.

There is nothing quite like homemade sourdough. Although good sourdough may take a little bit of time and patience, it’s always worth it in the end and this one might be a little easier to prepare than you would think.

We call this a “country” sourdough because it’s a rustic artisan loaf made with a blend of flours (whole wheat and white – sometimes rye is included). The result is a thick, chewy crust with the classic tangy yet nutty sourdough flavor. This bread trumps all others. It is truly one of our favorite things to eat!

This recipe belongs to my husband, Drew, also known as the star baker in the family. After much trial and error, he’s come to perfect this recipe, and I am so excited for him to share it with you all!

Ingredients

Bread flour—We prefer using bread flour over all-purpose flour because of its higher protein content. Bread flour also gives the sourdough a delicious chewy texture that all-purpose flour cannot achieve.
Whole wheat flour– We like to use 10% whole wheat flour for a nutty flavor.
Filtered water—This loaf is lower in hydration than most, which makes it easier to handle and prepare. Make sure the water temperature is between 80 and 90 degrees F—this will ensure the bacteria from the starter can grow properly.
Salt – Essential for great flavor. We like to use sea salt.
Sourdough starter (Levain): This is a pre-portioned starter or “levain” that is prepared for the dough as the yeast the night before. It’s made up of sourdough starter, water, and flour.

Tools We Recommend

Dutch oven – This is one of the most important tools when it comes to sourdough. This heavy cast-iron pot produces a super hot environment for a proper bake and traps steam to create maximum oven spring and a beautiful crust.

Scale – An accurate scale is a must for baking bread. Myweigh is my favorite.

Large mixing bowl – I prefer metal bowls because of their light weight, but you can use any large bowl you like.

Large Glass Jar—Weck is my favorite brand because of its straight edges, but any clear glass jar will work.

Jar scraper/spatula – This helps clean the edges of the jar after you make the starter.

Bench scraper – a great tool for cutting, shaping, and transferring the dough.

2 Round bannetons – These round wicker baskets are great for holding the dough’s round shape while it’s in its final proof. The basket’s ridges also give the finished bread a rustic and artisanal design. However, the results are best if you remove the inner cloth that comes with the banneton.

Bread lame—this is a razor blade used to score the bread before it bakes. You can make your own with a popsicle stick and a razor blade, or buy a fancy one. A very sharp knife is also an option.

You can find of the tools we recommend in our Amazon shop

How to Make the Bread

A two-part image showing the process of sourdough baking. On the left (labeled "1"), a glass jar contains freshly mixed sourdough starter with a spatula, set on a wooden surface next to a digital scale. On the right, the same starter has risen in the glass jar, now showing a bubbly, airy texture after fermentation, placed on a countertop with bags of organic flour in the background.

1

Make your sourdough levain/starter for the bread. The night before, mix 80g of your mature sourdough starter, 120g water (80-90F), 60g all purpose flour (bread flour is fine too) and 60g whole wheat flour in a jar. Cover and leave in a warm area – this should double in size in about 8 hours. And look bubbly on top.

Important: You’ll already want a mature sourdough starter on hand before making this bread. If you don’t have one you can find follow this recipe to make your own. (Our own recipe coming soon)

A three-part image illustrating steps in sourdough baking. Step 2: A metal mixing bowl contains water and sourdough starter being stirred with a spatula. Step 3: The same bowl now has flour added, being mixed with a spoon to form a shaggy dough. Step 4: The dough, now smooth and cohesive, is placed in a rectangular plastic container for bulk fermentation, with bags of flour visible behind.

2

Make the dough. At 8AM the morning you want to bake, mix 200g of the mature levain/starter and 650g warm water (80-90F) in a large mixing bowl until levain is incorporated into the water.

You’ll have a little bit of the levain left over in the jar, and that’s expected. You’ll use this to refresh your starter for the next day.
3

Add the flour (900g of bread flour, 100g of whole wheat flour) and salt (25g). Mix with a spoon, and then use your hands to make sure everything is incorporated together.
4

Rest for 40 minutes. Let the dough rest covered in a warm environment for about 40 mins. You can keep it in the same bowl or transfer to a new container – just leave enough space for the dough to grow in size. I like a clear container so I can see what’s happening with the dough easily. Spraying the container with a little avocado oil also helps to keep the dough from sticking.

A five-part image showing the dough lamination process in sourdough baking. Top left: Hands stretch and fold a flattened piece of dough on a marble countertop. Top right: The dough is fully stretched out into a thin, even layer. Bottom left: Hands roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Bottom middle: the dough is rolled up into a roll. Bottom right: The rolled dough is placed into a rectangular plastic container for proofing, set against a kitchen backsplash.

5

Stretch & Laminate. This helps evenly incorporate the levain into the dough and helps to create structure. After 40 mins, the water will have absorbed more fully into the dough and should be a little pliable. Rinse your hands lightly, and take the dough out of the container and stretch it out into a large thin rectangle. Try pulling gently from the edges and work it outwards. If it tears slightly, that’s ok, but avoid large tears. Once it’s spread out relatively evenly, start folding the dough over on to itself 5 inches or so at a time until it’s one long strip of dough. Then roll it all up from the bottom and place back into the bowl/container.

A two part image. The dough is shown significantly risen in a square plastic container. The left image shows the top view with some bubbles on the top of the dough. The right image shows a side view of the risen dough. on a marble countertop.

6

Proof the dough. This step is referred to as bulk fermentation in sourdough baking. Keep your dough covered for another 5 hours 15 minutes in a warm environment until it’s about doubled in size. This will take a little practice to nail, but stay patient and don’t rush this or your dough will be under-proved and dense. You should see some air bubbles around the edge, and the dough should be soft and aerated to the touch.

TIP: temperature is really important here. If you have a proof setting on your oven, or a separate proofing drawer, use it. You can also use an oven light. Your bulk fermentation times will vary depending on temperature. Goal is to keep dough at 78F throughout this process.

A four-part image depicting the pre-shape steps in sourdough baking (labeled 7-10). Step 7: Hands gently turning the dough out onto the counter. Step 8: A hand uses a bench scraper to divide the dough into two portions on a marble countertop. Step 9: Hands shape one portion of dough into a smooth, round ball. Step 10: The shaped dough ball is placed in a clear plastic container for resting.

7

Carefully, without knocking a lot of air out of the dough, remove the dough from the container onto your countertop or work surface.
8

Cut the dough. Using a bench scraper, cut the dough into two equal parts (it doesn’t have to be exact).
9

Pre-shape the dough. Rinse your hands lightly, and work the dough gently into a round shape by cupping your hands behind the dough and pulling towards you on the countertop. Keep going a few times slightly spinning the dough to keep tucking itself under itself – don’t overdo it.

Tip: Don’t add flour to your countertop otherwise the dough will just slide around rather than build tension.
10

Rest for 30 minutes. Let the loaves rest on the work surface for about 30 minutes covered with a bowl/container. Otherwise the surface will start to firm up from the surrounding air making shaping a bit more difficult.

A two-part image showing the shaping stage of sourdough baking (labeled "11"). Left: A hand uses a bench scraper to gently handle a round dough ball dusted with flour on a marble countertop, with a bag of organic flour in the background. Right: The same dough is flipped upside down on a marble countertop ready for shaping.

11

Shape the dough. The goal of shaping is to give the loaf its classic round shape (boule) and build tension so it doesn’t flatten like a pancake. Sprinkle a tiny bit of flour on the top of the pre-shaped loaf. Use the bench scraper and scrape under the dough and flip it over on its back.

A multi-part image (labeled "12") illustrating the process of shaping a sourdough loaf. The sequence shows hands working on a marble countertop: starting with stretching and folding a dough piece into a loose rectangle, then progressively tightening it with gentle folds and tucks. The dough is shaped from a flattened form into a taut, oval loaf, with additional rounds visible and bags of flour in the background, demonstrating the step-by-step technique for forming a structured sourdough loaf.

12

Gently stretch the sides of the dough outward. For the first fold, take the right side, stretch it outwards slightly and then fold back into the middle. Do the same with the left side and overlaps the folds slightly. Now, take the top, stretch it out slightly, and bring it back towards you a little more than the center. Lastly, bring the bottom up over the top fold and then roll the entire loaf over so now you are seeing the top of the loaf.

The final round loaf shape on a marble countertop sprinkled with rice flour

13

Use your hands in a cupping position to draw the loaf towards yourself. As you do this more tension will start to build around the sides and the folds you just made underneath will smoothen out and seal. Make sure your work surface doesn’t have too much flour otherwise there won’t be enough resistance to grip the dough. Repeat and turn until you have a well rounded shape with some height to it.

A three-part image illustrating the final proofing stage of sourdough baking (labeled "14"). Left: Two empty round wicker proofing baskets are shown on a marble countertop, with a hand preparing to place dough. Center: A round dough ball is placed inside one of the wicker proofing baskets, ready for final proofing, with flour and a scraper nearby. Right: Two proofing baskets with dough are placed in a proofing oven covered with a large wooden cutting board.

14

Final Proof. Using a small sieve, sprinkle the dough with white rice flour (or regular flour), which helps the dough to remove cleanly from the banneton proofing basket. Sprinkle a little bit in the banneton as well around the edges. Take your bench scraper, and lift the shaped loaf from underneath and flip carefully upside down into your banneton so that the top of the loaf is facing down. If you are baking the same day, cover the banneton baskets and keep in a warm area for 1.5-2 hours. (In the photo of this step I am placing the baskets in a proofing oven, not baking yet)

Tip: If you are baking the following day, leave out for another 30 mins (covered), and then wrap the bannetons with a tight plastic bag and place in the refrigerator to ferment overnight.

A three-part image illustrating the final preparation steps for baking sourdough (labeled 15-17). Step 15: Two round loaves rest in wicker proofing baskets on a countertop, having completed their final proof. Step 16: A hand brushes excess flour off a dough ball, revealing the basket's spiral imprint, as it’s placed on a parchment-lined surface. Step 17: The dough, now scored with a cross pattern, is placed in a parchment-lined Dutch oven, ready to bake.

15

30 mins before baking, preheat your oven to 450F and place your dutch oven inside to heat up.

After the final proof, you’ll notice the dough has risen a bit and is more aerated.
16

Prepare to Bake. Cut a large piece of parchment paper and place on a flat board such as a cutting board. Flip the board over so the parchment is underneath and place on top of the banneton basket. Holding the board and the basket together, flip it over gently so the dough is now out of the basket and on the parchment.
17

Score the bread. Using a flat razor blade or bread lame, cut four lines into a square shape along the top outer edges of the loaf. Try not to cut too deep, should be about ⅛ – ¼ inch deep. This will help the loaf properly expand up and outwards during the bake. Take the preheated dutch oven out of the oven with oven mitts and take the lid off. Sprinkle a light dusting of flour on the bottom (to reduce charring on the bottom).

Lift the loaf using the parchment paper and place carefully inside of the dutch oven. Cover with the lid.

Caution: the dutch oven is super hot so be careful not to touch it.

An image (labeled "18") showing a sourdough loaf in a red Dutch oven after baking for 25 minutes. The dough, placed on parchment paper, has developed a light golden-brown crust with a visible spiral pattern from the proofing basket. The oven's interior is dimly lit, highlighting the loaf's surface as it bakes, with the lid removed to allow further browning.

18

Bake. Bake for 25 minutes covered, and then another 20-25 minutes uncovered until the crust is a golden brown color and firm when you tap on it.

Two freshly baked sourdough loaves rest on a wire cooling rack on a wooden surface. The loaves have a golden-brown crust with a deep, rustic texture, featuring spiral patterns from the proofing baskets and scored tops that have opened up during baking. In the background, a blue dish of butter and a blue plate are visible, suggesting the bread is ready to be enjoyed.

19

Cool & Enjoy. Remove from the oven and carefully lift the loaf out of the Dutch oven using the edges of the parchment paper and place immediately on a cooling rack. Repeat Step 17 to bake your second loaf. For best results, wait about 30-60 minutes before cutting into it so the loaf has time to rest, but digging in early is completely acceptable. 🙂

The goal with this bread is to prep and bake it all in the same day. Here’s a helpful schedule you can follow to stay on track:

A sample schedule for baking sourdough bread. Including the steps and the times associated with each step.

Tips for Success

Be Patient. You need to let the natural yeast/bacteria do it’s thing and ferment the dough. Don’t rush the process otherwise your bread will be under-proved and dense.
Control temperature. For optimal bacteria activity and fermentation, keeping the temp around 78F throughout the baking process is key. You can do this by warming the water, and keeping the dough in a warm environment while proofing.
Keep your bread from charring on the bottom. Dust the bottom of the pot with flour while baking to prevent extra charring.
Want more intense flavors? Chill the dough in the bannetons overnight in the refrigerator and bake in the morning!

Optional Tools

Goldie sourdough Starter Warmer – this keeps my sourdough starter the perfect temp (70-80F) no matter what my kitchen temperature is for maximum bacteria activity. A strong starter is the most important aspect of sourdough baking!
Proofing oven

A freshly baked sourdough loaf is sliced, revealing its airy, open crumb structure on a blue patterned plate. The slices are placed on a wooden surface alongside the whole loaf, showcasing its golden-brown crust. A small wooden bowl of coarse salt and a butter knife rest nearby, ready to enhance the bread's flavor, with another sourdough loaf visible in the background.

Country Sourdough Recipe

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Prep Time 16

Cook Time 1 30

Total Time 17 30

Serves 2 loaves

Ingredients

Levain / Starter

80 g Sourdough starter mature
120 g Water warmed to 80-90F
60 g All purpose flour bread flour works too
60 g Whole wheat flour

Dough

200 g Sourdough levain / starter you made the night before
650 g Water warmed to 80-90F
900 g Bread Flour organic preferred
100 g Whole Wheat Flour organic preferred
25 g Salt
White rice flour optional to reduce sticking

Instructions

Make your levain. The night before, mix 120g water (80-90F), 60g all purpose flour and 60g whole wheat flour with 80g of your mature starter in a jar. Cover and leave in a warm area – this should more than double in size in about 8 hours.
TIP: Make sure water is lukewarm – a thermometer helps. Place jar in a warm area in your kitchen – proving oven, Goldie, or turn oven on briefly and turn off. It's super important your starter is mature for this to work correctly (mine smells like fresh sour apples).
Make the dough. At 8AM the morning you want to bake. Mix the mature levain and warm water in a large mixing bowl until levain is incorporated into the water. Then add the flour and salt. Mix with a spoon, and then use your hands to make sure everything is incorporated together.
Rest the dough. Let dough sit covered in a warm environment for about 40 mins. You can keep it in the same bowl or transfer to a new container – just leave enough space for the dough to grow in size. I like a clear bowl or container so I can see what’s happening with the dough easily.
TIP: temperature is really important throughout the process. If you have a proof setting on your oven, or a separate proofing drawer, use it. Your bulk fermentation times will vary depending on temperature. Goal is to keep dough at 78F throughout this process.
Stretch & Laminate. This step helps evenly incorporate the levain into the dough and helps to create structure. After 40 mins, the water will have absorbed more fully into the dough and should be a little pliable. Rinse your hands lightly, and take the dough out of the container and stretch it out into a large thin rectangle. Try pulling gently from the edges and work it outwards. If it tears slightly, that’s ok, but avoid large tears. Once it’s spread out relatively evenly, start folding the dough over on to itself 5 inches or so at a time until it's one long strip of dough. Then roll it all up from the bottom and place back into the bowl/container.
Proof. Bulk ferment the dough covered for 5 hours 15 minutes in a warm environment. The time here will vary based on temperature. This is something you will have to practice and test yourself to get the desired result. The dough should have some air bubbles throughout, and be soft and aerated to the touch
Pre-shape the dough. Carefully without knocking a lot of air out of the dough, remove the dough from the container onto your countertop or work surface. Using a bench scraper, cut the dough into two equal parts (it doesn't have to be exact). Rinse your hands lightly, and work the dough gently into a round shape by cupping your hands behind the dough and pulling towards you on the countertop. Keep going a few times slightly spinning the dough to keep tucking itself under itself – don't overdo it. You can also use your bench scraper for this. Let the loaves rest on the work surface for about 30 minutes covered with a bowl/container. Otherwise the surface will start to firm up from the surrounding air making shaping a bit more difficult.
TIP: Don’t add flour to your countertop otherwise the dough will just slide around rather than build tension.
Final shaping. The goal of shaping is to give the loaf its classic round shape (boule) and build tension so it doesn’t flatten like a pancake. Sprinkle a tiny bit of flour on the top of the pre-shaped loaf. Use the bench scraper and scrape under the dough and flip it over on its back. Gently stretch the sides of the dough outward. For the first fold, take the right side, stretch it outwards slightly and then fold back into the middle. Do the same with the left side and overlaps the folds slightly. Now, take the top, stretch it out slightly, and bring it back towards you a little more than the center. Lastly, bring the bottom up over the top fold and then roll the entire loaf over so now you are seeing the top of the loaf. Use your hands in a cupping position to draw the loaf towards yourself. As you do this more tension will start to build around the sides and the folds you just made underneath will smoothen out and seal. Make sure your work surface doesn’t have too much flour otherwise there won’t be enough resistance to grip the dough. Repeat and turn until you have a well rounded shape with some height to it.
Repeat for loaf number two.
Final Proof. Using a small sieve, sprinkle the dough with white rice flour (or regular flour), which helps the dough to remove cleanly from the banneton proofing basket. Sprinkle a little bit in the banneton as well around the edges. Take your bench scraper, and lift the shaped loaf from underneath and flip carefully upside down into your banneton so that the top of the loaf is facing down. If you are baking the same day, cover the banneton baskets and keep in a warm area for 1.5-2 hours.
Note: If you are baking the following day, leave out for another 30 mins (covered), and then wrap the bannetons with a tight plastic bag and place in the refrigerator to ferment overnight.
Prepare to bake. I usually like baking the same day–who doesn’t like warm bread for dinner! 30 minutes before the end of your final proof, preheat your oven to 450F with a Dutch oven or combo cooker on the middle rack with the lid on. Cut a large piece of parchment paper and place on a flat board such as a cutting board. Flip the board over so the parchment is underneath and place on top of the banneton basket. Holding the board and the basket together, flip it over gently so the dough is now out of the basket and on the parchment. Using a flat razor blade or bread lame, cut four lines into a square shape along the top outer edges of the loaf. Try not to cut too deep, should be about ⅛ – ¼ inch deep. This will help the loaf properly expand up and outwards during the bake. Take the preheated dutch oven out of the oven with oven mitts and take the lid off. Sprinkle a light dusting of flour on the bottom (to reduce charring on the bottom). Lift the loaf using the parchment paper and place carefully inside of the dutch oven.
Caution: the dutch oven is super hot so be careful not to touch it.
Bake. Put the lid back on, and place in the oven. Bake for 25 minutes covered, and then another 20-25 minutes uncovered until the crust is a golden brown color and firm when you tap on it.
Cool and serve. Remove from the oven and carefully lift the loaf out of the Dutch oven using the edges of the parchment paper and place immediately on a cooling rack. Repeat Step 11 to bake your second loaf. For best results, wait about 30-60 minutes before cutting into it so the loaf has time to rest, although I’m not going to judge you if you want to dig in early :D. Your whole house is going to smell amazing. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

If baking with a cast iron combo cooker, reduce your bake time slightly – I find it bakes faster and can scorch the bottom if left too long.
Store leftovers in a sealed container

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword sourdough bread

Freezer Friendly Yes

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this bread freezer-friendly? Yes, you can store the loaves in a tight container in the freezer and thaw on your countertop when you want.

Country Sourdough Bread

Ingredients

How to Make the Bread

Optional Tools

Country Sourdough Recipe

Ingredients

Levain / Starter

Dough

Instructions

Video

Notes

Frequently Asked Questions

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