Overnight Sourdough Bread Recipe (Perfect for Beginners)
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Learn how to make delicious overnight sourdough bread at home with a step-by-step video that’s perfect for the beginner and that your family will love.
Overnight Sourdough Bread recipe is the perfect recipe to learn baking with a sourdough bread starter. Our step-by-step instructions and video will have you creating an amazing loaf of bread at home in no time.
This Sourdough Bread recipe couldn’t be easier to make and it’s a lot quicker compared to other sourdough bread recipes from starters.
This 500g homemade sourdough recipe has a tender crumb with a slightly sour flavor surrounded by a beautiful crisp crust that has that pull you want in artisan bread.
Sourdough Bread had been on this list for 3 years! I let uncertainty and trepidation keep me from jumping on the Sourdough Bread bandwagon. How can Bread and water be intimidating? Right?
Participating in an online monthly bread challenge finally pushed me into trying sourdough, and the rest is history.
I was fortunate enough to receive some dried starter from a wonderful woman named Selma. Selma passed away a few years ago but her blog “Selma’s Table” still remains and I consult it often. This is a recipe that I got from her blog.
She named her starter “Twinkle” and encouraged everyone to name theirs too. My starter’s name is “Phoenix” because she rose from dust. She has amazing vigor. I’m not always vigilant about keeping her fed but she doesn’t hold it against me and rises to the occasion every time.
I’ve included photos of my 1st loaf and a recent one at the end of this post. I’m proud of both and hope you’ll try this basic sourdough bread recipe too.
Hello, Julie. Just wanted to say thank you for sharing your overnight sourdough recipe as it really works well for me, a lot of people have shared their methods and this one is simply the best one I have come across so far. So thank you again!”
Kris T
What is Sourdough Bread
Sourdough bread is made by fermentation of dough using naturally occurring lactobacilli and yeast. Sourdough bread has a mildly sour taste not present in most bread made with baker’s yeast and keeps better than other bread due to the lactic acid produced by the lactobacilli. Wikipedia
What is different about sourdough bread?
The difference is in how they are made. Regular bread is made using store-bought yeast that reacts with gluten making the dough rise. Sourdough bread is made with a “starter“. This starter is made from a combination of yeast and bacteria growing inside a paste made of flour and water.
Make your own starter!
If you have questions on making or using a Bread Starter, read “How To Make Your Own Bread Starter (and how to maintain it).”
Health Benefits of Sourdough bread
The fermentation that occurs from using a starter has been shown to lower blood sugar, be easier to digest and can even be tolerated by gluten resistant individuals.
However, that’s not to say it is gluten-free. Sourdough bread contains higher levels of folate and antioxidants than other bread. Healthline is a very thorough reference regarding the health benefits of sourdough.
Ingredient Tips:
- Bubbly starter – I recommend feeding your starter and letting it sit out at room temperature 4 to 6 hours or until it increases in volume by about 30% and passes the float test.
- If your dough is runny it can be because your starter was actually starving when you used it.
- Bread Flour – Bread flour has a higher protein content than AP flour. That higher protein provides more structure to your loaf.
- If you substitute they will both be delicious and the texture will be the same but you may find the loaf made with AP flour balloons out more or doesn’t rise as high.
- Water – There’s a lot of controversy regarding water in bread making. Some experts say if you can drink it you can use it to bake with. Other experts say the chlorine can inhibit yeast activity.
- Mineral content (hardness) can reduce extensibility (elasticity and ability to stretch) of the dough.
- Salt – I use fine sea salt. It is easier to incorporate and dissolve than coarser salt.
The above pictures from top left to bottom right.
- The freshly fed starter is thick.
- The Bubbly starter is ready. when bubbly and passes the float test.
- 1st quick knead just to combine ingredients (about 1 minute). The dough is thick and heavy.
- 2nd quick knead after a 30-minute rest. The dough is softer and smoother.
- Dough after 8 hours is full of air bubbles.
- Dough after final delicate knead is smooth and silky.
Absolutely! We love adding dried fruit such as apricots or cranberries, chopped nuts, cheese, olives, or herbs such as rosemary or thyme.
We recommend that you start by adding no more than 20%. So for this 500-gram loaf that would be
500 x 20% = 100 grams. You shouldn’t have to adjust your baking time.
Be careful that you don’t add a lot of moisture. Semi-hard cheeses such as cheddar shredded or diced into smaller pieces work well. Drain fresh fruit or olives of excess juice.
Recipes using a bread starter
- Multi-Grain Wheat Bread Recipe
- Spelt Sourdough Bread
- Sourdough Sandwich Bread using Bread Starter
- Multi-Grain Wheat Bread
- 750gr All-Purpose Flour Sourdough.
Pro tips for Overnight Sourdough Bread
Resting times
Don’t let bread rule your life! Here are some resting times that may help you to bake according to your schedule
- Counter rise – Written as is, this recipe has a counter rise of 3 to 8 hours. I’ve shaped it and let it rest in a banneton or you can carefully shape it just before baking it. The rise time is variable. If you have a warm kitchen it may be ready sooner. Press your thumb into the dough and if it bounces back slowly it’s ready to bake. If it bounces back quickly, it needs a little more time to rise. If it stays dented, it’s probably over-proofed.
- Refrigerator proofing – If you don’t choose to bake your bread at the 3 to 8 hour counter proof, we recommend a 90 minute to 4 hour counter proof. Shape the dough and place it seam-side up into a banneton basket or a bowl lined with a kitchen towel that’s dusted with flour. We like dusting ours with a 50/50 mix of wheat flour and rice flour. We’ve actually left our bread in the refrigerator for up to 18 hours with no problems.
- When you’re ready to bake, remove the shaped dough from the refrigerator and let it sit on the counter while your oven preheats. Place it in the dutch oven, score it, and bake as usual.
If you do the full counter proof and then refrigerate the dough it will be over-proofed. For that reason, try a much shorter counter rise and then refrigerate it.
More helpful tips
- Feed your starter earlier in the day. When it’s bubbly do the test float. If it’s runny it’s used up all its energy and needs to be fed again before you can use it. To see if your starter is ready, put a small amount in a bowl or cup of water. If it floats it’s ready!
- Your bread can be cooked in a cold Dutch oven but I like the color and oven rise I get from preheating my lidded pot.
- To properly bake the bread we rely on an instant-read thermometer. The bread is finished baking when it reaches an internal temperature of 205ºF to 210ºF.
- This bread freezes beautifully. I wrap it in plastic wrap or a ziplock bag and then heavy-duty foil.
- Each time you bake, we keep a notebook and write down anything we do differently such as resting time, baking time, or adding additional ingredients. It’s so difficult to remember what worked the best unless we can look back and see what we were happy about or wanted to do differently the next time. This will also help you to determine what resting times work for you.
YOU MAY NEED
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6 Quart Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven. – I love this Dutch oven. I have three that are triple the price of this one and it’s my favorite. It bakes my bread perfectly and makes a mean ragu recipe.
Zatoba 1003 Black Walnut Bread Lame Decorative Dough Slasher, 2x2x8 inches – I started out with a lesser quality lame and while this one isn’t expensive it’s definitely better quality and has made a prettier slash in my dough. You can also use a sharp knife.
Instant-read Thermometers aren’t just for meat! I use them to know when my bread is baked. I bake until I get an internal temperature of 205º F to 210º F or anywhere in between.
I have two books (out of several) that I’ve learned so much from. I recommend them exclusively to help in your bread experience. They are easy to read and will help you get that beautiful loaf on the table!
This is a 500gr loaf of bread which isn’t large. Baking bread is all about percentages. If you want a larger loaf, you can adjust the “Servings” in the recipe card and it will calculate your ingredients. (Thank you, Daniel, for this question!)
I hope you enjoyed this delicious recipe as much as we do. Drop me a comment below, and don’t forget to give it a star rating. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. Your comments and ratings help others decide if this recipe is for them too.
Conversions are listed below the recipe card
Overnight Sourdough Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 150 g bubbly starter
- 285 g *purified water or filtered water at room temperature
- 500 g bread flour organic
- 9 g sea salt fine
Instructions
- Squelch all of the ingredients together briefly (just for a minute is enough) with your hand. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
- Stretch and fold the dough into the bowl several times for about a minute. Cover and leave it out on the counter overnight, 6 to 8 hours. In the morning it will have doubled in volume at least.
- Pre-heat the oven to 475 °F (240/250C) (I preheat to 475°F and place your lidded pot inside to heat up. You can use an enamel Dutch oven or aluminum roaster. You can also put the dough into a cold pot.
- Dust your counter with flour. I use a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper and then dusted with rice flour. It makes it easy to pick up the dough. Scrape the dough out onto the counter. Don’t punch it down. You want to keep as many of those bubbles as you can.
- Pull the outside thirds into the middle and shape as you wish. Try to pull the outside of the dough as tightly as possible so it will hold its shape well. I shaped mine into a ball also known as a boule.
- Cover with some oiled plastic wrap loosely. Allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes. Set the timer as this is the only proofing that should NOT be overdone.
- Remove the plastic wrap and slash with a sharp knife or lame.
- Carefully remove the pot from the oven and remove the lid. Carefully place the dough into the pot. I lift mine by the edges of the parchment paper and put the whole thing into the pot. Replace the lid and place in the oven.
- Reduce the heat to 425 °F 220C (425°F convection). Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 205 °F ri 212 °F when tested with an instant-read thermometer.
- Immediately remove from the pot and cool on a cooling rack completely before slicing.
Video
Notes
- If you want to mix bread earlier in the day. After rising for 90 minutes or up to 4 hours at room temperature, shape and set the covered dough in the refrigerator to bake the next day. Remove the dough from the refrigerator to sit out while the oven preheats.
- Feed earlier in the day. When it’s bubbly do the test float. If it’s runny it’s used up all its energy and needs to be fed again before you can use it. To see if your starter is ready, put a small amount in a bowl or cup of water. If it floats it’s ready!
- Your bread can be cooked in a cold dutch oven but I like the color and rise I get from preheating my lidded pot.
- This bread freezes beautifully. I wrap it in plastic wrap or a ziplock bag and then heavy-duty foil.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.
Conversions for Overnight Sourdough Bread recipe
We realize that many of you aren’t comfortable using a scale. The closest conversions are the following.
- 4 cups flour
- 1 1/4 cup water
- 2/3 cup starter
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
A disclaimer is that I’ve never made this recipe without weighing the ingredients so I can’t guarantee or possibly troubleshoot any problems you may have with the recipe.
If you like this recipe you may enjoy these too
- Homemade Crusty Bread recipe
- 6 Ingredient Simple Classic Italian Bread Recipe
- Soft Buttermilk Sandwich Bread
- Simple Ciabatta Bread Recipe – Made 2 Ways!
- Spiced Apple Star Bread
This bread was made possible by the resources and recipes shared by Elaine, Selma, and Celia! Please visit all three of these blogs for amazing bread information!
Did you enjoy this recipe? Don’t forget to pin it for later and follow me on Pinterest for more delicious recipes like this one!
Hi from Colorado,
Like so many others commenting on here, I tried several other recipes before finding this one – it is simply the easiest and I’ve made four loaves now that have turned out well. Thank you so much for this great recipe and your easy to follow instructions! My only issue has been that I’m having a hard time getting the loaves to reach 205 degrees, even after adding at least ten minutes onto the bake time. I think it’s because of our high altitude here, 5,280 feet. The crusts are dense and the bread looks almost too browned, but it tastes great. I don’t know whether to try reducing the temp I’m using (425 convection), switch to 425 regular oven, or maybe even increasing the temp to 450 so it bakes faster and maybe won’t get so browned? Any suggestions would be appreciated so much! Thank you!!
Thank you, Kathy! I’m not an expert at altitude baking Kathy, but I wouldn’t switch to the regular oven at this point. How about leaving the lid on longer? Removing the lid finalizes that deep brown crust and gives it that crunch but if your bread isn’t baked, you’re not going to have the loaf you want. You’re so close though so give that a try and let me know how it goes.
Thanks for your suggestion! I’ll try leaving the lid on longer and see if that works. I also ordered an oven thermometer to see if my oven is baking at the correct temperature. I’m determined to figure this out!
Great idea to test the oven Kathy. Let me know how the baking times work for you.
Try high altitude flour.
Thank you Liz!
Hi Julie, what a yummy, straight forward recipe! Thanks so much! If I wanted to include a bit of rye or whole wheat flour for flavour, how much would you suggest for the 500g loaf ?
Hi Lisa! Thank you for your comment! You can definitely go with 25% wheat on this recipe but be careful with the rye. Rye doesn’t have the gluten structure that our other flours do so can become hard to work with. Stay around 15%.
I have a sourdough wheat bread that you might like https://hostessatheart.com/multi-grain-wheat-bread/.
Thanks! I will give it a go.
Hi – I’m from India and we do not get bread flour easily out here (especially given the closing of the borders due to the pandemic). My available options are AP flour, whole wheat flour and semolina. I wonder if a combination of these could work to give the closest possible substitute for bread flour.
Hello from India! That’s awesome! I would use a mix of AP and Wheat in a 50/50 mix. I have an AP sourdough coming out soon and in the meantime, you may enjoy this recipe as well https://hostessatheart.com/multi-grain-wheat-bread/.
I want to try adding green chilie, garlic, and cheese to this loaf. Have you added any extras to your bread?
Absolutely, Deborah! I try and keep my extras to around 20% of the total weight or about 100 grams. These ingredients would be easy to add. The ones you have to be careful about are the extras that have a lot of moisture.
My sourdough is in the oven now , fingers crossed !
I am a bit puzzled why my dough was too sticky to stretch as beautifully as yours did in the final round , before going in the oven . But it is formed , sliced on top and covered in the Dutch oven … so hopefully the forgiving loaf will present it’s beautiful self soon ❤️
Thank you for a straightforward , easy to follow recipe , others I had saved required far too much flour and discarded waste I did not want to deal with .
How did your bread come out Marianne? My guess is that it may have been slightly overproofed if it was sticky. Try and cut back on that time next time and see what the consistency is.
I made this once successfully and this time when I attempted last folding it was very sticky and last rise really did not occur properly and did not hold shape. Wonder why it worked first time and not this time?
I think a lot of it comes down to the state of your starter. When it starts running out of energy it will not provide the structure you need in your bread and your dough will be very sticky so try and use it with 6 to 8 hours of it’s last feeding. If you have time, feed your starter and see how long it takes to increase in volume enough to pass the float test. This well tell you exactly the timing for mixing your own bread. Also, don’t let your dough rise in two hot of an environment. On the counter is fine for this bread. Another thing that I find helpful is using a notebook when baking bread logging the timing you do what. Then you can see what worked and what didn’t. Hope this helps, Lynn. Keep in touch and let me know how it goes.
If I increase servings by increasing the ingredients, do I also need to adjust baking times?
Hi Carol! I always recommend that you use an instant-read thermometer and remove the bread when it tests 212F. However, increasing the ingredients doesn’t always take longer to bake. You would think it does but that’s not the case. Use the thermometer and take it out when the smaller loaf would have been done and test it. That should give you an indication of how much longer (if any) it will take.
If I am making my bread tomorrow before I put it in the refer do I make the boule or do I do the last knead and proof in the morning and let it ride tomorrow morning for 30 minutes, hope that makes sense.
Aloha,
Michelle
Shape it before you put it in the refrigerator and let it come to temp while the oven is preheating.
So if I want to put in the refrigerator to have nice and hot for dinner I skip the 30 min proofing until I’m ready to take out of the fridge while the oven heats up. So that time would be the last rise or proof. Correct? I’ve never delayed cooking and put in fridge that’s why I ask. Want to try something new
I would shape it and put it in a basket, banneton, or bowl and cover it. Put it in the refrigerator. I would remove it from the refrigerator while the oven preheats with no additional shaping. Does this help, Lori?
I’m just heating the oven to bake this loaf – I have been making sourdough for a couple of months now, and your recipe is bar far the easiest and most straight forward. I especially like your short video and the pictures showing how things should look. I’m just wondering about the oven temperature: you say to lower it to 425 convection, but it is my understanding that when using convection the baking vessel needs to have low sides so the air circulates around the food; I’m using a Dutch oven so do I need to put the oven on convection? And if I don’t go with convection, should the oven be at 450 instead (you usually decrease the temp by 25 degrees on convection)? Thanks!
Hi Kathy! My vessels aren’t low sided when I use convection baking. I use a dutch oven. If you have convection you can bake at those degrees worry-free. Thank you for stopping by! You can use regular baking and adjust the temperature. I tried baking without the convection and have to say that like the convection results much better with this bread. Maybe some of our non-convection bakers will chime in here?
Hi again, Julie! I’m having great results with your recipe, and I love that it’s so much easier than most – as much as I love to bake and have fresh bread, I’m not into having the sourdough take over my life! In order to get the crust really nice all around, after the initial bake in the covered Dutch oven, I’ve been putting the loaf on a cookie sheet to allow the convection to do it’s thing for the remainder of the baking time, and I am really liking the results!
Good for you, Kathy! Balance is key. Thank you for the cookie sheet tip! It will help others that want this amazing crust as well.
LOL, I totally missed the fact that the baking temperature is for convection cooking! I’ve been using those temps with my conventional oven and a cast iron Dutch oven. The loaves come out beautiful, with a golden-to-light-brown crackly crust. So, is the thinking that I should raise the preheat and baking temps by 25°F?
Hey, Carol, if it isn’t broken don’t fix it! The fact that your bread is coming out beautifully, I would say no. When I set my convection to 350F it automatically adjusts to that temp and I don’t have to adjust it by the 25F difference.
I use a regular oven, preheat it and the Dutch oven to 475•, put the bread into the Dutch oven, lowed the heat to 425•. 20 minutes with the lid on, 25 minutes with the lid off.
That’s my process too, Deborah. My oven is at convection and haven’t used the regular bake function.
Hi I love the recipe and I’ve made some good looking loaves, but they are not always cooked on the inside. I cook them in a Dutch oven and take the lid off as per instructions. The bread looks amazing and when I knock the bottom, sounds hollow. But when I cut into it when cooled down, the dough is not cooked in places, any ideas as to why this might be? Also today my crust was super, but as it cooled, the loaf sank underneath it. Would love any advice, thank you.
Hi Lisa! I haven’t personally had this issue. If you use an instant thermometer is the loaf over 212F? I always do this because even if the crust is golden it doesn’t say anything about the crumb being baked. It could be your oven too. Have you tested the temperature? If not, buy a cheap oven thermometer and put it in your oven. When you oven says it’s at temp, compare it to the thermometer. Check pack with my Lisa and let me know what you find out.
Wow, thank you so much for this recipe. My friend shared her sourdough starter with me almost two weeks ago and my first loaf came out well (beginner’s luck) but was a LOT of work. I tried to find a simple recipe that would have a delicious outcome but had no luck – in fact, I once spent 30 hours on a loaf that was a sticky mess that didn’t rise. I was ready to throw in the towel. Then, I found your recipe! I’ve now made it 4 times and each time it has gotten better. I LOVE how simple and straight forward it is, and each of my loaves has come out delicious and beautiful. I’m now feeling comfortable including some wheat flour and other additions (I did olives once). I occasionally do 2-3 extra stretch and folds if I have the energy but I love the comfort of knowing it will come out well either way. I have shared with friends and will continue to do so! Thanks again!
Thank you so much, Vanessa! I’m so glad this recipe is working for you and really appreciate your sharing!
Like many others who have commented, I chose your recipe because the timing made sense to me. However, the first time the bread was very dense and tough. I believe I added too much extra water. I tried again last night. I had a nice bubbly starter that passed the float test. Then I mixed and proofed as per the recipe. I was hopeful. I placed it in my oven with the light on for the over night rise. (I put it in around 9:30 PM and started to bake it at about 7:30 this morning. When I turned it out, is was almost liquid. I had the appearance of the starter after it collapses. I had to throw it out. After reading through again, I think perhaps the problem was that I left it too long in too warm an environment so that it finished rising and then collapsed just like a starter does. I plan to try again using your alternate method of mixing earlier and then refrigerating after an 8 hour rise. Does tall this make sense?
I agree with you Dean, I believe that it was overproofed. I would just leave it out on the counter covered for 8 hours or less. I’m sorry you had a fail. If you want to refrigerate it, shape it and put it in the fridge after 6 hours because even though it’s cool, it will continue to proof. Keep me posted!
Thanks, Julie. I’ll give it another shot and let you know how it works.
Great, Dean. Feel free to email me if you have any questions.
Easiest and best recipe I have tried so far! I leave it overnight, shape it in the morning and refrigerate untill I come home from work…score it..bake it…delicious…I preheat my oven to 450, and put the bread on a regular sheet pan..I place in the oven and on a lower tray throw in some ice cubes for the first 20 minutes. And then lower oven for another 20 minutes…and get the same effect as baking in a pot…so happy with this recipe..it came after many other failed ones. Thank you!
Thank you Chaya! Those are some great tips for our bread baking community!
Thanks for posting this. Now I know not to proof over 8 hours!
I think a lot of bread gets over-proofed. Especially if they’re mixed earlier in the day and let out overnight.
I was almost ready to give up making sourdough bread.
Your recipe is excellent and easy to follow.
Thanks for sharing it.
Thank you for letting me know, Martha! I’m so happy it worked for you!
Thank you! I’d never heard of the “float test”. What a difference! Consistently beautiful loaves are coming out of my oven! Hoping to try some variations soon.
That’s awesome, Paula! Thank you for commenting!
I have used this recipe 10 times with better results every time obviously the recipe is perfect and my techniques are getting better. I did however have a big problem when I converted the white flour to 100% wholemeal it was seriously and approved but there’s a lot of learning ahead for me. Today I changed the loaf into a cinnamon and raisin loaf. thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe and method.
Hi Sue! You’re right, flour makes a difference. I do have whole wheat that you may like? https://hostessatheart.com/multi-grain-wheat-bread/. The cinnamon raisin is right up my alley!
Oh lovely thank you for that link, I’ll go to it now
Hi, would you be able to share your cinnamon raisin loaf recipe please? Thanks!
Yes of course I’ll look it out.
I added
70grams of brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon,more if you like a full cinnamon flavour
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
150grams raisins
All in to the flour at the start of your overnight sourdough recipe Julie
Thank you Sue! That sounds amazing! Is it ok if I share this in our newsletter?
Hi, do you mind sharing your cinnamon raisin loaf recipe?
Hi Julie,
I am an absolute beginner and made two loaves successfully for the first time last week! I would love to know if I can double, triple or even quadruple the recipe by multiplying accordingly using the measurements used for one recipe? The first two loaves were amazing! Thank you so much for the recipe!
I have a larger loaf coming out Andrea. I went up to 750 grams of flour but kept the starter at 150 grams. By doing this it keeps the hydration lower and makes it manageable.
My dough was so sticky the next morning. Almost too sticky to handle. What can I do differently? Aside from that, it can out amazing!
Hi Jennie, I think it probably sat out too long before you baked it. It will become sticky and thin if over-proofed. Try baking it a little sooner if you can or mixing it later in the evening.
I am hoping you can help my friend as you have recently helped me. My friend is cooking a sourdough loaf on a baking tray with a Bain Marie in the oven to create steam. The top is cooking well and has a good crust but the underside looks odd.. do you think it’s the cooking method or to do with the proofing?
I can send a photo, if this helps?
Thank you for any feedback
It sounds like the heat to me Angela. Is the bottom misshaped or is it browned differently? She may want to remove the Bain Marie after about 10-15 minutes or even put a piece of parchment paper between the baking tray and the dough. See if that layer helps. Keep me posted!
I love this recipe. I have however tweaked the method a bit since I live in Southern California and it’s warm. I mix my dough in mid-afternoon (2 or 3:00) and do all my stretch and folds and let it proof till about 10pm. Then I turn it out and form my loaf, put in a proofing basket/bowl and refrigerate overnight. Then I take it out and bake it in the morning after a counter rest of about 30mins.. great results every time.
Thank you for sharing Adriann. The warm weather has been making it difficult for some bread bakers and your comment will definitely help them out.
Hello! This recipe looks great and I really want to try it out, I just don’t have a Dutch oven. Would a cast iron on be okay maybe covered in foil? What would you recommend?
Absolutely Sally and you don’t need foil. If you want to cover the bottom of the pot just use parchment paper which is what I use to lift my bread into the hot pot. You can carefully put in the dough without the parchment paper and let it cook directly in the pot too.
So from what I read about putting this on the refrigerator is to make sure the dough is in it’s final shape before putting it in the refrigerator over night to bake in the morning. Also, it’s to my understanding that I should let it sit out at room temperature for 4-6 hours, do the final shape, let rest at room temp for about 30mim and then put in fridge over night. Do I have that right?? I’d love to bake it in the morning after letting it sit over night in the refrigerator
Hi Javier! You are correct in that I shape the dough and refrigerate it. You don’t need to do the last 30 minutes before refrigerating it. Just take it out and let it come to room temp for as long as it takes to fully preheat your oven with the pot in it.
I’ve baked from your sourdough recipe frequently, since starting in April. Every time, perfect sourdough; my family’s favorite. But this time, I didn’t get much rise during the overnight bulk ferment, which is freaking me out. My starter was active (it passed the float test). S&F went great. What did I do wrong? I’m worried the starter just doesn’t work anymore.
Hi Carol, you’re doing fine. Are you discarding all but approximately 1 tablespoon of starter and feeding it on a regular basis? If your starter is bubbly and passed the float test it is fine. Is the ambient temperature rising in your kitchen? If it’s gotten a lot warmer, it may be proofing faster than in the winter months. Try keeping it in a cooler place for the overnight rise. Let me know how it goes!
This is my third load but the first time it looked beautiful with a wonderful spring and ear! I used the conversion measurements and it was perfect! Thank you!
The one thing I want to adjust is the sourness level. What is the best way to increase the sourness?
Longer proof develops the sourness. Instead of leaving it out for 8 hours, shape it and put it in the refrigerator after about 4-6 hours and leave it in there for up to 12 hours.
Howdy! I love this recipe and the first two/three times I had great success. Last two times, though, I’ve had problems — very dense, doughy bread. I’m addressing here because I don’t know if I have a timing (over-proofing?) issue or an ingredients issue. To that end:
1) for whatever reason, my starter doesn’t seem to be ready for 6-7 hours or so. When I feed in the morning (8:30 or 9:00), it’s only bubbling around 4… so if I mix dough, let it rest for 8 hours, do I then SHAPE and cover with oily cling wrap and put in fridge?
2) I ordered some bread flour from a seller nearby — it’s 14.7% protein. I think I need to add more water… as the “squelch” leaves a lot of shaggy bits — as opposed to using the KA Bread Flour, which looked much more like yours.
Thanks for any thoughts you might have!
Hi Benjamin. Sometimes my starter can take a good 6 or 7 hours too so don’t worry about that. It really depends on the temperature of where it sits. I think you are over proofing it by letting it sit for 8 hours and then refrigerate it. It will continue to proof in the refrigerator so I’ve been recommending that you shape it after 6 hours, cover it, and then refrigerate it. My dough is pretty shaggy after the initial squelch but then will be a little more cohesive after the initial quick rest. Have you had this result or is it still dry? If so, just add a little water and see how it goes. You’re correct that different flour and their protein content act differently. Most of the time I use Bob’s red mill or KAF and have had great results.
Using your recipe, and following all your tips, and my bread loaves are turning out perfectly. Thank you so much!
That’s awesome! Let the sourdough baking begin!
Hi! Thanks for this recipe! I made my first ever sourdough boule following it and it worked great, only issue was on my side that my starter wasn’t fully ready but I was lazy. But now I’ve tried it again twice with very active starter (passed the float test), and both times, after the overnight rise, it’s been very sticky and not holding a shape. The Second time I think based on comments it was overproofed so I made sure to only proof for 8 hours this third time, and I can still barely form it into a ball shape, but it barely holds the shape and sticks to the well floured parchment paper at every pull… any suggestions? Thanks!
Hi Melissa, If you have the time try proofing it only 6 hours, shaping it and letting it rest 30 minutes and then baking. Depending on the temperature of where the bread is proofing, it could still overproof prior to 8 hours. Maybe start this earlier in the day and bake it as above. A lot of bread making is trial, error, and experience which is hard to hear when you’re just getting your baking skills down but let me see if we can improve your results.
Such a good recipe! It has escaped me on how to make sourdough bread. So many pinterest fails 🙁
This recipe broke the cycle. lol Thank you!!
That’s great Rachel! Thank you for letting me know!
This recipe is SO easy and SO forgiving!
I don’t weigh, but I use the cup measurements you provided. I dump the ingredients in a food processor and mix for a few seconds. I plop it into a bowl, do a few stretch and folds, then pop it in the fridge overnight. I bake the next morning in a Dutch oven. Comes out perfect every time!
Thank you for sharing Kim!
I tried twice and failed twice with a 78% hydration recipe. I came across this one, tried it and got fantastic results first time! Thank you! I will slowly increase my hydration levels to see what effects result. I almost quit dejectedly after the second failure. Glad I tried this one!
Thank you, John! I’ve had success with this recipe since it’s got the lower hydration level but have plans on adding a little more hydrated loaves down the road. Thanks for stopping by! Julie
Hello! Thanks for your recipe! I am adding roasted garlic to mine- yumm! I am also letting it sit at room temp four hours before putting it in the fridge overnight. Does this mean after I let it come to room temp tomorrow I do or do not do the 30 minute rise?
Thanks!!
Hi Liz! I would actually shape it before you put it in the refrigerator tonight and let it proof a little at room temperature tomorrow while your oven preheats. I wouldn’t shape it again or add an additional 30 minutes rise. You want it to not be as cold or dense so letting it sit until you can press your finger into it and getting a little spring indicates it’s ready. My oven takes a good 45 minutes to heat up so that is usually sufficient for me.
Finally, I started my starter about 2 months ago and my first loaf was a flop, dense hard, lest just say the squirrels and birds enjoyed.
I finally got my starter to pass the float test and while I was unsure since it floated…. and then sunk
It came out perfect
I’m so glad it worked for you, Gabrielle! Congratulations! Now that you’re a success, those birds and squirrels are going to miss your homemade experiments! Are you using half white and half wheat flour? I find 100% white flour doesn’t make as strong a starter and doesn’t keep it’s structure as long so regardless of the flour I use in my bread, I use my mixed starter and it works real well.
I love this recipe! Thank you for sharing it. I am new to sourdough baking but was given an incredible starter. Can this recipe be used for baguette s by just shaping the dough differently? I am longing for a baguette for bruschetta. Thanks again!
I haven’t tried that yet Marcia but you could definitely give it a try by baking them on a stone or the back of a baking sheet? Make sure you make them no bigger than the width of your oven (guilty) LOL!
Thanks for the response! I will try it pand keep you posted! I have a double baguette baking pan. Will keep you posted!
Awesome! Thank you Marcia!
My baguettes turned out great! I split into 2 loaves and baked in a baguette pan for 20 minutes. I need to keep working on shaping but it tasted great!!!
Awesome Marcia! Shaping just takes practice and even then I get a few and wonder what the heck LOL!
I also added a pan of wanted for the bake since it was in the baguette pan.
Is it possible to use a stockpot with lid for baking the sourdough in the oven? If so, do I need to add any water or ice to a baking tray in the oven?
Hi Angela, I don’t believe that it will help you to use ice or water in a baking tray when you have a covered pot. You can use a stockpot with lid and perhaps spritz the dough with water before putting the lid on. What is the stockpot made of? Sometimes the thinner materials can cause the bottom to burn so using parchment paper will help. It’s also what I use for lowering my dough into the pot so I don’t burn myself. I would also put the stockpot on the baking tray in lieu of putting the baking tray on a lower rack. Did I answer your questions? If not, let me know.
Hi Julie, thank you for full and quick answer. I believe the pot is made of stainless steel, although it’s not particularly heavy. I will do as suggested and spritz the dough before putting it in the oven. Fingers crossed if the proving goes well, we will be baking in the morning I will let you know how it goes. Thanks
Made this loaf 2 days ago…so easy and our family loved it! Easier and better all around than other recipes I tried. My neighbor tried it yesterday with great results too! Today I made 1.5 times the recipe. In case this helps anyone: I put my empty stockpot in the oven for 15 min (vs 30). Then I baked dough in hot stockpot on (with room temp cookie sheet under) for 25 min with lid on (vs 20) and 37 min with lid off (vs 20-25) to get to 208’ (said to bake to 207’). Double would be huge! Dough almost didn’t fit in my pot nicely. Parchment made a couple dents on the sides of my loaf but doesn’t bother me and it’s needed so it doesn’t burn on sides, and to get in and out of pot. Love this recipe!!! Thank you!
Jill, those are fabulous tips! Thank you for such a detailed process.