How to Make Foolproof Sourdough Bread

-Kim J

My Sourdough Story 

   Quite a few years ago my mom introduced me to the idea of sourdough bread. At that point I wasn’t really excited about it, I just did it cause others were doing it and I thought I’d give it a try. The recipe I was using was for pan loaves and there wasn’t really any art attached to it. After a few months I forgot about my lonely starter in the back of my fridge where it eventually started looking so gross that I just ended up tossing it. 

   Now fast forward to probably 3 or 4 years later when we moved 2000 km across Canada from Southern Ontario to Southern Manitoba. God planted us in a home beside someone I actually ended up being related to. Not only that, but she became one of the best friends I could have ever dreamt up. A year or so after settling into our home my neighbour/bestie suggested we should start “sourdoughing” together. She often has fun ideas like these so naturally I hopped on board. A week in, we were both baking our loaves, failing, occasionally popping out beautiful loaves, and slowly learning how to make the perfect loaf. Here we are 3 years later and I feel fairly confident in my sourdough baking skills, although I still feel like I’m just “faking it till I make it”. Over the 3 years of baking loaves and trying different tips and tricks I rarely end up with a flat, dense pancake. Thank the Lord!

   I’d like to help the newlywed wifey trying to be all cute and make a beautiful loaf for her husband, the mom with a kid or few trying to make healthier choices for her family, the grandma wanting to try a new challenge, or maybe even the young girl or boy who loves being in the kitchen and is looking to make beautiful, delicious food for their family and friends to enjoy. Bread is such a gift. Jesus even compares himself to bread- John 6:35 I am the bread of life. Obviously, Jesus knew how lovely bread was and IS. Biting into a warm, soft loaf with a little butter, honey or jam. My mouth waters just thinking about it! 

What makes Sourdough bread so special? 

   There are so many different types of bread so what makes sourdough bread so special?

Firstly, sourdough bread does not contain the kind of yeast you buy from the store that looks like tiny little balls–your sourdough starter is your yeast. This is more than likely the kind of yeast talked about in the bible. This kind of yeast is much better for your digestive system. 

Secondly, sourdough bread goes through a fermentation process. It usually sits on the counter for 8+ hours and then, in my case, sits in the fridge for another 12 hours. The long ferment time allows the nutrients to be broken down into smaller units and makes it easier to digest. It also breaks down some of the gluten and can sometimes make it possible for those sensitive to gluten to be able to eat it. My husband used to be very sensitive to gluten but after years of healing his gut he can now eat sourdough bread a few times a week without any issues, compared to other regular bread which will have him feeling achy and bloated very quickly. 

And last but not least, it tastes amazing and with a little scoring can look amazing too. 

   I love using sourdough bread as a gift. I like to randomly gift people with a loaf if they stop by or bring along a fresh loaf if I’m going over to someone’s home. 

Tools for Making Sourdough Bread

When you look up any sourdough bread recipe, there is usually a decent sized list of supplies that they claim you need to use. I would agree that some are items that are actually helpful whereas some I would say aren’t necessary.

A Scale

I do recommend ascale. I do know of some people who use a measuring cup and love it. I like a scale because I find it much quicker and more accurate giving less chance for error, especially when you’re starting out. 

With a scale you can just dump ingredients in and still get an accurate measurement. 

Bannetons and Fabric inserts. 

This for me is a hard pass. First of all, they aren’t cheap. Secondly, the one time I did borrow one to try, I didn’t flour my loaves enough and they stuck to the fabric and made a big mess. 

I just use thrift store baskets and parchment paper. Once my loaves are in there they never leave the parchment paper until they’re all baked. No mess, no fuss and way cheaper!

Scoring Knife. 

I can understand if people like these… but I’m a frugal person and buying a special knife sounded like unnecessary money spent out of our budget. Instead, I just took a razor blade from my husband’s huge stash from Amazon, and it cost pennies instead of dollars. 

Dutch Oven. 

Although I highly recommend a dutch oven because you get a much prettier loaf and Dutch Ovens are super cute, they aren’t entirely necessary. You can also use a casserole dish with foil or even a pan with foil. 

Timelines

Let’s get you started on how to make your own loaf! I included different timelines so you can pick the one suitable for when you want your bread to be ready to eat!  I’ll also note a shortcut if you’re short on time, but I will say I prefer not taking the shortcut if I don’t have to. 

Fresh bread in the early morning (this is the schedule I usually do and the one I will base my recipe instructions on as well as the video posted below). 

Day 1

•  feed your starter in the evening, between 6-10pm. 

Day 2 

• Put your dough together first thing in the morning, between 6-9am

• Stretch and fold within the first hour or two

• Let dough ferment, covered and untouched on the counter for the day

• Form loaves in the late afternoon or evening depending on how long it’s been fermenting. I aim for 8-10 hours. 

• Cover and let it sit in the fridge overnight (**This is where you can create a shortcut. If you get your bread started early enough in the morning you can shape your loaves in the afternoon, set them in the fridge for a few hours and then bake them in the evening**)

Day 3

• As soon as you wake up, turn your oven on, and put your dutch oven/ovens in the oven to warm up. 

• Score your loaves

• Bake

Fresh bread for supper or the evening

Day 1

• feed your starter in the morning, between 6-8am. 

• put your dough together in the afternoon, between 5-8 pm

• Stretch and fold within the first hour or two

• Let dough ferment, covered and untouched on the counter overnight (try not to exceed 10 hours)

Day 2

• Shape/Form loaves first thing in the morning. 

• Cover and let it sit in the fridge for the day (**This is where you can create a shortcut. If you get your bread shaped early enough in the morning, set them in the fridge for a few hours and then bake them later in the morning or early afternoon**)

•  Mid afternoon turn your oven on and put your dutch oven/ovens in the oven to warm up. 

• Score your loaves

• Bake

Ingredients

    Making sourdough bread can seem confusing but I’ll tell you what’s simple, the ingredient list. 

You’ll obviously need some sourdough starter. If you don’t have one, you can make one. See my “How to Make a Sourdough Starter From Scratch” post and video here.

   Next you need flour. You can use different types of flours but I recommend unbleached white, whole wheat or a mix of the two when you’re just getting started. I like to try and use organic flour when I can. 

   When it comes to water, I’ve heard people can have issues with their loaves because of the water they use. I use tap water filtered by my Berkey and it works great. So I’d recommend using some sort of filtered water. Try to avoid waters with high mineral contents, like well water. That could affect your loaves. Plain tap water could also have a negative effect as it can have chlorine, fluoride and other chemicals.

   Lastly is salt. Any salt works but my go-to is Pink Himalayan salt because I can buy it in bulk at Costco or Superstore. 

Instructions

To get started you’ll need an active starter. If you don’t have one, you can make one. I have a video and blog post on how to make your own here. 

   Feed your starter some time between supper and when you go to bed. Starter feeding recommendation: 60 grams of starter, 120 grams of flour and 120 grams of water. Stir, mark your starting level of sourdough starter, cover lightly and set in a warm spot overnight.

   The next morning it’s time to put your bread dough together. Measure out 150 grams of fed starter, 1,500 grams of white or wholewheat flour, 1,050 grams of water and 1 ½ Tbsp of salt.

Mix until you have a shaggy looking dough. Don’t worry about perfection, you’ll be back. Cover with a towel. 20 minutes later stretch and fold your dough 6 or more times around. Repeat these stretches and folds 4 to 5 times, then leave your dough to sit for the day. About 8-10 hours. 

   In the late afternoon or evening, you need to shape your loaves. To set up I always have my baskets that are the size of my loaves ready (I just use wicker baskets from the thrift store) and parchment paper inside instead of bannetons and cloth. I also have my scale with a glass bowl zeroed out on top and a knife. Measure out your dough on the scale for even loaves. You want to aim for around 900 grams of dough per loaf. I use my knife to cut chunks off to measure. Place your measured dough on the counter and lightly form it into a smooth ball. Continue forming dough by pulling your loaf towards you. This creates a smooth tension. Continue pulling dough and rotating until you are happy with the tension of your loaf. Set shaped loaves in the parchment filled baskets. Put plastic over your loaves to keep them from drying out. Set them in your fridge overnight. I also put on towels to make sure moisture doesn’t escape.

   The next morning, turn on your oven to 450 degrees F and put your dutch oven/s in the oven to warm up. While they’re warming take your loaves out of the fridge and score them as simply or complex as you wish. I just use a plain razor blade to do my scoring. Once the oven is warmed up, put your loaves into the dutch oven/s with the lid on top. Bake for 30 minutes. Then, take off the lids and bake for an additional 15 minutes. 

There you have it–crispy, golden bread on the outside and warm, fluffy bread on the inside! Enjoy your yummy sourdough bread. Let me know if you have any questions and I’ll do my best to answer them. 

I also made a video which I’d recommend watching first. When I was first making loaves the terminology and instructions were confusing to me and I found watching how it was done first was very helpful.  Happy bread making!