My Go-To Simple Sourdough Bread (Always Works)
This is my go-to sourdough recipe — simple, reliable, and consistently great.
It’s been tested by me and many of my friends, and it has never failed us.
Over months of baking, I slowly modified the recipe to fit my taste, my kitchen, and my oven.
This is the version I always come back to, and I’m very grateful for the original inspiration.
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Ingredients
• 100 g active starter
• 390 g water
• 510 g flour
• 10 g salt
• 50 g sugar
• Seeds of choice (optional)
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Mix all ingredients together until combined.
Cover and let rest for 1 hour.
After 1 hour, stretch and fold once, then cover and rest for 30 minutes.
After that, every 30 minutes, uncover and stretch & fold — 2–3 times total.
Let the dough bulk ferment for 3–5 hours, depending on your kitchen and room temperature.
Shape the loaf the way I show in the video, then place it in the fridge overnight.
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Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C) with a Dutch oven inside.
Bake 30 minutes covered,
then uncover and bake for about 5 minutes more.
The original recipe suggests 10–15 minutes uncovered, but watch your oven — mine burns quickly.
If the crust isn’t enough, just add a little more time.
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This is a healthy, simple sourdough recipe.
Yes, sourdough takes time — but this one is not complicated.
If you bake sourdough, you know this is an easy and very forgiving process.
Baking sourdough bread can often feel intimidating due to the time and technique involved, but this simple recipe truly demystifies the process. One of the keys to its success is the gentle stretch and fold method during the bulk fermentation phase, which helps develop gluten structure without complicated kneading. I've found that allowing the dough to rest overnight in the fridge after shaping not only improves flavor but also makes the bread easier to score and shape, giving a beautiful crust and crumb. Using a Dutch oven is a game changer too — it traps steam and mimics a professional steam-injected oven, resulting in a crispy, golden crust. For beginners, it's important to maintain an active starter, as it fuels the rise and tangy flavor unique to sourdough. Adjusting the flour according to your local humidity and flour brand can help you achieve the perfect dough consistency — it should be slightly sticky but manageable. I also like adding seeds such as sesame or sunflower for added texture and nutrition, but they’re entirely optional. Baking at 450°F ensures good oven spring and crust caramelization; just watch the final uncovered minutes closely to prevent burning, as oven temperatures can vary. This recipe’s forgiving nature means a slight variation in timing or ingredient proportions won’t ruin the loaf, making it a great choice for anyone wanting to bake artisan-style sourdough without stress. With this approach, you build confidence with each bake and soon enjoy fresh, healthy sourdough with minimal fuss — truly a rewarding experience for home bakers of any level.
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