Masa Madre y Panadería Artesanal

Sourdough Bread Recipe: A Step-by-Step Guide

DeiviSanzPlay
2 min de lectura

Post actualizado el día octubre 24, 2026 by DeiviSanzPlay

Sourdough Bread Recipe: Slow Fermentation, Open Crumb

Sourdough isn’t an ingredient, it’s a method. This recipe turns flour and water into a bread with a crunchy crust and deep air pockets thanks to a fermentation that takes its time. You don’t need commercial yeast: an active starter and patience are enough.

Ingredients for one 900 g loaf

  • 400 g of bread flour (medium strength)
  • 100 g of whole wheat flour
  • 375 g of water at room temperature
  • 100 g of active sourdough starter at 100% hydration
  • 10 g of fine salt

Preparation

  1. Autolyse: mix the flours with 350 g of water and let rest for 40 minutes. This step hydrates the gluten without kneading.
  2. Incorporation: add the sourdough starter, the salt and the remaining 25 g of water. Combine with pinches until the dough is homogeneous.
  3. Rests and folds: during the first two hours, perform four sets of folds every 30 minutes. The dough will gain tension and volume.
  4. Bulk fermentation: let rise for 3 to 5 hours at room temperature (22-24 °C), until it grows by 50%.
  5. Shaping: turn out onto a floured surface, pre-shape into a ball, rest for 20 minutes and give it a final tight shape.
  6. Second fermentation: place in a banneton and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours. The cold develops flavor and makes scoring easier.
  7. Baking: preheat the cast iron pot to 250 °C. Place the scored bread inside, cover and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover, lower to 220 °C and bake for 25 more minutes until a mahogany color.

Keys to getting it right

You can tell the dough is ready by its texture: it looks airy, slightly sticky and has visibly grown. If your kitchen is cold, extend the times; if it’s hot, shorten them. Let the bread cool for at least an hour before slicing, because the crumb finishes setting outside the oven.

With this recipe you’ll get a bread with a thin, crunchy crust, a moist crumb and a slightly tangy flavor that improves the next day. Store the leftover sourdough starter in the fridge and feed it with equal parts flour and water every week.