Your First Sourdough
Cooking Skills: Bread 2
Chapter 3 · Your First Sourdough
Skill goal
Bake sourdough with your own starter: fold, rise, shape, proof and bake, judging by the dough.
Shopping list for this chapter
The basics
Sourdough uses your starter instead of packet yeast. The method is slow rather than difficult: you mix gently, fold the dough at intervals to build strength, let it rise until it feels airy, shape it and bake it hot. Most of the time is waiting.
The sourdough steps
- Feed the starter and use it at its peak.
- Autolyse: mix just the flour and water and rest 30 minutes.
- Add the starter and salt and mix well.
- Fold every 30 minutes for 2 hours.
- Bulk rise until grown by about half, jiggly and domed.
- Shape and put in a floured bowl or basket.
- Proof at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours, or in the fridge overnight.
- Bake hot, in a lidded pot or with steam.
Reading the dough
| Stage | It looks and feels like |
|---|---|
| Just mixed | Shaggy and sticky |
| After folds | Smoother, holds its shape a little, stretchier |
| Bulk risen | About 50% bigger, domed top, bubbles at the edges, wobbles like jelly |
| Properly proofed | A floured finger dent springs back slowly |
| Over-proofed | Slack, flat, sticky and sour, dent stays |
Why not just count the hours?
Warm kitchens speed everything up and cold ones slow it down. A starter in summer can take half the time it takes in winter. Time is a guide: the dough tells you. Write down the room temperature and how long each stage took, so that next time you know.
Pot and fridge dough
A pot at 240°C: a preheated cast-iron or ceramic lidded pot is extremely hot, and the lid knob and rim burn instantly. Use thick, dry oven gloves, lower the dough in on baking paper, lift the lid away from your face (steam), and leave the pot on a heatproof surface to cool. Check that your pot and its lid knob are safe to 240°C.Dough in the fridge: shaped sourdough can prove in the fridge for 8 to 14 hours. Cover it well so the surface doesn't dry out, bake it straight from the fridge, and don't taste raw dough.
Try it
Level 1 · Start here
A simple sourdough loaf
Sourdough is bread with a slower clock. The steps are the same as Cooking Skills: Bread 1: mix, build the gluten, rise, shape, rise, bake. Fold the dough gently rather than kneading it.
Ingredients (12 portions)
- 100 g ripe starter, fed 4 to 8 hours ago and at its peak
- 450 g strong white bread flour
- 50 g wholemeal flour
- 325 ml lukewarm water
- 10 g fine salt
- 1 tbsp rice flour or flour for the banneton or bowl
- Feed the starter the evening before or in the morning, and use it at its peak (domed and bubbly, 4 to 8 hours later).
- Autolyse: mix the flours and water until no dry flour is left, cover and rest for 30 minutes. This lets the flour soak and the gluten start to form.
- Add the starter and salt, and squeeze them in with wet hands until they are mixed through. Cover.
- Fold: every 30 minutes for the next 2 hours (4 times), wet your hand, stretch one side of the dough up and fold it over the middle, turn the bowl and repeat 4 times.
- Bulk rise: leave the dough covered for another 2 to 4 hours (depending on the room temperature) until it has grown by about half, feels airy and jiggles when you shake the bowl. It will not double like a yeast dough.
- Shape into a tight ball (see Cooking Skills: Bread 1, chapter 3) and place seam side up in a floured bowl or basket. Cover and either prove for 1 to 2 hours or put it in the fridge for 8 to 14 hours.
- Heat the oven to 240°C (220°C fan) with a lidded pot inside for 30 minutes. Turn the dough onto baking paper, score it, lower it into the pot and bake with the lid on for 20 minutes.
- Remove the lid, reduce to 220°C (200°C fan) and bake for 20 minutes until deep golden. Cool on a rack for at least 1 hour.
Pot, flour and fridge
A pot at 240°C: a preheated cast-iron or ceramic lidded pot is extremely hot, and the lid knob and rim burn instantly. Use thick, dry oven gloves, lower the dough in on baking paper, lift the lid away from your face (steam), and leave the pot on a heatproof surface to cool. Check that your pot and its lid knob are safe to 240°C.Dough in the fridge: shaped sourdough can prove in the fridge for 8 to 14 hours. Cover it well so the surface doesn't dry out, bake it straight from the fridge, and don't taste raw dough.
Raw flour: flour is a raw ingredient and can carry bacteria such as E. coli, which are killed only by baking or cooking. Don't taste raw dough, don't let children eat or play with it, and wash your hands, bowls and surfaces after handling flour and dough.
Level 2 · Tin
A sourdough tin loaf
A tin makes sourdough easier: no shaping on a flat tray, a regular slice for sandwiches and no pot needed. A good place to start while you learn to read the dough.
Ingredients (12 portions)
- 100 g ripe starter, at its peak
- 500 g strong white bread flour
- 350 ml lukewarm water
- 10 g fine salt
- 1 tbsp oil for the tin
- Mix the flour and water and rest for 30 minutes. Add the starter and salt and mix. Do 4 sets of folds, 30 minutes apart, then leave for the bulk rise for 2 to 4 hours, until grown by about half.
- Shape into a loaf (flatten, fold, roll up) and place in an oiled 900 g tin, seam side down. Cover and prove for 1 to 2 hours, or chill overnight, until the dough has risen just above the rim.
- Heat the oven to 230°C (210°C fan). Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce to 210°C (190°C fan) and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, until deep golden and hollow underneath.
- Cool on a rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.
Flour and heat
Raw flour: flour is a raw ingredient and can carry bacteria such as E. coli, which are killed only by baking or cooking. Don't taste raw dough, don't let children eat or play with it, and wash your hands, bowls and surfaces after handling flour and dough.Hot ovens, trays and steam: use dry oven gloves, pull the shelf out rather than reaching in, and put hot trays and tins on a heatproof surface. If you put a tray of boiling water in the oven for steam, pour it carefully with the oven door open a little and your face well back: the steam is far hotter than the water.
Level 2 · Small
Sourdough rolls
Rolls prove and bake faster than a loaf, and they are great for practising shaping. Weigh the pieces.
Ingredients (8 portions)
- 100 g ripe starter, at its peak
- 400 g strong white bread flour
- 270 ml lukewarm water
- 8 g fine salt
- 25 g softened butter or olive oil
- Mix the flour and water, rest for 30 minutes, then add the starter, salt and butter and mix. Fold 4 times at 30-minute intervals, then leave for the bulk rise until grown by half (2 to 4 hours).
- Divide into 8 equal pieces (about 100 g each) and shape each into a tight ball. Place on a lined tray, 3 cm apart, cover and prove for 1 hour 30 minutes (or chill overnight).
- Heat the oven to 230°C (210°C fan). Score the tops and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until deep golden and hollow underneath. Cool on a rack.
Flour and heat
Raw flour: flour is a raw ingredient and can carry bacteria such as E. coli, which are killed only by baking or cooking. Don't taste raw dough, don't let children eat or play with it, and wash your hands, bowls and surfaces after handling flour and dough.Hot ovens, trays and steam: use dry oven gloves, pull the shelf out rather than reaching in, and put hot trays and tins on a heatproof surface. If you put a tray of boiling water in the oven for steam, pour it carefully with the oven door open a little and your face well back: the steam is far hotter than the water.
Level 3 · Seeds
A seeded sourdough
Soaking the seeds keeps them from drawing water out of the dough. Fold them in at the second set of folds so they spread evenly.
Ingredients (12 portions)
- 100 g ripe starter, at its peak
- 400 g strong white bread flour
- 100 g wholemeal flour
- 60 g mixed seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, linseed)
- 60 ml boiling water for soaking the seeds
- 340 ml lukewarm water
- 10 g fine salt
- Soak the seeds in the boiling water and leave to cool. Mix the flours with the lukewarm water and rest for 30 minutes. Add the starter and salt.
- At the second set of folds, add the soaked seeds (and their water) and fold them through. Continue folding every 30 minutes for 2 hours, then bulk rise for 2 to 4 hours.
- Shape, place in a floured bowl or basket and chill overnight (8 to 14 hours).
- Bake in a hot lidded pot as for the simple sourdough: 240°C (220°C fan) for 20 minutes with the lid on, then 220°C (200°C fan) for 20 to 25 minutes lid off.
Pot, seeds and allergens
A pot at 240°C: a preheated cast-iron or ceramic lidded pot is extremely hot, and the lid knob and rim burn instantly. Use thick, dry oven gloves, lower the dough in on baking paper, lift the lid away from your face (steam), and leave the pot on a heatproof surface to cool. Check that your pot and its lid knob are safe to 240°C.Allergens: bread contains wheat (gluten). Check the recipe for milk, butter, egg, sesame and other seeds, and nuts, and label them if you share the bread. Gluten-free bread uses different flours and methods and isn't covered in this course. Seeds, especially sesame, are a common allergen.
Experiments
Experiment
Starter strength
Peak, past peak or unfed.
- Make three small doughs (100 g flour, 70 ml water, 2 g salt, 20 g starter): one with a starter at its peak, one 4 hours past its peak (sunken), and one unfed from the fridge. Compare after 6 hours.
Look for: The peak starter makes the dough rise best. The sunken one is slower and more sour. The cold unfed one barely moves. Always use a fed, domed starter.
Experiment
Bulk rise time
Under, ready or over.
- Divide one dough into three after the folds. Shape one after 2 hours of bulk rise, one after 4 and one after 7. Bake all three.
Look for: The first is dense with big holes at one side, the second is well risen and even, and the third is flat and sour. This is why we watch the dough.
Experiment
Fridge or room proof
Where to prove.
- Shape two loaves from one dough. Prove one for 1 hour 30 minutes at room temperature and the other overnight in the fridge. Bake both.
Look for: The fridge loaf is more sour, has a blistered crust and is easier to score. The room-temperature loaf is milder.
Experiment
Scoring
Cut or uncut.
- Bake two identical loaves, one scored and one left unscored.
Look for: The scored loaf opens along the cut. The unscored one may burst at the weakest point.
Tasting notes
| What I tried | Method or amount | What I saw | What I thought | Will I do it again? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simple sourdough loaf | ||||
| Tin loaf | ||||
| Sourdough rolls | ||||
| Seeded sourdough | ||||
| Starter strength | ||||
| Bulk rise time | ||||
| Fridge or room | ||||
| Scoring |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Dense, small loaf with a gummy crumb | Under-proofed, or weak starter | Wait for the bulk rise; use a starter at its peak |
| Flat loaf that spreads | Over-proofed or too wet | Shorten the proof; chill before baking; use a tin |
| Very sour | Long, warm proof | Shorten the proof or use the fridge; feed the starter more often |
| Dough very sticky | High hydration, or not enough folds | Wet hands, more folds; reduce the water by 20 ml next time |
| Pale crust | Pot not hot enough, lid left on | Preheat for 30 minutes; remove the lid after 20 minutes |
| Burnt base | Pot too hot or too thin | Put a tray beneath the pot; lower the oven |
Heat, flour and gluten
A pot at 240°C: a preheated cast-iron or ceramic lidded pot is extremely hot, and the lid knob and rim burn instantly. Use thick, dry oven gloves, lower the dough in on baking paper, lift the lid away from your face (steam), and leave the pot on a heatproof surface to cool. Check that your pot and its lid knob are safe to 240°C.Raw flour: flour is a raw ingredient and can carry bacteria such as E. coli, which are killed only by baking or cooking. Don't taste raw dough, don't let children eat or play with it, and wash your hands, bowls and surfaces after handling flour and dough.
Allergens: bread contains wheat (gluten). Check the recipe for milk, butter, egg, sesame and other seeds, and nuts, and label them if you share the bread. Gluten-free bread uses different flours and methods and isn't covered in this course.
Checkpoint: can you do this now?
- I can mix, fold, shape and bake a sourdough loaf.
- I can tell when the dough has finished its bulk rise.
- I can prove in the fridge and bake straight from it.
- I can use a lidded pot safely at 240°C.
- I keep notes of times and room temperature.
Next chapter
Cooking Skills: Bread 2, chapter 4 is Enriched Doughs: milk bread, brioche, a plaited loaf and cinnamon rolls.