how i make my sourdough bread (& starter)

in my dream life…i live on a few acres with my gaggle of kiddos, a dairy cow, a big garden, & a fresh loaf of sourdough always coming out of the oven. i’m not there yet… but i’ve got the sourdough part down lol

it’s said that sourdough was created from a happy accident - bread dough was left out long enough for good microorganisms to find it, & that resulted in a lighter textured & better tasting loaf. when you make traditional bread, you typically add active dry yeast to make it rise—however sourdough rises from the wild yeast…the fermented flour + water. the ‘wild yeast’ makes sourdough bread easier for your gut to digest than most breads, promotes good bacteria, has no preservatives, & people with gluten sensitivities typically find it much easier to digest!

i’ve been making sourdough for a few years now. i’m still learning soooo much as i go, but as with anything, i love to share my process & learn alongside you guys! i’m always tweaking my methods & trying new things, but since it seems like so many of you want to learn too, i wanted to take a minute & share what i’ve learned so far! scroll down for how to get started, the recipe i use, & all my bread making essentials.

SOURDOUGH STARTER RECIPE

to make bread, there’s really only four necessary ingredients - flour, water, salt, & yeast. like i mentioned - the cool thing about sourdough is that you use ‘wild yeast’, aka sourdough starter! starter is simply a fermented flour & water mix. there’s a few different ways to get started with starter, but i’ll share them alllll so you can pick the best one for you.


option one

get a little jar of it from a friend! this is the besttt option in my opinion - starter actually gets ‘stronger’ the longer you use it, aka it makes a fluffier loaf with more air inside (which makes those pretty holes inside the loaf!). some people have starter that has been in their family for a century! beginning with a starter that’s already strong will help your loaves look amazing from day one (plus, it’s less work for you, & so fun to share)!

Option two

buy dehydrated sourdough starter, like ‘Willa’ from ballerina farm. hannah from ballerina farm dehydrates & sells her starter, from the starter she bakes bread with every day for her family of 9. it only takes a few days to revive, so it’s def an easy button if you don’t want to start from scratch, & you get the same benefits of beginning with an already mature starter.

option three

make your own starter from scratch! it’s literally just flour, water, & a bunch of patience. here’s a basic recipe:

day one

  • in a wide mouth jar (i love my weck jars for this!), mix 50g all-purpose flour & 50g warm water until thoroughly combined

  • cover jar with a cloth or lid (but not too tightly - make sure some air can still get in!) & leave in a warm spot for 24 hours (in the turned-off oven with the oven light on is a perfect spot, at least for a few hours - it might get too toasty in there after a while!)

day two

  • after 24 hours, discard about half of your starter mix, then add another 50g all-purpose flour & 50g warm water. mix well, cover, & leave in a warm spot for another 24 hours

days three - six

  • continue the same process as day two, discarding half of your starter, adding another 50g flour & 50g water each day. you should start to see bubbles form on the top & throughout the mix, & it should start to rise & fall each day as well! i loop a rubber band around my jar to measure my starters’ growth as it rises each day.

day seven

  • at this point, your starter might be ready to use! if it is, there will be tons of bubbles throughout, the texture will be light & spongy, & it should smell sweet & slightly sour (but in a good way!). if it smells bad, too sour, or like nothing, it’s likely not ready!). if it’s not there yet, that’s totally okay - keep feeding it daily until it’s ready to use :)





once you have a mature starter, you need to keep feeding it to keep it healthy! generally you’ll either leave it on your counter/in a warm-ish place & feed it 1-2x a day, or leave it in the refrigerator (this helps it stay dormant) & feed it closer to once per week. if you choose the fridge option (best if you’re not planning on baking bread every day!), you’ll want to feed it & leave it on the counter for a day or two before baking to help it revive again.

to make sure your starter is active & ready to be used, add a bloop to a bowl of water & see if it floats. if it does, you’re good to go!

BREAD RECIPE

from ballerina farm

i’ve tried a few different recipes for a basic loaf, & so far this is one my FAVORITE! just a note, make sure you time this correctly so you’re not up at all hours of the night shaping dough - i love to start this process in the morning & have a loaf done in time for dinner. overall it generally takes around 7-8 hours start to finish!

  • mix 250 g starter with 750 g water

  • add in 1000 g flour (i use all-purpose, but you can do mix with whole wheat!). mix by hand for 3 minutes, cover & let sit for 1.5-2 hours

  • pinch in 25 g salt. stretch & fold for 3 minutes. cover & let sit for another 2 hours

  • put dough on counter & divide in half. pull dough into a thin layer & then fold over the sides & roll up. shape it into a ball! do the same again for the second loaf 

  • let your shaped loaves rest on the counter for 20 minutes uncovered. reshape again!

  • put the loaves in proofing baskets & cover with plastic (shower caps work great!). let proof in the fridge for 2 hours

  • preheat your dutch oven in the oven at 450. bake bread with lid on for 25 min. remove the lid & put it back in for 5-10 minutes

  • serve with a slab of butter, a drizzle of honey, & a sprinkle of flaky salt

you can also flavor your bread! think fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano, etc!), shredded cheese (parmesan is alwayssss a good choice), nuts & seeds, honey, & the list goes on. you’ll want to add these at the same time as the salt, so they can be mixed in during the stretch & fold.

there are so many other recipes on the internet & in cookbooks - if one recipe isn’t quite working for you, i’d highly recommend testing out a few others! you can even start combining techniques & seeing what fits. part of what makes sourdough so fun is that there’s no one “right” way to make it - there’s so much freedom to experiment!

Equipment

here’s all the tools i use to make my bread - but honestly, remember sourdough has been around for wayyyy longer than we’ve had weck jars ;) these are all beautiful & useful, but if you’re just starting out, you don’t need to buy a bunch of new equipment - use what you have on hand, & collect treasures over time!

happy baking!