Our sourdough bread recipe is as easy as it is fun! You’ll love how this crusty, chewy bread looks like a work of art and tastes like one too. Share your creations with us in the comments and on social media. We’d love to hear how your baking went and see photos of your finished loaves.

More Homemade Bread Baking Recipes

Once you try baking this sourdough bread, you’ll be hooked on homemade bread! Try these delicious recipes.

Sourdough Bread Recipe

Whether you’re new to sourdough or an experienced baker, our sourdough bread recipe is the perfect go-to recipe to make an amazing artisan loaf. You’ll love the beauty of this crusty and chewy bread, and the timing is flexible to work into your schedule. After the bulk ferment for just 4 hours, you will cold proof in the refrigerator for 8-48 hours then bake when you’re ready. It’s also easy to double the recipe to make two loaves.

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 40 minutes mins

Resting Time: 16 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 17 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

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• Feed your sourdough starter 1 or 2 times before making your sourdough bread, depending on how healthy it is. For a single loaf, (using a kitchen scale to measure) mix 50g of starter with 50g of bread flour and 50g of lukewarm water. Cover with a loose fitting lid and let it rise at room temperature until more than doubled in size, about 4-6 hours.*
• Make the Dough: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together bread flour, rye, and salt. Add water and sourdough starter and stir together with a wooden spoon then use your hand to thoroughly mix together, pinch the dough as you mix to make sure it’s very well combined. It will be a very sticky dough. Scrape down the bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let the dough rest at room temperature for 4 hours in a warm spot (bulk fermentation).
• Bulk Fermentation Stage: After every hour, do a round of “stretch and fold” – with wet hands to prevent sticking, gently lift up on one side of the dough and stretch it upwards (avoid tearing the dough), and then fold it over onto itself. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and continue to stretch and fold about 3 more times or until the dough resists pulling. Keep the bowl covered with a towel between your stretch and fold rounds. After 4 hours, you’ll stretch and fold the dough for the fourth and final time to tighten it up.
• Shape the Loaf: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface (cut it in half if you’ve doubled the dough for 2 loaves). With floured hands, gently stretch out the dough then shape the dough to match the shape of your banneton (bread basket) and pot.(*see notes below)
• Bench Rest: Turn the dough seam-side down, cover it with a towel, and let it ‘bench rest’ for 20 minutes.
• Tighten the Dough: If it loosens up too much during the bench rest and loses shape, gently re-shape it again to tighten the loaf. With floured hands, cup your hands around the sides of the dough and tuck the sides underneath. Pull the dough down the counter towards you in a circular motion to tighten up the shape.
• Cold Fermentation: Transfer the dough seam-side up into your floured banneton.* Cover with a tea towel and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 48 hours.
• Preheat the Oven: At least 30 minutes before baking, set the Dutch oven or combo cooker into your oven (set your pizza stone on the bottom rack if using*) and preheat the oven to 500 ̊F.
• Score your Bread: Turn the bread out into a parchment lined combo cooker or onto a sheet of parchment paper if using a Dutch Oven. Using the bread lame, score the bread starting at the base on one side, (keeping at a 45-degree angle and making a 1/4 to 1/2″ deep crescent shape) cut around the top of the bread, from one side to the other. If using a Dutch Oven use the parchment to transfer your dough into the pot.
• Bake: Using oven mitts, cover with the hot lid and put it into the oven. Immediately reduce heat to 450 ̊F, and bake for 20 minutes covered. Remove the lid and bake another 20-25 minutes uncovered or until it reaches your desired color.

*Feeding your starter – Whether you store your starter at room temperature or in the refrigerator, see our post on how to feed sourdough starter for a detailed tutorial.
*Shaping the dough – For a round loaf, starting at the top, fold the dough onto itself, gently pressing down in the center, give it a slight turn, and fold over the next section, repeat until all 4 sides are folded in. For an oval banneton, alternate folding in the sides from left to right all the way down then starting at the top, tightly roll the dough from top to bottom.
*Baking Tips – I set my top rack in the middle of the oven and the bottom rack right below it. If you have a pizza stone, set it on the bottom rack which will keep the bottom of your bread from turning too dark.
*Banneton Maintenance – Before using, season the liner or the basket itself (whichever you choose to use). To do this, spray it lightly with water and use flour to generously cover. Shake and scrape out the extra with a spatula. Once you use the bread basket, be sure to dry it out completely and then scrape the extra flour from the basket before storing it. Rice flour works best, but you can use all purpose or bread flour.