Sourdough Bread Recipe
A beginners step-by-step guide
2025 by Soraia Costa
Many people have asked me for an easy bread recipe. Although I am very happy to share my recipes with anyone, I am also reluctant to have you believe a recipe will guarantee you a good loaf.
When I was just starting, I bought one of the best sourdough bread books at the time and I followed the recipes to the gram. I thought that if I did that I ought to have a great loaf, just like the ones in the pictures. Little did I know... My bread never came out as good as I expected. It was frustrating.
You see, a recipe is a static concept. Bread, on the other hand, is made in collaboration with live organisms, which change their behavior according to factors such as: temperature, humidity, hydration, flour type, care routines, time etc. Besides, the flour in your pantry may be very different from the flour in mine.
So, recipes should be seen as a rough guideline, a starting point if you may. An understanding of the factors that affect fermentation and dough behavior is essential to reach consistently good results. The ability to judge your dough and feel confident enough to instinctively adapt your technique on any given day is something that you will gain with time, practice and patience.
If you are interested in learning more about sourdough bread making check out my courses or sign up to my Newsletter to be notified of future dates.
Having said that, there is nothing quite as rewarding as baking your own bread and get to eat it still warm enough to melt the butter. So, for now, enjoy putting your hands in the dough and remember that it is the things we don't fully grasp that keep us going. And that every bread you bake will taste special because you did it!
This is a classic sourdough loaf with an overnight fermentation. I chose to use only Barbela and Rye flours because they are so intrinsic to Portuguese history and culture. Barbela is an ancestral Portuguese wheat variety, a landrace who's existence nowadays is a revolution in and of itself, highly nutritious, naturally low in gluten, and an extremely resilient and sustainable crop to grow. Rye is just this wonderful grain, that is part of so many traditional Portuguese breads, high in bran and fibre, it adds an extra depth in taste to any dough. This loaf is medium wholemeal and will taste like time and place.
Happy baking,
Soraia
Equipment
A scale
A thermometer
A mixing bowl
A teatowel
A proofing basket or a bread tin
A scoring knife
A dough scraper
An oven (of course)!
Method
DAY 1
9:00pm - Make the Leaven
To make your leaven use 5g of your Starter (preferably it has been fed in the morning and it is active and bubbly), 50g of Organic Barbela T80 flour and 50g of Water at 28-30C. Mix well and leave it covered in your kitchen overnight.
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DAY 2
9:00am - Autolyse
In a large mixing bowl whisk together the 325g of water and the flours. Mix until all comes together and there is no dry flour. The temperature of your dough should be between 26C to 28C. Cover with a damp cloth and let the dough rest for 30min.
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9:30am - Mix
In a small bowl dissolve the salt in the remaining 25g of water. Add the salty water and the leaven to the dough and mix well until the water has been incorporated and the leaven is evenly distributed.
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9:30am - Bulk fermentation + coil folds
Over the next 2h-3h fold the dough every 30'-45', making 4 rounds of folds. To do a coil fold, grab your dough from underneath and lift it until it detaches from the bowl and fold it under itself. Rotate the bowl 180 degrees and do the same on the other side. Perform the same technique on the remaining 2 sides. For the last hour of bulk fermentation the dough should be left alone. By the end of this stage you should see an increase of roughly 30% in volume.
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1:30pm - ​​​​​Shape + Proof
Remove the dough from the bowl and place it (upside down) on a lightly floured surface. Gently pull two opposite sides of the dough and fold them over so they meet and glue in the center. Do the same with the other 2 sides. Now you should have a roughly round shape. Fold it over. With floured hands add the final tension to the dough by pulling it towards you slightly stretching the surface. Lift the dough with the help of a scrapper, do a quarter turn, and repeat. Do this no more that 3 to 4 times. Careful not to rip it. By the end, the dough should be holding its shape. Place the dough upside down into a floured proofing basket. Cover with a damp tea towel. Let it ferment.
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3:00pm - Refrigerate
By now, your dough should have increased another 30% in volume. It is time to transfer it to the fridge for a cold proof. Covered with a plastic so it doesn't dry and leave it there until the next morning.
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DAY 3
9:00am - Bake
Pre-heat your oven to 250°C with a dutch oven in it. If you don't have one, you can use a baking stone or just a regular oven tray. In this case you will also need to place a pan of boiling water underneath. Once the the oven is up to temperature, remove the dutch oven, line it with a baking paper and dust it with some flour. Place the dough inside (upside down), carefully not to burn yourself, and slash the top with a razor. Cover and bring it back into the oven. Bake at 250°C for 20 minutes. Remove the lid, lower temperature to 220°C, and keep baking for another 15 minutes. Your bread is baked when it reaches an internal temperature of 95°C, and it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. You can bake it longer if you like a darker crust.
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At this point you must be dying to eat your bread! Please have a little more patience and let it cool completely before slicing it, since the dough is still cooking while it is cooling down. Once cooled, store it in a linen or cotton bag, or inside a wooden bread box.
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Common troubles & solutions
1. Why is my starter not rising?
If a starter doesn't rise it is inactive. This is usually due to it being kept at too low a temperature, not fed enough, or not fed properly. Try feeding your starter consistently and keeping it at temperatures between 24°C- 28°C. Your feeding ratio should be between 1:5:5 and 1:10:10 (meaning 1 part starter to 5/10 parts flour and 5/10 parts water), you should feed you starter at least once a week and let it peak before using it or transferring it to the fridge until next feed.
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2. Why is my bread dense?
This is usually due to underfermentation or the use of a weak starter. When making your dough always aim for a FDT (Final Dough Temperature) of 26°C to 28°C, and make sure to let your dough prove before baking it. If should feel airy, lighter and more volumous than when you just mixed it. Always use an active and bubbly starter, ideally freshly fed and that has just peaked.
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3. Why is my dough sticky?
This can be due to too much water, poor gluten development or even overfermentation. The % of water each dough can handle varies according to the flours and also the experience of the baker. I suggest starting with a lower hydration such as 70%-73% and as you get more skilled you can add more water little by little. Don't skip the folds during bulk fermentation, as they are adding strength to your gluten structure. If your dough felt good, but in a later stage of its fermentation it started feeling sticky, then this is a sign of overfermentation. Next time, let it ferment for less time or a lower temperature.
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4. Why is my bread flat?
This is often due to overfermentation. An overfermented dough will have a compromised gluten structure, that will not hold its shape when baked, letting all CO2 escape and deflating, causing a flat and dense loaf. Next time, ferment your bread for a shorter period, add less starter to the recipe, or keep it at a lower temperature.
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