Made With Loave

Dense bread almost always comes down to one of three things: an under-active starter (not yet strong enough to leaven the dough), under-fermented bulk (the dough didn't have enough time to develop gas and structure), or over-proofed dough (it fermented too long and the gluten structure collapsed). Verify your starter passes the float test before every bake, and trust the dough's appearance over the clock. It should grow 50–75% and feel lighter and airier at the end of bulk fermentation.

A kitchen scale is one of the most impactful tools you can have for sourdough. Even more so than most equipment people spend money on. A cup of flour can vary by up to 30g depending on how it's scooped, and that error compounds across a recipe built on precise ratios. Every reliable sourdough recipe is written in grams. The upside: weighing is actually faster and easier than cups. One bowl, tare between ingredients, zero conversion needed.

Store it in a loosely covered jar in the fridge and feed it once a week. When you're ready to bake, take it out 6–12 hours ahead, feed it, and let it become active at room temperature before using. A well-maintained starter can last indefinitely. Some bakers have kept theirs going for decades. For longer breaks (a month or more), spread starter thin on parchment paper, let it dry completely, crumble into flakes, and store in a sealed container. Rehydrate when you're ready to bake again.

A score that seals shut instead of blooming is usually caused by: a dull blade (even slightly dull blades drag the dough rather than cutting it), a blade angle that's too steep (aim for 30–45°, not straight down at 90°), or a cut that isn't deep enough (go at least ½ inch). Score straight from the fridge when the dough is at its firmest, use a fresh razor blade, angle the lame low, and make one confident, fluid motion.

The fix is rice flour, specifically Thai rice flour, not all-purpose. All-purpose flour absorbs into the dough's surface moisture during the cold proof and essentially glues itself to the basket. Rice flour doesn't absorb, so it stays as a dry barrier. Dust your banneton generously with rice flour before every use, getting into every spiral channel. After use, let it air-dry completely before storing & never put a banneton in the dishwasher.

Sourness is controlled by fermentation time and temperature. For a milder loaf: shorten the bulk fermentation time, bake sooner after the cold proof (no more than 12 hours in the fridge), ferment at a warmer temperature (warmer favors yeast over bacteria, producing less tang), and use a higher percentage of starter. Conversely, longer and colder fermentation = more sour.

Every time you feed your starter, you remove most of it before adding fresh flour and water. That removed portion (discard) is still full of flavor and wild yeast, just not active enough to leaven a loaf on its own. Store it in a covered jar in the fridge and use it within 1–2 weeks. Discard works beautifully in pancakes, waffles, crackers, pizza dough, muffins, and banana bread. Never throw it away because discard recipes are some of the easiest and most rewarding things you can make.

A Dutch oven is the single best tool for home sourdough baking because its lid traps the steam released by the dough in the first 30 minutes & that steam is what gives sourdough its dramatic oven spring and crackling crust. Without steam, the crust sets too early and the bread can't expand properly. If you don't have one, you can add a pan of boiling water to your oven for steam, but results are less consistent. A 5-quart cast iron Dutch oven is the standard size for home baking. You can also try the double loaf pan method. Find what works best for you and your oven.

Yes. Bread flour (11–13% protein) gives a stronger gluten structure and better oven spring, but all-purpose flour produces a perfectly good sourdough loaf, especially for beginners. The main differences are slightly less chew and a marginally smaller rise. Bake with whatever flour you have and upgrade once you're comfortable with the process.

Regular bread uses commercial yeast, which is highly concentrated and acts fast. It can leaven dough in 1–2 hours. Sourdough uses wild yeast and beneficial bacteria that work much more slowly. That slow fermentation is actually the point: it's what develops the complex flavor, the open crumb, the chewy texture, and the improved digestibility that makes sourdough worth the wait. The long process breaks down gluten and phytic acid in ways a quick-rise loaf simply can't replicate.

Plan for about 5 days total if you're starting with a dehydrated starter: 2–4 days to activate the starter, then 1 day to make your first loaf. On bake day itself, the hands-on time is only about 1–2 hours — the rest is waiting during bulk fermentation (4–12 hours) and the overnight cold proof in the fridge. Sourdough is mostly patience, not labor.

The most common cause is temperature. Sourdough fermentation slows dramatically in a cool kitchen. A starter at 65°F can take 2–3x longer to show activity than one at 75°F. Try placing your jar on top of the refrigerator, inside your oven with just the light on, or near a warm appliance.

Please refer to our Sourdough Temperature Chart under "Free Resources" on our website.

Also make sure you're using filtered water (chlorine in tap water inhibits fermentation) and unbleached flour. If you're still seeing no activity by Day 5, discard all but 20g and do a fresh feed with warm water.

Two reliable tests: (1) The float test: Drop a small spoonful of starter into a glass of water. If it floats, it's ready. (2) The double test: Your starter should reliably double in size within 4–8 hours of a feeding. When you consistently see both, you're ready to bake. Don't rush this step! An under-active starter is the #1 cause of dense, flat sourdough.