The Complete Beginner's Guide to Sourdough: How to Start Baking Your First Loaf By Made With Loave | Beginner Guides

You don't need to be an experienced baker to make beautiful sourdough bread. You just need a little patience, a few good tools, and someone to walk you through it step by step. That's exactly what this guide is for.

Whether you've been curious about sourdough for a while, just got a starter from a friend, or you're starting from absolute scratch, this post covers everything you need to know. By the end, you'll understand what sourdough actually is, how to create and care for a starter, which tools really matter, and how to bake your very first loaf.

Let's begin.

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What Is Sourdough, Really?

Sourdough is bread made without commercial yeast. Instead, it rises using a sourdough starter: a living culture of wild yeast and friendly bacteria that you grow from just flour and water.

That starter is what gives sourdough its signature tangy flavor, chewy crumb and crackly crust. The long, slow fermentation also does some work before the bread ever reaches your plate. It breaks down some of the starches and phytic acid in the flour, which is why many people find sourdough easier to digest than quick-rise bread.

Here's what makes sourdough special:

• No commercial yeast needed, ever
• Just flour, water and salt. No additives or preservatives
• Longer shelf life than sandwich bread (about 5 to 7 days at room temp)
• Naturally fermented, the way bread was made for thousands of years
• Endlessly customizable, from simple country loaves to scored works of art

The catch? Sourdough takes time. We're talking days, not hours. But the hands-on time is small. Most of sourdough is just waiting, which means it fits into real life more easily than you'd think.

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Part 1: Making Your Sourdough Starter

Your starter is the heart of everything. Before you can bake a single loaf, you need a starter that's active, bubbly and strong. Here's how to create one from scratch in about 7 days.

What You'll Need

• Unbleached all-purpose or whole wheat flour (whole wheat tends to get going faster)
• Filtered or room-temperature water (heavily chlorinated tap water can slow fermentation)
• A clean glass jar so you can watch the bubbles through the sides
• A kitchen scale for accurate measurements
• A spoon or small spatula for mixing

Day-by-Day Starter Schedule

Day 1

Combine 50g whole wheat flour and 50g room-temperature water in your jar. Stir until no dry flour remains. Cover loosely (your starter needs to breathe) and leave it somewhere around 70 to 78°F.

Days 2–3

You may see a few small bubbles, or nothing at all. Both are normal. Discard about half your starter, then feed it 50g flour + 50g water. Stir, cover and wait.

Days 4–5

Activity should be picking up. You might see it rise a few hours after feeding, then fall back down. That rise-and-fall cycle is a great sign. Feed twice a day if you want to speed things up.

Days 6–7

A healthy starter should now double within 4 to 8 hours of feeding, smell pleasantly tangy (like yogurt), and be full of bubbles.

The float test: Drop a small spoonful of starter into a glass of water. If it floats, it's full of gas and ready to bake with.

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Understanding Starter Discard

Every time you feed your starter, you remove some first. It might feel wasteful, but it doesn't have to be. Discard is still full of flavor and works great in:

• Sourdough crackers
• Pancakes and waffles
• Pizza dough
• Quick breads and muffins

Keep your discard in a separate jar in the fridge and use it within 1 to 2 weeks.

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Part 2: The Tools That Actually Matter

You don't need much to make sourdough. But a few specific tools make your life dramatically easier, and you'll see the difference in your results.

1. A Kitchen Scale ⚖️

This one is non-negotiable. Sourdough recipes use grams, not cups, because a cup of flour can vary by 20% or more depending on how you scoop. Our Bamboo Digital Food Scale has a tare function, reads in grams and ounces, and looks beautiful on the counter.

2. A Bread Whisk (Danish Dough Whisk)

A regular spoon struggles with sticky sourdough. A Danish dough whisk cuts right through it and cleans up easily. (Included in our Sourdough Kit.)

3. A Bench Scraper

Your best friend during shaping. It helps you move sticky dough, divide it cleanly and build tension without adding extra flour. (Our Sourdough Kit includes both a metal and a rubber scraper.)

4. A Banneton Proofing Basket 🧺

Once your dough is shaped, it needs something to hold its shape during the final rise. A banneton wicks moisture from the surface for a better crust and leaves those classic spiral rings. (A banneton with linen liner comes in our Sourdough Kit.)

5. A Bread Lame (Scoring Tool) ✂️

Before baking, you score (cut) the top of the dough with a lame, a razor blade on a handle. Scoring controls where the bread expands and gives you that signature "ear." Our Gold Scissors & Twine set is also a favorite for decorative patterns.

6. A Bowl Cover

You'll cover your dough at several stages. Our reusable bowl covers skip the plastic wrap and fit most mixing bowls. (Included in our Sourdough Accessory Kit.)

7. A Dutch Oven

A heavy lidded pot traps steam during the first part of the bake, like a professional bread oven, for maximum oven spring. To lower your dough into the hot pot safely, use a reusable silicone bread sling instead of parchment.

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Part 3: Your First Sourdough Loaf

Once your starter is active, here's our go-to beginner recipe for a classic loaf (about 900g of finished bread). It's the same recipe we use every week.

Ingredients

The Process at a Glance

1. Feed your starter: 4–8 hours before mixing, so it's at its peak
2. Mix: starter + water, then flour + salt together; rest 30 min
3. Stretch and folds: 4 sets, about 30 min apart
4. Bulk fermentation: about 4–6 hours in a warm kitchen, 12–15 hours in a cool one
5. Pre-shape + bench rest: 20–30 min
6. Final shape: into your banneton
7. Cold proof: 8–48 hours in the fridge
8. Bake: 450°F in a preheated Dutch oven, 30 min lid on, 15 min lid off

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Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Feed Your Starter

About 4 to 8 hours before you plan to mix, feed your starter. You want to catch it at its peak: doubled, domed and bubbly. A starter at its peak gives you the strongest rise.

Step 2: Mix the Dough

In a large bowl, stir 100g active starter into 350g lukewarm water until it mostly dissolves. Add 500g bread flour and 10g salt together. Mix with a dough whisk or your hand, then squeeze the dough through your fingers until no dry flour remains. It will look shaggy. That's perfect.

Cover with your bowl cover and rest for 30 minutes. During this rest, the flour soaks up the water and gluten starts forming on its own.

Step 3: Stretch and Folds

Over the next 2 hours, do 4 sets of stretch and folds, about 30 minutes apart:

• Wet your hand and grab one side of the dough
• Stretch it up until you feel resistance (don't tear it)
• Fold it over to the opposite side
• Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat 3 more times. That's one set.

By the fourth set, the dough should feel smoother, stronger and hold its shape better.

Step 4: Bulk Fermentation

After your folds, leave the dough covered and untouched until it's ready. This is where flavor and structure develop, and it's where most beginner loaves go wrong. Bulk fermentation depends on temperature:

It's ready when the dough has grown about 50–75%, the top is domed, you can see bubbles on the top and sides, and it jiggles when you shake the bowl. Trust the dough, not the clock.

💡 Chilly kitchen? Set your bowl on a warming pad, or in the oven with just the light on (leave a note so nobody preheats it!).

Step 5: Pre-Shape

Gently tip the dough onto a clean, lightly floured or slightly damp counter. Use your bench scraper to fold the edges toward the center, flip it seam-side down, and drag it toward you to build surface tension. Let it rest, covered, for 20–30 minutes.

Step 6: Final Shape

Dust your banneton generously with rice flour (it won't absorb into the dough, so nothing sticks). Flip your dough, gently stretch it into a rough rectangle, fold the sides in like a letter, then roll it toward you into a snug ball or log. Place it seam-side up in the banneton.

Step 7: Cold Proof (8–48 hours)

Cover the banneton with a shower cap or bag and put it in the fridge. The cold slows fermentation while flavor keeps developing, and firm, cold dough is much easier to score. Bake it the next morning, the next evening or up to 2 days later. The longer it chills, the tangier it gets.

Step 8: Bake

Place your Dutch oven (lid on) in the oven and preheat to 450°F for about 45 minutes. Then:

1. Flip your cold dough onto a silicone bread sling or a piece of parchment, pretty side up
2. Score right away with one confident slash or a pattern of your choice
3. Carefully lower the dough into the hot Dutch oven and put the lid on
4. Bake 30 minutes with the lid on (this traps steam)
5. Remove the lid and bake 15 more minutes until deep golden brown
6. Lift the loaf out and let it cool on a wire rack

The hardest part: wait at least 1 hour before slicing. The inside is still setting as the loaf cools, and cutting too early gives you a gummy middle, even if the bread is perfectly baked.

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Common Beginner Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)

"My starter isn't doing anything." Give it more time and warmth. A cool kitchen means slower activity. Try a warmer spot, like the oven with the light on. Or skip this stage with our dehydrated starter.

"My bread came out dense and flat." The usual cause is a starter that wasn't at its peak or a bulk ferment that ended too early. Use your starter when it's doubled and bubbly, and wait for the 50–75% rise before shaping.

"My bread is gummy inside." Usually underproofed, underbaked or sliced too soon. Let bulk go a little longer, bake until the crust is deep brown, and wait an hour before cutting.

"My bread is too sour." Sourness builds with longer, cooler fermentation. Shorten the cold proof, or use your starter right at its peak.

"My score barely opened." Use a fresh, sharp blade, hold it at a shallow 30–45° angle, and make one quick, confident cut.

"My dough stuck to the banneton." Use rice flour, and be generous with it.

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What to Do with Your Starter Between Bakes

Baking more than once a week? Keep your starter on the counter and feed it once or twice a day.

Baking occasionally? Store it in the fridge and feed it once a week. Take it out and give it a feeding or two before you bake to wake it back up.

A well-cared-for starter can last for years. Some bakers have starters that are decades old.

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Dreaming of Selling Your Sourdough?

Once you've baked a few loaves, friends and neighbors will start asking to buy them. If you're thinking about turning your hobby into a little extra income, these two guides will help you do it the right way.

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Ready to Start Your Journey?

There's nothing quite like pulling your first sourdough loaf out of the oven: the crackle of the crust, the smell of fresh bread and the pride of knowing you made it from scratch.

You don't need to get it perfect the first time. Every loaf teaches you something, and every loaf is better than the one before.

If you want your first bake to be as easy as possible, our Sourdough Kit has everything in one box, including our dehydrated starter, a recipe PDF and video tutorials you can follow along with. It's the kit we wish we'd had when we started.

We'd love to see your bakes! Share them on Instagram and tag @madewithloave.

Happy Baking 🫶🏻🥖

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Made With Loave is your one-stop shop for sourdough tools, education and community. Browse our full collection at madewithloave.com.