The Complete Beginner's Guide to Sourdough: How to Start Baking Your First Loaf By Made With Loave | Beginner Guides
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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 received 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 maintain a starter, what tools genuinely matter, and how to bake your very first loaf.
Let's begin.
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 beneficial bacteria that you cultivate from just flour and water.
That living starter is what gives sourdough its signature tangy flavor, chewy crumb, and crackly crust. It's also why sourdough is considered easier to digest than conventional bread — the long fermentation process breaks down gluten and phytic acid in ways that a quick yeast loaf simply can't.
Here's what makes sourdough special:
- No commercial yeast needed — ever
- Longer shelf life than sandwich bread (up to 5–7 days at room temp)
- Gut-friendly thanks to natural fermentation
- Endlessly customizable — from basic country loaves to scoring works of art
- Genuinely satisfying to make from scratch
The catch? Sourdough takes time. We're talking days — not hours. But the hands-on time is actually minimal. Most of sourdough is just waiting, which means it fits into real life more easily than you'd think.
Part 1: Making Your Sourdough Starter
Your sourdough 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 flour or whole wheat flour (whole wheat tends to activate faster)
- Filtered or room-temperature water (chlorinated tap water can inhibit fermentation)
- A clean glass jar — we love our glass starter jar for this because it's the perfect size and lets you watch the activity through the sides
- A kitchen scale for accurate measurements — eyeballing leads to inconsistency
- A wooden spoon or starter spatula for mixing
💡 Pro tip: If you're not quite ready to build a starter from scratch, you can jumpstart your journey with our Dehydrated Sourdough Starter. Just rehydrate and you're ready to go in a day or two — it's beginner-friendly and takes all the guesswork out of the first step.
Day-by-Day Starter Schedule
Day 1
Combine 50g whole wheat flour and 50g room-temperature water in your clean jar. Stir until no dry flour remains. Loosely cover (not airtight — your starter needs to breathe) and leave at room temperature, ideally somewhere between 70–78°F.
Days 2–3
You may see a few small bubbles, or nothing at all — both are normal. Discard half of your starter (about 50g), then feed it with 50g flour + 50g water. Stir well, cover, and wait.
Days 4–5
Activity should be picking up. You might notice it doubling in size a few hours after feeding, then falling back down — this is called the "rise and fall" cycle and it's a great sign. Keep up with the twice-daily discards and feedings if you want to speed things up.
Days 6–7
A healthy starter at this stage should be consistently doubling within 4–8 hours of a feeding, smelling pleasantly tangy (like yogurt or mild vinegar), and showing lots of bubbles throughout.
The float test: Drop a small spoonful of starter into a glass of water. If it floats, it's ready to bake with!
Understanding Starter Discard
Every time you feed your starter, you first discard most of it. This might feel wasteful — but it's not. Starter discard is still full of flavor and can be used in:
- Sourdough pancakes
- Sourdough crackers
- Pizza dough
- Waffles and crepes
- Quick breads and muffins
Never throw your discard away. Keep it in a separate jar in the fridge and use it within 1–2 weeks.
Part 2: The Tools That Actually Matter
Here's the truth: you don't need much to make sourdough. But a few specific tools will make your life dramatically easier — and the difference in your results will be noticeable.
1. A Kitchen Scale ⚖️
This is non-negotiable. Sourdough recipes use weight (grams), not volume, because flour measurements in cups can vary by as much as 20% depending on how you scoop. Consistency requires a scale.
Our Bamboo Digital Food Scale is designed specifically for bakers — it has a tare function, reads in grams and ounces, and looks beautiful on a kitchen counter.
2. A Bread Whisk (Danish Dough Whisk)
A regular spatula or wooden spoon struggles with sticky, wet sourdough dough. A Danish dough whisk cuts through it effortlessly and stays clean much more easily. It's one of those tools you reach for every single time you bake.
3. A Bench Scraper 🔪
A stainless steel bench scraper is your best friend during shaping. It helps you move sticky dough, divide it cleanly, and build tension on the counter without adding extra flour. Simple, affordable, and essential.
4. A Banneton Proofing Basket 🧺
Once your dough is shaped, it needs to proof (its final rise) in something that holds its shape. A banneton basket does this beautifully — the rattan coils wick away moisture from the dough's surface, helping create that gorgeous crust when it bakes. It also leaves those classic spiral rings on the outside of your loaf.
5. A Bread Lame (Scoring Tool) ✂️
Before your dough goes in the oven, you score (cut) the top with a lame — a razor-sharp blade on a handle. This controls where the bread expands, giving you that signature "ear" (the dramatic upward lift along a score line) and allowing you to create beautiful designs on the surface.
Our Gold Scissors & Twine set is a favorite for both functional scoring and decorative patterns. The precision is unmatched and they're genuinely beautiful to use.
6. A Bowl Cover 🍞
You'll need to cover your dough at multiple stages — during bulk fermentation, during shaping, and during cold proofing. Single-use plastic wrap is wasteful and awkward. Our bowl covers are reusable, food-safe, and sized to fit most mixing bowls perfectly. Customers love them.
7. A Dutch Oven
For baking, you'll want a heavy lidded pot (Dutch oven or combo cooker). The lid traps steam during the first part of baking, mimicking a professional bread oven and giving your loaf maximum oven spring. Cast iron works beautifully.
Not sure what to start with? Our Sourdough Baking Kit includes the most important tools in one bundle — banneton, lame, scale, bread whisk, bench scraper, and a starter jar, plus our dehydrated starter and a free recipe PDF. It's everything you need to start baking, all in one place.
Part 3: Your First Sourdough Loaf
Once your starter is active and ready, here's a simple beginner-friendly recipe for a classic country loaf (about 900g finished bread).
Ingredients
| Ingredients | Weight |
|---|---|
| Bread flour | 500g |
| Water (room temp) | 350g |
| Active sourdough starter | 100g |
| Fine sea salt | 10g |
The Process at a Glance
Sourdough has several stages. Here's a simple overview so you know what to expect before you dive in:
- Autolyse — Mix flour and water, rest 30–60 min
- Add starter + salt — Mix thoroughly
- Bulk fermentation — 4–12 hours at room temp, with stretch-and-folds every 30–45 min for the first 2 hours
- Pre-shape + bench rest — 20–30 min
- Final shape — into your banneton basket
- Cold proof — 8–16 hours in the fridge overnight
- Bake — in a preheated Dutch oven at 450°F (260°C)
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Autolyse (30–60 minutes)
In a large bowl, combine 500g bread flour with 350g water. Mix until no dry flour remains — it'll look rough and shaggy. Cover with your bowl cover and rest for 30–60 minutes. This rest period allows the flour to fully hydrate, making the dough easier to work with and developing gluten without any kneading.
Step 2: Add the Starter and Salt
Add 100g of your active starter and 10g of salt to the rested dough. Use your hands to squeeze and fold everything together until fully incorporated. The dough will feel slippery at first — keep going until it becomes cohesive and slightly elastic.
Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
Step 3: Bulk Fermentation with Stretch-and-Folds
This is the long, slow rise where flavor and structure develop. The total time is typically 4–5 hours at 75°F (24°C) — warmer kitchens ferment faster, cooler kitchens slower.
During the first 2 hours, perform stretch-and-folds every 30–45 minutes:
- Wet one hand and grab one side of the dough
- Stretch it up as far as it will go without tearing
- Fold it over to the opposite side
- Rotate the bowl 90° and repeat 3 more times (4 folds = 1 set)
After 4 sets of folds, leave the dough alone for the remainder of bulk fermentation. You're looking for the dough to grow 50–75%, feel lighter and more airy, and show bubbles on the surface and sides.
💡 Temperature matters. If your kitchen is cold, fermentation will take longer. If it's warm, it'll go faster. Trust the dough — not the clock. Refer to our temperature chart HERE.
Step 4: Pre-Shape
Gently turn the dough out onto an unfloured work surface (a lightly dampened surface actually works better). Using your bench scraper in one hand and the other hand to guide, fold the edges in toward the center, then flip the dough seam-side down. Use the bench scraper to drag the ball toward you, building surface tension. This creates a tight, smooth skin on the outside.
Cover loosely with your bowl cover and let it rest (bench rest) for 20–30 minutes.
Step 5: Final Shape
Dust your banneton basket generously with rice flour (it doesn't absorb into the dough the way all-purpose flour does, and prevents sticking beautifully).
Flip your dough and gently stretch it into a rough rectangle. Fold the sides in like a letter, then roll it toward you into a tight log or ball. Flip seam-side up into your prepared banneton basket. Pinch the seam together if needed.
Step 6: Cold Proof (8–16 hours)
Cover your banneton with a shower cap or place it inside a clean plastic bag, and put it in the refrigerator overnight. The cold temperature slows fermentation way down, letting flavor develop gradually. This cold proof also makes the dough much easier to score.
You can bake it anytime within the 8–16 hour window — flexible enough to fit your schedule.
Step 7: Bake
At least 45 minutes before you're ready to bake:
- Place your Dutch oven (with the lid on) inside your oven
- Preheat to 450°F (260°C)
When ready to bake:
- Cut a piece of parchment paper roughly the size of your banneton
- Flip your cold dough out of the banneton directly onto the parchment
- Score immediately — a single confident diagonal slash, or a pattern of your choice, using your lame or bread scissors
- Carefully lower the dough + parchment into the screaming-hot Dutch oven
- Bake with lid ON for 30 minutes (this traps steam)
- Remove the lid and bake a further 15 minutes until the crust is deep golden brown
- Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack
The hardest part: Wait at least 1 hour before slicing. The crumb is still setting as the loaf cools. Cutting too early gives you a gummy, undercooked-looking interior — even if the bread is perfectly baked.
Common Beginner Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)
"My starter isn't doing anything." Give it more time and warmth. A cooler kitchen = slower activity. Try placing your starter near your oven's pilot light, on top of the refrigerator, or in an oven with just the light on.
"My bread came out really dense and flat." The most common cause is an underactive starter (not yet ready to bake with) or under-fermented bulk. Do the float test before using your starter, and make sure bulk fermentation is truly complete.
"My bread is way too sour." Sourness comes from longer, cooler fermentation. To tone it down, use a shorter bulk ferment, bake sooner after the cold proof, or try fermenting at a slightly warmer temperature.
"My score barely opened up." The blade wasn't sharp enough, or the scoring wasn't confident enough. Use a fresh razor blade, score at a 30–45° angle rather than straight down, and make one swift, decisive motion. Our lame and gold scissors have razor-sharp blades specifically designed for clean, controlled cuts.
"My dough is sticking to the banneton." Rice flour is the key. All-purpose flour absorbs into the dough during the cold proof. Rice flour doesn't. Dust your banneton generously before each use.
What to Do with Your Starter Between Bakes
Once your starter is established, you have two options:
Baking regularly (more than once a week)? Keep your starter at room temperature and feed it once or twice a day.
Baking occasionally? Store it in the fridge and feed it once a week. Pull it out 6–12 hours before you plan to bake and give it a feeding to wake it back up.
A well-cared-for starter can last indefinitely. Some bakers have starters that are decades old.
Ready to Start Your Journey?
There is nothing quite like pulling your first sourdough loaf out of the oven — the crackle of the crust, the smell of freshly baked bread, the pride of knowing you made it from scratch.
You don't need to get it perfect on the first try. Every loaf teaches you something. And every loaf is better than the one before it.
If you want to make your first bake as easy as possible, our Sourdough Baking Kit has everything you need in one place — including our dehydrated starter, a free recipe PDF emailed right to you, and video tutorials accessible via QR code. Thousands of bakers have used it to bake their first successful loaf.
We'd love to see yours. Share it with us on Instagram @madewithloave and tag us in your bake — we feature our community's loaves every week.
Happy baking. 🍞
Made With Loave is your one-stop shop for sourdough tools, education, and community. Browse our full collection at madewithloave.com.