How to Make the Perfect Sourdough Loaf Every Time: A Step-by-Step Guide for Home Bakers

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Once you start making your own bread, I swear you will never buy store bought bread ever again. There is just something about pulling a golden, crispy loaf of sourdough from your oven that is incredibly satisfying. Not to mention your house will smell fantastic. I say this as if making your own sourdough bread is the easiest thing in the world. It certainly didn’t start that way for me! Sourdough can be pretty unpredictable, which is why I wanted to create a step-by-step guide to helping you gain that consistency to get the perfect loaf of sourdough every time!

What’s so great about sourdough anyway?

  • Sourdough uses natural fermentation. No commercial yeast needed

  • There are a few health benefits such as lower gluten content and gut friendly making it easier to digest

  • It has a little bit of a unique flavor. Kind of tangy and rustic

Start with The Essentials

Step 1: Feed and Maintain a Healthy Starter

  • Feeding your starter starts with a 1:1:1 ratio of flour, water, and starter (if you are just getting started, you can start with flour and water)

  • When your active starter is ready to use, it will have doubled in size (in 4-6 hours), be bubbly, and smell yeasty

  • If you are going longer periods of time without using your starter, you can store it in the fridge. Otherwise you can leave it at room temperature if you’re feeding it every other day or so

Step 2: Starting your Bread Dough

  • Mix the active starter and water in a large mixing bowl first. Then add flour and salt and mix until a shaggy dough forms

  • Let this sit for 1 hour

Step 3: Stretch and Folds

  • Most recipes will call for 3-4 rounds of stretch and folds every 30 mins

  • Make sure to go around the entire bowl (usually about 4 stretch and folds per round)

Step 4: Bulk Fermentation

  • Ideal temperature and timing (usually 4–6 hours at 75°F / 24°C). If your environment is colder or warmer than that, you may need to adjust your bulk fermentation time accordingly

  • How to know it’s done: dough will increase by 50-75% and will be airy and jiggly

Step 5: Shaping the Dough

  • After bulk fermentation, use a lightly floured surface to shape the dough

  • You want to try and have good surface tension on the dough for a good final rise

  • Let sit at room temperature for another 1-2 hours

Step 6: Scoring and Baking

  • Preheat the oven with your dutch oven inside at 475F (15-20 mins)

  • Score the dough with a sharp blade/scoring knife

  • Bake covered for 20 minutes, then uncovered for 15-20 mins until golden brown and crispy

Step 7: Cool and Enjoy

  • Make sure to let the loaf cool for 1 hour before slicing!!

  • The texture and flavor will improve as the bread rests

Tips for Consistency

  • Make sure to use a food scale and weigh the ingredients

  • Keep notes (room temp, fermentation time, etc.)

  • Use the same flour brands

  • Don’t rush the process!

Sourdough can be tricky at first, but once you make the perfect loaf, I promise you will love it! It’s worth the time and effort, even the imperfect ones. One of the fun things about sourdough is you can learn from each of the past loaves to keep trying something different and find out what works best in your kitchen. If you’ve found this helpful, I’d love to hear about it! Let me know via email thedriftlessblog@gmail.com or message me on Instagram @thedriftlessblog. And don’t forget to subscribe below!