Simple Sourdough Bread Recipe That’ll Make Your Kitchen Smell Like a Bakery (No Fancy Gear Required)

You want a loaf with a crispy crust, chewy crumb, and that perfect tang without babysitting it like a newborn? Cool. This simple sourdough bread recipe is the set-it-and-forget-it version that still delivers those Instagram-level slices.

No stand mixer, no steam oven, no gatekeeping. Just a bowl, time, and a starter that’s ready to party. If you can stir, fold, and wait, you can bake a loaf that makes store-bought look like cardboard.

Why This Recipe Works

This method leans on long fermentation and gentle handling to build structure and flavor.

We skip complicated steps and still get great oven spring by using proper hydration and a hot preheated vessel. The stretch-and-fold technique replaces kneading, which keeps the crumb open without wrecking your arms. And yes, the overnight chill?

It makes shaping easier, boosts flavor, and gives you that blistered crust people brag about.

What Goes Into This Recipe – Ingredients

Active sourdough starter: 100 g (fed and bubbly, passes the float test)
Warm water: 350 g (about 80–85°F / 27–29°C)
Bread flour: 450 g (high-protein for better structure)
Whole wheat flour: 50 g (adds flavor and color; swap with rye for more tang)
Fine sea salt: 10 g (about 1 3/4 tsp)
Optional: 10 g honey or sugar for a slightly softer crumb and faster rise
Optional dusting: Rice flour for the banneton/cloth (prevents sticking)

The Method – Instructions

Mix the levain (optional but ideal): 6–8 hours before mixing dough, combine 50 g starter, 50 g water, and 50 g bread flour. Let it rise until domed and airy. If skipping levain, use your active starter directly.
Autolyse: In a large bowl, mix 350 g water with 450 g bread flour and 50 g whole wheat flour until no dry spots remain.
Cover and rest 30–60 minutes. This jump-starts gluten so you don’t have to knead like a CrossFitter.
Add starter and salt: Add 100 g active starter and 10 g salt (plus honey if using). Squeeze and fold to incorporate until the dough is cohesive.
Slightly sticky is perfect.
Bulk fermentation + stretch-and-folds: Cover and rest at warm room temp (75–78°F / 24–26°C) for 3–4 hours. During the first 90 minutes, perform 3–4 sets of stretch-and-folds every 30 minutes: grab an edge, pull up, fold over. You’ll feel it tighten up—like magic, but gluten.
Let it rise: After the last fold, let the dough rest undisturbed until it’s risen by 50–75%, looks billowy, and shows bubbles along the edges.
If your kitchen is cool, this can take longer—be patient, not heroic.
Pre-shape: Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently form a loose round with a bench scraper, pulling toward you to build surface tension. Rest 20 minutes uncovered.
Final shape: Shape into a tight boule or batard.
Keep tension on the surface without tearing. Place seam-side up in a floured banneton or a bowl lined with a floured kitchen towel (rice flour helps prevent sticking).
Cold proof: Cover and refrigerate 8–16 hours. This slows fermentation, improves flavor, and makes scoring easier.
Also, it means fresh bread with coffee tomorrow—win.
Preheat: Place a Dutch oven (or baking steel + steam pan) in your oven and preheat to 500°F (260°C) for at least 30 minutes.
Score and bake: Turn the dough onto parchment, dust lightly with flour, and score 1/2-inch deep with a lame or sharp knife. Lower oven to 475°F (246°C). Carefully load into the hot Dutch oven, cover, and bake 20 minutes.
Uncover and bake another 20–25 minutes until deep brown with crackly crust.
Cool (seriously): Transfer to a rack and cool at least 1 hour before slicing. Cutting early releases steam and turns your crumb gummy. Don’t sabotage your triumph.

How to Store

Short term (1–2 days): Store cut-side down on a wooden board or in a paper bag.
Keeps the crust crisp and the interior moist.
Medium term (3–5 days): Wrap loosely in a clean kitchen towel, then place in a bread box. Avoid plastic unless you like soft crust.
Freezer: Slice, then freeze in a zip-top bag with air pressed out. Toast straight from frozen.
FYI, whole loaves freeze too—wrap tight in plastic, then foil.
Recrisp: If the crust softens, bake at 350°F (175°C) for 8–10 minutes. Instant glow-up.

Why This is Good for You

Sourdough fermentation breaks down some gluten and phytic acid, which can make minerals more bioavailable and the bread easier to digest. The longer rise creates organic acids that may help moderate the glycemic response versus standard white bread.

You also get more flavor without extra sugar or additives—real ingredients, real process. It’s not a kale smoothie, but it’s bread that treats your gut with respect.

Don’t Make These Errors

Using sleepy starter: If it’s not bubbly and doubled, your loaf will be flat and sad. Feed it and wait.
Overproofing: Dough that rises too long collapses.
Look for a 50–75% rise and a puffy, jiggly feel.
Too much flour while shaping: Excess flour blocks the seams from sealing, which ruins oven spring. Use just enough to prevent sticking.
Cold oven or vessel: If it’s not blazing hot, you’ll miss that crusty, pro-level rise. Preheat like you mean it.
Skipping the rest after baking: Cutting early turns the crumb gummy.
Patience is cheaper than regret.

Recipe Variations

Seeded crunch: Add 60–80 g mixed seeds (sesame, sunflower, flax) during the last stretch-and-fold. Toast seeds first for extra flavor.
Olive and herb: Fold in 120 g chopped, drained olives and 1–2 tbsp chopped rosemary. Reduce water by 10–15 g to account for olive moisture.
Rye tang: Swap 20–30% of bread flour with rye flour.
Expect a denser, wonderfully spicy crumb.
Garlic parmesan: Add 2–3 tbsp grated parmesan and roasted garlic cloves during shaping. Your house will smell ridiculous.
High-hydration open crumb: Bump water to 375–390 g. Handle gently, stretch-and-fold more frequently, and use a well-floured banneton.

FAQ

How do I know my starter is ready?

It should double within 4–6 hours of feeding, look bubbly and airy, and pass the float test: a small spoonful floats in water.

If it sinks, wait or feed again.

Can I use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour?

Yes, but expect a slightly less chewy structure. If using all-purpose, reduce water by 10–15 g and be gentle with folds.

My dough is super sticky. Did I mess up?

Probably not.

Higher hydration dough sticks—use wet hands and a bench scraper. Stickiness usually eases after a few folds as gluten develops.

What if I don’t have a Dutch oven?

Use a baking stone or inverted sheet pan preheated, and create steam: place a metal pan on a lower rack and pour in hot water when the loaf goes in. Or cover the loaf with a large metal bowl for the first 20 minutes.

How do I get bigger holes in the crumb?

Use slightly higher hydration, don’t overwork the dough, and preserve gas during shaping.

Strong flour, warm bulk fermentation, and precise proofing help. Also, don’t degas like you’re kneading pizza dough.

Why is my crust too pale?

Increase the final uncovered bake time and make sure your oven is truly hot. A light mist of water on the dough right before loading can help, but heat is king.

What’s the best way to slice sourdough?

Wait until fully cool, then use a serrated bread knife.

For thin toast slices, chill the loaf for 30 minutes first—clean cuts, zero crumb shredding.

My Take

This simple sourdough bread recipe doesn’t ask you to be a pro; it just asks you to show up and trust the process. The alchemy of time, heat, and microbes does the heavy lifting, and you get brag-worthy bread for the price of flour and patience. IMO, the overnight fridge proof is the cheat code—better flavor, easier scoring, fewer tears.

Bake it once, and you’ll start planning your week around when your next loaf comes out of the oven. Is that dramatic? Maybe.

Is it worth it? Absolutely.