Baking real San Francisco sourdough in the UK used to mean a two-week wait — either creating a starter from scratch or hoping an imported culture would survive customs. It doesn't any more. If you've got 12 hours, some strong bread flour and a lab-verified San Francisco sourdough starter, you can pull an open-crumb, sharply tangy loaf out of your own oven tomorrow morning.
This recipe is the one we hand to every first-time baker who orders a Dough Dough starter. It's forgiving, it doesn't require a proving basket or a Dutch oven (though both help), and it uses ingredients you can pick up at any UK supermarket. What it does need is a real San Francisco sourdough starter — one that actually contains Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis, the bacterium that gives San Francisco sourdough its unmistakable sharp lactic tang. Without that, you have generic sourdough. With it, you have the real thing.
Why this San Francisco sourdough bread recipe works for UK bakers
Most UK sourdough recipes assume you already have a mature starter you've been keeping alive for weeks. This one doesn't. It's designed for the first loaf out of a fresh, activated San Francisco sourdough starter — so the timings are gentle and the hydration is on the low end, giving you a dough that's easy to shape without practice.
Three things make the flavour distinctly San Francisco rather than generic sourdough:
- The starter's bacterial makeup. A real San Francisco sourdough starter contains Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis, which produces a specific ratio of acetic and lactic acids. That's what creates the "San Francisco tang" — sharper and cleaner than typical wild-yeast sourdough. If your starter has never been tested, you may or may not have it. Ours has been independently DNA-sequenced.
- A long, cool bulk ferment. The San Francisco style favours a slow rise around 22°C — not the aggressive 26–28°C used in many UK recipes. Slower fermentation lets the bacteria do more work before the yeast dominates, deepening the tang.
- An overnight retard. Cold-fermenting the shaped loaf in the fridge overnight is what develops the deep golden crust and complex flavour of a proper San Francisco loaf.
Ingredients (makes one 900g boule)
- 500g strong white bread flour (12%+ protein — Marriage's, Shipton Mill or supermarket "strong white bread flour")
- 350g water at 22°C (roughly room temp)
- 100g active San Francisco sourdough starter at peak (see notes below)
- 10g fine sea salt
- Extra flour for dusting
That's it. Five ingredients. No commercial yeast, no oils, no sugar. The whole character of the loaf comes from the starter.
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl (at least 3 litres)
- Kitchen scales — essential for sourdough
- Bench scraper (a cheap plastic one is fine)
- Clean tea towel and a colander OR a proper banneton
- Cast iron pot with lid, or a heavy baking sheet with a metal bowl to cover
- Sharp knife or lame for scoring
Timeline
Total elapsed time is around 18 hours, but only about 45 minutes of active work. Most of it is the dough sitting and doing nothing.
- Day 1, evening (7pm): Feed your San Francisco sourdough starter — it needs to be at peak activity when you mix.
- Day 2, morning (7am): Mix the dough. Bulk ferment ~4 hours with four sets of stretch-and-folds.
- Day 2, midday (11am): Shape and place in banneton/bowl.
- Day 2, from midday: Fridge for 12–14 hours (overnight retard).
- Day 3, morning (7am): Bake straight from the fridge.
Method
Step 1: Get your starter ready
The night before you plan to bake, feed your San Francisco sourdough starter at a 1:5:5 ratio — for example, 10g of starter fed with 50g flour and 50g water. Leave it at room temperature. By morning it should be doubled in size, domed on top with visible bubbles, and smell tangy and slightly sweet.
Not sure if your starter is at peak? Drop a small blob into a glass of water. If it floats, it's ready. If it sinks, wait another hour or two.
If you've just received a Dough Dough San Francisco sourdough starter and this is your very first bake, follow our two-hour activation guide first, then do one feed-and-wait cycle before starting this recipe. That way you're baking with a fully awake culture.
Step 2: Mix (7am)
In your mixing bowl, combine:
- 350g water
- 100g active San Francisco sourdough starter
Stir with your hand until the starter is dissolved — the water should look milky. Add:
- 500g bread flour
- 10g salt
Mix by hand until there are no dry patches. It'll be a shaggy, sticky mess — that's fine. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave for 30 minutes.
Step 3: Stretch and fold (7:30am – 10:30am)
Every 30 minutes for the next 3 hours, wet your hand and do a set of stretch-and-folds:
- Grab the underside of the dough with a wet hand.
- Stretch it up and fold it over itself.
- Turn the bowl 90°.
- Repeat 3–4 times.
- Cover and wait 30 minutes.
You'll do this 4–6 times. By the last set the dough will feel smooth, elastic and full of air. It should have visibly grown — maybe 40–50% larger than when you started — and there will be small bubbles across the surface.
Step 4: Shape (11am)
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured worktop. Using a bench scraper, do a preshape:
- Tuck the edges under to form a rough ball.
- Rest 20 minutes uncovered.
Then shape properly:
- Flip the ball so the smooth side is down.
- Fold the bottom third up, the sides in, and the top down like an envelope.
- Roll it away from you into a tight ball.
- Rotate on the worktop with cupped hands to build surface tension.
Place seam-side up in a floured banneton or a colander lined with a floured tea towel.
Step 5: Overnight retard
Cover with cling film or a bag, and put straight into the fridge for 12–14 hours. This slow cold fermentation is where the true San Francisco character develops — the long chill lets Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis keep producing acids while the yeast slows, driving the tang up without over-proofing.
Step 6: Bake (next morning)
An hour before you want to bake, put your cast iron pot with its lid inside the oven and heat to 240°C fan / 260°C conventional. Yes, that hot.
When the oven's up to temperature:
- Take the dough out of the fridge — don't let it warm up first.
- Tip it onto a piece of baking paper.
- Score the top with a sharp knife or lame — one confident slash across the top, about 1cm deep.
- Carefully lift the paper and dough into the hot pot.
- Put the lid on and bake for 25 minutes.
- Remove the lid, reduce heat to 220°C fan / 240°C conventional, bake another 20–25 minutes until the crust is deep mahogany.
Move to a wire rack. Do not cut it for at least an hour — the crumb is still setting inside. Cutting early gives you a gummy loaf.
What to expect from your first San Francisco sourdough loaf
- Crust: Deep gold to mahogany, crackling as it cools.
- Crumb: Open, irregular holes with a translucent, glossy interior.
- Tang: Clean and sharp — brighter than typical UK sourdough. This is the Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis at work.
- Weight: Around 900g, feeling lighter than it looks — a sign of good fermentation.
Troubleshooting
My loaf is flat / didn't rise
Almost always one of three things: starter wasn't at peak when you mixed; bulk ferment was too short (dough needed longer than 4 hours because the kitchen was cool); or you shaped it too loosely. Next time, check the float test on your starter, extend bulk by an hour if the dough hasn't clearly grown, and shape tighter.
The crust is pale even after 45 minutes
Your oven is running cold. Get an oven thermometer — most home ovens are 10–20°C off. Add 20°C to your setting and try again.
The crumb is dense and gummy
Either under-baked (bake 5–10 minutes longer next time), cut too early (wait a full hour), or the bulk ferment stopped short. San Francisco sourdough needs time — don't rush it.
Not enough tang
If you want more of that iconic San Francisco tang, extend the fridge retard to 18–20 hours (up from 12–14). The longer L. sanfranciscensis works the sharper the flavour gets.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make this with any sourdough starter, or does it have to be a San Francisco sourdough starter?
You can technically use any active sourdough starter — but the flavour won't be a real San Francisco sourdough. That sharp signature tang comes specifically from Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis. If your starter has never been genetically tested, it may not contain the organism at all. Ours is the only San Francisco sourdough starter sold in the UK independently confirmed to contain it.
How long does a San Francisco sourdough starter last?
Indefinitely, if you feed it. Our shelf-stable starter can also be dried, refrigerated between bakes, or revived in 2 hours whenever you want to bake — much lower maintenance than a traditional daily-feed starter.
Do I need a Dutch oven?
It helps enormously — the enclosed steam gives the crust its shatter and shine. If you don't have one, bake on a preheated baking sheet with a metal bowl inverted over the loaf for the first 25 minutes, then remove the bowl. Not quite as good as a Dutch oven, but very close.
Can I use wholemeal or rye flour instead?
Yes. Replace up to 20% of the strong white with wholemeal or rye. Any more and the loaf will be denser — beautiful in its own way, but not the classic San Francisco open-crumb style.
Where can I buy a San Francisco sourdough starter in the UK?
Right here — Dough Dough's lab-verified San Francisco sourdough starter is dispatched from London with free next-day UK delivery. Every order comes with the activation guide, so you can be baking within 48 hours of ordering.
What to do with your first loaf
Toast a thick slice, top with cold butter and flaky sea salt, and eat it standing at the counter. That's the traditional first loaf test — and if you nailed the San Francisco tang, you'll know instantly. Then work your way up to baguettes, higher-hydration loaves, or a Tartine-style country bread.
Every one of those recipes works with the same San Francisco sourdough starter you used today. Once it's alive in your kitchen, you can bake anything.
Baking sourdough for the first time and want the guarantee that your culture is the real thing? Every Dough Dough San Francisco sourdough starter ships with our independent DNA-sequencing certificate confirming it contains Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis. Activates in 2 hours; free UK next-day delivery.
