Dough Dough Guides
This is the exact loaf I'd put in front of a complete beginner — a simple white sourdough with nothing fancy about it. Most of the "work" is just waiting, and once you've followed it through once, you'll have the rhythm for every loaf you bake after.
By Richard — I've baked this loaf more times than I can count for our Airbnb guests. It's the one I reach for when I want something reliable, and the one I teach first.
What you'll need
Ingredients (makes one loaf)
- 500g strong white bread flour
- 350g water (that's 70% hydration — a forgiving place to start)
- 100g active sourdough starter, at its peak
- 10g fine salt
Kit
A mixing bowl, a banneton (or a bowl lined with a floured tea towel), a cast-iron Dutch oven or any heavy lidded pot, and a sharp blade for scoring. Don't have some of it? Every one of these has an easy swap — see my How I Bake guide.
The timeline (mostly hands-off)
Don't let the hours scare you — the actual hands-on time is about 30 minutes spread across the day. A typical schedule:
| When | What |
|---|---|
| Morning | Feed your starter so it's at peak by early afternoon |
| Early afternoon | Mix the dough |
| Afternoon (4–6 hrs) | Bulk ferment with a few stretch-and-folds |
| Evening | Shape, then into the fridge |
| Overnight | Cold proof in the fridge (8–16 hrs) |
| Next morning | Score and bake |
Step by step
- Wake your starter. Feed it in the morning and use it at its peak — bubbly, domed, and floating in water. If yours is sluggish, my starter care and starter troubleshooting guides will sort it.
- Mix. Whisk the starter into the water, then add the flour and mix to a shaggy, lumpy dough with no dry patches. Cover and rest 30–60 minutes (this is the autolyse — it makes the dough easier to work). Then add the salt and squeeze it through until smooth. Aim for a dough temperature around 25°C by warming or cooling your water — it's the single best thing you can do for consistent results.
- Build strength. Over the next 2–3 hours, give the dough 3–4 sets of stretch-and-folds, about 30 minutes apart: wet your hand, grab one side, stretch it up and fold it over the middle, turn the bowl and repeat all the way round. The dough will go from slack to smooth and elastic.
- Bulk ferment. Now let it rise until it's grown by about 30–50%, domed and airy — watch the dough, not the clock (here's how to tell when it's done). In my 22–23°C kitchen that's roughly 5–6 hours; warmer kitchens are quicker.
- Shape. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface, pre-shape into a loose round, rest 20 minutes, then do your final shape into a tight boule or batard (full method in my shaping guide). Place it seam-side up in a floured banneton.
- Cold proof. Cover and refrigerate overnight, 8–16 hours. This deepens the flavour and — just as importantly for a beginner — firms the dough so it scores cleanly straight from the fridge.
- Score and bake. Preheat your Dutch oven (lid on) to 250°C until it's screaming hot. Turn the cold loaf out onto baking paper, score it with one confident cut, and lower it in. Bake lid on for 20 minutes to trap steam, then lid off for 20–25 minutes until deep golden and the internal temperature reaches ~98°C.
- Cool — properly. Lift it onto a wire rack and leave it at least an hour before slicing. It's still cooking inside as it cools; cut it hot and the crumb turns gummy. This is the hardest step. Wait anyway.
Your first loaf starts with a lively culture. Ours is live, organic and active in 2 hours — so you can start baking the same day it arrives.
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