Your First Sourdough Bake

Ok! Your starter is thriving, and now it's time for your very first bake.

There really isn’t any such thing as a foolproof sourdough recipe, but the following method should make your first bake as easy as 1-2-3. Literally. We’re using the “1-2-3 Sourdough Method” that calls for 1 part starter, 2 parts water, and 3 parts flour.

We’ll also be adding 2% salt which is a good rule of thumb for most bread baking. We break it down for beginner bakers in the easiest way possible below.

Twice the bread, twice the practice.

We recommend making this two-loaf-yielding recipe for beginner bakers. Why? First, it is actually easier to perform stretch & folds on a larger amount of dough because the weight of it helps work in your favor. Second, you’ll get twice the practice shaping, scoring and baking. And, finally, you get two loaves of bread instead of one! You can give one to a neighbor or friend, or just pop one in the freezer, ready to defrost anytime you want fresh bread.

If you want to only yield one loaf, you can cut all ingredients in half. 

The first thing we need to do is build our levain.

A levain is simply a separate feeding of your starter, which will be used for the dough. This is part of the recipe, so follow it and the timings as closely as possible for the best chance at a good result. 

We are going to give two options of levain builds for you to choose from; the first is an overnight levain for making dough first thing in the morning, and the second is a morning levain build for making dough around lunchtime.

We want to give plenty of time for the dough to bulk ferment during a time that we can watch it, so plan accordingly based on your schedule. Use the overnight levain build, and if you aren’t ready to make dough 12 hours later, discard from that and feed again according to the morning levain build. 

What is a Levain?

Levain (or leaven) is an offshoot of your starter which is used for a specific bake. In professional dough recipes, the levain build is always included, detailing the feed ratio and hydration that the levain should be, along with approximate ripening times.

This should be considered part of the recipe itself, as it will help ensure consistent results. 

Option 1: Overnight Levain

Mix the below ingredients together and let sit, covered but not sealed, at room temperature. This levain should ripen in 10-12 hours. You’ll know it’s ripe when it has at least doubled in size and has lots of bubbles with a pleasantly sour smell.

• 20g Starter
• 100g Room Temperature Water 
• 100g All Purpose or Bread Flour (we recommend King Arthur)

Option 2: Morning Levain

Mix the below ingredients together and let sit, covered but not sealed, at room temperature. This levain should ripen in 4-5 hours. You’ll know it’s ripe when it has at least doubled in size and has lots of bubbles with a pleasantly sour smell.

• 60g Starter
• 75g Lukewarm Water
• 75g All Purpose or Bread Flour (we recommend King Arthur)

Once your levain is ripe and ready to be used, you’ll start to build the dough.  

Dough Ingredients

• 600g All Purpose or Bread Flour (11-13% protein like this one)
• 400g Water (see Baker's Notes for water temperature)
• 200g Levain
• 12g Salt 

Things You’ll Need

• Kitchen Scale

• Probe Thermometer
• Large Mixing Bowl (preferably insulated with cover, 3-4qt size)
• Danish Dough Whisk, wooden spoon or spatula
• Dough Scraper
• 2 Oval Bannetons (or 5” x 9” loaf pans lined with a tea towels)
• Dutch Oven or Enamel Roaster (we like the Challenger Bread Pan or Lodge Dutch Oven)
• Lame, razor blade or sharp paring knife for scoring (get 15% off at Wire Monkey Lames by using code GEEKS15)

Baker’s Notes

• This recipe and the timings have been tested with dough temperatures ranging from 72°F - 78°F (22 - 26°C) and bulk fermentation times ranging from 3 hours (78°F) to 5 hours (72°F).
• Periodically check the dough temperature using a probe thermometer to ensure it is maintaining constant. If the temperature drops, this will increase the amount of bulk fermentation necessary, and if it rises this will shorten bulk fermentation time. 
• Try not to have expectations going into your first bake. This craft is a lifelong pursuit that takes repetition and practice to excel at. That said, take notes along the way, so that you can make adjustments for subsequent bakes. The more accurate your note taking, the easier that will be.
• You can substitute 10-20% of the flour with whole wheat bread flour if you would prefer to add some whole grain to your loaf. (I used 250g King Arthur Bread Flour and 50g Janie’s Mill Whole Kernel Bread Flour). 

Example Timetable Based on Dough Temperature

Okay, you have your bowl, whisk and ingredients ready? Let’s start! 

1. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, using warm water (80-85°F) to achieve a final dough temperature of 75-76°F.
   
   An insulated bowl with cover is best, to help maintain consistent temperature throughout bulk fermentation. Because you have added starter in the initial mix, bulk fermentation has begun.
   
   
2. Using a dough whisk, wooden spoon, or spatula, mix all ingredients until a shaggy dough forms with no clumps of flour or any dry bits remaining.
   
   Cover dough and rest based on the dough temperature timetable.
   
   
3. Perform a set of stretch and folds, by taking dough from the edge, stretching it up and folding it over the top of the dough. Do this all the way around the dough until it tightens up and resists further stretching.
   
   Cover and rest based on the dough temperature timetable.
    
4. Repeat the stretch and fold two more times (total of three). You want to avoid tearing the dough, and by the last set of stretch and fold, the dough should be smooth and hold its shape in the bowl.
   
   
5. After the last set of stretch and folds, allow the dough to rest covered with a bowl lid of cling film for the remainder of bulk fermentation. Bulk fermentation (also called the first rise) should total four hours at 76°F. If your room temperature is higher or lower, that will impact the fermentation time.
   
   Before you move to the next step, you’re looking for your dough to have doubled in size, domed or slightly domed shape, be smooth and shiny on top, and easily jiggle when you gently shake the bowl.
   
   
6. Next, tilt the bowl over a work surface, and use a bench scraper or wet your fingers and use your hand to help coax the dough out of the bowl onto a working surface. You don’t want flour on the work surface here, as it will prevent you from building tension in the dough. Divide the dough roughly in half, or use your scale to weigh them out at just over 600g each.
   
   Using the bench scraper in your dominant hand, you want to gently round each dough by sliding it under the dough in a circular motion and pulling toward you. Repeat this a few times until it is in a loosely round shape with a bit of surface tension on the top.
   
   Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
   
   
7. For final shaping, you want to lightly flour the top of each dough, gently rubbing it in so that the top of the dough isn't sticky.
   
   Using your bench scraper, quickly slide it under the dough and flip it so that the floured side is down on a clean section of the work surface (don’t flip it right where it is). Tease the dough out into a roughly rectangle shape, slightly wider than it is long.
   
   Gently fold each of the sides of dough in toward the center like an envelope, then roll the dough up into a log either toward your or away from you, whichever feels more comfortable. When finished rolling, make sure the seam is on the bottom then leave it for a few minutes to seal the seam while you get the banneton ready.
   
   
8. You can use 10” lined oval bannetons for these, or 5” x 9” loaf pans lined with tea towels. Lightly flour each to help ensure the dough doesn't stick, then take your bench scraper and slide it under the dough and flip it upside down into the proofing container so that the seam is now on top. If the seam isn’t completely sealed, use your fingers to pinch it closed all the way across.
   
   
9. Rest dough at room temperature for 30 minutes, then place covered in the fridge for 12-24 hours. This is called the cold fermentation or cold retard, from the French word to ‘slow down”.
   
   
10. To bake, preheat your oven to 500°F (260°C) with a dutch oven or roaster inside.
    
    Once preheated, take your dough out of the fridge and turn it out onto a surface that is lightly dusted with flour (semolina or cornmeal works best, but bread flour is ok). This will prevent it from sticking.
    
    
11. To score the loaf, take your blade (lame) and angle it at about 45°, cutting down the length of the dough about ¼” deep and just off center.
    
    
12. Using oven gloves, take your preheated vessel out and place on top of your stove. If using either of the Lodge cast iron pieces, make sure the shallow side is being used as the base. Take the lid off and then slide the dough gently into the vessel, then quickly cover and place into the oven.
    
    For a little more steam production, you can give the dough a couple of spritzes of water from a spray bottle, but we do not recommend putting ice cubes into cast iron.
    
    
13. Bake covered for 20 minutes at 500°F, then remove the cover and continue baking another 15-20 minutes at 450-475°F.
    
    You may need to adjust your oven temperature up or down a bit, depending on the oven, but this is a good range to use.
    
    
14. Once colored to your liking, and baked to a minimum internal temperature of 203°F (95°C), remove to a cooling rack and allow to fully cool before slicing (1-2 hours).

You did it! Your first loaf is in the books. Share it (good, bad or ugly 😅) with us in the private Sourdough Geeks Community!