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Hello! Let’s go back to our bread making adventures! This is where we make the bread! So, if you’ve already made your Sourdough Starter with All-Purpose Flour and reached day 11 or 12, you’re ready to bake your first loaf.

Before you jump into the recipe, here’s a handy guide to help you feed your starter based on when you plan to bake. For example, if you use 25g starter + 75g water + 75g flour (that’s a 1:3:3 feeding), it’ll peak in about 8-10 hours.

The idea is to schedule that last feeding so your starter peaks right before you start mixing the dough.

Total Time: From Feeding to Fresh Bread

From the moment you feed your starter to slicing into your golden, crusty loaf, expect a total of 20 to 27 hours, depending on your feeding ratio and fermentation times. Don’t worry—most of that time is hands-off! Here’s a typical timeline I follow:

• Starter feeding (1:3:3 ratio): wait 8–10 hours for it to peak
• Make the dough: ~20 minutes
• Bulk fermentation (includes stretching & folding): ~3.5 to 4 hours
  • First rest: 1 hour → stretch & fold
  • Second rest: 30 min → stretch & fold
  • Third rest: 30 min → stretch & fold
  • Fourth rest: 30 min → stretch & fold (optional, depending on dough feel)
• Shaping the dough: ~10 minutes
• Cold proof in the fridge: 8–10 hours
• Baking & cooling: ~3 hours
  • Score dough, bake → 1 hour
  • Cool on a wire rack → 2 hours

Below you’ll find our go-to sourdough bread recipe—simple ingredients, minimal tools, and just a few stretch-and-folds. Let’s bake!

Kitty

All-Purpose Flour Sourdough Bread

Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients:
100 grams sourdough starter
350 grams filtered water (room temperature)
500 grams all-purpose flour
10 grams salt

Directions:

1. Make the dough: Stir your starter to deflate some bubbles, making it easier to pour. In a large bowl, weigh 100 grams of starter. Add 350 grams of water and mix with a whisk or spoon until the starter is fully dissolved—it should look like foamy milk. Add 500 grams of all-purpose flour and mix thoroughly with a spoon or your hands. Cover with a clean, damp towel and let the dough rest for 1 hour to allow the flour to fully hydrate.
2. First rest & seasoning: After one hour, sprinkle the salt evenly over the dough. Using a spatula or your hands, grab one side of the dough and fold it toward the center. Rotate the bowl 90º and repeat the fold. Continue this process until you’ve folded all four sides. Cover with the damp towel and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
3. Stretch & folds: Dip your hands in water to prevent sticking. Grab one side of the dough, gently stretch it upward, and fold it over itself. Rotate the bowl 90º and repeat. Complete four stretch-and-folds in total. Cover and let the dough rest for 30 minutes. Repeat this stretch-and-fold process two more times, for a total of three rounds. By the last round, the dough should look smoother. If it still appears very sticky or loose, you can add one or two extra rounds based on its texture and the humidity.
4. Pre-shaping & final rise: After the final stretch and fold, place the dough on a lightly floured countertop. Using a bench scraper and your hands, shape the dough by pushing it with the scraper while gently tucking the sides under to create surface tension. Repeat until you form a round dough ball. Prepare a clean bowl lined with a floured kitchen towel. Transfer the dough to the bowl, cover with the towel, and place a dish over the top to fully cover it. Let the dough rest in the fridge for 8–10 hours. Take a look at this video for preshape.
5. Bake: When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 475ºF (245ºC) with a Dutch oven (with its lid) inside. Remove the dough from the fridge and transfer it onto a sheet of parchment paper for easier handling. Score the top with a sharp knife or a bread lame to allow controlled expansion. Once the oven is fully preheated, carefully remove the Dutch oven, take off the lid, and place the dough inside using the parchment paper. Cover and bake for 35 minutes. Then, reduce the temperature to 425ºF (218ºC), remove the lid, and bake for another 15 minutes until the crust is golden brown. The bread is fully baked when its internal temperature reaches around 204°F (95°C).
6. Cool & Slice: Transfer the loaf to a wire rack and let it cool for at least 2 hours before slicing. This allows the flavors to develop and the interior to set properly. Enjoy!

Have you made this recipe?

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This post is also available in / Esta entrada también está disponible en ESPAÑOL (SPANISH)