This homemade artisan sourdough loaf is probably one of the best recipes I’ve made. I retested this 9 times to make sure it was perfect. I hope you love it as much as we do. Crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. This is the base recipe and you can add all kinds of fillings! Have fun with it! I wanted to find what worked best for my schedule and since I work from home, I like doing the majority throughout the day and then baking it the next morning rather than starting at night. I’m too tired by night time these days haha! So hopefully this schedule works well for you too!

Some benefits of sourdough bread:

1. It’s easier to digest than most breads. The long fermentation breaks down a lot of the starches, which means it’s already starting the digestion process for you. Also, it’s usually easier to digest even for those that are sensitive to gluten.
2. It’s filled with probiotics and amazing nutrients. It has probiotics and lactic acid from the fermentation process. The probiotics are good for your gut and the lactic acid also helps you to break it down and digest it.
3. It’s lower glycemic since it’s a fermented food. That means it doesn’t cause as much of a blood sugar spike when you eat it.
4. It feeds our family and is cheaper than bread at the store! It’s also made with simpler ingredients. Just flour, water, sourdough starter, and sea salt. You can’t beat that!
5. We use it for lots of things like toast, sandwiches, french toast, breadcrumbs, etc.

What you need to make homemade artisan sourdough loaf + substitutions:

• Sourdough starter- Everyone has a different way of doing their sourdough starter. I feel like it can feel so overwhelming but it doesn’t have to be. I’ve always followed the same way and it has worked every time! I feed my starter equal parts. So I will usually empty my jar so there is 50g of starter in there. I’ll typically take the discard and put it in a separate jar to save for discard recipes. Then, I’ll add in 50g of all-purpose flour, and 50g of purified water. Mix it well and leave it on the counter to rise for about 8 hours before adding it into a recipe. If I’m baking often, I’ll leave it on the counter and just feed it everyday. If not, I’ll leave it in the fridge and feed it once a week or just before when I’m going to use it. I’ve never made my starter myself because my neighbor actually shared hers with me years ago and it’s still doing wonderful! This is the one she bought!
• Water- Whenever I’m baking bread or feeding my sourdough starter, I use room temperature purified water. We actually have a Berkey water filter and LOVE it! So I just use my water straight from there.
• All-purpose flour- My favorite and go-to brand of flour is King Arthur. I buy organic when I can! I’ll buy the organic bag from Thrive Market or I’ll get the 5lb bag from Costco. That one isn’t organic but it’s still great and perfect for this homemade artisan sourdough loaf. Bread flour works for this recipe too, but I haven’t tried any other flour personally. I do know that gluten-free flour doesn’t work the same for this recipe!
• Sea salt- Our go-to sea salt is from Redmond always. We buy it in bulk from their website. It’s unrefined sea alt meaning that it still contains the beneficial trace minerals! It’s also pure and unprocessed with is the best. You can use the code daddioskitchen for 15% off on their website.

Equipment I used:

• Food Scale- I use this for all my sourdough recipes and for feeding my starter. It really comes in handy and is more precise for measuring. That’s why most recipes use it! Also it makes less dishes because you don’t need measuring cups. I love this one, but you can use any scale for this homemade artisan sourdough loaf.
• Banneton– Not all sourdough recipes call for a banneton, but when they are higher hydration (meaning there is more water in the dough so it’s softer) they do. I got this one and it works great. If you don’t have one, you can always use a bowl with tea towel or apron or something that’s thin like that!
• Dutch oven- I recently got this new dutch oven for bread baking and I am in love. It’s white with a gold top and so much more affordable than most. I love a Le Cresuet, because it’s beautiful and classic, and I usually use the one my mom passed down to me. However, this dutch oven works just as well and is beautiful!
• Thermometer- Another item that’s not required at all! We just already have one for all our meat but I’ve used it plenty of times for my bread to make sure it’s done. A good rule of thumb is making sure your bread reaches 200F inside when it’s done.
• Bench scraper- Having one of these is also super helpful. It makes it easy to shape your dough ball, to pick it up, and also to clean your countertop and scoop up stuff. We use it for a ton of things like transferring chopped onions to a pot, etc.
• Dough hook- This is definitely not required, but I love my dough hook. I use it for mixing everything instead of a whisk, and it works wonders. I got mine from the Food Nanny, but hers are always sold out. Most sourdough recipes call for using your hands, so that works just fine too.
• Bread lame- This is the best to have to score your sourdough. Scoring the top helps the steam to release while the bread is cooking so it can rise well. I’ve used a sharp knife and it works too, but it doesn’t work nearly as well as a bread lame.
• Shower caps- Using a shower cap is my favorite hack for covering your bowl when you let the dough rest. Since the side is elastic it fits right over the bowl perfectly. I reuse mine a ton of times instead of using plastic wrap for this homemade artisan sourdough loaf.
• Weck jars- These are the best jars. One of my favorites and my personal preference when it comes to jars. I especially love it for my sourdough starter, because of the wide top and they’re so pretty.
• Bread bow- This is 100% not required but this is hands down the best way to cut bread! If you want your bread to cut easily and in more perfect slices a bread bow will be your best friend. It blows my mind how easily it cuts through my bread. I recently got this bread bow and it’s beautiful!

Sample Baking Schedule:

8pm (Night before)- Feed starter

8am- Mix dough

9am- Add salt & additional water

10am- Stretch & fold (1)

11am- Stretch & fold (2)

12pm- Stretch & fold (3)

12-4pm- Bulk rise on the counter

4pm- Pour out onto the counter, form into a ball, let rest 30 minutes.

4:30pm- Press into a rectangle, push and pull into a ball and place upside down in a floured banneton. Place in the fridge for 12-24 hours until ready to bake!

8am- Preheat oven

8:30am- Bake!

Other sourdough recipes you will love:

• Easy & Fluffy Sourdough Pancakes
• Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Homemade Sourdough Bread

Alright, let’s get to making the recipe! Enjoy!

Print Recipe

5 from 3 votes

Homemade Artisan Sourdough Loaf

This homemade artisan sourdough loaf is probably one of the best recipes I've made. I retested this 9 times to make sure it was perfect. I hope you love it as much as we do. Crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. This is the base recipe and you can add all kinds of fillings! Have fun with it! I wanted to find what worked best for my schedule and since I work from home, I like doing the majority throughout the day and then baking it the next morning rather than starting at night. I'm too tired by night time these days haha! So hopefully this schedule works well for you too!

Course: Breakfast, dinner, Side Dish

Keyword: artisan, bread, breakfast, dinner, homemade, kid friendly, sourdough, sourdough starter

Ingredients

• 125 g sourdough starter (fed & active)
• 340 g water (set aside 10g for adding the salt)
• 500 g all-purpose flour
• 12 g sea salt

Instructions

Feed Starter:

• Feed your sourdough starter about 6-12 hours before you plan to use it. It's usually ready earlier in the summer than winter. I always do equal parts so I'll typically have 50g of starter in my jar and feed it 50g of all-purpose flour & 50g of filtered water. I usually feed mine the night before and then start the process in the morning.

Mix Bread:

• In a large mixing bowl, add sourdough starter, 330g of water, and flour. Mix well until you get a shaggy ball. I'll usually start mixing with my dough hook and then finishing mixing with my hands. Cover with a shower cap, plastic wrap, or a damp dish towel for 1 hour.
• Add in the sea salt and remaining 10g of water. Mix it in with your hands to get it nice and incorporated. Mix for about 3 minutes until you no longer feel the salt and you can form into more of a ball. Cover and let it rest for an hour.
• After the hour is up, you're going to perform 3 sets of stretch of folds over about a 3 hour period. To start, perform the 1st set of stretch and folds. Take one side of the dough and pull it up and fold it over itself. Turn the bowl and do that on all 4 sides of the dough. Then cover and let it rest. You're going to do that again after another 30 min-1 hour. Whatever works best for your schedule. After the second one, wait another 30 min- 1 hour and then do the last (3rd) set of stretch and folds. This helps build tension in the dough and will give it a better rise. This step with take anywhere from 1.5 hours to 3 hours. In the summer, I'd do closer to 30 minutes and in the winter I usually like to let it go closer to an hour. Both work!

Bulk Rise:

• Next, you'll cover the bowl and leave the bread on the counter for it's bulk rise! I'd let it rise anywhere from 3-5 hours until it's risen a bit (it won't double) and it has bubbles forming in the bottom of the bowl.

To Form a Ball:

• Next, dump your dough onto a floured surface. Gently form into a ball and let rest 20 minutes.
• Once it's rested, press your dough gently into a rectangle. Then you're going to fold your dough over one side and then fold the other side overtop of it so it looks like a long rectangle. Then take your dough and roll it over itself so it's a cylinder.
• Then you're going to push the dough away from you and pull it back, which creates tension in the dough. This will gently form the dough into a ball. Do this about 15-20 times until it's a nice ball.
• Then you're going to use a bench scraper to lift your dough ball and place it upside down in a floured banneton. (Or you can also use a bowl with a tea towel.)
• Pinch the dough on the bottom to make sure it's tight. Cover your banneton and place it in the fridge to slowly rise for 12-24 hours.

Bake:

• When you're ready to bake your bread, preheat your oven to 500F degrees with your dutch oven in there.
• Once it's preheated, dump your dough out onto a piece of parchment paper. Score the top of your bread. Pick up your dough by grabbing the sides of the parchment paper and place it into the hot dutch oven. Cover the dutch oven.
• Turn the heat down to 450F degrees. Bake your bread covered for 20 minutes. Then uncover the top and cook for an additional 20-25 minutes until your bread reaches 200F degrees internally. Let rest 1 hour before slicing into your bread so it doesn't get a gummy texture. Enjoy!!

Notes

For Storing: Store in a bread bag, plastic bag, etc on the counter for 2-3 days.

For Freezing: I find the bread stays best if you cut it into slices and freeze it in a ziploc or reusable plastic bag in the freezer. Just thaw a slice on the counter or reheat in your toaster!