Sourdough & Bread
Bake delicious bread with confidence.
Learn the practical skills behind dependable sourdough, from starter care and fermentation to shaping, scoring, and baking.
There’s something about the aroma of bread baking. It smells of home. And it’s no wonder. People have been baking bread for at least 14,000 years. They did it without measuring cups, timers, or kitchen scales. They just eyeballed it, and it turned out fine.
With this in mind, if you want to learn sourdough baking or improve your loaf, stick around and I’ll guide you through the process.
Sourdough Guides
Start at the beginning or jump in where you need help. These guides are arranged in the order most new sourdough bakers will use them.
Sourdough Recipes
Ready to bake? These recipes live in my recipe collection, while the guides above teach the techniques you’ll use again and again.
Tools That Help
A kitchen scale, dependable mixing container, bench scraper, banneton, lame, thermometer, cooling rack, and a good bread knife are useful. Start with reliable basics and add equipment only when it solves a real problem in your process.
Sourdough & Bread Recipes
Cranberry Walnut Sourdough Bread
My three-day sourdough boule with toasted walnuts and tart-sweet dried cranberries.
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Everything Bagel Sourdough Bread
My savory three-day sourdough boule with everything-bagel seasoning inside and on the crust.
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Pumpkin-Cranberry-Pecan Sourdough
My warmly spiced sourdough loaf with canned pumpkin, tart cranberries, and toasted pecans.
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Toni’s Basic Sourdough Bread
My dependable three-day sourdough boule with a deeply browned crust and tender crumb.
View RecipeRecommended Bread-Baking Tools
365 Organic Whole Wheat Flour
Whole-wheat flour adds flavor and nutrients and is useful for starting or feeding a sourdough culture.
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Airtight Flour Storage Jar
A wide-mouth airtight jar keeps frequently used bread flour tidy, visible, and easy to scoop.
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Bob’s Red Mill White Rice Flour
Rice flour is useful for dusting bannetons because it resists absorbing dough moisture and helps prevent sticking.
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Clear Dough-Proofing Container
Straight sides and visible markings make it easier to monitor dough expansion during bulk fermentation.
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Danish Dough Whisk
The open-loop design combines flour and water efficiently without collecting a heavy mass of dough like a spoon can.
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Dehydrated Sourdough Starter
An established dehydrated culture can shorten the wait for beginners who want to start baking while still learning starter care.
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Flavehc Dark-Cyan Cast-Iron Bread Oven, 9.8 Inch
The domed-lid design creates a covered baking environment that holds steam around the loaf during the first stage of baking.
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Flexible Bowl Scraper
A flexible scraper follows the curve of a mixing bowl and helps move sticky dough cleanly with less waste.
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King Arthur Organic Bread Flour
A dependable bread flour gives sourdough dough the strength it needs for good structure, fermentation, and oven spring.
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Reusable Bread Storage Bags
Reusable bread bags offer a simple way to store homemade loaves while reducing reliance on disposable bags.
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Round and Oval Banneton Basket Set
A round-and-oval set makes it easy to proof both boule and batard shapes while supporting the dough before baking.
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Serrated Bread Knife
A long serrated blade cuts through a crisp sourdough crust with less crushing and fewer ragged slices.
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Sourdough Starter Jar Kit
A straight-sided clear jar makes it easier to mark the feeding level and judge how predictably a starter rises.
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Stainless-Steel Bench Scraper
A firm metal scraper makes dividing, lifting, shaping, and clearing sticky dough from the work surface much easier.
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Stainless-Steel Cooling Rack
A sturdy open rack lets air circulate beneath a baked loaf so the crust stays crisp while the crumb finishes setting.
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