BakeMemoBaking guide · 07
How to make a basic sourdough loaf
A plain white boule leavened only by natural starter: the formula, the timeline from active starter to cooled loaf, and what each stage should look like.
Formula (one round loaf)
| Ingredient | Weight | Baker’s % |
|---|---|---|
| Bread flour | 450 g | 100% |
| Water | 324 g | 72% |
| Sourdough starter (levain) | 90 g | 20% |
| Salt | 9 g | 2% |
Counting added water only, hydration is 72%. Counting the flour and water in a 100% starter, total hydration is about 74.5%. The maths is in how to calculate dough hydration.
Before you start: use an active starter
Use the starter 4–8 hours after feeding, when a spoonful floats in water. Ratios and readiness cues are in how to feed a sourdough starter.
Timeline and what to look for
| Stage | What to do | Checkpoint |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Mix | Mix active starter, water and flour; hold back the salt | Evenly mixed, no dry flour left in the bowl |
| 2 Rest · 40 min · 25°C | Cover and let the gluten develop on its own, then mix in the salt | Salt fully worked in |
| 3 Bulk · about 5 h · 25°C | Cover at room temperature; with wet hands, stretch and fold every 30 minutes, 3–4 times | About 1.5× in volume, a web of bubbles at the surface and edges |
| 4 Shape | Turn out, pat gently to release some gas, fold the edges to the centre into a tight round, seam-side down into a floured banneton | Taut surface that springs back slowly |
| 5 Cold proof · about 12 h · 5°C | Bag and refrigerate overnight — easier to score, more flavour | A poke fills back about halfway: ready to bake |
| 6 Score | Turn the cold dough onto parchment and make one quick, deep slash | One clean cut — don’t saw back and forth |
| 7 Bake | Preheat a covered Dutch oven at 250°C for 45 min; bake covered 20 min, then uncover, lower to 230°C and bake 20–25 min more | Score opens with an ear, crust deep brown |
| 8 Cool · at least 2 h | Cool completely before slicing | Fully cool inside |
Three common mistakes
- Following someone else’s clock. Every starter has its own vigour, so five hours is only a guide: go by 1.5× volume and a web of bubbles. Over-proofed dough collapses and turns very sour.
- An oven or pot that isn’t fully hot. Without enough heat the loaf won’t spring and bakes up flat.
- Cutting too soon. Slice it hot and the inside turns gummy and the crumb gets squashed.
No banneton or Dutch oven?
A cloth-lined bowl works as a banneton. Without a Dutch oven, bake on a sheet pan with a tray of hot water in the oven for steam.
What to write down
Sourdough has a lot of moving parts: starter state, dough temperature, bulk time and rise, cold-proof time. At the very least note how much the dough rose in bulk — if the loaf comes out dense or flat, it’s what tells under- from over-proofing. See bread didn’t turn out? How to review it.
Bake this one in the app
This Basic White Sourdough is one of BakeMemo’s recipes. Follow it step by step with a checkpoint and a common pitfall on every step, run a timer on any step, then do an after-bake check. 62 recipes and your first three bakes are free, no sign-up.
Download on theApp Store — freeFormula and steps come from BakeMemo’s built-in recipe “Basic White Sourdough”. Times and temperatures are a starting point — go by how your dough looks.