The ultimate sourdough boule or battard recipe! This high-hydration sourdough recipe is easy to make, beginner-friendly, and requires almost no kneading! It’s crisp on the outside and soft and airy on the inside. Perfect for dipping in oil or for sandwiches.
This is my go-to recipe for homemade sourdough bread that always turns out perfect! I first learned to bake sourdough by taking a class that taught traditional methods. The recipes were finicky, requiring lots of kneading and precise timing. The results were dense whole wheat loaves that we just didn’t love.
After trying numerous other sourdough recipes, I finally landed on this one that is easy, non-finicky, and has the best taste. It’s soft and chewy inside with lots of big holes, a lacy texture, an open crumb, and perfectly crusty on the outside. It is practically no-knead, and the timing is no big deal – if you need to stop to go out or sleep, just put it in the fridge.
This homemade sourdough bread recipe is so easy and good that I make it at least once a week. It’s the perfect accompaniment for soup, avocado toast, or bruschetta.
What is Sourdough?
Sourdough is bread made using a natural fermentation process with a live starter, flour, and water. Unlike bread made with commercial yeast, sourdough develops its rise and tangy flavor through slow fermentation from wild yeast, resulting in a more complex taste and a chewy, airy texture. Once you have a strong sourdough starter, it can be used forever! You can make many things with your starter, from Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls to this simple boule or batard. Sourdough may be healthier than other baked goods as the live cultures and natural fermentation process reduce the glycemic index.
How do You Get an Open Structure in Sourdough Bread?
Some people like dense sourdough bread, but if you prefer crusty loaves that are soft and airy inside with lots of big holes and an open crumb, this is your recipe.
Open Crumb Sourdough Secrets:
Use a high-hydration recipe – around 75% is perfect.
Strong starter: A strong starter is key to optimal fermentation and oven spring.
Choose an oval banneton rather than a round-shaped proofing basket.
Use bread flour rather than all-purpose, as its higher protein content allows for better gluten development, rise, and chewier texture.
Don’t over-proof your dough, or it may collapse.
What Does High Hydration Sourdough Mean?
High-hydration sourdough typically refers to doughs with a 70% or higher hydration level. Here’s a general breakdown of hydration levels in sourdough baking:
Low Hydration (50-65%): These doughs are stiff and firm. They’re easier to handle but produce denser bread, such as sandwich loaves or bagels.
Moderate Hydration (66-70%): These doughs are more elastic and airy, yielding open crumbs. They strike a balance between ease of handling and good texture.
High Hydration (71-85%): These doughs are wetter, stickier, and require more skill. They create loaves with a more open crumb, a thinner crust, and a slightly chewier texture. Examples include ciabatta and some artisan country-style loaves.
Very High Hydration (86%+): These extremely wet doughs often need special handling techniques (like coil folds or lamination). They produce ultra-open crumbs and are common in specialty baking.
This recipe has 500 grams of flour and 375 grams of water, making it 75% hydration sourdough. This is the sweet spot for an easy yet delicious sourdough bread that is light and airy inside but not too challenging to work with.
What You’ll Need: Sourdough Ingredients & Equipment
Ingredients
Sourdough starter: Use a starter that’s been fed enough for your recipe and is at its peak, having just started to fall and filled with bubbles.
Water: Room temperature or lukewarm water is best. Too hot, and you can kill the wild yeast, while cold will slow down the fermentation process.
Bread flour: The best flour for high-hydration sourdough texture.
Salt: Fine sea salt adds flavor to your recipe.
White rice flour: Opitona, but rice flour is best for dusting your loaf before scoring and baking as it doesn’t burn as easily as wheat flour.
Equipment
The exact products I use are linked at the bottom of the recipe card.
Kitchen scale
Proofing basket
Parchment paper
Bread lame
Dutch Oven
How to Make Artisan Sourdough Bread
Build a Levain
The first step in a strong sourdough bread is a strong sourdough starter. Feed your starter with enough flour and water to create enough levain for your recipe. For this recipe, I make a levain with 40 grams starter, 80 grams water, and 80 grams flour, so there is extra to continue feeding. It’s ready to use when it has at least doubled in size, is filled with bubbles, and has just begun to fall.
Make the Dough
This easy sourdough recipe doesn’t require an electric mixer. I stir everything together in one bowl set on my kitchen scale. First, mix the starter with water, then add the flour and salt to combine into a sticky, shaggy dough. Let the dough rest, covered with a kitchen towel, for about 30 minutes to autolyze. The flour will hydrate and become much easier to handle.
Bulk Rise
After a few stretch-and-folds (if you have time), the dough needs to rest for hours to ferment at room temperature. It’s ready to use once it has doubled and looks like the photo above with lots of bubbles. A straight-sided container like this makes it easy to see when the dough has doubled. It can be more challenging when using a regular bowl.
Shape
Gently shape your sourdough into a boule or batard shape. See the video here for how I make a batard. Work gently so you don’t degas the dough, though you do want to build some tension.
Second Rise
The second rise, or final ferment, happens in the refrigerator. The shape and structure will set up during this time. You can leave your dough in the fridge for an hour or up to 3 days. I find it best after 12-24 hours in the refrigerator.
Score
Shallow scores like wheat stalks are decorative and won’t affect the final product. However, making one deep score down the middle, along the side, or in an x shape is important to allow the bread to expand with maximum oven spring.
Make any decorative shallow scores first; just before placing the dough into the oven, make one deeper slash. She shallow marks should just pierce the “skin,” while the deeper ones should be about 3/4″ deep.
Bake
A Dutch oven is the best way to bake sourdough boules and batards, as you can create a very controlled and hot environment with the perfect amount of steam. Preheating the Dutch oven to 500 degrees helps develop the initial oven spring and crust. This is how we get crusty artisan loves that are soft and delicate inside. I use the same Le Creuset I have been using for 20 years. There are also bread ovens that are easier to use as the lid is the domed part.
Cool Completely
It’s tempting to immediately cut into a warm loaf of sourdough bread. However, it’s best to let loaves cool completely as the inside will continue to set up, and more moisture will be retained inside.
FAQ: High-hydration sourdough
1. Can I use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour?
Yes, you can use all-purpose flour, but the dough may be less elastic due to its lower protein content. Bread flour is recommended for better gluten development and structure.
2. How do I know if my sourdough starter is active enough?
Your starter is ready to use when it has doubled in size and is bubbly. The best time to use a starter is after it has reached its peak height and just started falling. All starters are different, but most do well being fed 4-6 hours before making sourdough. If your starter is strong and established, you can make the levain (feed the starter) before bed. In this case, use colder water to slow down the process.
3. How should I handle this sticky dough?
High-hydration dough is naturally sticky. To make handling easier, keep your hands wet, use a bench scraper, and perform gentle stretch-and-folds during the bulk fermentation process. You can use a little flour on your hands and work surface for shaping. Do not add more flour to the dough itself.
4. How do I store the baked bread?
Store sourdough at room temperature in a paper bag or wrapped in a clean kitchen towel for up to 3 days. For longer storage, slice and freeze it in an airtight bag.
5. What if I don’t have time to bake the same day?
You can refrigerate the dough during bulk fermentation and during the final ferment. This slows fermentation and adds flavor. Bake directly from the fridge when ready.
6. Why didn’t my bread rise properly?
This could be due to an underactive starter, insufficient gluten development, or overproofing.
7. What temperature should a sourdough boule be when done?
You can use a meat thermometer inserted into the middle of the loaf to check for doneness. Artisan sourdough is done when it is 205-210 degrees F.
Sourdough Baker’s Timelines
Option 1: Feed Starter Before Bed
Evening (Day 1):
Feed your sourdough starter before bed and let it sit at room temperature to activate overnight. Use cold water to slow down the fermentation. Choose this option only if you have a strong, established starter.
Morning (Day 2):
Make the dough and let it bulk ferment all morning and into the afternoon.
Afternoon (Day 2):
Shape the dough and place it in a floured proofing basket.
Refrigerate the shaped dough for at least one hour and up to 3 days.
Baking Day (Evening of day 2 or up to Day 5):
Bake directly from the fridge whenever ready.
Option 2: Feed Starter in the Morning
Morning (Day 1):
Feed your starter and let it sit at room temperature to activate for 4-6 hours.
Afternoon (Day 1):
Make the dough and let it ferment until it doubles in size.
Evening (Day 1):
Shape the dough and place it in a floured proofing basket. Refrigerate the shaped dough for cold fermentation.
Baking Day (Day 2 or up to Day 4):
Bake directly from the fridge whenever ready.
Option 3: Overnight Bulk Ferment
Afternoon (Day 1):
Feed your starter and let sit at room temperature so activate for 4-6 hours.
Evening (Day 1):
Reduce the starter amount to 50 grams of starter in this recipe to slow the fermentation. Make the dough, rest, and perform a stretch and fold or two if you have time. Let it ferment overnight, covered with a damp towel, at room temperature (around 70 degrees F) until it doubles in size.
Morning (Day 2):
Shape and refrigerate the dough for cold fermentation.
This recipe makes one loaf of sourdough bread that is perfectly crusty on the outside and tender on the inside. It's an easy, high-hydration sourdough recipe that results in a beautifully lacy open crumb with plenty of holes. With practically no kneading, this great beginner-friendly recipe turns out perfect every time. It's my go-to sourdough recipe that I make every week.
Ingredients
90 grams (â…“ cup) active sourdough starter (see note)
375 grams (1½ cups plus 1 tablespoon) lukewarm water
500 grams (4 cups plus 2 tablespoons) bread flour
11 grams (1¾ teaspoons) fine sea salt
Instructions
Mix the dough: Add the active sourdough starter to a medium bowl. Stir in the water to combine. Add the flour and salt and stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until combined. Use your hands to thoroughly mix the dough together. At this point, the dough will be very shaggy, sticky, and difficult to work with - this is normal! Do NOT add any additional flour.
Autolyze: Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and let it rest for 30 minutes to an hour. The flour will hydrate, and gluten will develop during this time, making the dough much easier to work with and creating a higher-quality sourdough.
Stretch-and-Fold: Grab one side of the dough and pull it up and into the center. Continue like this three more times, working your way around the dough. Cover with the damp towel again and perform these stretches 2-3 more times every half hour, if possible. This helps develop the gluten, which creates a nice open crumb but is not totally necessary, so don't worry if you cannot do more than one fold!
Bulk Rise: If possible, place the dough into a straight-edged container so that you can determine how much it has risen. If you don't have one, a medium-large bowl is fine. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and rest until the dough has doubled (or nearly doubled). The dough should have bubbles visible on the sides and underneath if you have a clear container. The time it takes for your dough to proof will depend on several factors, including the temperature of your home and the strength and amount of the starter. In a 70-degree house, this recipe usually takes anywhere from 5 to 8 hours, with most of the rise happening at the end. If your dough is finished with the bulk rise but you're not ready to move on to the next step, just put it in the refrigerator, covered, until ready.
Shape: Lightly flour a work surface and gently coax the dough out of the container. Form the dough into a ball and rest for 5-10 minutes while you prepare your proofing basket.
Proofing Basket: Line a proofing basket (I prefer a banneton for this recipe) with a thin kitchen towel and dust with flour.
Final Shape: Gently flip the dough over and shape it into a boule or battard. See the accompanying video for how I shape this sourdough recipe if you need help. Gently cup the dough and pull it toward you to tighten.
Final Rise: Place the shaped dough into the prepared basket, smooth side down. Stitch the sides together by pulling a few pieces from the sides up and into the center to create more tension (see video). Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 3 days. Place the basket in a plastic bag or cover it with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out.
Preheat the Oven: Place a Dutch oven and lid in the oven and preheat to 500°F (260°C) for 40 minutes.
Score: Place a piece of parchment paper over the top of the dough and invert onto a work surface. Dust the top of the dough with rice flour (or bread flour). Use a sharp bread lame or knife to score your dough. Shallow cuts just through the surface are decorative, but you'll need one deeper cut (around 3/4" deep) to allow the bread to expand.
Bake: Carefully remove the hot Dutch oven from the oven and lower the dough on the parchment into it. Cover and place in the oven. Lower the temperature to 450°F (232 °C) and bake covered for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and continue baking for another 30-35 minutes until the top of the bread has browned. You can use an instant meat thermometer if you're unsure if your sourdough is done. Sourdough is fully baked when it is 205°F (40°C).
Cool: Remove your sourdough from the pot and let cool for at least one hour. The structure will continue to set and lock in moisture while it cools.
Notes
Starter: Ensure your starter is at its peak for the best results. It is at its peak when it has doubled in size and begins to fall again. I recommend feeding your starter (making a levain) with 40 grams of starter, 80 grams of water, and 80 grams of flour (I use 80% all-purpose and 20% rye for feeding). This will give you enough levain for this recipe, plus extra to continue feeding.
Measurements: I recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh the ingredients, which will be much more precise than measuring cups and spoons. This recipe has only been tested using weights.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Nutritionix. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your favorite calculator.
I'm so glad you're here! I'm a busy mama to two sweet girls and a bunch of funny animals. I'm passionate about sharing the beauty of real food through plant based recipes. I hope you find many easy, nourishing, delicious recipes your family will love.