The Joy of Sourdough: A Loaf that Tells a Story

Kellan Rogholt
Aug 22
3 min read

There’s something timeless about sourdough bread. With every loaf, you’re not just baking — you’re continuing a tradition that stretches back thousands of years. The process is slow, patient, and full of small rituals that make the final result taste even better.

Why Sourdough Feels Special

Unlike quick breads or yeasted loaves, sourdough is alive. Your starter — a simple mix of flour and water — becomes a bubbling ecosystem of wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria. It grows, changes, and adapts to your kitchen environment, making every loaf uniquely yours.

For me, baking sourdough is more than just a recipe — it’s a rhythm. Feeding the starter, folding the dough, watching it rise — these steps feel like little pauses in a busy day. And when the bread finally comes out of the oven, golden and crackling, it feels like you’ve created something with both heart and history.

A Simple Everyday Loaf

Ingredients

250g active sourdough starter (100% hydration, ripe at peak)
750g - 770g warm water (reserve 50g for salt step)
1050g bread flour (can sub 10–20% whole wheat for deeper flavor)
24g fine sea salt

Instructions

Autolyse – 1 hour

In a large bowl, mix 700g water and 250g starter until mostly combined.
Add 1050g flour and mix until no dry bits remain (shaggy, tacky dough).
Cover and rest at room temperature (ideally 75–78°F) for 1 hour.

📌 Tip: Autolyse hydrates flour, begins gluten development, and enhances extensibility.

Add Salt & Remaining Water

Dissolve 24g salt in the reserved 50g water.
Pour over the dough and pinch and fold to incorporate fully.
Check the dough temp now and refer to a temping chart to track the bulk fermentation time.

Strengthening – 3 hours (6 sets)

Perform stretch & folds or coil folds every 30 minutes.
Keep the dough covered between folds.
You should feel increasing tension and strength.

📌 Tip: Coil folds promote strength with less tearing—ideal for high hydration.

Continue Bulk Fermentation (~50% rise)

After the final fold, rest dough until it rises ~50% in volume.
This may take 2–4 more hours depending on temp and dough strength.
Check for signs: rounded edges, soft surface, passes poke test, pulls from sides.

📌 Tip: Avoid over-proofing. Slight under-proofing is easier to recover from than over-proofing.

Divide & Bench Rest – 20–30 min

Gently turn dough onto a floured surface.
Divide into two equal portions (use scale).
Add your inclusions here
Pre-shape into loose rounds. Let rest 20–30 minutes, uncovered.

Final Shaping

Lightly flour top of dough, flip over.
Shape into tight boules or batards (as preferred).
Place seam side up into floured bannetons or towel-lined bowls.
Cover with lids or bags to prevent drying.

Cold Proof – 8 to 24 hours

Refrigerate shaped dough immediately after shaping.
Cold ferment 8–24 hours at 37–40°F (3–4°C).
Longer cold proofs (18–24h) yield deeper flavor and better oven spring.

Bake

Preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C) with the Dutch oven(s) inside for 45 minutes.
Remove dough from fridge, invert onto parchment.
Score (lame or sharp blade), then load into the Dutch oven.

Bake:

Covered: 475°F for 20–25 minutes
Uncovered: Remove lid, reduce to 450°F, bake another 15–20 minutes
Check for deep brown crust and hollow sound when tapped.

Sharing the Loaf

The best part of sourdough? Breaking bread with others. Whether it’s tearing into a warm slice with butter, gifting a loaf to a neighbor, or making the perfect sandwich, sourdough invites community. You can even give a portion of your starter to your neighbors!

Every loaf tells a story — of time, patience, and care. And once you start baking, you’ll find that each bread you make becomes part of your own story too.