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Baking sourdough bread and need to troubleshoot your loaf? Questions about timing or how to store it? We’re here to help!

How to make sourdough bread
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Baking sourdough bread and got questions? You’ve taken on a satisfying yet complex task of shaping and baking gluten. While we wish it was as straightforward as mac and cheese, sourdough bread has a lot of variability due to the science of the starter. It takes a bit of practice and troubleshooting to make great sourdough bread under the varying environmental conditions of your kitchen. Got questions? We’ve got answers. Head to our sourdough bread FAQ below.

Before we start: here are all of our sourdough bread resources:

Sourdough bread FAQ

About the authors

Alex & Sonja

Hi! We’re Alex & Sonja Overhiser, authors of the acclaimed cookbooks A Couple Cooks and Pretty Simple Cooking—and a real life couple who cooks together. We founded the A Couple Cooks website in 2010 to share seasonal recipes and the joy of home cooking. Now, we’ve got over 3,000 well-tested recipes, including Mediterranean diet, vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, smoothies, cocktails, and more!

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33 Comments

  1. AJ Mccormac says:

    Everything went great with the sourdough bread recipe until the last stage of baking. It looked gorgeous after the 17 minutes. I then returned it to the oven on the rack and reduced the temperature to 400. It proceeded to get very burnt (too burnt to eat) even with me opening the door a few times to let heat out.
    Any suggestion on modifying instructions?

    1. Alex Overhiser says:

      I’ve never had that issue! Maybe try on a lower oven rack? You could also reduce the heat even further.

  2. Erin says:

    Hi! I’ve used this recipe weekly for years now and we love it!! Question – I’m hoping to bake this on the same day (starter has already been fed night before) and have a question about proofing after the final shaping. Should I leave it at room temperature instead of putting in the fridge? And if so, for how long prior to baking it? Thanks!

    1. Alex Overhiser says:

      Hi! Yes, leave at room temperature until nicely puffed — I’m not sure the timing. The flavor won’t be as sour, but should still be tasty!

  3. Susan Backus says:

    Can I leave the sourdough dough in the banneton longer than what your recipe says?
    If yes, how much longer? For example, I want to make the dough on Thursday and bake it on Friday.

    1. Alex Overhiser says:

      It will rise too much and over proof if you do that! You’ll end up with a floppy bread.

  4. Marilyn Gilbert says:

    If you make levain, can you use that as the cup of starter in making your bread, and if so, do you also need to add 1 tsp of instant yeast?

    1. Alex Overhiser says:

      I’m not sure, sorry!

  5. Gina Prisbrey says:

    When I need to triple your recipe for sourdough bread, do I treat it as one recipe in one bowl, until it’s time to divide into individual boules, or do I use separate bowls for each recipe?

    1. Alex Overhiser says:

      I would use separate bowls.

  6. Linda says:

    I am make a double loaf, not sure how long to bake? Up from 17/23 @500/23???

    1. Alex Overhiser says:

      Hi! It should still be about 17 for the first bake. Not sure for the second bake — maybe 26-28 minutes.

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