Simply Sourdough

May 28

Sourdough Without the Stress

These are the most common things I hear about sourdough:

“It takes too much time.”
“There are too many rules.”
“What’s your process?”

So I thought I’d share my very simple process — the one that’s given me consistently delicious bread every time, no matter the style.

Because honestly?

I’ve already wasted the time making the mistakes, so you don’t have to.

And also… it’s dough, not rocket science.

My process is simple, flexible, and beginner-friendly. Once you understand the basic concepts, it becomes easy to experiment with flavours, add-ins, and styles to create the breads your family loves most.

Follow this simple flow and you’ll be living that dough life in no time.

The Starter

Get some from a friend or buy one online — however you obtain your starter is completely up to you.

I bought mine online. It took about a week to become active, and since then it’s been a steady little kitchen companion.

And yes — it’s completely normal to name your starter. You feed it, maintain it, and care for it… it only feels right. Mine is named Dilly because she’s often a very silly dilly dough.

If you want to bake fresh bread daily, you can absolutely keep your starter on the counter and feed it every day.

I started that way too.

But after making an absurd amount of bread for one family, I quickly realized the daily-bread-life wasn’t for me. So this became my tried-and-true fridge method — simple, low maintenance, and reliable week after week.

I picked one prep and bake day that worked for my schedule. Wednesday is my ideal prep day because it gives us fresh bread for the weekend, but choose whatever works best for your life.

My Weekly Starter Routine

First thing Wednesday morning, I pull my starter from the fridge.

I always put it away freshly fed, so bringing it back to room temperature kickstarts activity again as it warms on the counter.

After about 4–6 hours, it’s active and ready to use.

I take what I need for my recipe, then:

Clean the jar
Return 75g starter to the jar
Add 75g flour
Add 75g water
Mix
Place it back in the fridge

And that’s it.

Store. Warm. Use. Feed. Repeat.

Could you use different ratios? Absolutely. This one is just easy to remember and works beautifully for my schedule.

Common Questions

Should you use filtered water?
Sure, if you want to. Tap water works perfectly fine for us.

Cold or warm water?
Room temperature is great. Don’t overthink it.

Do I need a kitchen scale?
Absolutely. A cheap kitchen scale will improve your consistency tenfold.

Basic Tools Worth Having

You truly don’t need a fancy setup.

These are the only items I consider real essentials:

Large mixing bowl
Large glass starter jar
Danish dough whisk
Cheese cloth or tea towel
Kitchen scale with grams and tare settings

Everything else is helpful — but optional.

The Base Dough

Cooking is creativity. Baking is chemistry.

Master the ratios first. Once you understand the dough, that’s when the creativity really starts.

Shopping List

Active sourdough starter
Bread flour
Warm water
Salt

Ratios

125g starter
325g liquid
500g flour
10g salt

Method

Step 1: Mix

Add the starter and liquid to a bowl and whisk until combined and slightly bubbly.

Add flour and salt and mix until a shaggy dough forms.

Cover and place in a warm spot for about 1 hour.

Step 2: Stretch & Fold

After 1 hour, do your first stretch and fold.

A helpful trick: keep a bowl of cold water nearby. Wet hands and tools glide over the dough and prevent sticking.

You’re simply stretching the dough and folding it back into itself.

Don’t stress too much about technique here. As long as you’re stretching and folding, you’re doing great.

Repeat every 30 minutes for a total of 4 rounds.

I usually do more aggressive folds during the first two rounds and gentler shaping during the last two.

Step 3: Shape

Thirty minutes after your final stretch and fold, it’s time to shape.

Transfer the dough onto a lightly damp counter or work surface.

Gently stretch the dough outward one section at a time.

This is the perfect stage for adding:

Cheese
Herbs
Spices
Garlic
Cinnamon filling
Other mix-ins

For a classic loaf, do a simple envelope fold:

Bring two sides inward about one-third of the way, then repeat with the opposite sides until you have a long folded shape.

From there, roll it like a burrito, tucking the edges inward as you go.

Use a gentle pulling motion against the counter to create surface tension and smooth the outside of the dough.

Step 4: Cold Ferment

Line a banneton, bowl, loaf pan, or shaping basket with cheese cloth or a towel dusted in flour.

Place the dough seam-side up.

Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Because this stage takes time, I like starting my dough around 4–5 PM so it’s ready for the fridge before bed and perfect for a morning bake.

Step 5: Bake

Remove dough from the fridge and allow it to come closer to room temperature while the oven preheats.

Preheat oven to 475°F with your Dutch oven or baking vessel inside.

Flip dough onto parchment paper or a silicone mat and score the top.

Bake:

30 minutes covered at 475°F
Remove lid
Reduce heat to 425°F
Bake another 15 minutes uncovered

Optional: adding a few ice cubes during the covered bake helps create a thicker crust.

Once baked, cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

I know it’s tempting, but cutting too early can collapse the crumb and make the loaf gummy.

Once You Know the Basics…

This is where sourdough gets fun.

Once you’ve practiced the base recipe a few times, you can start experimenting confidently.

Adjusting the Liquids

You need roughly 325–350g liquid total — but it doesn’t have to be only water.

You can experiment with:

Milk
Eggs
Broth
Oil
Juice
Butter

One of my favourite combinations for soft, fluffy, kid-friendly buns:

2 egg yolks
1 tbsp butter or olive oil
Half milk, half water for the remaining liquid

Things to Avoid

Highly acidic liquids in large amounts (pickle juice sounds fun, but the acidity can weaken fermentation)
High-yeast alcohols unless closely monitored — that dough can explode fast

Sugar Counts as Liquid

Sugar changes hydration too.

You can add:

Honey
White sugar
Brown sugar
Molasses

About:

10g for standard bread
35g for sweeter doughs like cinnamon rolls

Not required — but a simple way to turn this same dough into sweet recipes.

Flour & Dry Ingredients

Bread flour is ideal.

Rye and fresh milled flours are beautiful too.

But honestly? Regular all-purpose flour still works if that’s what you have.

Start with 500g flour and add more only if needed.

Sourdough is always a balance between flour and water.

Herbs

Dried herbs: add early
Fresh herbs: add during the final fold or shaping

Salt

Do. Not. Skip. The. Salt.

Salt is a massive flavour enhancer.

Some people prefer adding it later because it can slightly affect gluten development, but I personally prefer adding it right at the beginning.

Just don’t overdo it.

That difference between 10g and 15g is bigger than you think.

Easy Variations

Cinnamon Rolls

Add:

20g sugar or honey to the dough
Butter
Cinnamon
Brown sugar filling

Bake:

425°F for 10 minutes
Reduce to 400°F for 25 minutes

We prefer ours extra buttery and not overly sweet.

Cheese Buns

Add cheese during shaping.

Cut into:

12 dinner rolls
8 burger buns
6 large sandwich or smash burger buns

Optional add-ins:

Dill
Garlic powder
Chives

Bake at 425°F for 25 minutes.

Focaccia