Traditional Sourdough Bread

Why This Traditional Sourdough Bread Works

During the first rest, the flour and water sit together so the flour can drink up the water. Gluten starts to form on its own, so by the time kneading starts, the dough already stretches more easily and doesn’t tear as much. Once the sourdough starter and salt go in, the dough becomes stronger and tighter, and kneading lines everything up so it can trap gas later.

Over the long room‑temperature rise, the wild yeast in the starter slowly eats the flour and makes bubbles. Stretching and folding every hour keeps those bubbles spread through the dough and keeps the gluten from sagging. By the time it goes into the banneton, the dough can hold its shape instead of flattening out.

During the cold proof in the fridge, the dough firms up and keeps building tiny air pockets without blowing out. In the hot Dutch oven, steam from the wet dough stays trapped around the loaf, so the crust stays soft just long enough for the bread to spring up high before the outside finally sets and turns crisp.

Mistakes To Avoid

Using a weak or unfed starter often leads to dough that barely rises in the bowl or in the fridge. The dough stays heavy and slack instead of puffing up, so it bakes into a flat, tight loaf with a gummy center.

Skipping or rushing the 4-hour rise with the hourly stretch and folds leaves the gluten underdeveloped. The dough then spreads out instead of holding its shape, and the baked bread comes out wide, dense, and uneven inside.

Shaping the dough loosely before the banneton stage causes problems later in the oven. Without a tight surface, the loaf can burst randomly instead of opening along the score, giving a lopsided shape and thick, uneven crust.

Putting cold dough straight from the fridge into a Dutch oven that isn’t fully preheated keeps the loaf from springing up. The crust sets too slowly, the bread spreads outward, and the crumb stays closer and less airy.

Cutting into the bread before it cools completely compresses the crumb. Steam escapes too fast, the slices squash, and the inside turns sticky instead of light and tender.