This post might include affiliate links. But all-in-all the bread had a nice sourdough bowl, a crunchy and well-colored crust, and it did taste great considering it was my first loaf of any kind of bread. Starting to make your first loaf of sourdough bread can be daunting. That’s why I’ve put together this beginner’s sourdough bread tutorial and recipe that is meant to give you confidence as you take your first steps.

This how-to guide starts with explaining baking terms and definitions so that we will have a common vocabulary once we get to the recipe. And then each step of the process has lots of information to ensure that you feel like you understand what is happening and what to do. There’s nothing inherently wrong with commercial yeast, but I prefer to make bread this way because of the wonderful flavor and texture, the health benefits, increased keeping quality, and the fact that it requires so few ingredients to make something so delicious. Baker’s Terminology Starter A starter is a mixture of flour and water that you allow to ferment naturally.

It is the vehicle for adding yeast and bacteria to the dough. It occurs at the beginning of bread baking and is a step in which only flour and water are mixed together. The goal of autolyse is to initiate enzymatic activity in the dough to help draw out sugars from the flour. Bulk Fermentation The dough’s first rise is called bulk fermentation.

After mixing the flour, salt, and levain into a dough, you put it all into a bowl or container, cover it, and let it rest. The dough will undergo a fermentation process during this step that is critical. Bacteria and yeast begin to generate organic acids, alcohols, and leaven the dough, which will translate to flavor and rise in your final bread. Proof The proof is the dough’s final, or second, rise and occurs after the dough has been divided and shaped.

During this time, the dough continues to ferment, which further strengthens and leavens it. 5 is the temperature of the dough right after mixing all of the ingredients together. Recommended reading: The Importance of Dough Temperature in Baking. Baker’s math, or baker’s percentages, helps bakers adjust the actual quantity of the ingredients up or down, depending on how much bread they want to make.