Building and Shaping a Basic Sourdough Loaf
Building sourdough is less about precision and more about learning to read your dough. Temperature, flour type, and your starter's strength all shift the timeline. This guide walks you through the shape that works: a round boule or oval batard, both of which hold structure and bake evenly.
You'll need an active starter and a feel for dough.
Your starter should be fed 4–8 hours before mixing and smell pleasantly sour, not acetone-sharp. Have a banneton (proofing basket) or a bowl lined with a well-floured towel. A Dutch oven or covered baker traps steam in the oven—essential for a good crust. The dough is forgiving, but shaping technique is where beginners often stumble. Go slowly.
- mixing bowl
- kitchen scale (optional but helpful)
- bench scraper or dough card
- banneton or proofing basket (or bowl + towel)
- Dutch oven or covered baker
- kitchen thermometer (optional)
What goes in.
- 500g bread flour (or all-purpose)
- 350g water, room temperature
- 100g active sourdough starter (fed 4–8 hours prior)
- 10g salt
Shaping with tension
Shaping is where the loaf either holds its form or spreads flat. You're creating surface tension by pulling the dough toward you, then rotating and repeating. Think of it like tightening a drum skin. The final seam goes down into the banneton. A loose shape bakes into a pancake; a tight one springs in the oven.
The method.
Mix the dough.
Combine 500 g flour, 350 g water, and 100 g active starter in a bowl. Stir until shaggy—no dry flour should remain. Let this rest, uncovered, for 30 minutes. This rest (called autolyse) lets the flour fully hydrate and makes adding salt easier.
Incorporate salt.
Dissolve 10 g salt in a small amount of water. Add it to the dough and squeeze it in with your hand until it's fully worked in. The dough will feel loose at first; it comes back together within a minute or two. This usually takes 3–5 minutes of squeezing and folding.
Bulk fermentation — the first 2–3 hours.
Cover the bowl loosely (not airtight). Every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours, perform a coil fold or stretch-and-fold: wet your hand, grab one side of the dough, stretch it up and over itself, rotate the bowl, repeat four times. This builds strength without kneading. By the end, the dough should feel cohesive and noticeably less sticky. Stop folding after 2 hours.
Continue bulk fermentation — the final 2–3 hours.
Let the dough rest untouched. It should rise 50–80% (not double). The surface will look airy and dimpled. At room temperature (68–72°F), this takes 4–6 hours total. Warmer kitchens ferment faster; cooler ones slower. Poke the dough gently. If your finger leaves a dimple that springs back halfway, it's ready. If it springs back completely, it needs more time. If it doesn't spring back at all, you've gone too far and the flavor will be vinegary.
Pre-shape.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Use a bench scraper to gently gather it into a loose round. This isn't the final shape yet—you're just collecting the dough without degassing it entirely. Let it rest on the counter for 20–30 minutes. This 'bench rest' relaxes the gluten so it won't shrink when you shape.
Shape the loaf.
Flip the dough seam-side up. Starting at the far edge, fold the dough toward you, creating a small roll. Press gently with the heel of your hand. Fold again, sealing with your hand. Repeat from the sides, rolling tighter with each fold. On the final fold, roll tightly and seal the seam with your palm. The loaf should feel firm but not rock-hard. If you're making a round boule, tighten it by rolling it toward you in a circular motion, creating tension all over. The goal is a taut surface.
Final proof in the banneton.
Place the loaf seam-side up in a floured banneton (or a bowl lined with a well-floured towel). Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a plastic bag. At room temperature, this takes 1–4 hours depending on how much fermentation happened during bulk. Cold proof overnight in the fridge (8–16 hours) is easier and gives better flavor. The loaf is ready when a gentle poke leaves a dimple that springs back very slowly.
Preheat the oven and baker.
Place a Dutch oven or covered baker in the oven. Preheat to 450°F for 45 minutes. This matters—the vessel needs to be hot so steam traps immediately when you load the dough.
Score and bake.
Carefully remove the hot Dutch oven. Turn the loaf out of the banneton onto parchment paper and score the top with a sharp blade—one deep slash or an X, about ¼ inch deep. Slide it (on the parchment) into the hot baker. Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and bake another 25–30 minutes until deep golden brown. The crust should feel hard, not soft. Cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.
Other turns to take.
Cold overnight proof
After shaping, place the banneton in the fridge for 8–16 hours instead of proofing at room temperature. This slows fermentation, develops more sour flavor, and makes scheduling easier. Bake straight from the fridge without thawing.
Longer bulk fermentation
Extend bulk to 8–12 hours at cool temperature (60–65°F) for a more sour, open crumb. The dough develops slowly and you'll see larger bubbles forming. Reduces the need for a cold proof overnight.
High-hydration dough
Use 375 g water instead of 350 g for a more open, irregular crumb structure. The dough will be wetter and stickier—fold more gently and flour your hands more generously. Shaping takes practice.
Whole wheat or spelt addition
Replace up to 20% of the bread flour with whole wheat or spelt. Whole grains absorb more water, so add 10–15 g extra water and expect slightly faster fermentation. The loaf will be nuttier and denser.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Temperature matters more than time. A warmer kitchen (72–75°F) ferments in 4–5 hours; a cool one (65–68°F) takes 6–8. If you can't be home to shape, put the dough in the fridge after 4 hours of bulk—it will keep for days.
Overfermentation smells like nail polish remover (acetone) and bakes into a flat, gummy crumb. Underfermentation bakes into a dense loaf with large irregular holes. Aim for that sweet spot where the dough jiggles gently.
Shaping is a skill. Your first few loaves may spread more than you'd like. That's normal. Tighter shaping and a longer proof (especially cold) help. Watch for the surface tension—it should feel drum-tight.
A banneton is worth buying. It's cheap, lasts forever, and gives you the right shape with minimal effort. If you don't have one, a bowl lined with a linen towel works, but the dough sticks more.
Scoring isn't just for looks—a deep score (or two) controls where the loaf expands, preventing blowouts on the sides. A dull blade will drag; use a sharp knife or a lame (razor blade on a stick).
If you live somewhere very warm, bulk fermentation can happen in 2–3 hours. Watch the dough, not the clock. Cold proofing overnight in the fridge is your friend—it lets you bake on your schedule and improves flavor.
Let the loaf cool completely before slicing. The crumb sets as it cools. Cutting into a warm loaf will make it gummy.
The ones that keep coming up.
How do I know if my starter is ready?
Feed your starter 4–8 hours before mixing. It should smell pleasantly sour (not like nail polish), double in volume within 4–6 hours of feeding, and have a few bubbles on top and throughout. If it's sluggish, feed it again and wait longer. A cold starter takes longer to rise dough; a warm one is faster.
What if my dough is too sticky to shape?
Dust it generously with flour and work on a bench scraper rather than your hands. Wet dough is normal—it bakes into a more open crumb. If it's extremely sticky (more than 75% hydration), you may have added too much water. Next time, measure by weight.
Can I skip the bench rest?
Not really. Shaping immediately after pre-shaping will cause the loaf to shrink in the oven. The 20–30 minute rest lets the gluten relax so it can accept tension from shaping without snapping back.
What's the difference between a boule and a batard?
A boule is round; a batard is oval. Both work the same way—create tension and seal the seam. A boule is easier for beginners because there's less seam to manage. An oval batard fits some bannetons better and creates nice ear definition with a score down the length.
My loaf spread flat instead of rising. What happened?
Either it was overproofed (poke test will tell), not shaped tightly enough, or the oven wasn't hot enough when you loaded it. Next time: shape with more tension, use a cold overnight proof to have better control, and ensure your Dutch oven is truly hot before baking.
Can I make this without a Dutch oven?
It's harder but possible. You need steam in the first part of baking for a good crust. Try inverting a metal bowl over the loaf, or misting the oven walls with water before loading the dough. A covered baker (any oven-safe pot with a lid) works just as well as a Dutch oven.
How long does the loaf keep?
Sourdough lasts 3–4 days at room temperature in a paper bag. The crust will soften but the bread won't mold as quickly as commercial bread. After 2 days, slice and toast it, or freeze it. Frozen sourdough keeps for weeks and reheats well.