Sourdough Baking From Start to Finish (Recipes, Tips, and More)

By request, here are all of our sourdough recipes and articles in one handy place!

Do you love sourdough bread?

Sourdough is a type of bread that’s made with a natural leavening agent instead of commercial yeast. It has a unique flavor and texture, and it’s also easier to digest than regular bread because the fermentation process breaks down some of the gluten in wheat. Plus, it’s delicious.

Whether you want to learn how to make your own sourdough starter or bake your 300th loaf, you’ll find everything from kitchen-tested recipes to troubleshooting guides.

How to start and maintain a starter

You can use our step-by-step guide on how to make your own sourdough starter if you don’t already have one going. (It only takes 5 minutes a day.)

Making a sourdough starter is easy. It’s truly just flour, water, and time.

• How to Make a Sourdough Starter The Easy Way
• Maintaining a Starter: Three Ways
• Benefits of Sourdough Bread (Why Even Bother With All This?)

Beginner sourdough breads

Then follow along as we walk through every single step in making homemade sourdough bread.

This collection of bread recipes is perfect for beginners, or someone looking for an easy method. These recipes are simple enough to make every day.

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• No-Knead Sourdough Bread
• Budget-Friendly Sourdough (No Weird Tools!)
• Bread Machine Sourdough Bread

Intermediate bread recipes

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These recipes require more ingredients and time—but the results are worth it.

• Sourdough Sandwich Bread
• Buttermilk Sourdough Bread
• Blueberry Lemon Sourdough Loaf
• Sourdough with Cranberry and Orange Zest
• Dutch Oven Sourdough
• Sourdough Egg Bread
• Soft Sourdough Burger Buns
• Cinnamon Swirl Sourdough Sandwich Loaf
• Jalapeno Cheddar Sourdough

Sourdough discard recipes

Here are some recipes that use up your excess sourdough starter, including muffins, cakes, breakfast dishes, and more!

Browse through the collection of discard recipes to make sure none of your starter goes to waste.

Cakes

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• Sourdough Chocolate Cake
• Sourdough Pumpkin Cake
• Lemon Glazed Sourdough Cake
• Sourdough Apple Cake
• Carrot Cupcakes with Sourdough Starter
• Sourdough Banana Cake

Breakfast Discard Recipes

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• Blueberry Muffins from Discard Sourdough
• Sourdough Waffles
• Fluffy Sourdough Pancakes
• Chocolate Chip Sourdough Muffins
• Coffee Cake with Sourdough

Baking tools you need

You probably have most of the tools you need already—a bowl, spoon, measuring cup or scales, and some bakeware. But there are some special tools that will make your baking life easier.

• Parchment paper keeps your loaf from sticking to the Dutch oven: keep in mind the dough is wetter than you might be used to, and can stick badly.
• A lame helps slash through wet dough so you can get those pretty designs.
• A Dutch Oven with a tight fitting lid traps moisture inside to help the loaf rise high.
• And rice flour is absolutely essential for dusting the top of your proofing basket.

Storage Tips

Serious bread bakers sometimes bake more than they can realistically eat. That’s okay. Here are some ideas for making the most of your homemade sourdough:

• Ways to Use Leftover Bread
• How to Make Sourdough Croutons
• The Best Way to Store Your Homemade Sourdough

If you get stuck, check out the Sourdough Troubleshooting Guide!

Whether you are brand new to sourdough or just looking for some new recipes, I hope you have found this guide helpful.