Loaf Pan Sourdough Bread Recipe

Servings loaf

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 40

Resting Time 18

Total Time 19 10

INGREDIENTS

Feed Your Starter

10 g sourdough starter (active or discard)
50 g water
50 g flour

Main Dough

100 g active starter (from above)
300-350 g water (See Notes)
500 g bread flour
10 g salt

Equipment

Instructions

Day 1 (Evening)

Feed Starter: Mix 10 g sourdough starter, 50 g water, and 50 g flour. Cover loosely, leave on counter 10-12 hours until bubbly.

Day 2

Mix Dough: In the morning, dissolve your 100 g active starter in 300-350 g water (See Notes for tips). Add 500 g bread flour and 10 g salt. Mix 3-4 minutes. Cover, rest 30 minutes.
Stretch & Folds: 4 rounds, 30 minutes apart. Final round: gentle coil folds. If desired, add inclusions during round 2.
Bulk Fermentation: Ferment at room temp until jiggly, domed, and bubbly. For me, this takes about 7.5 hours at 73°F (23°C).
Shape: Turn onto lightly floured counter. Stretch to loaf pan width. Roll up tightly, tucking sides. Place seam-down in greased pan.
Cold proof: Cover, refrigerate overnight.
Same-day option: proof 2-4 more hours at room temp before baking.

Day 3

Bake: Choose one method:
Single Pan Method: Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C). Bake 10 min → score → 20 min → rotate → 20 min more. Electric ovens: add steam with wet towels in cast iron skillet. See Notes for more information.
Two-Pan Method: Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C). Cover loaf pan with a second inverted pan, bake 25 min. Optional: score at 8-min mark. Remove cover, bake 10-15 min more. Lower to 425°F (220°C) if browning too quickly.
When done, the bread's internal temperature should be 205-210°F or 96-99°C.
Cool: Rest in pan 5-10 minutes, then cool completely on rack before slicing.

Video

Notes

Adjusting Water Amount: The amount of water you need in your dough depends on the bread flour you're using as well as your environment. Do not be afraid to adjust on the fly. Here is what I do for a few different flour brands I love:

Ballerina Farms bread flour: 350g water
King Arthur bread flour: 320-325g water
Caputo Americana 00 flour: 300-320g water

Steam for Single Pan Method In Electric Oven: Place a cast iron pan with soaking wet, rolled-up kitchen towels on the bottom rack during preheating. 10-20 minutes before baking, pour boiling water over the towels until fully saturated. When ready to bake, place your loaf pan in the oven and bake as directed.