Sourdough Bread Recipes

This is the bread that started everything for me. I baked this loaf every week for farmers markets, sometimes plain, sometimes loaded with herbs, cheese, or olives. It's the recipe that taught me how one dough can become a dozen different loaves. If you're just getting started or you want a reliable base to build on, this is it.

The loaf that started it all. A simple, forgiving base dough that becomes plain white, herb, garlic, olive, or cheddar bread from the same mix. Yeasted for same-day baking, sourdough for deeper flavor and better keeping.

Soft homemade pita that puffs into a full pocket on a hot skillet or grill. Yeasted and sourdough paths, no oven needed. A summer bread that teaches rise.

Step-by-step 7-day guide to creating a sourdough starter from scratch. No special equipment, no purchased cultures. Just flour, water, and patience.

This is the recipe I wish someone had handed me when I was starting out. It's forgiving, it works, and it'll give you a beautiful loaf without requiring you to master a dozen techniques at once. We're keeping things simple here because your first win matters more than perfection.

Baba Wielkanocna is the Polish Easter cake — a tall, egg-rich enriched bread baked in a Bundt pan and finished with a bright lemon glaze.

Artisan buckwheat sourdough blending 15% buckwheat with bread flour for a nutty, earthy loaf with stunning gray crumb. Dutch oven baked.

A home baker's take on Colomba Pasquale — the Italian Easter dove bread. Orange-scented enriched dough with candied peel and a crunchy almond glaze.

Classic country sourdough using a {{levain}} at 20% of total flour. The result is open crumb, crackling {{crust}}, pleasant tang, and complex flavor that only wild fermentation provides.

Make this cranberry walnut bread for the holidays. Choose between tangy {{sourdough}} or quick yeasted version. Perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Toasted sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and everything bagel seasoning are folded into the dough and pressed onto the crust for flavor in every bite. Uses your active starter directly—no levain build required. Cold retard overnight for convenience and deeper complexity.

A whole wheat and seeded upgrade to Henry's classic Foolproof Sourdough. Overnight fermentolyse, 79% hydration, flax and sesame seeds for flavor and crunch.

Fresh-milled einkorn sourdough with optional spelt blend. Built for whole grain einkorn from local farmers and fresh-milled flour, with traditional dough conditioners for structure and shelf life.

Soft, enriched sourdough knots brushed with toasted garlic butter, folded with sharp cheddar and fresh basil. Built on a fully sourdough levain at 17% inoculation. Same-day or overnight bake.

An open-crumb gluten-free sourdough boule with real tang and a crackling crust, baked in a Dutch oven using a rice flour starter.

Two-loaf country sourdough at 72% hydration with 90/10 bread and whole wheat, fermentolyse method, and an overnight cold retard for deep flavor.

A forgiving sourdough loaf built on fermentolyse, coil folds, and a cold proof. Great results without mastering a dozen techniques at once.

A 20% whole wheat sourdough with ground flaxseed and black and white sesame seeds. More flavor, more nutrition, same process.

Henry's Paska — soft, buttery, lightly sweet Easter bread with citrus zest in every slice. Sourdough and yeasted versions both included.

This naturally leavened babka combines the subtle tang of {{sourdough}} with swirls of dark chocolate. Uses your active {{sourdough starter}} directly with no {{levain}} build required. Overnight {{cold retard}} for convenience and deeper flavor complexity.

This jalapeño cheddar sourdough combines the complex tang of naturally leavened bread with the irresistible combination of sharp cheddar and pickled jalapeños. The long fermentation develops deep flavor while the cheese creates pockets of gooey goodness throughout. Perfect for sandwiches, toast, or eating warm straight from the oven.

Naturally leavened marble rye with a light and dark sourdough built from the same base. Two-day process with cold proof overnight for deeper flavor.

Sourdough marbled bread using an enriched base dough at 17% inoculation. Same lamination technique as the yeasted version with a richer, more complex flavor.

Overnight sourdough English muffins with deep flavor, signature nooks and crannies, and a schedule that fits real life. Mix at night, cook in the morning.

Crispy crust, soft open crumb. Bread flour and wholemeal with a quiet poppy seed crunch. 80% hydration, same-day bake.

Naturally purple sourdough made with purple sweet potato puree or powder. Soft, moist crumb with a nutty sweetness and stunning color throughout.

Authentic French sourdough baguettes with a crisp, shattering {{crust}} and open, chewy {{crumb}}. Perfect for sandwiches or with butter.

Crusty, tangy {{sourdough}} bread bowls that can handle the heartiest chowders and thickest bisques. The exterior develops a gorgeous golden crust while the…

Sourdough breadsticks with overnight cold retard and herb garlic butter Parmesan finish.

Chewy, flavorful sourdough hoagie rolls shaped and scored like baguettes. A cold overnight bulk makes next-morning shaping easy and the flavor complex.

Spiced, fruit-studded hot cross buns made with 100% sourdough. A sweet levain controls the sour, tangzhong keeps them soft, and the flour paste cross goes on before baking.

A classic Italian ciabatta built on an active sourdough levain. High hydration, minimal handling, and an open honeycomb crumb that's worth every extra hour of fermentation.

Everything you love about Neapolitan pizza, powered by your sourdough starter. The 72-hour cold ferment develops incredible flavor and makes the dough easier to digest.

These authentic New York style bagels deliver that unmistakable chew, shiny crust, and deep malt flavor, all powered by your {{sourdough starter}} instead of commercial yeast. The overnight {{cold retard}} develops incredible flavor while fitting into a real schedule. Once you make these at home, you'll never look at store-bought bagels the same way.

Sourdough pita bread leavened entirely with a ripe levain. The long ferment builds flavor and pocket-popping strength. Eight soft, puffy pitas from one dough.

Once you taste sourdough pizza, there's no going back. The slow overnight fermentation develops flavors that commercial yeast can't touch, while the natural…

A sourdough boule taken through a baking soda bath before baking, finished with butter and Maldon salt. Inspired by Candi Brown-McGriff.

Honey-sweet sourdough challah braided into a round loaf. Naturally leavened, cold-retarded overnight, finished with black and white sesame.

A pull-apart sourdough star bread with a spanakopita-inspired spinach and feta filling. Overnight levain for deeper flavor.

A naturally leavened lean Italian sandwich loaf built on a levain with honey, olive oil, and milk. Soft, sliceable, and made for everyday lunches.

These sourdough soft pretzels use active sourdough starter as the sole leavening. No commercial yeast. The overnight rise develops a complex, tangy flavor that regular pretzels can't touch, while the baking soda bath still gives you that chewy, dark, glossy crust.

A tangy overnight sourdough focaccia you decorate like a garden. Real starter, big bubbles, and the prettiest way to show off summer produce.

Soft sourdough Tiger Bread with the crackly Dutch Crunch crust. Naturally leavened dough, same rice-flour topping. Bake it as a loaf or rolls.

Naturally leavened pillowy loaf using the Japanese tangzhong technique—perfect for sandwiches, toast, or eating warm with jam.

A faithful adaptation of Chad Robertson's original Tartine country bread, with dual measurements, troubleshooting, and step-by-step guidance for the home baker.

Tsoureki is the traditional Greek Easter braid — enriched with eggs and butter, scented with mahlab and mastic, braided golden and beautiful.

Naturally leavened peach cobbler cinnamon rolls with a tangzhong crumb, roasted peaches, brown butter streusel, and buttermilk glaze. Real fruit, no extract.

A flaky, buttery sourdough croissant loaf made with grated frozen butter and a long cold proof for real tang. The slow-build version of the viral trend.

Real laminated sourdough croissants with a honeycomb crumb and gentle tang. The same butter block and three folds as the classic, powered by a levain.