Everyday sourdough bread (no commercial yeast)

This is a mild, open-crumbed wheat sourdough leavened entirely by your starter. It rewards patience rather than skill: most of the work is waiting, and the long cold proof in the fridge is where the flavour and the keeping quality come from. Bake it once and the rhythm becomes second nature.

Makes one large loaf. Hydration lands around 64%, which is forgiving to shape. Weigh everything; cups hide the flour-to-water ratio the whole thing depends on.

Your starter needs to be lively: feed it the day before so it's at peak when you build the preferment. A sluggish starter gives a flat loaf. Whole-grain, spelt or a little rye all work, but they drink more water, so add it a spoon at a time. If you're short on time, skip the separate preferment and mix everything at once (475 g flour total), bulk for 3 hours, then proof 3 to 4 hours warm instead of overnight.

The clock looks long, but the hands-on time is under half an hour. A typical run: feed your starter Friday morning, build the preferment Saturday late afternoon, mix and bulk Saturday evening, cold proof overnight, then shape and bake around midday on Sunday. Because the long stretch is the passive cold proof, you can lengthen or shorten it by a few hours to land the bake exactly when you want it.

Log each step in Sourdough Tracker once and you'll learn your own kitchen's timing, so the second loaf needs no clock-watching at all.

Bulk fermentation is done when the dough has risen by roughly half, feels airy and domed, and shows a few bubbles at the edges, not simply when three hours are up. For the final proof, use the poke test: flour a finger and press 1 cm into the dough. It's ready when the dent springs back slowly and only partway. A dent that vanishes instantly means it needs more time; one that stays put means it has over-proofed. If you're unsure your starter was strong enough to begin with, the signs your starter is ready to bake are worth a quick check.

Once the plain loaf is reliable, vary it. Swap up to 30% of the white flour for whole wheat, spelt or a little rye for a deeper, earthier loaf; each of these drinks more water, so add 10 to 20 g extra a spoon at a time and let the hydration maths guide you. For a studded loaf, fold 80 to 100 g of walnuts, toasted seeds or dried cranberries into the dough during the last set of folds. A scatter of oats or sesame on the wet, shaped loaf gives a pretty, crunchy top.

Cool the loaf fully before slicing, at least two hours, or the crumb stays gummy. Stored cut-side down on a board or in a cloth bag it keeps three to four days; that long cold proof is what gives it the staying power. To freeze, slice first and bag it airtight, then toast straight from frozen. A day-old loaf revives beautifully: spritz the crust with water and warm it in a 180 C oven for 8 to 10 minutes.

Most everyday-loaf problems trace back to two things: starter strength and proof length. A gummy, tight crumb usually means under-fermentation or slicing too soon; a flat, spreading loaf means the proof ran too long or the shaping was loose. A pale, soft crust just needs a hotter, longer uncovered finish. If the same fault keeps showing up, your logged bakes will show you exactly which stage drifts.

Here's the whole thing on one page. Tap it to download, or pin it for your next bake.