Sourdough Bread with All-Purpose Flour

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A sourdough bread that is easy to make and only requires all-purpose flour. This bread’s taste is a whole lot better than commercial bread. This recipe is a good starting point for anyone who is new to baking with a sourdough starter.

A loaf made with sourdough on the table. — Homemade Sourdough Loaf with All-Purpose Flour

Making sourdough bread is more involved than simply mixing flour and water and letting the mixture sit overnight. However, This is a simple and easy sourdough bread for people who want to make their own bread. It does not use yeast; instead, a wild yeast starter breaks down the starches in the bread. And a starter for the bread can be made in about a day.

Most people think that if they don’t have bread flour they can’t make bread. However, you can make great bread with just all-purpose flour. For example, pizza dough, sandwich bread, and cinnamon rolls are just a few tasty examples of easy sourdough bread made with all-purpose flour. In fact, sourdough is easier than it looks.

A sliced sourdough loaf on the table. — Homemade Sourdough Loaf with All-Purpose Flour

Table of Contents

Why make this bread

This recipe is simple and easy with just 4 basic ingredients: all-purpose flour, water, salt, and starter. And despite using all-purpose flour, the result is a wonderful crust with a chewy taste and texture inside.
Also, this loaf is made with 75% hydration, which means it’s the perfect bread to make for beginners who just want to get started with sourdough.
And the best thing about sourdough loaves is that it takes longer to rise so you can leave it for longer in the fridge. No need to make haste.
Also, while you can use a stand mixer, I almost always make my sourdough loaf by hand. In fact, I find it very therapeutic. And as you can see in the video, it is a very simple and effortless recipe.
Lastly, if you make sourdough bread often, then you must own banneton-proofing baskets. And I recommend using a special loaf pan such as clouch, dutch oven, or cast-iron pan for baking your bread. But, you can also use a stainless steel bowl lined with a clean kitchen cloth for proofing or bake on a pizza stone just as we did in our recipe for sourdough bread for beginners.

A slice of sourdough on the plate with jam. — Homemade Sourdough Loaf with All-Purpose Flour

Bakers schedule

Below is how I organize my sourdough bread baking. Follow this timeline (the hours are just my personal schedule).

Hour (as a guide)	Activity	Time
11.30 am	Prepare levain	3 hours
12.30 am	Autolyse	2 hours
2.30 pm	Add levain	rest 30 mins
3.00 pm	Add salt	rest 30 mins
3.30 pm	Combine once more	rest 30 mins
4.00 pm	First fold	rest 30 mins
4.30 pm	Second fold	rest 30 mins
5.00 pm	Third fold	rest 30 mins
5.00 to 6.00 pm	Rest	one hour
6.00 – 6.30 pm	Divide & shape	30 mins
6.30 pm – 7.30 am	Proof (refrigerator)	8 hrs up to 16 hours
6.45 am	Preheat oven	45 mins
6.45 – 7.30 pm	Bake	45 to 55 mins

A sliced sourdough loaf on the plate. — Homemade Sourdough Loaf with All-Purpose Flour

Ingredients and substitutes

Flour – Usually, I highly recommend bread flour. But that does not mean that you can’t make sourdough bread with all-purpose flour.
Water – Since we use a long and slow process of fermentation for this bread, room temperature water works just fine.
Salt – You can use coarse salt, but I prefer to use fine kosher salt to help the dough absorb it well.
Levain – Levain is a larger amount of wild yeast that is made from a small quantity of sourdough starter.

Ingredients for making sourdough bread. — Homemade Sourdough Loaf with All-Purpose Flour

Sourdough bread recipe

Levain – In a medium bowl, combine the sourdough starter, water, and flour. Stir well to combine. Cover and leave to rise for 3 hours at room temperature.
Pro tip – You can also make the levain for up to 5 days in advance and leave it in the fridge.

Progress pictures for making sourdough with starter. — Knead Homemade Sourdough Loaf with All-Purpose Flour

Autolyze – In a large mixing bowl, add the water and flour. Stir well with a wooden spoon or spatula. Cover the bowl and leave to rest for 2 hours.
Pro tip – Autolyze will help strengthen the gluten formation on the dough.
Starter – Then, add the sourdough starter and combine well. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
Salt – Next, add the salt to the starter and combine well for at least 2 minutes. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for another 30 minutes. After 30 minutes combine again and leave to rest for 30 minutes more.
Pro tip – When it comes to all-purpose flour I like to do the mixing and combine twice before the folds.

Progress pictures adding the salt to the sourdough. — Folds Homemade Sourdough Loaf with All-Purpose Flour

Folds – Pick the dough from one side and fold it over the other side. Then, turn the bowl and do the same on the other side. Next, cover and rest for 30 minutes. Fold the dough using this method three times resting every 30 minutes (watch video).
Pro tip – Folding strengthens the gluten and gives the bread a chewy texture.
Rest – Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave it to rise at room temperature (78°F / 25°C) for an hour.

Progress pictures folding the sourdough recipe. — Coil fold Homemade Sourdough Loaf with All-Purpose Flour

Shape – Spray the worktop with cooking spray. Turn the dough out onto the work surface and divide it into 2. Then, shape each portion into a loaf, as shown in the video.
Method – To shape the dough
- First, stretch the sides and bring the sides toward the center.
- Next, fold the top of the dough to the center.
- Then, the middle toward the bottom.
- Turn the dough and fold again until you have a small tight sausage.
  Pro tip – Rolling the dough on the oil-sprayed surface will create surface tension and prevent the dough from drying out. You can also shape this dough into an oval or round shape.

Progress pictures shaping the sourdough loaf. — Shaping Homemade Sourdough Loaf with All-Purpose Flour

Prove – Generously dust a 9-inch oval banneton basket with flour. Place the loaf smooth side down (seam side up) in the basket. Cover and leave the bread to rise in the refrigerator (38°F / 3°C) for 8 hours or up to 16 hours.
Pro tip – This is one large loaf in a 9-inch oval banneton but you can also make 2 x 6-inch bannetons for two small loaves.
Preheat oven – Preheat the oven at 450°F / 230°C / Gas mark 8 with a cloche or dutch oven for at least 45 minutes.
Pro tip – To get a nice crust on the loaf, it is important to heat the cloche or dutch oven in the oven for at least 45 minutes.
Score – When the cloche is preheated remove it out of the oven with oven gloves. Invert the bread onto the base and dust it with flour to prevent sticking. Then, using a bread lame or sharp knife, score the bread making a deep (almost 1/4 inch) cut. If you use a dutch oven score the loaf on parchment paper and gently place it in the pot.
Pro tip – Scoring the bread will allow for steam to escape the bread. If you do not score it, will cause a natural burst, which can misshape the loaf.

Progress pictures baking the sourdough loaf recipe. — Homemade Sourdough Loaf with All-Purpose Flour

Bake – Cover the cloche or dutch oven and place it back in the oven. Bake for 25 minutes covered. Then, remove the cover or lid and bake for another 20 minutes or until golden brown on the top and hollow sound on the bottom of the bread.
Pro tip – Baking the bread covered will create steam in the pan, which will give a wonderful golden-brown crust.

Progress pictures baking the two sourdough loaves. — Progress Homemade Sourdough Loaf with All-Purpose Flour

Cool – When baked, remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for at least an hour before cutting.
Pro tip – When baked, the internal temperature of the sourdough bread should be read about 205 to 210°F (or 96-98°C) on an instant-read thermometer.

A loaf of sourdough on the table. — Homemade Sourdough Loaf with All-Purpose Flour

Tips for Success

If this is your first loaf with sourdough starter, don’t get overwhelmed with hours and baking formulas. In fact, that is why in the final recipe I have not given you any baker’s formula to calculate or specific hours but rather a longer timeline.
Also, the timeline for bulk fermentation and proofing is quite long 8 to 16 hours from counter to refrigerator. This means that you can start the process 24 hours ahead and not be overwhelmed with the process.
The timeline is a guide to use, which is why I have given you the temperatures. A warm room will help the bread rise faster and a cooler temperature will slow the rise. So, adjust accordingly.
Also, use a kitchen scale when baking with sourdough because that will give you an accurate measure.
There are many ways to shape a loaf of sourdough bread but for this basic one, I have made a simple round loaf.
Sourdough bread with 77% hydration means the dough is very loose. Therefore, the bench scraper is your best working tool.
Hydration refers to the ratio of water to flour. More water means a more open crumb.
A bread lame is a very sharp razor blade but can be intimating to use for beginners. So, just use a sharp knife instead.
Shape the final loaf of bread on a piece of parchment paper so it is easier to move the dough without it losing shape.
In addition, baking in a special bread pan such as clouch, dutch oven, or cast-iron pan ensures a wonderful crust to your sourdough bread and is definitely worth the investment.
Sourdough must be baked in a hot oven, so make sure to preheat your oven for no less than 30 minutes and up to an hour.
Lastly, baked bread must be properly cooled on a cooling rack for at least an hour before you slice it. Otherwise, the steam from the bread will evaporate leaving it dry.

More sourdough recipes

How long will this sourdough bread keep?

The best thing about sourdough bread is that it can last for 4 to 5 days at room temperature.

Can you make sourdough bread with all-purpose flour?

Most people think if they don’t have bread flour they can’t make bread. However, the truth is you can make bread with all-purpose flour. Although, the ratio and hydration are different when using AP as compared to bread flour.

Why is my sourdough bread not sour?

A sourdough starter is fresh wild yeast and if you use it soon after it has been fed and peaked it will not be sour. To achieve a sour taste you need to let the starter go without food for a while. Starve it until it gets a brown liquid called hooch on top. This increases the acidity in the starter which gives the sour flavor to sourdough.