How to Make Fluffy Sourdough Bread: Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

My sourdough bread process is constantly evolving as I learn new methods and try new things. I just can't stick to the same recipe; I have to constantly tweak things to see how it shakes out. But.... dang it, this sourdough bread recipe may change my mind. Every time I use this ingredient combo & method, the bread turns out amazing!! All supplies I used in this video: https://urlgeni.us/amazon/MtkjV Get the printable recipe on my website: https://thatsourdoughgal.com/the-best-foolproof-white-sourdough-bread-recipe/ 00:00-00:22: Intro 00:22-02:57: Initial Mix / Fermentolyse 02:58-04:43: Adding Salt / Dough Strengthening 04:44-06:02: Stretch & Fold 1 06:03-07:00: Coil Fold 1 07:01-08:18: End Bulk Fermentation / Pre-Shaping 08:19-09:23: Final Shaping & Cold Retard 09:24-11:30: Scoring & Baking 11:31-13:23: Crumb Reveal 1,000g King Arthur unbleached bread flour 640g warm water 240g active starter* 20g Redmond’s sea salt *At 8am, I fed my starter a 1:1:1 feeding ratio, or about 90g starter, 90g flour, and 90g water. That makes a little extra so you don't have to worry about scraping out every last bit from the jar. This ratio allows me to start making my dough around 1:45pm. I usually prefer a 1:5:5 feeding ratio but didn't plan ahead well enough for that. So in this case, a 1:1:1 feeding ratio had my starter peaked and ready to go a lot faster. Total Dough Hydration: 68% 1:45pm: 1 hour fermentolyse with flour, 600g of the water, and the active starter. (Fermentolyse just means mixing the flour, water, and starter together and letting it rest before adding the salt.) 2:45pm: Added the salt and remaining 40g water after that hour. The water I added was 85-90F. Kneaded the dough and did some slap and folds for a few minutes (let's be real: until my arms were tired). Covered the bowl and let rest for around 30 minutes. 3:15pm: Usually, I do 4 total sets of dough strengthening - first two sets as stretch and folds, second two sets as coil folds. This time, I had to get my kids from school and actually only got in one set of stretch and folds and one set of coil folds. The bread still turned out amazing, so there is certainly flexibility here. Checked the temperature of the dough throughout the process as my goal was to keep it between 78-80F. If it was cool, I put it in the oven with light on. If too warm, I left on the counter (my home is 75F). Bulk fermentation usually takes about 4 hours if I keep it between 78-80F. This time, I had trouble keeping my dough temperature up and it slowly dropped to 75F. The BF took 5.5 hours this time. 7pm: Pre-shaped gently, let the dough bench rest for about 30-40 minutes, and did the single caddy clasp final shaping method followed by an overnight retard in the fridge. Next day: Preheated oven to 450F with a Dutch oven inside. Scored and baked the bread, covered, for 30 mins. Removed lid and let bake another 15 minutes or so, until the top is golden brown and the internal temp is around 205F. #sourdoughbread #sourdoughbreadrecipe Maurizio's water temperature calculator: https://www.theperfectloaf.com/water-temperature-calculator/ Check out my blog: https://thatsourdoughgal.com/ Visit my Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatsourdoughgal/