How To Bake Your FIRST Sourdough Bread

How To Bake The Perfect Strong White Sourdough | The Mighty White Sourdough Recipe (Beginner Friendly) If you want to bake better sourdough bread at home, this recipe will give you a reliable starting point. In this video I walk through my Mighty White Sourdough recipe — a structured, beginner-friendly method designed to help you bake consistent, flavourful sourdough bread using strong white bread flour. Unlike many recipes that focus on extreme hydration or complicated techniques, this method focuses on the fundamentals that actually matter: • fermentation control • dough structure • temperature awareness • predictable process If you’ve struggled with flat sourdough loaves, dense crumb, weak oven spring, or unpredictable fermentation, this recipe is designed to help you understand why dough behaves the way it does and how to guide it toward a successful bake. Whether you are baking your first sourdough loaf or refining your technique, this process will give you a dependable baseline you can build from. 📸 Send Me Your Crumb Shots If you bake this recipe I would genuinely love to see the results. Send your crumb photos to: 📧 [email protected] I may feature some of them in future videos so the community can learn from different results and environments. 📥 Free Sourdough Guides If you're new to sourdough baking, start here. Download my free resources: How to Make a Sourdough Starter https://russellpeacebaker.com/make_a_... Ultimate Sourdough Starter Guide https://russellpeacebaker.com/starter Weekly Starter Maintenance Guide https://russellpeacebaker.com/weekly Mighty White Printable Recipe https://russellpeacebaker.com/mightyw... Ingredients (1 Sourdough Loaf) 400g strong white bread flour (12%+ protein recommended) 270–305g water (progressive hydration) 80g active sourdough starter (100% hydration) 8g salt Baker’s percentages: Flour – 100% Water – 67.5–76% Starter – 20% Salt – 2% This recipe uses progressive hydration, starting with 270g water and gradually increasing to match your flour’s absorption and dough feel. Tools You Need To Bake Sourdough You do not need professional equipment. Essential tools: Digital scale Mixing bowl Bench scraper Banneton or cloth-lined bowl Sharp blade or lame Dutch oven or covered baking vessel Thermometer Dough whisk (I use a silicone spatula) Temperature awareness is one of the most important factors in controlling fermentation. Sourdough Baking Process (Overview) This recipe follows a simple, structured process: 1️⃣ Prepare an active sourdough starter 2️⃣ Autolyse flour and water 3️⃣ Mix starter and salt 4️⃣ Bulk fermentation with folds 5️⃣ Pre-shape and bench rest 6️⃣ Final shaping 7️⃣ Cold proof overnight 8️⃣ Score and bake in a Dutch oven 9️⃣ Cool fully before cutting The goal is balanced fermentation, not maximum rise. What This Recipe Prioritises Fermentation over force Observation over rigid timing Consistency over complexity Instead of chasing extreme open crumb, this recipe focuses on building a reliable sourdough process you can repeat in a normal home kitchen. Once you have baked it successfully once, you can begin adjusting variables like: • hydration • fermentation length • proofing temperature to influence flavour and crumb structure. Follow My Sourdough Journey Instagram -   / russellpeace_baker   Facebook -   / russellpeacebaker   TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@russellpeace_... @RussellPeace_Baker Chapters 0:00 - Introduction 4:10 - Step 1: Autolyse 8:10 - Step 2: Mixing Salt & Levain 14:03 - Step 3: The First Coil Fold 16:38 - Step 4: The Second Coil Fold 17:49 - Step 5: The Third Coil Fold 19:15 - Step 6: The Fourth Coil Fold 20:47 - Step 7: The Fifth Coil Fold 22:25 - Step 8: The End of Bulk & Pre-Shaping 26:38 - Step 9: Final Shaping 30:32 - Step 10: Baking 36:05 - Step 11: Cutting and Evaluation 38:59 - Final Words