Your first sourdough loaf takes about 36 hours from a mature starter to a baked loaf — but only 2 of those hours are active work. This guide walks UK home bakers through every step: feeding your starter the night before, mixing dough at breakfast, slow bulk fermentation through the day, shaping, cold-retarding overnight in the fridge, and baking on a Sunday morning. The dough does most of the work while you live your life. Breathe. We'll go slowly.
A 36-Hour Roadmap (How This Bake Actually Goes)
How long does it take to make a sourdough loaf?
A first sourdough loaf takes about 36 hours from a mature starter to a baked loaf — but only 2 of those hours are active work. The pattern is: feed your starter the night before, mix at breakfast, bulk-ferment through the day (6 to 10 hours), shape in the evening, cold-retard overnight in the fridge, and bake the next morning. The rest of the time, the dough is doing its own thing.
The most useful thing we can give you is the shape of the bake — not the steps, just the picture of the whole thing — so the steps make sense when they arrive.
The two-day pattern at a glance
Fri 21:00Feed starter (1:5:5)
Sat 09:00Mix dough (autolyse)
09:30Add salt, bulk begins
10:00–12:00Stretch & fold (×4)
17:00Pre-shape + final shape
17:35Into fridge (cold retard)
Sun 10:15Out of the oven
Friday 9 pm: feed starter. Saturday 9 am: mix dough, autolyse. 9:30 am: salt, bulk begins. 5 pm: shape. 5:35 pm: into fridge. Sunday 8:45 am: preheat oven. 9:30 am: score and load. 10:15 am: out. 11:16 am: slice. 36 hours from feed to slice; 2 hours active.
When the active work happens (and when you live your life)
The seven moments of active handling: feed (5 min), mix (10), four folds (2 min each), shape (10), score and load (5), bake-out (3). Total ~50 minutes of literal handling. Round to 2 hours including washing-up and watching. The other 34 hours: bulk on the counter, cold retard in the fridge, bake in the oven. You have permission to leave the house during bulk.
A note on temperature — why your kitchen runs the clock
Warm kitchen (24°C) → 4–6h bulk; cool February kitchen (16°C) → 9–12h bulk. The numbers in this guide assume a UK kitchen at 19–21°C — the realistic ambient for most of us. If your kitchen is colder or warmer, the bulk-ferment calculator below adjusts. Your kitchen runs the clock — don't fight it.
Ingredients (With UK Flour Brands)
The ingredient list is short. For one 850 g loaf: 400 g strong white bread flour, 100 g wholemeal flour, 350 g water, 10 g fine sea salt, 100 g active mature starter. That's everything.
Strong white bread flour — what to look for
12–14% protein. UK brands we trust, with one-line verdicts:
- Marriage's (Essex) — reliable workhorse
- Shipton Mill (Gloucestershire) — superb, slightly higher protein
- Doves Farm Organic — easy supermarket organic
- Allinson Strong White — every Tesco / Sainsbury's / Asda
- Wessex Mill (Oxfordshire) — lovely flavour
- Matthews Cotswold — Cotswold artisan default
- Tesco Strong White — supermarket own-brand, fine
Avoid plain or self-raising — too low in protein.
A small amount of wholemeal or rye (the flavour and timing helper)
100 g wholemeal added to 400 g white = a 20% blend. Richer flavour, faster ferment, slightly more open crumb. Bran carries more wild microbes and minerals. We recommend it for a first bake.
Water, salt, starter — the rest of the list
Room-temperature water (left out 12h if chlorinated). Fine sea salt dissolves cleanly. Starter at peak — bubbly, domed, faintly yoghurty.
What we don't add (and why)
No oil, sugar, milk, honey, commercial yeast. Sourdough is four ingredients. Anything else is a different bake.
Equipment (UK Supermarket Alternatives Throughout)
The internet wants to sell you a lot of sourdough kit. Here's what genuinely matters and what doesn't.
The Dutch oven — the one thing that really matters
Heavy lidded casserole that takes 250°C. Traps steam in the first 20 min → oven spring. Without steam, the crust sets before the loaf rises = flat brick. Steam is the difference between a good loaf and an apologetic one.
Aldi / Lidl cast-iron casserole vs Le Creuset — an honest UK shopping guide
| Product | Price | Lid fit | Max temp | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aldi Crofton cast-iron casserole | £15.99 | Snug | 260°C | The budget winner. Clara's weekday loaf pot. |
| Lidl Esmee cast-iron | £19.99 | Snug | 260°C | Equivalent to Aldi's; pick whichever is in stock. |
| Habitat enamel cast-iron | £25 | OK | 260°C | Pretty, slightly thinner than the supermarket-own. |
| Tower cast-iron casserole | £30 | Good | 250°C | Solid mid-range, widely stocked. |
| Sainsbury's Home cast-iron | £35 | Good | 260°C | Reliable. Often on sale. |
| ProCook cast-iron | £55 | Excellent | 270°C | The mid-range that lasts. |
| Le Creuset Signature 24cm | £200+ | Excellent | 260°C | The proper one. Heirloom-grade. |
| Pyrex glass casserole | £15 | OK | 230°C | If you already own one — fine, but max bake temp 230°C. |
Plain English verdict: if you already own a heavy-lidded cast iron pan or Pyrex casserole that takes 250°C, that's the answer. Don't buy anything.
Banneton or a tea towel in a colander (the no-banneton route)
Do I need a banneton to make sourdough?
No — you do not need a banneton to make sourdough. A tea towel dusted with rice flour and laid inside a metal colander or a wide kitchen bowl holds a beginner loaf perfectly during its overnight cold retard. The rice flour stops sticking; the colander or bowl holds the shape. Your first ten loaves can be baked without a single bit of specialist kit, banneton included.
Scales, a thermometer, and the little things
Digital scale £6 (Salter). Probe thermometer £8 (Lakeland). Mixing bowl, spatula, sharp paring knife or £4 lame, baking parchment.
What you definitely don't need (the gadget gauntlet)
No stand mixer, dough hook, proofing box, banneton spray bottle, lava-rock steam tray, or "sourdough kit" accessory bag.
Equipment Decision Wizard
Equipment Decision Wizard — 12 pieces, plain verdicts
Item
Verdict
UK price
Cheap alternative
Dutch oven
Essential
£15.99 (Aldi)
Any heavy lidded casserole that takes 250°C
Digital scales
Essential
£6 (Salter)
Lidl Silvercrest, £4.99
Mixing bowl
Essential
£3–8
You already own one
Sharp knife or lame
Essential
£0–4
A clean razor blade
Banneton
Nice
£10–18
Tea towel + rice flour + colander
Probe thermometer
Nice
£8 (Lakeland)
You can use the four-signal test instead
Dough scraper
Nice
£1–3
An old credit card
Bread lame
Nice
£4
A razor blade on a coffee stirrer
Pizza stone or steel
Skip
£25–60
The Dutch oven does the steam job better
Stand mixer
Skip
£100+
Your two hands and 5 minutes
Proofing box
Skip
£40+
An oven with the light on (~26°C)
"Sourdough kit" gadgets
Skip
£25–80
None of them
Clara: "My first five sourdough loaves were dense bricks. First: under-baked. Second: over-floured (wallpaper-paste sandwich). Third: over-proofed (spread like a flat tyre). Fourth: over-scored (split sideways). Fifth: no Dutch oven, tried a roasting tin with foil. Each one taught me something. Sixth: first good one. Seventh: better. Fifteenth: photographable. If your first loaf is a brick, it is a normal first loaf. Bake another."
Step 1 — Feed Your Starter the Night Before
A sluggish starter makes a sluggish loaf. The single most under-rated trick in sourdough baking is feeding the night before.
The 1:5:5 night-before feed
At 21:00 on Friday: take 20 g of mature starter from your fridge jar. Combine with 100 g strong white bread flour and 100 g room-temperature water. Stir to a smooth paste. Cover loosely. Leave on the counter overnight. By Saturday 9 am, it should be domed, bubbly through the side of the jar, and smelling of ripe yoghurt.
What the morning starter should look like
Doubled in volume. The surface is domed and freckled with small bubbles. The smell is sweet-yoghurty, faintly fruity. Drop a teaspoon in cool water — it should float (with the float-test caveat noted earlier).
If it's not ready in the morning — what to do
If it's not yet peaked at 9 am, wait an hour. If after another two hours it still hasn't peaked, your kitchen is colder than 18°C. Move the starter somewhere warmer (top of fridge, oven-with-light-on) and push the mix to lunchtime. The dough doesn't care what time it is. You can.
Step 2 — Mix the Dough (Autolyse)
The four ingredients, in the right order
In a large bowl, whisk 350 g water with 100 g active starter until cloudy. Add 400 g strong white bread flour and 100 g wholemeal flour. Mix with a wooden spoon, then your hand, until there's no dry flour left. The dough will look shaggy and rough. That's right. Don't add salt yet. Cover with a damp tea towel.
What autolyse actually does
For 30 minutes, the flour absorbs water and the gluten begins to organise itself without you doing anything. The dough goes from shaggy to soft. This is "autolyse" — French for "self-cutting", because the flour's own enzymes start cleaving the starch into sugars the yeast can eat. Free work.
What "shaggy" looks like (and that you don't knead)
Shaggy = no dry flour visible, but the dough is rough, uneven, and slightly sticky. You don't knead. You don't push, fold, or work it. You wait.
Step 3 — Adding Salt (The 30-Minute Window)
Why salt goes in after autolyse
Salt tightens gluten and inhibits yeast. Adding it after the autolyse lets the gluten and enzymes do their relaxing work first. Then salt comes in to firm things up for the rest of bulk.
Dimpling the dough — the right amount of force
At 9:30, sprinkle 10 g fine sea salt across the top. Add a tablespoon of water. Wet your hand and dimple the dough — push your fingers gently into the surface, repeating across the whole bowl, then pinch and fold a few times until the salt disappears. Don't over-mix. The gluten doesn't need stress at this stage. Cover again.
Step 4 — Bulk Fermentation (The UK Ambient-Temperature Adjuster)
What is the biggest mistake beginners make with sourdough bread?
The biggest mistake new sourdough bakers make is rushing bulk fermentation. They follow a recipe that says "4 hours at room temperature" written for a 24°C American kitchen, then bake from a UK kitchen at 18°C four hours later. The dough hasn't finished fermenting. The loaf comes out flat and dense. Bulk fermentation is finished when the dough has risen by 50–75%, jiggles when you nudge the bowl, and feels airy — not when the clock says so.
What's actually happening in the bowl
The wild yeast in your starter is multiplying and producing CO₂; the lactic acid bacteria are producing lactic and acetic acids; the gluten network is forming, capturing the gas. Bulk fermentation is when 90% of the loaf's flavour and structure develops. Get it right and the rest is easy.
The honest UK temperature table — bulk time by kitchen °C
How long does the bulk fermentation take?
Bulk fermentation of a beginner sourdough loaf takes 4 to 6 hours at 24°C, 6 to 8 hours at 20–22°C, 8 to 10 hours at 18–20°C, and 9 to 12 hours at 16–18°C — which covers most UK kitchens between October and April. Use a clear-sided bowl so you can see the rise, and look for a 50–75% increase in volume plus a domed, airy surface. The clock is a guide; the dough is the answer.
| Kitchen temp | Bulk time | UK months this is typical |
|---|---|---|
| 24°C | 4–6 h | Warm summer / heated flat |
| 20–22°C | 6–8 h | UK May–Sep, well-heated kitchen Oct–Apr |
| 18–20°C | 8–10 h | Average UK kitchen Mar–Apr, Oct–Nov |
| 16–18°C | 9–12 h | Average UK kitchen Nov–Feb |
How to know bulk is done (three signs, not one)
(1) Volume increase of 50–75% (the bowl should look noticeably fuller, with a domed top). (2) The dough jiggles when you nudge the bowl — like a set jelly. (3) The surface is dotted with bubbles, sometimes a few breaking through. Look for all three. Don't bake on the clock; bake on the signs.
The 16°C kitchen problem — and four workarounds
UK winter kitchens sit at 14–17°C. Four workarounds: (1) oven with the light on (sits 24–28°C — check with a thermometer first); (2) airing cupboard near the hot-water tank; (3) bowl in a tray of warm water at 30°C; (4) accept the 10–12 hour bulk and plan the bake day around it. Don't put the bowl on a radiator — uneven heat, dough develops a crust on one side.
Bulk-Ferment Time Calculator
Bulk-Ferment Calculator
Slide to your kitchen temperature and pick your flour blend.
Step 5 — Stretch and Fold
When to fold (every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours)
From 9:30, set a timer for 30 minutes. At each interval, perform one stretch-and-fold. Four folds across two hours is plenty.
How to fold (four corners, no slapping)
Wet your hand. Reach into the bowl, grab one side of the dough, stretch it up, fold it over the centre. Rotate the bowl 90°, repeat. Four pulls — north, south, east, west. Total: 2 minutes. No slapping, no kneading. The dough strengthens by being stretched, not by being beaten.
Why we stop folding when we do
After two hours, the dough has organised itself. More folding now is over-handling — it knocks the air out you're trying to keep in. From here, the dough just sits.
Step 6 — Pre-Shape and Bench Rest
Tipping the dough out gently
When bulk is done, lightly flour your worktop. Tip the dough out — let gravity do it, don't pull or scrape. The dough should land as a soft, jiggly disc.
The pre-shape — a loose round, no pressure
With floured hands, bring the edges to the centre — north, south, east, west — and flip the dough over so the smooth side is up. Cup your hands around it and turn gently, pulling the surface taut. You're not crushing; you're tightening.
The 20-minute bench rest
Leave it uncovered on the worktop for 20 minutes. The gluten relaxes, ready for the final shape.
Step 7 — Final Shape and Load into the Banneton
The classic tight boule shape
Flour your hands. Flip the pre-shaped dough over so the floured side is down. Stretch the dough into a rough square. Fold north to centre, south to centre, east to centre, west to centre — like wrapping a parcel. Flip seam-side-down. Cup and tighten as before. The surface should be smooth and taut.
The tea-towel-in-a-colander alternative (full method)
If you don't have a banneton, line a 22 cm metal colander (or a 1L wide kitchen bowl) with a clean tea towel. Dust the towel generously with rice flour — rice flour, not regular; regular flour sticks. Place the shaped dough seam-side-up in the lined colander. Dust the top with more rice flour.
What seam-side-down vs seam-side-up means and when to use each
In the banneton (or colander): seam-side-up. The smooth side will become the bottom of the loaf. When you tip it out for baking, the seam side ends up underneath. (If using a banneton with a fabric liner, dust both sides generously with rice flour.)
Step 8 — Cold Retard Overnight in the Fridge
Why the fridge, not the counter
The fridge slows fermentation almost to a stop while letting flavour develop. A counter retard at room temperature would over-proof the loaf in 4–6 hours; a fridge retard at 4°C lets you sleep, work, and come back to the dough better, not worse.
How long (8 to 36 hours) and what changes with time
8–12 hours: clean, mild tang. 12–24 hours: deeper flavour, more developed crust character. 24–36 hours: tangier, more complex, the crust browns more dramatically. For a first bake, 12–16 hours is ideal.
Cling film, a shower cap, or a bag — the lid question
The dough needs covering or the surface dries out. A shower cap is the perfect size for a colander — Clara keeps a stack of them. A clean carrier bag works. Cling film works. Don't seal so tight that gas builds up.
Step 9 — Bake in a Dutch Oven
What temperature do I bake sourdough at?
Bake sourdough in a Dutch oven at 250°C with the lid on for 20 minutes, then drop the oven to 220°C, lift the lid, and bake for a further 20 to 25 minutes. The closed lid traps steam and gives the loaf its open crumb and dramatic oven spring; the lid-off phase colours the crust to mahogany and crisps it. Preheat the empty Dutch oven for 45 minutes before the dough goes in.
Preheat — 250°C for 45 minutes
Slide your empty Dutch oven (lid on) into a cold oven. Set to 250°C. Once the oven reaches temperature, give it another 30 minutes. The pot needs to be screamingly hot for proper oven spring.
Scoring — one cut down the middle, 1 cm deep
Take the dough out of the fridge straight onto a square of baking parchment. Score across the top with a sharp blade — one long cut down the middle, 1 cm deep. The score is where the loaf opens during oven spring.
Lid on for 20 minutes, lid off for 20–25 minutes
Lift the dough (by the paper edges) into the hot Dutch oven. Mind your fingers. Lid on. Bake 20 minutes. Lid off, drop the oven to 220°C. Bake another 20–25 minutes until the crust is deep mahogany.
The 220°C "lid-off" temperature drop
The drop matters. 250°C with the lid on gives steam-trapped oven spring; 220°C with the lid off browns the crust without burning it. Don't keep it at 250°C with the lid off — the crust will scorch before the inside cooks.
How to Know Your Loaf Is Done (Four Signals)
How do I know when my sourdough is done?
A sourdough loaf is done when four signals line up: the crust is a deep mahogany colour (not pale beige); a knock on the base sounds hollow rather than dull; a probe thermometer reads 96–98°C in the centre; and the loaf has lost roughly 12–15% of its raw dough weight in the oven. Any single signal can fool you. All four together never do.
Colour
Deep mahogany / chestnut. Not pale beige. Maillard reaction = flavour.
Hollow knock
Tap the base with your knuckle. Hollow = done. Dull = back in for 5 min.
Internal temp
96–98°C with a probe pushed through the base.
Weight loss
Raw dough vs baked loaf — 12 to 15% lighter. Almost all water.
Hydration vs Crumb-Hole Size — What the Maths Looks Like
Crumb open-ness score (1 = tight cake-like; 10 = wide-open Tartine-style) against dough hydration. Based on Hub bake-log data 2024–2026 across 90 loaves, plus published timing tables in Modernist Bread. 72% is the sweet-spot for a first bake.
Slicing and Storage
Wait an hour — the no-warm-bread rule
Slicing hot tears the crumb. The loaf finishes its bake on the cooling rack as residual steam works its way through. Wait an hour. Two if you can stand it.
Cut crust-side down, with a serrated knife
Flip the loaf so the bottom is up. The crust is harder than the crumb; serrated edge against crust is the controlled way. Saw, don't push.
Keeping it for the week — paper, cloth, or freezer
Paper bag at room temp for 2–3 days. Cloth (a clean tea towel inside a bread bin) for up to 5 days. To freeze: slice cold, then freeze in a sealed bag — single slices toast straight from the freezer. Never cling film a fresh loaf.
When It Goes Wrong (A Troubleshooter Preview)
Flat and dense — the under-ferment culprit
Your bulk fermentation was too short. The dough didn't develop enough gas or strength. Next time, use the calculator above and look for the three signs (not just the clock). The dedicated troubleshooter — flat / dense / gummy — covers this and more.
Gummy crumb — the over-ferment or under-bake
Either the bulk went too long (dough over-fermented and structure collapsed during shaping), or the bake was 5–10 minutes short. Check the four doneness signals. Use a probe next time.
No oven spring — the shaping or cold-retard question
The shaping wasn't tight enough, or the dough was over-proofed. Tighten the boule next time; check that the dough is still slightly springy when poked after cold retard (not flat and slack).
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to make a sourdough loaf?
A first sourdough loaf takes about 36 hours from a mature starter to a baked loaf — but only 2 of those hours are active work. The pattern is: feed your starter the night before, mix at breakfast, bulk-ferment through the day (6 to 10 hours), shape in the evening, cold-retard overnight in the fridge, and bake the next morning. The rest of the time, the dough is doing its own thing.
What is the biggest mistake beginners make with sourdough bread?
The biggest mistake new sourdough bakers make is rushing bulk fermentation. They follow a recipe that says "4 hours at room temperature" written for a 24°C American kitchen, then bake from a UK kitchen at 18°C four hours later. The dough hasn't finished fermenting. The loaf comes out flat and dense. Bulk fermentation is finished when the dough has risen by 50–75%, jiggles when you nudge the bowl, and feels airy — not when the clock says so.
How long does the bulk fermentation take?
Bulk fermentation of a beginner sourdough loaf takes 4 to 6 hours at 24°C, 6 to 8 hours at 20–22°C, 8 to 10 hours at 18–20°C, and 9 to 12 hours at 16–18°C — which covers most UK kitchens between October and April. Use a clear-sided bowl so you can see the rise, and look for a 50–75% increase in volume plus a domed, airy surface. The clock is a guide; the dough is the answer.
How do I know when my sourdough is done?
A sourdough loaf is done when four signals line up: the crust is a deep mahogany colour (not pale beige); a knock on the base sounds hollow rather than dull; a probe thermometer reads 96–98°C in the centre; and the loaf has lost roughly 12–15% of its raw dough weight in the oven. Any single signal can fool you. All four together never do.
Do I need a banneton to make sourdough?
No — you do not need a banneton to make sourdough. A tea towel dusted with rice flour and laid inside a metal colander or a wide kitchen bowl holds a beginner loaf perfectly during its overnight cold retard. The rice flour stops sticking; the colander or bowl holds the shape. Your first ten loaves can be baked without a single bit of specialist kit, banneton included.
What temperature do I bake sourdough at?
Bake sourdough in a Dutch oven at 250°C with the lid on for 20 minutes, then drop the oven to 220°C, lift the lid, and bake for a further 20 to 25 minutes. The closed lid traps steam and gives the loaf its open crumb and dramatic oven spring; the lid-off phase colours the crust to mahogany and crisps it. Preheat the empty Dutch oven for 45 minutes before the dough goes in.
Can I bake sourdough without a Dutch oven?
Yes. The Dutch oven traps steam, which gives the loaf oven spring and a crackly crust. Without one, place a baking tray of boiling water on the oven floor for the first 25 minutes to mimic the steam, then remove it. The loaf will be slightly flatter and the crust softer, but still excellent. A stainless stockpot with a heavy lid is another workable substitute.
Why is my first loaf flat?
Almost certainly under-fermented bulk. Your kitchen is colder than the recipe assumed, or you bulked on the clock instead of on the signs. Use the calculator above. Look for the 50–75% rise, the jiggle, and the bubbled surface together. Bake from those, not from the timer.
How tangy will my loaf be?
Mild on a first bake. Tang develops with longer cold retards (24–36 hours rather than 12). The acetic acid that drives sourdough tang builds slowly in the cold. If you want a tangier loaf, extend the cold retard to 24 hours next time. If you want a milder one, keep it at 12.
Can I bake on a weekday?
Yes — the cold retard lets you. Mix and bulk on Sunday morning, shape Sunday evening, fridge overnight, bake Tuesday or Wednesday morning. The dough is happy in the fridge for up to 48 hours. The cold retard is the flexibility lever in the whole bake.
What's Next — Your Second Loaf and Beyond
If your first loaf came out flat, dense, or gummy, that's the most useful information you'll get. The dedicated troubleshooter — flat / dense / gummy — covers the diagnostic. For deeper understanding of how the dough works, hydration explained and bulk fermentation and cold retard timing are the next reads. For the scoring patterns that make a loaf photographable, how to score sourdough. And to know what a ready dough actually feels like, the poke test is the single most useful diagnostic you'll add.
The complete UK starter guide stays the pillar that ties the whole cluster together — and the bridge from starter to first loaf is the bake-day planner if you want to schedule your next one with confidence. If your discard jar has built up, our discard loaf we recommend bakers try first is the gentler confidence-builder.
If You Haven't Got a Starter Yet — Our Five Kits
If you're working through this article and haven't yet built a starter, our five starter kits ship a mature, lively culture so you can skip the 10-day build. The Express Kit is the fastest route — bakeable within 24 hours of the box arriving. The classic Sourdough Kit ships our white-flour starter for the cleanest, mildest first loaf. Both include the flour, the jar, and the instructions in the same warm voice as this article.
Bake one. Then bake another. The fifteenth is the one you'll photograph.
