Yes. You can start learning on Learnr for free. Learnr Pro unlocks higher daily limits and extra features.

Learn Sourdough Bread

From a jar of flour and water to a crackling loaf, learn to read your dough instead of the clock.

Free to start. Built from a single prompt. No credit card.

Sourdough is bread raised by a wild culture of yeast and lactic acid bacteria that you keep alive in a jar. The ingredients are only flour, water and salt, so all the skill lives in fermentation: knowing when your starter is at its peak, when bulk fermentation is done, and how tight to shape the loaf. Recipes give times, but temperature changes everything, which is why learning to read dough matters more than following a schedule. Learnr builds a personalized course of short lessons on starters, baker's percentages, folding, shaping and baking, so each weekend bake teaches you something.

How to learn Sourdough Bread, step by step

Build a starter and learn its rhythm. Mix whole wheat or rye flour with water, then discard part and feed it daily. It typically takes one to two weeks to become reliable. Watch how long it takes to roughly double and dome after feeding, because that peak is when it raises bread best.
Learn baker's percentages before any recipe. Every ingredient is expressed relative to total flour, so 750 grams of water to 1000 grams of flour is 75 percent hydration. Start around 65 to 70 percent; wetter doughs give an open crumb but are much harder to shape. Weigh everything on a digital scale.
Mix, rest and build strength with folds. Combine flour and water and let it rest before adding levain and salt, which makes the dough easier to develop. During the first hours of bulk fermentation, do sets of stretch and folds or coil folds until the dough holds its shape and feels smooth.
Read bulk fermentation by the dough, not the clock. Look for a domed, jiggly dough with bubbles on the sides and top and a noticeable rise. A warm kitchen finishes in a few hours, a cool one much longer. Underfermented dough gives a dense, gummy loaf.
Shape with tension, then proof cold. Pre-shape into a loose round, rest it, then shape a tight boule or batard and place it seam up in a floured banneton. An overnight rest in the fridge adds flavor, firms the dough for scoring and lets you bake on your schedule.
Bake hot in a covered pot, then troubleshoot. Bake in a preheated Dutch oven, lid on for the first part to trap steam, then lid off to brown. Cut the loaf only after it cools. Compare each crumb with notes on timing and temperature, and use short Learnr lessons to diagnose what to change.

What you'll learn

Create and maintain a lively sourdough starter
Use baker's percentages to read and adjust any recipe
Judge the end of bulk fermentation by look and feel
Pre-shape and shape a boule or batard with good surface tension
Score and bake a loaf with good oven spring and crust

What's inside your Sourdough Bread course

A sample path Learnr builds for Sourdough Bread. Your real course adapts to your goal and level.

1. How wild fermentation works
2. Building and feeding a starter
3. Baker's percentages and hydration
4. Mixing, autolyse and stretch and folds
5. Shaping, proofing and cold retarding
6. Scoring, baking and troubleshooting crumb

How long does it take to learn Sourdough Bread?

A starter takes one to two weeks to mature, and most people bake an edible first loaf soon after. Consistent, open, well-risen bread usually takes ten or more bakes over two to three months, faster if you bake twice a week and keep notes.

What you need before you start

Basic kitchen comfort is enough. You need a digital scale, a large bowl, an oven-safe lidded pot and patience, since each loaf takes about a day from start to finish.

Common mistakes to avoid

Using the starter before or long after its peak, which gives weak rise. Feed it and use it when it has risen and domed.
Following recipe times exactly in a cold kitchen and ending bulk fermentation too early. Judge by rise, bubbles and jiggle instead.
Jumping to very high hydration before you can shape, then fighting slack dough. Master a stiffer dough first and add water gradually.

How Learnr builds your course

Type your topic

Tell Learnr you want to learn Sourdough Bread, or get as specific as you like.

Get a personalized course

Learnr instantly builds a full Sourdough Bread course tailored to your goal and skill level.

Learn and level up

Move through bite-sized lessons and interactive practice, earning XP and keeping your streak.

Sourdough Bread questions, answered

Why is my sourdough dense and gummy?

The usual causes are an underactive starter, underfermented bulk, weak shaping or cutting the loaf while hot. Check that your starter peaks reliably and let bulk run until the dough looks airy before changing anything else.

Do I have to discard part of the starter?

Discarding keeps the starter small and the feeding ratio high so it stays active. You can bake pancakes or crackers with the discard instead of throwing it away, or keep a very small starter to reduce waste.

Can I make sourdough without a Dutch oven?

Yes. A baking stone or steel with a tray of hot water or an inverted roasting pan over the loaf can trap steam. The covered pot is simply the easiest way for home ovens.