Understanding the Stages of Sourdough (2024)

One thing I have learned in my sourdough journey is that every stage of the sourdough process is equally as important as the next. After a few months in of baking, I started to get lazy and found myself skipping or rushing through certain parts of the process. I immediately noticed the difference it made in the outcome of my bread. The dough wouldn’t rise properly or the loaves would turn out too dense or flat. Understanding the stages of sourdough will help you as you begin to work with the dough and show you what to expect. Though there are many stages and it may seem like a daunting process, I promise that it will get much easier in time. The more you bake and go through each stage, the quicker you will get the hang of it and the more you will appreciate the slow and beautiful process of crafting a loaf of bread.

This post is not a recipe with instructions, but rather an explanation of the stages sourdough goes through. If you are looking for a recipe and visual tutorial, you can find that post here.

1. Autolyse

The first step in the sourdough process is combining the flour, water and starter. The starter should be fed and risen at this point in order to use in your bread recipe. Thoroughly mix the water and starter, add in the flour, and then leave alone for about 30 minutes before adding in the salt. The purpose for waiting to add the salt is so that gluten is able to develop first. Once the salt it added, it begins to bread down those gluten proteins. I highly recommend using a high quality sea salt, like Redmond Real Sea Salt.

2. Bulk Fermentation

This is the process that takes place after adding in the salt. The dough will sit at room temperature on the counter, covered, for a certain amount of time depending on the recipe you follow. This amount of time varies depending on your flour to water ratio. When just starting out, it may be wise to keep an eye on your dough during this phase to be sure it does not over-ferment, creating a sticky dough that is hard to work with. The temperature of your kitchen will also determine how quickly the dough will rise. I typically prefer to let my dough bulk ferment for about an hour before doing a series of stretch and folds. The recipe I follow is for a high hydration sourdough, meaning it has a higher water to flour ratio. However, some lower hydration recipes call for you to let your dough bulk ferment overnight on the counter. For example, if I make the dough late at night, I will follow a recipe calling for less water and allow it to bulk ferment overnight without doing any stretching and folding. This overnight recipe I followed from Artisan Sourdough Made Simple. I have found though, that I have the best results when allowing it to bulk ferment for about an hour before beginning a series of stretch and folds.

3. Stretching and Folding the Dough

This is a fun stage in the sourdough process because you get to physically work with the dough and watch as it strengthens. You simple grab the dough on one side, stretch it up, and fold it over the top. I do this 4 times as if the dough is a square. I will tuck it in at the end to make it compact. This process allows oxygen to be let in the dough, which promotes the fermentation process. I typically do a series of three stretch and folds within two hours. So there is approximately 40 minutes between each one. Each time you will notice the dough strengthening and becoming more smooth. You can click this link to watch my tutorial and get a visual idea of what this looks like. Jump forward to about 2:30 in the video.

4. Fermenting in the Fridge

The great part about putting your dough in the fridge is that you don’t have to worry about it over-fermenting and becoming too sticky to work with. It does continue to ferment, but it slows the process down. I typically let my dough sit in the fridge overnight or even longer if I don’t have time to work with it right away the following morning. The longer the dough ferments, the more it breaks down the gluten and the more that sour taste increases.

5. Laminating the Dough

Once you pull your dough out of the fridge, it should be strong and ready to work with. Leave it on the counter for about 30 minutes to an hour to allow it to get back to room temperature. It is okay if it’s still slightly cold for this stage. Laminating is when you put the dough on the counter and spread it thinly out. The goal here is for your dough not to tear. That is a good indicator that the gluten has developed properly. You will gently grab the sides and pull it out flat across your counter top. Do not worry about putting flour down beforehand. That will make it more difficult for the dough to grip the counter and stretch out. Lamination strengthens the dough and helps to prepare it to be shaped.

6. Shaping the Dough and Building Tension

In this stage you shape the dough into a boule (round) or a batard (oval). The goal of this stage is to build tension in your loaf so in the oven it will spring up nicely. After laminating the dough, I then take each side and fold them over, like a double door. Then I will roll up the dough and begin to gently push it along the counter to make it into a ball and build tension. Be sure to keep the bottom of your loaf facing down on the counter. You can also use your fingers to pinch the dough together on the sides. I call this “buttoning it up”.

7. Proofing

Once shaped, the loaf will then sit in a banneton or “proofing” basket. I purchased this kit which includes a banneton basket and some other useful bread tools. The dough is placed top down, and will proof on the counter for 1-2 hours. You can also cover the baskets and let proof in the fridge if you don’t plan to bake them after two hours. To know when your dough is ready to bake you can simply poke it. If the hole doesn’t quickly fill back in, it’s ready to bake. I prefer to let my loaves proof in the fridge for at least an hour before baking because it makes them easier to score. Scoring is when you use a blade to cut into the dough before baking. This helps the dough to expand and rise in the oven. Once proofed, you will then flip your dough onto some parchment paper, score a design, and bake it. You can find a detailed recipe with instructions and a tutorial for sourdough bread here.

I hope you found this post helpful as you learn more about the stages of sourdough. I wish I would have had a better understanding of this process when starting out. It would have saved me from a lot of trial and error. Well, trial and error is definitely an essential part of this process regardless. But… you know what I mean. Stay tuned for more sourdough posts to come by subscribing to my email list below.

One more thing…If you’d like to purchase some of my organic, dehydrated sourdough starter to jump start your sourdough journey, you can do so here.

Thanks for reading and as always, happy baking!