How to Make Sourdough Bread: A Six-Part Guide
Why we make one bread and only this one — and how to make it well. A starter from flour and water, a fermentation timeline that re-times itself to your kitchen, and the position that explains why long-fermented sourdough is the one grain we eat.
ON THIS PAGE · 5 SECTIONS
Sourdough bread is made from flour, water and salt, leavened by a wild-yeast starter rather than commercial yeast, and fermented slowly — 24 to 48 hours including a cold retard. That long fermentation is what makes it different: it degrades most of the phytate that binds minerals, pre-digests much of the gluten, and lowers the glycaemic response. It is the one grain preparation Monthlees recommends, and this guide takes you from starter to loaf.
Position · Where we stand
Rev. 2 · Sep 2026
Grains are not recommended. Long-fermented sourdough is the single exception, and only because fermentation removes most of what makes grain a problem.
- The general rule
- Whole grains carry phytic acid that binds zinc, iron and calcium; gluten and lectins that irritate the gut lining; and a glucose load without the minerals to handle it.
- Why this is the exception
- 24–48 hours of wild-yeast and lactobacillus fermentation degrades most of the phytate, pre-digests much of the gluten, and lowers the glycaemic response. White flour removes the bran, where most of the anti-nutrients live.
- What would change our mind
- Evidence that long-fermented white sourdough raises inflammatory markers or blocks mineral absorption in people without coeliac disease. We have not found it; we keep looking.
Never as a staple; never with seed oils; always with butter, eggs or broth. This is a food you make on purpose, not one you reach for.
One loaf, start to finish
Every stage below re-times itself to your kitchen. Fermentation roughly halves for every 6°C warmer, which is why a schedule copied from someone else's kitchen rarely works in yours. Move the slider.
- Mix & autolyse
- Bulk ferment
- Shape & bench
- Cold retard
- Bake
- Cool
Total:
Building the starter
Ten days from flour and water to a culture that doubles on schedule. Ratios are starter : flour : water by weight.
| Day | Feed | How often | What you should see |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 50 g flour + 50 g water | every 24 h | Nothing. Maybe a bubble. |
| 2–3 | Discard half; 1:1:1 | every 24 h | Sour smell, some bubbles, rise then fall. |
| 4–5 | Discard; 1:1:1 | every 12 h | Doubles in about 8 h. Smells like yogurt and beer. |
| 6–7 | Discard; 1:2:2 | every 12 h | Doubles reliably in about 6 h; domed top. |
| 8–10 | 1:5:5 the night before baking | once | Passes the float test. Ready for Part 3. |
| Maintain | 1:5:5 weekly, fridge | weekly | Feed 12 h before each bake. |
When it goes wrong
| What you see | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Gray liquid on top, smells of nail varnish | Starved — too long between feeds | Pour off, feed 1:2:2 twice a day for two days |
| Rises then collapses in 3 hours | Kitchen is warm; the culture is fast and hungry | Feed at a higher ratio (1:5:5) or move it somewhere cooler |
| No activity after 5 days | Chlorinated water or bleached flour | Filtered water; add a spoon of rye for three feeds |
| Pink or orange streaks | Contamination | Discard entirely and start again — do not taste |
| Dough will not hold shape | Over-fermented in bulk (see the timeline) | Shorten bulk by a third at this temperature; use the fridge sooner |
Why the process is the recipe
Everything in the rest of this series follows from the position above. Because the benefit is the fermentation and not the bread, time and temperature matter more than flour brand or shaping technique.
So the series is built around a schedule you can actually keep, rather than around a loaf that photographs well.
