14 super sourdough recipes for all your bread baking
Looking for an easy everyday loaf? How about a whole grain sandwich bread? We’ve got it all.
Maybe you’re a brand-new sourdough baker looking for a recipe you’ll love. Or maybe you’ve been baking sourdough breads for years, but need something to mix up your repertoire. Whatever type of sourdough baker you are, this list of sourdough bread recipes — featuring everything from a classic naturally leavened loaf to a soft and sweet sourdough challah — is for you.
Want to deepen your sourdough knowledge further? We have all the resources you need to become a better baker. Check out our guide on How to Bake Sourdough, packed with helpful tips, videos, and answers to all your most pressing sourdough baking questions.
A great beginner sourdough loaf: Rustic Sourdough Bread
Because this recipe includes commercial yeast as well as starter, you're guaranteed a good, strong rise — even if your starter isn't quite up to snuff. As a result, it’s an excellent choice if you’re just beginning to bake with sourdough starter and want some extra reassurance of success.
Get the recipe: Rustic Sourdough Bread
Shop the recipe: SAF Red Instant Yeast
A go-to crusty, open-crumbed bread: Pain de Campagne (Country Bread)
This naturally leavened loaf is quite possibly the only sourdough bread recipe you need. It can be made with unfed sourdough discard directly from your fridge, is mostly hands-off (there’s no kneading!), and has a flexible schedule that you can adapt to your timeline. And the bread itself? It has an open crumb, glossy interior, and gorgeous height. What more could you want?
Get the recipe: Pain de Campagne (Country Bread)
Shop the recipe: Standard Dough-Rising Bucket
A classic artisan bread with open crumb: Vermont Sourdough
With a soft interior and open crumb, this flavorful bread is one of our favorite sourdough recipes. It uses a few tricks, like an overnight levain and the autolyse method, to build flavor and make the dough easier to work with. (Want to guarantee that open, holey interior? Check out our blog on how to produce an open crumb in sourdough bread.)
Get the recipe: Vermont Sourdough
Shop the recipe: Rye Flour Blend
A fast recipe you can make in an afternoon: Naturally Leavened Sourdough Bread
Looking for a classic artisan-style bread leavened solely by starter — that can be made in one day? Try this recipe. It has a deep brown crust, rich flavor, and mild tang — exactly what you’re looking for in this kind of bread. Make sure you have a healthy, active starter for best results. (Confused about the term “ripe sourdough starter”? Here’s exactly what that means.)
Get the recipe: Naturally Leavened Sourdough Bread
Shop the recipe: Classic Fresh Sourdough Starter
A loaf with lots of flavor: Extra-Tangy Sourdough Bread
If you like your sourdough with a lot of tang, this is the recipe for you. Refrigerating the dough encourages the production of more acetic acid, which contributes to sourdough’s signature sour flavor.
Get the recipe: Extra-Tangy Sourdough Bread
Shop the recipe: Bread Slashing Lame
A mostly hands-off recipe: No-Knead Sourdough Bread
Characterized by its crusty, chewy texture, robust sourdough flavor, and rich golden color, this sourdough loaf comes together with minimal active work thanks to a series of folds and long rest time — no kneading necessary.
Get the recipe: No-Knead Sourdough Bread
Shop the recipe: Unbleached Bread Flour and Diastatic Malt Powder
A soft sandwich loaf: Sourdough Sandwich Bread
This bread, made with an overnight levain for flavor and commercial yeast to help with rising, is a richly flavored, soft-textured sandwich loaf, perfect for all your favorite sandwich fillings. Make it every Sunday and have a loaf to last you all week long.
Get the recipe: Sourdough Sandwich Bread
Shop the recipe: Standard Bread Loaf Pan
A whole grain sandwich loaf: Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread
This recipe makes a great everyday bread — packed with flavor thanks to whole wheat flour and a full cup of starter, it makes the perfect base for toast, sandwiches, and more. This beginner-friendly loaf is made with a little commercial yeast, ensuring your bread still rises even if your starter isn’t very active.
Get the recipe: Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread
Shop the recipe Whole Wheat Flour and Whole Grain Bread Improver
A slow-and-steady bread for experienced bakers: High-Hydration Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread
Though it takes two days from start to finish, this whole wheat bread is worth the wait with its deep flavor and moist crumb. This recipe is best suited to experienced sourdough bakers: The high-hydration dough resists easy handling, and the process is a lengthy one.
Get the recipe: High-Hydration Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread
Shop the recipe: Whole Wheat Flour
A sourdough loaf made with rye flour: Jeffrey's Sourdough Rye Bread
Rye flour adds a robust flavor to this hearty loaf, while bread flour provides sufficient strength in the dough. This recipe calls for just 2 tablespoons (about 21g) ripe sourdough starter; it’s combined with rye flour for an overnight starter, then the dough is mixed and baked the next day. (A stand mixer is required for thorough mixing; this loaf can’t be made successfully by hand.)
Get the recipe: Jeffery’s Sourdough Rye Bread
Shop the recipe: Organic Medium Rye Flour and Unbleached Bread Flour
A seedy bread with lots of texture: Multigrain Sourdough Boule
This loaf is far from boring: Made with seeds and grains in the dough and a generous topping of more seeds on the outside, it’s got tons of crunch and flavor in every slice.
Get the recipe: Multigrain Sourdough Boule
Shop the recipe: Harvest Grains Blend and Artisan Bread Topping
A bread as big as it is flavorful: Honey-Beer Miche
A large country-style loaf made with sourdough starter and a mixture of all-purpose and whole grain flours, this traditional miche also includes pumpernickel flour, dark beer, and honey to make a complex and frankly gorgeous loaf with a touch of sweetness.
Get the recipe: Honey-Beer Miche
Shop the recipe: Pumpernickel Flour
A soft, sweet bread for weekends: Sourdough Challah
While this sourdough challah recipe requires some patience — you’ll start with active sourdough starter, create a stiff levain, then mix the dough and wait overnight while it rises — the results are well worth it: This large loaf is slightly sweet with a subtle sourdough tang and a softer, more aerated crumb than most loaves of challah.
Get the recipe: Sourdough Challah
Shop the recipe: Unbleached Bread Flour and Orange Blossom Water
A crispy, chewy focaccia with subtle tang: Sourdough Focaccia
Sourdough doesn’t always have to be used to make crusty artisan bread; it can also transform into thick squares of soft, chewy focaccia. This recipe requires an overnight rest, so plan accordingly! (For a full-flavored, naturally leavened sourdough focaccia, try this Taiwanese Bakery Sourdough Focaccia.)
Get the recipe: Sourdough Focaccia
Shop the recipe: SAF Red Instant Yeast
For all things sourdough, check out our guide on How to Bake Sourdough.
