Your Guide to Lazy & Cheap Sourdough Making

I put off making sourdough for literal years cause I was so intimidated by the sourdough community. I didn’t want to buy a scale or a banneton or a bread thermometer or special flour or special water or any of that. I wanted to make sourdough with what I already had. I didn’t care if it was perfect.

I finally pulled the trigger last November and got some starter via the mail from my Friend, Maria, get your own here! There are also many guides on making your own starter if you prefer that, check out some options here.

It’s been a lot of trial and error but I think I’ve finally perfected my “use what you have” sourdough methods.

There are so many ways to make sourdough so if this doesn’t suit you, find something else or create your own methods!

My biggest piece of advice is to just try! Don’t worry about perfect or buying all the materials. Just give it a whirl with what you have. You can upgrade later, change techniques, and make it your own experience.

I hope you enjoy :)

Feeding sourdough

If you keep it on the counter everyday...

Feed every day the following:

1 tbsp starter (discard the rest: throw away or save for other baking)
4 tbsp warm water
5 tbsp all purpose flour

Give it a good mix. If it’s too thick, add a little bit more water, max of 1 more tbsp
Cover loosely and let sit on the counter again

If you keep it in the fridge and feed it before baking...

Take it out, let it come to room temp and then feed it the following:

1 tbsp starter (discard the rest: throw away or save for other baking)
4 tbsp warm water
5 tbsp all purpose flour

Give it a good mix. If it’s too thick, add a little bit more water, max of 1 more tbsp
Cover loosely and keep on the counter to grow and bake with in the coming days

Making the dough

On the day you make dough, feed it the following:

All the starter in the jar, don’t discard any on bake day
10 tbsp all purpose flour
8 tbsp water

Give it a good mix. If it’s too thick, add a little bit more water, max of 1 more tbsp
Cover loosely and let sit on the counter. It is helpful to place a rubber band on the jar where the starting level is or use a dry erase marker because...
Once it’s doubled in size, it’s time to mix the rest of the dough...

Add 2.5 cups of warm water to a large bowl
Dump in all of the starter but be sure to leave at least 1 tbsp to feed it and maintain it
2 tbsp salt

Give that a good mix, it’s okay if it’s a little chunky. I mix with my hands but a bread whisk works best. Then add...

6.5 cups of bread flour (all purpose works too but bread flour has more protein and makes a more classic sourdough)

Mix. Again, I use my hands but a bread whisk works best.
If it’s too wet, add a bit more flour
If it’s too dry (noticeable dry flour remains) add a bit more warm water
It should be sticky but not wet or dry
Do not over mix!
Place a damp towel over the bowl and rest for 1 hour

Stretch and Folds

NOTE: this step is not necessary but it does build up some strength in your dough. Check out Maria’s post about lazy sourdough making to see how it’s done without

After an hour (or so) it’s time to do the first stretch and folds

Take one corner of the dough and pull it up from the bottom, fold it over the top
Repear 4 times with all four sides of the dough
Cover and rest for another hour

Repeat the stretch and folds 3 more times, 4 total

Shaping the Loaves

After the stretch and folds, it’s time to shape the dough into two loaves

Split dough roughly in half on a clean surface
Depending on the shape you want to achieve will depend how you shape it. There are many techniques, but here are a few you can choose from

Once shaped and place in your proving bowls:

For me, this looks like greased mixing bowls, it doesn’t have to be fancy
Or you can use bannetons to be fancy

Cover and let rest overnight, try not to exceed 12 hours or it may be over-proofed

Baking

Preheat your over to 450Fand place your baking dish inside: dutch oven, casserole dish with a lid, or even a baking sheet. A dutch oven will get you the best results, though
Dump one of your loaves onto a piece of parchment paper or a reusable silicone sourdough mat

Now is the time to design your loaf if you choose. I just chuck mine in as is and let it bake how it wants but feel free to score your loaf how you see fit

Once your oven is preheated, remove the dutch over and carefully place the loaf inside

Bake with the lid on for 20 minutes
Take the lid off, reduce heat to 400F and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Go longer for more color and less for less color. It should sound hollow when tapped, that is how you know it’s done
Repeat with loaf two, remembering to raise the heat back to 450F for the first bake

Let loaves cool on a baking rack or prop them up to get some airflow underneath if you don’t have one
Let cool completely before cutting to preserve the loaf
They also freeze well! I suggest freezing a loaf and defrosting later so that it doesn’t go stale while you eat loaf one

Hopefully that all makes sense and is as easy for you as it is for me. You truly just need an upcycled jar for the starter and the discard, a tbsp measuring cup, a cup measuring cup, and 2-3 bowls.

Since starting sourdough, I have upgraded to a silicone making mat vs parchment paper and a dutch over. I got one secondhand for $50 versus new for upwards of $500.

I just want to prove that you CAN make sourdough without equipment. You can make it however you want!

Here are some things I’ve made from the discard!