How to Make Sourdough Bread

I’m a homeschool mom of 3 in northern Alberta. We live on a 6.5 acre homestead that we acquired in 2015. Homesteading wasn’t even on my radar at all; I didn’t even really want to plant a garden in the plot that already existed. Slowly my mindset shifted, and it didn’t take long until I brought home some chicks and my wonderful husband was transforming an old shed into a coop that we still use to house our laying hens. Now we also raise pigs every summer, to fill our freezers for the winter, and Nigerian dwarf goats. 

About a year ago, I got a lovely milk cow named Rosie. A large garden plot I care for has become much more of a passion, and the produce fills my canning jars to enjoy all winter. I love to bake/cook from scratch and serve my family whole, nutrient-dense foods. 

Keeping a sourdough starter is something I learned about 3 years ago, and I have kept my starter alive since then. I’ve revived it a few times and shared many starts for others to get started. (This is the easiest way to get your sourdough journey started.) I hope you enjoy the recipe and it works well for you.

As a homesteader and homeschool mom of 3 growing children, fresh sourdough bread is something we like to have on hand. It’s a good filling breakfast and great to add to any meal. I like to make 2 loaves every week, but often I’ll make 4. I’m excited to tell you about my sourdough routine.

Sourdough Starter

The two easiest ways to get started with sourdough are to get a start from someone who has an active starter or to purchase a dehydrated start. If you are in need of, or looking for, a dehydrated sourdough starter, you can message this wonderful lady on instagram to order one!

If you would like to make your own starter, I have a sourdough highlight on my instagram where I walk you through it. 

Day Before Baking

I start the day before I want to bake. I make a preferment in the morning which is

3/4 cup sourdough starter (doubled and bubbly not fallen yet)

1 cup water 

1 1/3 cup flour 

Now I’m a rough measure person so I try to measure the water and the rest is eyeballed and by feel. 

Before bed, I make the dough. So to the preferment (which should look bubbly by now) I add

2 tbsp. lard 

2 tbsp. cane sugar 

2 tsp. salt 

1 1/2 cup milk (or buttermilk if you just made homemade butter) 

Flour (Start with 4 cups and add more as you knead until it feels like a soft dough, not sticky but not dry.) 

Cover your bowl with a loose lid or wet tea towel and let sit overnight. 

Bread Making Day

The next morning, you’ll have a big beautiful dough. Punch it down and divide into two equal balls. 

Now to shape the dough, press out into a rectangle, stretching the ends and edges slightly. Roll up the dough and tuck in the ends. Pull the dough gently toward you to build tension and pop into a loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Do the same to the next ball.

I like to put my pans into a plastic bag and balloon it so they have room to rise without touching the bag. Let sit for 2-3 hours. By this time, the loaves should be doubled in size. 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Slash the top with a sharp knife and bake for 20 minutes. Then flip pans and bake for another 20 minutes. Your internal temp should be 190-200 degrees F when it is ready to come out of the oven. 

When it’s done, leave in the loaf pan for 10 minutes and brush the top with melted butter to create a nice, soft, buttery crust.

 Let it cool the rest of the way on a rack and enjoy. 

It seems like a lot of steps, but a lot of the time it does its thing without me, and I find it possible to add in during the week. 

Slice and top your sourdough bread with whatever you like and enjoy!

Written by Bonnie Peters

Bonnie is a homeschooling and homesteading mom of 3 living in Northern Alberta. She enjoys life on her homestead with her chickens, goats, pigs, and cows. She enjoys gardening, canning, and making sourdough as ways to nourish her family. She also knits beautiful sweaters, among other things. You can find her on instagram as A Little Homestead Story.