Sourdough Bread 1-2-3 Method
Sourdough bread 1-2-3 method can be explained as easy as:
1 part of starter
2 parts of water
3 parts of flour
And 2% salt
The easiest sourdough bread formula and a great result. Can be baked the same or next day using immature or young starter. Learn how to make starter from scratch here.
| Ready in: 12-24 hours | Serves: 8-10 people |
| Yield: 600g loaf | Units: US, EU |
Ingredients
Sourdough starter (night before)
- 10g sourdough starter
- 60g water
- 55g all purpose flour or bread flour
- 5g rye flour
Dough
- 100g sourdough starter
- 200g water
- 300g flour ( I used 260g bread flour +40g whole grain whole wheat flour)
- 6g salt
Directions
Starter: Night before add starter to the water and whisk together, add flour, mix well, cover loosely, let sit at room temp 70-75F until next morning. Before it reaches the peak, it should at least doubled( starter isn’t strong enough), or tripled ( strong starter).
Dough:
- Next morning, mix water with flour, using spoon, cover, let it rest 30 min for autolyse
- During the autolyse the flour absorbs the water, becoming fully hydrated. This will activate gluten development.
- After 30 min of rest, add sourdough starter.
Mix on low speed of your mixing machine for 2-3 min, cover, let rest 30 minutes.
- Add salt after it rests, mix or knead until well incorporated.
- Round the dough with wet hand and let proof for about 3 hours at 76-80F
- Perform 2 stretches and folds during warm fermentation.
- After 3 hours the dough should become puffy and light
Preshaping
- Dump the dough on floured surface, preshape it and let rest uncovered for 30 minutes.
Shaping
- After 30 minutes rest shape your dough like a boule or batard, place in proofing basket.
- At this point you can cover the proofing basket, move it to the fridge and bake the loaf next morning, or you can jump right to the next step.
- Let proof for 1 hour or 1 hour and 30 min. Perform a poke test (* when you press down the dough with your finger, it should spring back only half way)
- While the loaf is proofing, (or in the morning, when your loaf was still retarding in the fridge). Preheat oven till 500F for 50minutes – 1 hour. Preheat your Dutch oven, or cast iron pan or baking stone for the same amount of time.
- After the loaf has proofed enough, score it, using a razor blade or scoring lame.
- If it was resting overnight in the fridge, remove it when the oven is preheated enough, then start the scoring process.
- Bake in 500F for 15 min with lid on (very important to keep the lid on during the first 15 minutes of baking, it creates a perfect amount of steaminside the pot, which will give your loaf a beautiful and crunchy crust)
- Lower the temperature to 450F, open the lid, and bake for 20 more minutes (until nice and golden brown color).
Enjoy your sourdough bread!
Sourdough Bread 1-2-3 Method
1410kcal
Ingredients
The Overnight Levain Starter
- 10 g Sourdough starter culture
- 60 g Water
- 55 g All-purpose flour or bread flour
- 5 g Rye flour
The Main Dough
- 100 g Prepared levain (1 part)
- 200 g Water (2 parts)
- 260 g Bread flour (Combined with whole wheat for 3 parts)
- 40 g Whole grain whole wheat flour
- 6 g Salt (2% based on total flour weight)
Equipment
- Stand Mixer (Optional, can also be hand-mixed)
- Cast Iron Dutch Oven (Or a heavy covered baking pot)
- Proofing Basket (Banneton, or a bowl lined with a clean towel)
- Sharp Razor Blade or scoring lame
- Spray Bottle (Optional, for misting if baking on a stone)
Method
Evening Starter Activation & Morning Autolyse
- 10:00 PM (Night Before): In a small glass jar or bowl, whisk your 10g of starter culture into 60g of water. Stir in the 55g of all-purpose or bread flour and 5g of rye flour until combined. Cover loosely and leave at room temperature 70–75°F (21–24°C) overnight. By morning, it should double or triple into a highly active, bubbly state.
- 8:00 AM (Day 2): In your stand mixer bowl (or a large manual mixing bowl), combine the 200g of water with your 260g of bread flour and 40g of whole wheat flour. Mix with a spoon just until a rough, shaggy mass forms. Cover and let it sit for 30 minutes for the autolyse phase, allowing the flour to fully hydrate and jumpstart gluten development.
Starter Integration and Warm Proofing
- 8:30 AM: Add 100g of your active overnight starter directly to the autolyzed dough mass. Mix on the low speed of your mixing machine for 2 to 3 minutes until uniform. Cover the bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes.
- 9:00 AM: Sprinkle the 6g of salt over the dough. Knead or mix steadily on medium-low speed until the salt is fully incorporated and the dough builds structure.
- Dip your hand in water to prevent sticking, round the dough into a smooth ball inside the bowl, and cover. Let it proof for 3 hours total at a warm room temperature of 76–80°F (24–27°C).
- Build elasticity and align your gluten matrix by performing 2 clean stretch-and-fold sequences spaced evenly across this 3-hour warm fermentation period. By the end, the dough mass must feel light, airy, and noticeably puffy.
Shaping, Proofing, and Steamed Baking
- 12:00 PM: Gently turn the puffy dough out onto a lightly floured countertop. Preshape the dough into a loose round and let it rest on the counter completely uncovered for 30 minutes to relax the gluten.
- 12:30 PM: Shape the relaxed dough into your choice of a tight, smooth round boule or an oval batard. Place it seam-side up into a floured proofing basket.
- Choose your proofing and baking path: * Same-Day Path: Leave the basket at room temperature to proof for 1 to 1.5 hours. Perform a gentle poke test: press the dough with a wet finger; it should spring back slowly only halfway. * Overnight Path: Cover the basket securely, transfer it into the refrigerator to retard slowly overnight, and bake the following morning straight from the fridge.
- While your loaf finishes its final proof (or an hour before removing it from the fridge), place your Dutch oven or cast iron pan with its lid on inside the oven and preheat completely to 500°F (260°C) for 50 minutes to a full hour.
- Carefully turn the proofed loaf out onto a sheet of parchment paper and score the top cleanly using a razor blade or scoring lame.
- Use the parchment corners to lift and lower the dough safely into the hot Dutch oven or cast iron pan. Secure the lid tightly to capture the steam and bake at 500°F (260°C) for exactly 15 minutes.
- Carefully remove the lid to expose the bread, lower your oven temperature down to 450°F (230°C), and continue baking uncovered for an additional 20 minutes until the crust turns a deep, dark golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
Nutrition
Calories1410kcalCarbohydrates284gProtein49gFat6gSaturated Fat1gPolyunsaturated Fat3gMonounsaturated Fat1gCholesterol9mgSodium444mgPotassium570mgFiber13gSugar1gVitamin A17IUVitamin C0.2mgCalcium79mgIron7mg
Notes
- The Math Behind the 1-2-3 Formula: The elegance of this classic method lies in its easy-to-remember weight distribution based entirely on ratios. By tracking 1 part starter (100g), 2 parts water (200g), and 3 parts flour (300g), you naturally establish a stable, manageable baseline 66% base hydration layout. This provides an exceptional, non-sticky foundation that is incredibly forgiving and easy for beginners to shape.
- Salt Calculation Clarification: In professional baking percentages, the weight of the flour always represents the 100% benchmark. This recipe targets a standard 2% salt concentration. To calculate this accurately, take the total weight of the flour in the main dough block (300g) and multiply it by 0.02, which equals exactly 6 grams of salt.
- Adjusting Crust Hardness Preferences: Baking at a high temperature of 500 degrees Fahrenheit yields a beautifully caramelized, thick, and dark artisan crust. If you prefer a lighter, softer exterior for sandwich slicing, you can adjust your baking targets slightly. Keep the lid secured for the initial 15 minutes at 500 degrees Fahrenheit, but reduce the open-lid baking segment down to 16 or 17 minutes at 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Alternative Baking Without a Dutch Oven: If you do not own a heavy lidded cast iron pot, you can successfully bake this loaf using a high-quality baking stone or heavy baking steel. Preheat the stone on the middle rack for a full hour alongside an empty metal tray positioned on the bottom rack. Slide your scored loaf onto the stone and immediately dump 1 cup of boiling water or ice cubes into the bottom tray to generate the required ambient steam. Turn off the steam by removing the tray when you drop the temperature.
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Let us know how it was!123
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Salt is 2% of what – amount of flour, water? Sorry – I’m a newbie at this. Thank you!
Hi,
Amount of flour is always 100%, that means 2% of salt should be counted from total amount of flour 🙌
Can you just tell us how many grams of salt for the amount of flour in this recipe
please?
Sorry, I just noticed that I didn’t put the amount of salt. It should be 6g
Should be 8 grams atleast…
If I don’t like such a dark loaf how would I adjust my time/temp?
The dark caramelized crust is the whole purpose of this! You can always cook for longer at a lower temp once your remove the lid. But you’ll really be missing out.
I’m 100% agree, but some people like it less caramelized. My kids love the crust dark and crusty , my husband likes when it’s soft and light , so I’m in between 😂
one site tells me to take a damp paper towel and drape over bread when I take it out of the dutch oven and put on wire tray to cool. the towel dries out over the bread and makes crust a little less hard. My husband much prefers the bread that way. An idea.
For a lighter loaf, bake it at 500F for 15 min with lid on, then at 450F for 16-17 min with lid open 😊
Thank you!
Thank you!
hello, thank you for your recipe. Quick question, (well to preface I haven’t made this yet), typically when I feed my stater normally it peeks after around 7 hours before it starts dipping, should I expect the same with the overnight adjusted starter? Or should this be a little stronger?
Thanks again, Wes
Wes, hi!
Great question. It depends on the strength of your starter and the temperature in your kitchen.
For example, if I’ll feed my starter 1:2:2 at 76-80F, it will triple in 4 hours, and will start to fall down.
To extend the time of fermentation I’m changing the ratio to 1:6:6 for overnight fermentation.
But if you’d like to use starter faster, you can simply do 1:2:2 for 4 hours or 1:3:3 for 6 etc.
I’ve always been taught to feed 1:1:1 for 100% hydration and 1:2:3 for a stiffer starter – which always results in the more typical “San Francisco” type loaf. The 1:2:2 – 1:6:6 is really new to me. Is there a place you explain this more fully?
Hi!
Great question!
It depends on the strength of your starter and the temperature in your kitchen. The stronger starter, the more food it needs.
You have to train it if you’d like to achieve more open crumb.
For example, if I’ll feed my starter 1:2:2 at 76-80F, it will triple in 4 hours, and will start to fall down.
To extend the time of fermentation I’m changing the ratio to 1:6:6 for overnight fermentation.
But if you’d like to use starter faster, you can simply do 1:2:2 for 4 hours or 1:3:3 for 6 etc.
Hi Natalya!
I have a follow up question. If I decide to feed the starter at say 1:2:2 ratio (let’s say I am going to feed my starter as 15:30:30) do I just take a total of 75 grams for your recipe even though the ratio of starter/flour/water for my starter feed is going to be different from yours in the recipe. And also how do you train your starter?
Thank you so much)
Hi there! I’m confused about the timing in between steps . After you add in the salt, mix it all together and leave it to proof for 3 hours, do you then stretch and fold twice and leave it for ANOTHER 3 hours, followed by dumping on floured surface and preshaping? Is that correct or am I adding a step that shouldn’t be done? Thanks in advance!
Pablo, hi!
Warm fermentation (proofing) should be 3 hours in total. During that time perform 2 stretches and folds.🙌
Hi! So happy to be on your site! I see a lot of recipes that call for 20 minutes baking with the lid on; yours has 15. Does it matter much? Do you know of any difference between baking at 500 degrees covered for 15 min vs 20 min? Thank you as always!!!
Hi!
Happy to have you here 😊.
It won’t have a big difference, I’ve done it both way, and it won’t affect the crumb in any way.
But I definitely know, that 15 min is absolutely enough for crumb to open as much as it can. And if you are making baguettes, only 10 min with steam will be perfect 😊
My crust is really hard. I am baking at 450 with the lid on 20 min. Then 40 min with a lid off. I am thinking about leaving the lid on until 50 min is up, remove the lid for 10 and finish. What do you think? I like 450 degrees. My recipe calls for 100 gms starter, 350 gm water, and 500 gm flour with 10 gm salt.
It sounds like you are on the right track with adjusting your baking times to achieve the desired crust texture. Leaving the lid on for a longer period of time can help trap steam and keep the crust from hardening too quickly. You can also try reducing the oven temperature slightly towards the end of the baking time to prevent the crust from getting too hard. Experimenting with different baking times and temperatures can help you find the perfect balance for your sourdough bread. Good luck with your baking!
Hi. I followed this recipe today (used the 40g of whole wheat flour as you suggested), got the loaf out of the oven before 5pm and 20 minutes later half of it was gone already. It’s delicious! The only issue I encountered was that whilst shaping the boule the dough was wetter than I expected and it also spread out a bit when moved into the dutch oven. But it didn’t come out flat in the end, had a really good the oven spring (although the crumb wasn’t nearly as beautiful as yours)! Thanks for the recipe Natasha.
I’m so happy to read about your experience baking this loaf. Thank you for sharing!
Hi Natasha, I m big fan of yours. I wanted to know when we do floating test then for how long it shud float.
Ritu, hi!
I’m not really into float testing. It’s showing you if starter Is alive. But for baking purposes I prefer to see it’s rising( doubling or tripling)
Hi. I have a question.
Do I have to put a bowl of water in the oven during the baking?
Hi!
If you are baking with baking stone, then yes! You’ll need to put tray on the bottom of the stone, and pour hot boiling water in it.
Hi, I don’t have a Dutch oven so will be baking this on a baking stone. Does it affect the timings or temperature at all please?
No, it won’t affect the timing. Make sure To preheat baking stone for 1 hour with the tray on a bottom rack. And pour some boiling water on the tray right away after you put bread on the stone. And I’m spraying the top of the loaf with water (using spritzer) to create more steam.
Hi Natalya,
I’ve used a few similar methods and will try yours next. It does look amazing.
I was wondering about the 1:2:2 ratio, in which order is it?
Starter:Flour:Water or different?
Thanks in advance!
Chris
Hi!
Thank you!
Hope it will work out.
Ratio 1:2:2 means 1 part starter:2 parts flour: 2 parts water
Hi Natalya)
Did I get this right? If I decide to feed the starter at say 1:2:2 ratio (let’s say I am going to feed my starter at 15:30:30 ratio). Do I just take a total of 75 grams ( which is what you have ) for your recipe even though the ratio of starter/flour/water for my starter feed is going to be different from the feed that you give in your recipe which is 1:7:7.
Thank you so much)
Yes, all Correct!
Stick to your regular starter feeding routine.
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Hello Natasha,
After night in the fridge, do I bake right away I took it out?
Tatiana, hi!
Bake straight from the fridge 🙏
Hi Natasha! So glad I’ve found your page! I’m new to sourdough baking and your post is easy to follow for a newbie like me, so thank you!
I just have 1 question, what is the minimum number of hours that you can let the dough rest in the fridge? Can it rest there for just 6-8 hours, then bake?
Thanks!
Denise, hi! Thank you!
You can definitely bake it after 6/8 hours in the fridge 🙏
Hi Natalya.
Is the starter for your recipe 100% hydration?
Many thanks
Hi!
Yes!
I’m using 100% hydration starter.
Thank you 🙏
Hi Natasha, thank you for the recipe and the tips 🙂 are you using white flour as bread flour? I use wholemeal and rye, can I expect it to rise as much as white bread or less?
Thanks
Sinem
Hi!
Whole meal flour is heavier then bread white flour.
It won’t open as much but you will get very delicious loaf.
Thanks for sharing this recipe. May I know wha is the temp for the dough? Should it be between 76-80F?
Hi!
Try to keep it 76F
Hi,I have a question,why my bread is not opening?😭😭Did all step by step overnight and again is not opened😥What is my problem.Thank you and appreciate your help
Hi! my first loaf that i did of this turned out perfect but since they have been more dense and sometimes underbaked. any suggestions??
Hi
Please I like to know the starter can I use it for making pizza
Hi! If I’m using a different starter recipe than the one on this website, and it’s doubled in size already, do I have to feed it the ratio on this recipe?
Hi!
I have been practicing making sourdough and it’s a difficult loaf to learn how to master. I research the why’s and why not’s, how much flour, water ect, since each recipe seems to be a bit different. I must say that this recipe without a doubt, is the BEST recipe of all so far that I have tried and I don’t think I need to search anymore!
It’s so easy and I’m beginning to feel like I know what I’m doing. Thank you!! I’m so excited to now make the most amazing bread thank to YOU!!!
How to make starter plz guide
Found your method on the web and am my FIRST loaf is in the oven ! My mom baked sourdough every week for her lifetime and sadly i never took the time to learn before she passed. She lived until 92 and in the last month she preheated her oven but forgot to take her starter out and killed it ! She was heartbroken as she had the same starter her whole life.
I’m 73 this month and thinking of her today and every day……
I do it slightly different. I put the starter into the water then put the flour on top and the salt on the flour and mix. When it comes together I time it 6 minutes medium mixing then 3 minutes high speed mixing. I did the 3 hour thing and stretched it then refrigerated overnight. It came out OK when baked. I put the loaf back on directly on the rack for an extra 15 minutes with the oven turned off. I bagged it with very little heat left in it and it was great the next day. With way more air holes than I expected too. 🙂
Haven’t tried it yet