Essential Sourdough Tips & Tools for Beginners
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These are the sourdough tips and tools I wish I had known about when I first started baking. There’s always something new to learn, but this collection of posts and must-have tools will help answer your biggest questions and set you up for success!

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Starting your sourdough journey can feel overwhelming—I’ve been there. I remember staring at my lifeless starter, completely confused and wondering if I’d ever get it right.
But here’s the thing: sourdough isn’t about perfection. It’s about time, practice, and patience.
Over the years, I didn’t just learn how to make sourdough bread—I learned how to bake the most incredible rustic boules, sandwich bread, donuts, burger buns (the list keeps on going…) I’ve ever had. And you can, too!
I’m here to save you from the frustration (and the heartbreak of failed loaves).
Sourdough is a constant learning process, and even now, I’m still picking up new tips and tricks.
But these are the sourdough secrets I wish someone had shared with me from the start.
Here, you’ll find my most helpful posts and guides for making and maintaining a starter, baking sourdough bread, and mastering essential techniques to set you up for success.
Plus, I’ve included a list of must-have tools for successfully making sourdough bread.
Sourdough Tips for Beginners
Mastering the basics is the secret to sourdough success! Sure, there are plenty of tips and tricks to pick up along the way, but let’s start with the essentials:
How To Make a Sourdough Starter – Beginner’s Guide
A healthy, mature starter is the key to baking great sourdough bread. In this guide, I’ll walk you through each step to help you create a strong, active starter that sets you up for success!
What Types of Flour Can You Feed Sourdough Starter?
When I first started making sourdough, I thought you could only feed starter all-purpose flour. However, you can improve the health of your starter and the quality of your bread by feeding it different types of flour.
How Long Can Sourdough Starter Stay in the Fridge?
One of the most common points of confusion is how to refrigerate your starter. Storing it in the fridge is the easiest, low-maintenance option—here’s exactly how to do it!
How to Stretch and Fold Sourdough – Sourdough Basics
When you’re new to sourdough, stretch and folds can feel a bit confusing. How do you do them? How many are enough? Don’t worry! I’ve got foolproof answers for you in this post!
How To Do the Windowpane Test for Dough
When making sandwich bread or other enriched doughs, it can be tricky to tell if you’ve kneaded enough. This simple trick will help you know exactly when your dough is ready!
How To Add Sourdough Discard to Any Recipe (Grams & Cups Explained!)
When I first started making sourdough, I ended up with jars full of discard after every feeding. But I soon discovered that discard is a secret ingredient for incredible baked goods! Here’s how you can use it in any recipe.
How To Convert Any Yeast Bread Recipe to Sourdough
Switching to sourdough doesn’t mean you have to give up your favorite yeast bread recipes. With this easy conversion, you can transform any bread into a delicious sourdough version!
Sourdough Recipes To Try
The best part about sourdough is that there is always something new to learn and try. Check out these recipes for inspo:
Must-Have Sourdough Tools
Luckily, when making rustic sourdough bread, you don’t need a bunch of fancy equipment. To get started, these are the must-haves:
- Proofing Baskets: Round baskets are called bannetons, and oval baskets are batards. I use this 9″ banneton basket set and these 10″ batard proofing baskets.
- Lame: A bread lame makes scoring dough easier. Remember, it’s easiest to score dough when it is cold.
- Dutch Oven: Baking in a Dutch oven will make your bread rise more and create a better crust. I love my Lodge combo cooker & Dutch oven and my Staub 5.5-quart Dutch oven.
- Kitchen Scale: Most sourdough recipes use grams because it is more accurate and repeatable. So you’ll need a kitchen scale. I use this waterproof kitchen scale for everything!

Let’s Connect!
If you have questions about making sourdough, leave them in the comments below. I’m here to help!
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