San Fransisco Sourdough Bread
This San Francisco sourdough bread recipe is everything you love about classic sourdough—deep, tangy flavor, a thick, chewy crust, and a perfectly soft interior. Whether you’re making sandwiches, grilled cheese, or just enjoying a warm slice slathered with butter, this bread is a must-try for any sourdough baker.
Traditional San Francisco sourdough is famous for its bold, tangy flavor. That signature taste comes from a unique mix of bacteria and wild yeasts that thrive in the Bay Area’s climate. While a true San Francisco sourdough requires a starter cultivated from the region, this recipe is designed to help you develop a more acidic starter at home, so you can mimic that iconic flavor no matter where you bake.
Fun fact: Scientists believe that even insects may have played a role in shaping the distinct taste of San Francisco sourdough! It’s proof that sourdough is truly a product of its environment.
This San Francisco-style sourdough bread is a labor of love, but the result is well worth it! The long fermentation and careful shaping build layers of flavor and texture, giving you an authentic, bakery-style loaf right at home. So, grab your starter and let’s get baking!
What you’ll love about this recipe
- Bold, Tangy Flavor – This recipe is designed to help you achieve that signature San Francisco-style sourdough taste, even if you don’t have a starter from the Bay Area. The long fermentation brings out deep, complex flavors with just the right amount of sourness.
- Chewy Crust & Soft Interior – With its crisp, golden crust and perfectly chewy crumb, this bread is ideal for everything from sandwiches to French toast. The texture is everything you want in a classic sourdough loaf!
- A Fun Challenge for Sourdough Bakers – While it takes time, this recipe is a great way to practice advanced sourdough techniques like long fermentation, stretch and folds, and proper shaping—without being overly complicated. The hands-on time is minimal, and the results are incredible!
If you love baking sourdough, here are a few more recipes to explore! Try a classic Beginner Sourdough Bread, experiment with a flavorful Rosemary Sourdough Loaf.
How to make San Francisco style sourdough bread
This recipe takes time, but not a lot of hands-on effort—and the result is worth every minute. The total process spans about 29 hours, with two optional overnight rests to fit your schedule. Here is a brief overview of how to make this bread, but for the full set of instructions, please scroll down to the recipe card below.
Baker’s Schedule
Before you start, work backward from when you want to bake so you can plan ahead.
- Make the Poolish (Pre-Ferment) – 24 hours
- Mix Dough – 15 minutes
- Bulk Fermentation & Stretch and Folds – 2 hours 30 minutes
- Shaping & Final Proof – 1 hour
- Bake – 45 minutes
Step 1: Make the poolish
A poolish is a high-hydration pre-ferment that helps develop the bread’s complex flavor.
- Mix all the poolish ingredients in a large bowl.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let it ferment at room temperature (74-80°F) for 24 hours.
Step 2: Make the dough
Once your poolish is bubbly and active, it’s time to mix the dough.
- Add room temperature water to a mixing bowl.
- Stir in the poolish until dissolved.
- Add 1 cup (5 oz) of flour and the salt, mixing until combined.
- With the dough hook attachment, gradually mix in the remaining flour until the dough starts pulling away from the bowl.
- Knead for 12 minutes at medium-low speed.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead by hand a few times to form a cohesive ball.
Step 3: Bulk fermentation & stretch and folds
Now we develop the dough’s gluten structure and build strength.
- Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for 45 minutes.
- Perform a stretch and fold (pull one side of the dough up and over, rotate, and repeat three more times).
- Cover and let rise another 45 minutes, then repeat the stretch and fold.
- Let the dough rise for a final 60 minutes.
The dough should be slightly rounded at the edges, bubbly, and jiggly when shaken.
Step 4: Shaping & final proof
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured parchment sheet and gently shape it into a ball.
- Let it rise at room temperature for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- The dough is proofed when you can make a small dent with your finger, and it springs back slowly.
Overnight option: You can place the shaped dough in the fridge overnight and bake it fresh the next day! Let it sit at room temp for an hour before baking.
Step 5: Bake the bread
To create the crisp crust and airy interior, we’ll bake with steam.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place a baking stone on the middle rack and a metal tray on the bottom (for steam).
- Score the dough with a sharp lame or knife.
- Transfer to the baking stone and add a few ice cubes to the lower tray for steam.
- Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce temp to 425°F and bake 35 more minutes.
Pro Tip: Let the bread cool completely before slicing—this prevents gumminess and ensures the best texture.
What to Do with San Francisco Sourdough Bread
This bread’s chewy crust and bold flavor make it perfect for:
✔️ Sourdough Grilled Cheese – Crispy, cheesy, and ridiculously good.
✔️ French Toast – The thick slices soak up custard beautifully.
✔️ Sandwiches – Sturdy enough for everything from turkey clubs to veggie-packed delights.
✔️ Bruschetta & Crostini – Serve with fresh tomatoes, olive oil, and basil.
Sourdough is better when shared
If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment and rating below.
Love and links are always appreciated! If you’d like to share this recipe, please link to the post directly for the recipe, please do not copy and paste or screenshot. Thank you so much for supporting me. XOXO – Jenni
San Fransisco Sourdough Bread
Bring the bold, tangy flavor of San Francisco-style sourdough to your kitchen! This chewy, crusty loaf is made with a long fermentation for maximum flavor and the perfect texture. A must-try for sourdough bakers!
- Prep Time: 30 hours
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 30 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf 1x
- Category: Bread
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
for the poolish:
- 4 ounces sourdough starter 100% hydration, fed and active
- 4 ounces bread flour
- 4 ounces water
for the dough:
- 8 ounces water
- all the poolish
- 16 ounces bread flour
- 1/2 Tablespoon salt
Instructions
Make the poolish the day before you want to make the bread:
-
Combine all the poolish ingredients in a medium bowl and leave at room temperature (that’s 74-80 degrees F, I had to leave mine in the laundry room!) for 24 hours, covered in plastic wrap.
Make the dough:
- The next day, pour room temperature water in the bowl of your mixer.
- Add the poolish and break it up with a wooden spoon (gently now!) and stir until it is dissolved.
- Add about 1 cup (5 ounces) of flour and the salt and stir until combined.
- Place the dough hook on the mixer, and slowly start to add the rest of the flour (you may not need it all) until the dough starts to come away from the sides of the bowl.
- Knead for 12 minutes at the second speed of the mixer.
- Remove the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead by hand a few times. You don’t need to knead a lot, and it won’t have any gluten structure at this point. You are just doing a final gather of the dough, here.
Bulk Proofing with Stretch and Folds
-
Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm room temperature place for 45 minutes.
-
Remove the plastic covering and stretch the dough out and fold it over itself (in 3’s, like a pamphlet). You want to grab the side furthest from you and stretch it up and out away from you, then fold it back over to the center of the dough.
-
Turn the bowl of dough 90 degrees to the right.
-
Grab the next portion of dough that is farthest away from you and repeat the stretch the fold.
-
Do this two more times, rotating the bowl each time, until you have stretched and folded each “edge” of the dough.
-
Recover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let it rise another 45 minutes.
-
Repeat the stretch and fold from before, recover, and let rise for 60 minutes.
-
Place the risen dough over a lightly floured piece of parchment paper, and without deflating it too much, form it into a ball.
-
Let it rise for 45 minutes.
Shaping:
-
Shape the dough into a long loaf. Use gentle, delicate hands and pick up the ball and turn it over.
-
Stretch the dough into rounded square shape.
-
Pick up the top two “corners” (if it was a square) and fold them into the center of the dough.
-
Pick up the bottom two corners of the dough and fold them up into the center, overlapping the other edge.
-
Grab the other side edge and bring it into the center.
-
Turn the dough and carefully roll it tightly into a log, kind of pushing it tight (roll, push up, roll, push up, etc) as you roll.
-
Tuck the ends under.
-
Make sure that the seam side is down.
-
Let it proof for 1 hour on the parchment paper, at a warm room temperature. It does not need to double in size here, but will get puffier.Optional: At this step you can place it in the fridge overnight and bake the next day. If you do this, give it an hour or two at room temp before you bake.
To Bake:
-
Place a small metal baking tray on the bottom rack of the oven (this is to help create steam while you bake. You can use like a roaster or something, as long as it can take the heat. It doesn’t need to be big) and a baking stone on the rack above it.
-
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
-
Score your bread with a long slash down the center of your bread (or whatever pattern you would like) with a lame or bread scoring knife.
-
Carefully transfer the dough with the parchment paper onto the baking stone.
-
Toss a few ice cubes into the baking tray below to create steam.
-
Bake for 10 minutes.
-
Turn the oven temperature down to 425 degrees and bake for an additional 35 minutes.
-
Allow to cool on a rack for a few hours before slicing into it. It needs to be completely cool before you slice it, it still does some cooking
Notes
Store covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.
