Classic Sourdough Bread: 7 Pro Tips for Bigger Oven Spring, Crackly Crust, and Cleaner Scores

Sourdough can taste great even when the loaf is a little flat. But bold oven spring, a thin crackly crust, and a clean, dramatic ear don’t happen by accident—they’re the result of a few controllable variables lining up: fermentation strength and timing, dough temperature, gluten development, shaping tension, scoring mechanics, and the steam/heat profile of your bake.

• Oven spring comes from trapped gas + strong gluten + correct proof, not “more yeast.”
• Crust quality depends on steam timing: humid early, dry late.
• Scoring is a mechanical hinge; the cut angle and depth dictate expansion.
• Temperature drives everything: dough temp, preheat mass, and bake profile.

For background reading, see the dofollow reference on sourdough for fermentation fundamentals and culture behavior. Then use the practical “levers” below to improve results quickly—and repeatably.

The Classic Sourdough Bread Formula (Baker’s Percent) You Can Trust

If you’re chasing oven spring, the fastest way to improve is to stop changing everything at once. Lock a baseline formula, hit a consistent dough temperature, and then adjust one variable per bake. The formula below sits in a reliable range for most bread flours: open enough to feel “artisan,” but structured enough to handle cleanly.

Ingredients (Metric + Imperial)

Use a scale. Small hydration errors create big handling differences, and those differences often get misdiagnosed as “weak starter” or “bad flour.” This recipe assumes a 100% hydration starter (equal flour and water by weight). If your starter is stiffer or looser, adjust flour and water to keep the total dough hydration consistent.

• Bread flour: 450 g (3 1/2 cups, spooned and leveled)
• Whole wheat flour (optional, helps fermentation and dough strength): 50 g (about 1/2 cup)
• Water: 350 g (1 1/2 cups) at a temperature to hit target dough temp
• Active starter (100% hydration): 100 g (about 1/2 cup)
• Fine sea salt: 10 g (1 3/4 tsp)
• Rice flour (for dusting banneton): 20–30 g (2–3 Tbsp)

Target Specs (So You Can Diagnose Problems)

These targets make troubleshooting straightforward. When a bake fails, you’ll know whether to change fermentation time, temperature, strength-building, proof, scoring, or the bake environment—without guessing.

• Total hydration: ~70%
• Salt: 2%
• Prefermented flour: ~10% (from starter)
• Desired dough temperature (DDT): 24–26°C (75–79°F)

Method: Step-by-Step Classic Sourdough Bread With Chef’s Notes

This process uses an autolyse, strength-building early in bulk, and a cold retard for flavor and scoring control. It’s also easy to schedule: do the mix and bulk during the day, refrigerate overnight, and bake the next morning.

1) Build or Refresh the Starter (Same Day)

Feed your starter so it reaches peak activity near mixing time. A ready starter is typically domed at the top, aerated throughout, and smells clean—mildly lactic, yogurt-like, or fruity rather than sharply solvent-like.

Starter used well past peak often carries higher acidity and more proteolytic activity, which can soften dough structure over time. The common symptoms are spreading during shaping, scores that “heal” shut, and reduced lift.

2) Autolyse (30–60 minutes)

Mix the flours with 320 g of the water until no dry flour remains. Cover and rest. This hydrates starch and encourages gluten formation with minimal oxidation.

In practice, autolyse also makes a 70% dough feel calmer and stronger with fewer folds later.

3) Mix: Add Starter + Salt (and Remaining Water as Needed)

Add 100 g starter and mix until evenly incorporated. Dissolve the 10 g salt in the remaining 30 g water, then mix it in. Continue mixing until the dough feels smoother and starts to resist stretching.

If your flour is lower-protein or your kitchen is very warm, hold back a small splash of water. It’s easier to add water later than to rescue a dough that can’t hold shape.

4) Bulk Fermentation (3–6 hours at Warm Room Temp)

Bulk ferment covered at 24–26°C (75–79°F). During the first 2 hours, perform 3–5 sets of coil folds or stretch-and-folds, spaced 20–30 minutes apart.

Stop folding once the dough looks satiny, holds its edges, and resists spreading. Excess folding late in bulk often deflates the larger gas pockets you’re trying to keep for spring.

Bulk Fermentation Cues (What You’re Looking For)

Use the clock as a rough boundary, not the decision-maker. End bulk when the dough has risen roughly 30–60%, looks slightly domed, jiggles when the tub is shaken, and shows bubbles along the sides and just under the surface.

A flat, very foamy, fragile dough is often past its strongest point—shape earlier next time or reduce fermentation temperature.

5) Pre-shape + Bench Rest (15–25 minutes)

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pre-shape into a loose round using your hands and/or a bench knife. Rest seam-side down, uncovered or lightly covered, until the dough relaxes and spreads slightly.

This rest is where shaping gets easier: relaxed gluten lets you build real outer tension without tearing.

6) Final Shape + Cold Proof (8–16 hours)

Shape into a boule or batard, creating a tight outer “skin” around the gassy interior. Place seam-side up in a rice-floured banneton, cover, and refrigerate 8–16 hours.

Cold proofing firms the dough for cleaner scoring and makes expansion more predictable in the oven. It also improves flavor by extending fermentation at a slower rate.

7) Bake: Preheat, Steam, and Finish Dry

Preheat a Dutch oven (or a stone/steel with a steam setup) to 260°C (500°F) for 45–60 minutes. Turn the dough onto parchment, score, and load.

Bake covered 20 minutes, then uncover and bake 20–25 minutes at 232°C (450°F) until deeply browned. If your crust tends to soften, vent moisture at the end by cracking the oven door for 3–5 minutes (or leaving the loaf on the rack with the oven off).

7 Pro Tips for Better Oven Spring and Crust in Sourdough Bread

Oven spring happens in the first phase of baking, before the crust sets and the crumb structure fully firms. It’s driven by expansion of trapped gases, continued yeast activity early in the bake, and steam delaying crust set. Crust texture, meanwhile, is a balance: enough early humidity to gelatinize surface starch for shine and thinness, then enough late dryness to drive off moisture for crackle.

1) Time Your Starter for Strength, Not Sourness

Use starter at peak rise or just before peak. That window typically gives the best lift with balanced acidity, and it tends to preserve dough strength during bulk fermentation.

If your starter peaks quickly and collapses before you can mix, adjust your feeding schedule (or feeding ratio) so the peak aligns with your mixing time.

2) Control Dough Temperature (DDT) With Simple Math

Dough temperature controls fermentation speed. Too cold and bulk drags (often leading to over-handling and long, uneven fermentation). Too warm and the dough can soften, overproof, and lose its ability to hold a tall shape.

Use water temperature to steer the final dough temperature into 24–26°C (75–79°F). Once your dough temperature is consistent, everything else gets easier to read.

3) Build Strength Early, Then Leave It Alone

Do your folds in the first half of bulk, when gluten organizes efficiently and the dough can tolerate handling. Later folds can deflate the very gas pockets you’re trying to preserve for spring.

If a dough still feels slack late in bulk, treat it as a signal for the next bake: reduce hydration slightly, strengthen flour choice, or adjust fermentation timing—rather than “folding your way out” of it.

4) Shape With Real Surface Tension (Without Tearing)

Surface tension is what converts expansion into height. A well-shaped loaf feels like a taut outer membrane holding a gassy interior, and that tension helps the loaf expand upward instead of spreading outward.

Use minimal flour, and use a bench knife to drag the dough toward you, tightening the skin incrementally. If the skin tears, you’ve gone past the dough’s tolerance—back off, rest briefly, and tighten again more gently.

5) Proof for the Bake You Want (Use the Finger Dent Test Correctly)

Underproofed loaves tend to burst at weak spots; overproofed loaves tend to spread and show scores that seal or barely open. Aim for dough that feels aerated, holds shape, and shows a finger dent that springs back slowly, leaving a slight impression.

Cold dough can feel stiffer than it truly is, so confirm with multiple cues: visible rise in the banneton, an aerated edge, and a smooth, slightly puffy surface.

6) Score Like You’re Creating a Hinge

For a classic ear, score one main cut 1–1.5 cm (3/8–1/2 inch) deep at a 25–35° angle with a decisive stroke. The shallow angle creates a flap (the “hinge”) that lifts, dries, and caramelizes into an ear.

Score immediately before loading so the cut doesn’t seal. Cold, retarded dough typically scores cleaner and holds definition better in the first minutes of baking.

7) Steam Early, Then Vent Late for Crackle

Steam delays crust set, giving the loaf time to expand. Dutch ovens work well because the dough’s own moisture creates a humid microclimate that gelatinizes surface starch for shine and a thinner crust.

After the spring phase, switch to a drier environment: uncover, finish with strong color, and vent at the end if needed. A properly baked loaf often “sings” as it cools—tiny crackling sounds as the crust contracts.

Troubleshooting Sourdough Bread Oven Spring and Crust (Fast Fixes)

Most issues trace back to one of four buckets: fermentation timing, dough strength, scoring mechanics, or bake environment. Troubleshoot in that order and change one variable at a time. Photos of the loaf profile, crust, and crumb accelerate diagnosis.

Low Oven Spring: Common Causes

Overproofing is the most common cause of low spring. The dough can look beautifully gassy but lack the structural “reserve” to lift once heat hits. Shorten bulk, chill earlier, or lower dough temperature.

Weak structure is next: flour that can’t support the hydration, too much water for your flour, insufficient early strength-building, or shaping with low tension. The loaf spreads before it has a chance to rise.

Thick or Tough Crust: Common Causes

A thick crust often comes from insufficient early steam (the crust sets too soon) or from baking too gently without enough humidity early on. Excess flour on the surface can also dry the skin and mute crust quality.

Use stronger steam for the first 15–20 minutes, then vent and bake darker to drive off moisture for a thinner, crisper finish.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving)

Estimates below assume a ~1 kg loaf sliced into 10 servings using the ingredients listed above. Values vary by flour brand, hydration, and slice size.

• Calories: ~190 kcal
• Carbohydrates: ~38 g
• Protein: ~6 g
• Fat: ~1 g
• Fiber: ~2 g
• Sodium: ~390 mg

Internal Link Opportunities (Plan Your Site Structure)

Place internal links where readers naturally need the next step—right when a concept becomes actionable. Use Sourdough Bread as the anchor for your cornerstone page, then support it with focused articles that answer a single problem well.

• After “starter timing,” link to: Sourdough Bread starter feeding schedules and peak timing guide
• After “shaping tension,” link to: Sourdough Bread shaping for boules vs batards
• After “steam early,” link to: Sourdough Bread steam methods without a Dutch oven

FAQ: Classic Sourdough Bread Oven Spring and Crust

These are the issues that show up when a loaf is close—but not quite consistent. Each answer focuses on a controllable lever so you can test changes cleanly.

Why does my Sourdough Bread score open but not lift much?

This usually comes down to fermentation timing or insufficient dough strength. Overproofed dough can open at the score but lacks the energy to rise upward; underproofed dough may tear elsewhere and waste expansion.

On your next bake, keep dough temperature consistent, end bulk around 30–60% rise (based on dough behavior, not just time), and shape with more surface tension so the score becomes the preferred expansion path.

How do I get a thinner, crispier crust on Sourdough Bread?

Increase steam early and dry the bake late. Covered baking (or strong steam) for ~20 minutes gelatinizes the surface; finishing uncovered with deeper color drives off moisture.

Cool fully on a rack before slicing so internal steam doesn’t soften the crust from within.

What’s the best scoring angle for Sourdough Bread ear formation?

For a classic ear, score at 25–35° with a confident stroke. A vertical cut tends to open, but it’s less likely to form a pronounced flap.

Scoring straight from the fridge helps the blade glide and helps the cut hold definition.

Can I get good oven spring on Sourdough Bread without a Dutch oven?

Yes. You just need a way to trap steam early. Use a preheated stone/steel with a steam tray, or cover the loaf with a large inverted roaster or deep metal pan for the first phase of the bake.

Vent after the spring phase to dry the crust and finish with strong color.

Why is my Sourdough Bread gummy even when the crust looks done?

Gummy crumb most often points to underbaking or slicing before the loaf has cooled and set. Color is a good guide, but internal temperature is more precise.

Bake until the center reaches roughly 96–99°C (205–210°F), then cool completely before cutting.

See also: Sourdough Bread