Sourdough Brown Bread (Artisan Style)

This Sourdough Brown Bread (Artisan Style) has all of the flavor of your favorite restaurant brown bread, baked into a crusty sourdough loaf! Made with honey, molasses, and a little whole wheat flour, it has a rich brown color and just the right amount of sweetness to make it irresistible. This recipe is a staple in my home, and I’m sure it’s going to be one in yours too!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Classic brown bread flavor: Honey, molasses, and whole wheat give this bread that nostalgic brown bread taste.
100% sourdough: Naturally leavened with sourdough starter for incredible flavor and all the fermentation benefits.
Simple pantry staples: Made with everyday ingredients you probably have in your kitchen.
Perfect for any occasion: this bread is great served with butter, toasted, or as a side with your favorite soups and dinners.

Tools You’ll Need:

Digital kitchen scale– for weighing out your ingredients (highly recommended for accuracy). This one linked here is great to start with.
Measuring cups & spoons (optional)- if you prefer to not use a scale.
Bowl or straight edge container for mixing and proofing dough– to mix your dough and make sure your dough is rising properly. I’ve linked here the container I like to use.
Bench knife (optional)- for shaping your dough. I use this bench knife all the time.
Banneton basket (or a medium bowl lined with a lint-free cloth)- to proof dough. I’ve linked a quality banneton and cover here if you’d like to see what I use.
Lint-free cloth or plastic wrap– to cover the dough while resting.
5-quart Dutch oven with lid- for baking your loaf. This is an affordable 5-quart Dutch oven that I purchased as my first linked here.
Plate or shallow bowl- for the oat coating.
Pastry brush (optional)- to brush the bread with water to help the oats stick. You can also use a folded paper towel.
Parchment paper or silicone bread sling– To keep bread from sticking to Dutch oven. A reusable bread sling can be really convenient and also helps avoid burning hands on your Dutch oven. I use this set linked here all the time!
Sharp knife or lame for scoring– a sharp knife will work for scoring your bread, but I do recommend investing in a lame (razor blade) which will make the process much easier. Here is a great lame to purchase to start out linked here.
Digital food thermometer (optional)- to check the temperature of your starter and dough, this ensures a more reliable result. I use this one linked here.
Bread Knife– for cutting your bread once cooled. I love this bread knife linked here.

Gather Your Ingredients:

Sourdough Starter– recently fed and doubled, ready to use in your bread. This is the main leavening agent for the bread.
All-purpose flour– I recommend AP flour over bread flour to create a more tender crumb, but you can substitute for bread flour if needed.
Water- adds moisture to the bread.
Whole Wheat Flour- adds a nutty wholesome flavor to the bread. If you want the closest result to restaurant bread, I recommend using this. You can substitute this for more AP flour if you need to.
Cocoa Powder- adds the color to this dough for that signature brown look.
Molasses- sweetens and adds a rich iconic flavor to the dough. I prefer using unsulphered, like Grandma’s linked here that can also easily be found in major grocery stores.
Honey- this adds sweetness and makes the crumb extra soft.
Avocado Oil- keeps the bread light and soft. You can substitute this for any neutral cooking oil.
Sea Salt- strengthens the gluten and balances the sweetness of the bread.
Vanilla- adds a hint of warmth to the dough.
Cinnamon- this is my secret ingredient, and there is something it adds to the dough that you won’t want to skip!
Rolled Oats- I like to roll my loaf in rolled oats for a gorgeous crust and texture; you can use old fashioned oats don’t use steel cut.

Instructions

Step 1: Feed the Starter the Night Before

In a clean jar, mix your mother starter with the flour and water. Give it a good stir, and allow it to rest at room temperature (optimally 73-75 degrees F). I like to mark the volume in my jar with a rubber band so it’s easy to asses the rise the next morning. When the starter has doubled in size, it’s time to mix your dough.

Step 2: Mix the Dough

In a mixing bowl, add the active sourdough starter, warm water, cocoa powder, molasses, honey, avocado oil, vanilla, and cinnamon and whisk until generally combined.

Once the wet ingredients are combined add the all-purpose or bread flour, whole wheat flour, and salt to the bowl.

With your hand or a dough spatula, combine the dough until it’s well mixed and forms a rough ball. Cover the bowl with a lid or a damp towel, and allow it to rest 30 minutes in a warm place (75-78 degrees).

Step 3: Strengthen the Dough (Stretch & Folds)

Once the 30 minute rest has finished, you’ll begin your stretch and folds. This helps build structure in your dough and strengthen the gluten in the dough.

How to do a stretch and fold: Starting at the edge of the dough with lightly wet hands, gently lift one edge of the dough, stretch it up, and fold it over the center. Rotate the bowl or container 90 degrees and repeat with the next side. Do this for all four sides of the dough to form a ball.

Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes. Repeat this stretch and fold process two more times at 30-minute intervals for a total of 3 sets. Your dough should go from being rough and clumpy to smooth and silky.

Note on Temperature: Your dough loves a warmer climate, so aim to keep your dough between 73-78 degrees (you can use your digital thermometer to check the temperature). If you need to warm it up, try putting it in the oven with a light on, near a heater, or even on top of a dryer that’s on to conduct some heat!

Step 4: Bulk Fermentation

Assessing Rise Tip: After your stretch and folds are done, try to gently push the dough down to be level in the bowl or container after the stretch and folds. Mark roughly where your dough is hitting on the side of the container with a sharpie or dry erase marker (you can put a piece of tape over if you don’t want to mark your bowl or jar).

After you mark the volume, make another mark above the that where the dough would be if it rose roughly 50-60 percent. This will be your target for how much you want your dough to rise during bulk fermentation.

Cover the dough and allow it to rest in a warm spot until it has reached a 50-60 percent rise. DO NOT over proof this bread or your loaf will be flat.

Dough after completing stretch and folds

Step 5: Shaping the Dough

Flour your work surface well and turn out the dough gently. Pre-shape by gently stretching it into a loose square about 15 x 15 inches.

To shape your loaf, fold the right side over the center. Next, fold the left side over the center like a letter. This is called a letter fold.

You will now have created a long rectangle about 5 inches wide and 15 inches long.

Next, roll the dough into a football shape by rolling the rectangle up. Pinch all of the seams together at the ends. Pop any large air bubbles.

Flip the loaf over so the seam is on the bottom. Using a pastry brush or a folded paper towel, brush the surface with a light coating of water. This helps the oats stick to the crust.

Pour your oats on a plate or shallow bowl, and place the top of the loaf you brushed with water face down in the rolled oats with the seam facing you. Roll the dough side to side to coat the edges.

Flour your banneton and transfer your loaf seam side up into the floured banneton. Stitch and pinch all of your seams together.

Cover the banneton with a cover or plastic wrap. Transfer the dough to the refrigerator overnight for continued cold fermentation.

Banneton Note: If you don’t have a banneton, you can use a bowl lined with a lint-free towel that is well floured. After you transfer the dough to the towel lined bowl, fold the towel over the top of the dough and refrigerate overnight.

Step 6: Preheat the Oven & Bake

Preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C) convection bake. Place a Dutch oven inside the oven and preheat with Dutch oven inside.

Take the dough out of the fridge. Turn it out onto parchment paper or bread sling dusted with flour. Use a lame or sharp knife to score the top (a single slash works).

This cut should be about 1/2 inch deep from one end of the loaf to the next. This score helps the loaf retain a nice shape while it rises and expands in the oven.

Carefully transfer the dough into the hot Dutch oven (using parchment paper or a bread sling for easy lifting).

Reduce the heat and bake the bread at 450°F (230°C) for 40 minutes with the lid on.

Remove the lid after 40 minutes, and bake for another 5-10 minutes to brown the crust to your desired color.

Internal temperature of loaf should read between 195-200 F.

Once the bread is baked, remove the bread from the Dutch oven and transfer to a wire rack carefully.

Let the bread cool completely (at least 1-2 hours) before slicing. Cutting too soon will result in a gummy crumb because the inside is still setting!

Yields 1 loaf

How to Store:

Room Temperature- Allow bread to cool completely before storing. Transfer to a sealed bag of your choice with the air removed. This bread will stay fresh at room temperature for 4-5 days before molding. For best results, slice and freeze by day 3-4 to extend freshness.

Freezer- Store sliced bread in a freezer-safe bag with as much air removed as possible. For easier separation, place pieces of parchment between the slices before freezing. Thaw at room temperature and toast directly for best flavor and texture.

FAQ’s

Is the cocoa flavor strong?

No, it’s very mild and mainly provides color and subtle depth.

Do I have to use whole wheat flour?

For the rustic flavor yes, but if you don’t have it replace it with more all-purpose or bread flour.

Why didn’t my bread rise?

Your starter may not have been active enough, or your dough was too cold. Sourdough loves warmer environments try to keep your dough at 75 degrees (not warmer).

Why is my bread gummy?

It likely needed more bake time or needed to cool longer before slicing. Make sure the bread cools fully and the internal temperature is at least 195 F.

If you enjoyed this recipe, drop a comment and leave a star review and don’t forget to try more of my sourdough bread recipes!

Sourdough Bread Recipes:

Sourdough Brown Bread (Artisan Style)

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Prep Time 30

Cook Time 50

Servings

Equipment

digital kitchen scale – for weighing out your ingredients (highly recommended for accuracy). This one linked here is great to start with.
Measuring cups & spoons (optional) – if you prefer to not use a scale.
Bowl or straight edge container for mixing and proofing dough – to mix your dough and make sure your dough is rising properly. I've linked here the container I like to use.
Bench knife (optional) – for shaping your dough. I use this bench knife all the time.
Banneton basket (or a medium bowl lined with a lint-free cloth) – to proof dough. I've linked a quality banneton and cover here if you'd like to see what I use.
Lint-free cloth or plastic wrap – to cover the dough while resting.
5-quart Dutch oven with lid – for baking your loaf. This is an affordable 5-quart Dutch oven that I purchased as my first linked here.
Plate or shallow bowl – for the oat coating.
Pastry brush (optional) – to brush the bread with water to help the oats stick. You can also use a folded paper towel.
Parchment paper or silicone bread sling – To keep bread from sticking to Dutch oven. A reusable bread sling can be really convenient and also helps avoid burning hands on your Dutch oven. I use this set linked here all the time!
Sharp knife or lame for scoring – a sharp knife will work for scoring your bread, but I do recommend investing in a lame (razor blade) which will make the process much easier. Here is a great lame to purchase to start out linked here.
Digital food thermometer (optional) – to check the temperature of your starter and dough, this ensures a more reliable result. I use this one linked here.
Bread knife – for cutting your bread once cooled. I love this bread knife linked here.