Every sourdough baking term explained in plain language. No jargon without context.
A
Active Starter — A sourdough starter that's been recently fed and is showing visible signs of fermentation -- bubbles, rising, and a pleasant tangy smell.
Aliquot Jar — A small sample of dough placed in a separate container to monitor fermentation progress without disturbing the main dough.
Autolyse — A rest period where flour and water are mixed and left to sit before adding starter and salt, giving enzymes a head start on breaking down starches and developing gluten.
B
Baker's Percentage — A ratio-based system where every ingredient's weight is expressed as a percentage of the total flour weight, making recipes infinitely scalable.
Banneton — A basket (usually rattan or wood pulp) used to hold shaped dough during its final proof, giving the loaf structure and a distinctive spiral pattern.
Batard — An oval or oblong-shaped loaf, shorter and wider than a baguette but longer than a boule.
Bench Rest — A short resting period (usually 10-30 minutes) after pre-shaping, giving the gluten time to relax before final shaping.
Boule — A round, ball-shaped loaf -- the classic sourdough shape and the easiest to master for beginners.
Bulk Fermentation — The main rising period after mixing all ingredients, where the dough ferments as one big mass before being divided and shaped.
C
Coil Fold — A gentle dough-strengthening technique where you lift the dough from the center and let the sides fold underneath by gravity.
Cold Retard — Placing shaped dough in the fridge (typically 3-5C / 38-41F) to slow fermentation, usually overnight, giving you control over when you bake.
Crumb — The interior texture of your bread -- the soft part you see when you slice it open.
Crumb Structure — The pattern of air pockets (alveoli) inside your bread, determined by fermentation, shaping, and baking.
Crust — The browned, crispy outer layer of bread, formed by the Maillard reaction and caramelization during baking.
D
Discard — The portion of sourdough starter you remove before feeding to keep the quantity manageable.
Discard Starter — Unfed, typically past-peak sourdough starter that's been set aside -- still useful for adding flavor and tang to recipes that don't need leavening power.
Dough Strength — How well your dough holds its shape and resists spreading -- a combination of gluten development, surface tension, and proper fermentation.
Dutch Oven — A heavy, lidded pot (usually cast iron) used to bake sourdough -- it traps steam from the dough to create a crispy crust and good oven spring.
E
Ear — The thin, crispy flap of crust that peels up along the score line during baking -- a sign of good oven spring and proper scoring technique.
Elasticity — Your dough's ability to spring back to its original shape after being stretched -- the "rubber band" quality.
Extensibility — Your dough's ability to stretch without tearing -- the opposite of elasticity.
F
Feeding — Adding fresh flour and water to your sourdough starter to give the yeast and bacteria new food.
Fermentation — The process where yeast and bacteria convert sugars in your dough into carbon dioxide, alcohol, and organic acids -- it's what makes bread rise and taste good.
Fermentolysis — A technique that combines fermentation and autolyse in one step by using less starter and letting the dough ferment longer, eliminating the need to mix your dough twice.
Float Test — A technique where you drop a spoonful of starter into water to see if it floats -- supposedly indicating readiness. It's unreliable.
Fold — A gentle technique for building dough strength during bulk fermentation by stretching one side of the dough and folding it over itself.
G
Gluten — A protein network formed by glutenin and gliadin in wheat (and some other grains) when flour meets water -- it's what gives bread its structure and chew.
Gluten Development — The process of building a strong, interconnected gluten network through hydration, kneading, folding, and time.
H
Hooch — The dark liquid that forms on top of a neglected sourdough starter -- it's alcohol, and it means your starter is hungry.
Hydration — The ratio of water to flour in your dough, expressed as a percentage using baker's math.
L
Lame — A razor blade mounted on a handle, used to score bread dough before baking. Pronounced "lahm."
Lamination — A dough-strengthening technique where you stretch the dough very thin on a wet counter, then fold it up like a letter -- creating many layers of gluten.
Levain — Another name for sourdough starter, or specifically a portion of starter built up with a targeted feeding for a particular bake.
Lievito Madre — An Italian-style stiff sourdough starter kept at around 50% hydration, known for boosting yeast activity and producing a milder, less sour bread.
M
Maillard Reaction — The chemical reaction between amino acids and sugars that browns your bread's crust and creates hundreds of flavor compounds.
O
Oven Spring — The rapid rise your bread gets in the first 10-15 minutes of baking, as trapped gas expands and the yeast have one final burst of activity before dying off around 60C (140F).
Overproofed — Dough that's been fermented too long -- the gluten network has broken down, gas has escaped, and the dough won't hold its shape or spring in the oven.
P
Poke Test (Finger Poke Test) — A simple way to check if your dough is done proofing: flour your finger, press about 1cm into the dough, and watch how the indentation behaves.
Poolish — A pre-ferment made with equal parts flour and water plus a tiny amount of commercial yeast, fermented for 8-16 hours before being added to the final dough.
Pre-shape — A preliminary shaping step after bulk fermentation where you gently form the dough into a rough round, building surface tension before the final shape.
Proof — The final rise after shaping, where the dough reinflates with gas before baking. Can be done at room temperature or in the fridge (cold retard).
R
Retard — Slowing down fermentation by placing dough in a cold environment, typically a fridge at 3-5C (38-41F).
S
Scoring — Cutting the surface of your dough with a razor or sharp knife just before baking, giving the bread a controlled place to expand.
Slap and Fold — A vigorous kneading technique where you pick up the dough, slap it against the counter, and fold it over itself -- great for developing gluten in wet doughs.
Sourdough Starter — A living culture of wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria maintained in a flour-and-water mixture -- the engine that leavens and flavors your bread.
Steam — Moisture in the oven during the first phase of baking that keeps the crust flexible, allowing maximum oven spring before the crust sets.
Stretch and Fold — A technique for building dough strength during bulk fermentation: you stretch one side of the dough up and fold it to the center, then repeat on all four sides.
Surface Tension — The taut, smooth outer layer of dough that you create during shaping by dragging the dough across an unfloured surface.
U
Underproofed — Dough that hasn't fermented long enough -- it'll be dense, potentially gummy, and may have large irregular holes near the crust (fool's crumb).
W
Windowpane Test — A test for gluten development: stretch a small piece of dough thin enough to see light through it without tearing.
