My Sourdough Git Guide: 5 Steps to a Perfect Loaf 2025
Ready to bake the perfect sourdough loaf in 2025? My Sourdough Git Guide uses a 5-step, foolproof method to help you master your starter, shaping, and bake.
Elena Petrova
Home baker and software engineer obsessed with perfecting the art and science of sourdough.
Remember that first sourdough loaf? The one you nurtured for days, dreaming of a crackling crust and an airy, open crumb, only to pull a dense, gummy frisbee from the oven? I’ve been there. My kitchen has seen more sourdough fails than I care to admit. It felt chaotic, unpredictable, and frankly, a little heartbreaking.
In my day job as a software engineer, I live by a system called Git. It’s a version control tool that brings order to the chaos of coding, allowing you to track changes, revert mistakes, and collaborate effectively. One day, staring at another flat loaf, it clicked: what if I applied the logic of Git to my baking? What if I treated my dough not as a random concoction, but as a project with clear, trackable stages?
That's how the Sourdough Git Guide was born. It’s a five-step framework that turns the art of sourdough into a repeatable science. Forget the guesswork. For 2025, let's commit to a better process and bake our best bread yet. This is your definitive guide to a perfect loaf.
Step 1: git init – Your Starter is Everything
In Git, git init creates a new repository. In sourdough, your starter is the repository. It's the foundation of your entire project, and a weak foundation leads to a collapsed structure. Before you even think about mixing dough, you need a robust, active, and predictable starter.
Signs of a Healthy, "Ready-to-Commit" Starter
- Predictable Rise: It should double or triple in volume within 4-8 hours of feeding at a consistent temperature (around 75-80°F / 24-27°C).
- Bubbles Galore: The texture should be airy and web-like, not just a few bubbles on top.
- The Float Test: Drop a small spoonful into a glass of water. If it floats, the yeast has produced enough gas to leaven your bread. It's ready.
- The Aroma: It should smell sweet, tangy, and yeasty, like ripe fruit or yogurt. A sharp, vinegary smell means it's hungry or over-fermented.
My go-to feeding ratio for baking is 1:2:2 (1 part starter, 2 parts water, 2 parts flour by weight). This gives the yeast and bacteria plenty of food to become vigorously active without becoming overly acidic. Treat your starter like the main branch of your project—keep it clean, healthy, and protected.
Step 2: git add – Mixing & Autolyse (Staging Your Dough)
Once your starter is peaked and active, it's time to assemble your ingredients. This is your git add command—you're staging the changes for your big commit. This isn't just about dumping everything in a bowl; it's about hydration and preparation.
The Magic of Autolyse
Autolyse is a fancy term for a simple, game-changing step: mixing just your flour and water (and holding back the starter and salt) and letting it rest for 30-60 minutes. Why?
- Kickstarts Gluten Development: The flour fully hydrates, and gluten strands begin to form and align without any kneading.
- Improves Dough Extensibility: This makes the dough easier to work with later during stretching and shaping.
- Reduces Mix Time: You'll spend less energy mixing after adding the starter and salt.
After the autolyse, you'll add your bubbly starter and salt. Mix until everything is well-incorporated. Don't worry about developing a perfectly smooth dough right now; that comes next. You have now staged your files and are ready to commit.
Step 3: git commit -m "Bulk Fermentation" – Bulk Fermentation & Folds
This is the most critical phase. Bulk fermentation is your first big commit. It's where 80% of the magic happens: the yeast gets to work, creating the gases that will give your bread its open crumb, and the flavor begins to develop. Your main job here is to manage this process with a series of "stretch and folds."
Instead of kneading, we use a gentler method. Every 30-45 minutes, you'll perform a set of folds. Wet your hands slightly, grab a side of the dough, stretch it up, and fold it over the center. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat three more times. This builds strength and structure in the dough, organizes the gluten network, and equalizes the dough's temperature.
Sample Bulk Fermentation Timeline (at ~75°F / 24°C)
This is a guide, not a rule. The most important skill is learning to read the dough.
| Time | Action | What to Look For |
|---|---|---|
| 00:00 | Mix salt and starter into autolysed dough. | A shaggy, incorporated mass. |
| 00:30 | First set of stretch and folds. | Dough will feel weak and sticky. |
| 01:15 | Second set of stretch and folds. | Dough is becoming smoother and stronger. |
| 02:00 | Third set of stretch and folds. | Noticeable increase in strength. |
| 02:45 | Fourth (and often final) set of folds. | Dough holds its shape well. |
| ~04:00 - 05:00 | End of bulk fermentation. | Dough has risen 30-50%, feels airy, has a domed top, and some visible bubbles. |
The "poke test" is your best friend here. Lightly flour a finger and press it into the dough. If the indentation springs back immediately, it needs more time. If it springs back slowly and leaves a slight indent, it's perfect. If it doesn't spring back at all, it's likely over-proofed. Your commit is now complete.
Step 4: git push – Shaping & Cold Proof
You’ve committed your changes locally; now it's time to push them to the remote repository—the refrigerator! First, we need to shape the dough. Shaping is not just about making it look pretty; it's about creating surface tension that will help the loaf hold its shape and rise upwards (oven spring) instead of outwards.
Gently ease the dough out of its container onto a lightly floured surface. Pre-shape it into a loose round and let it rest for 20-30 minutes. This lets the gluten relax. Then, perform your final shape, whether it's a round boule or an oblong bâtard, focusing on creating a tight skin on the outside of the dough. Place it seam-side up in a well-floured banneton or a bowl lined with a tea towel.
Now for the git push: the cold proof (or retard). Cover your banneton and place it in the fridge for 12-24 hours. This long, cold fermentation does two amazing things:
- Develops Complex Flavor: The cold slows down the yeast activity but allows the bacteria to keep working, producing the complex, tangy flavors that make sourdough so special.
- Makes Scoring and Baking Easier: A cold, firm dough is much easier to handle, score, and transfer to your hot baking vessel.
Step 5: git deploy – The Bake!
This is the deployment, the big release! All your hard work comes down to this moment. The key to a fantastic crust and oven spring is steam.
- Preheat: Place a Dutch oven or combo cooker in your oven and preheat it to 500°F (260°C) for a full hour. You need that thermal mass.
- Score: Take your dough straight from the fridge. Turn it out onto a piece of parchment paper. With confidence, use a sharp blade or lame to score the top. A simple slash or a creative pattern—this allows steam to escape and the loaf to expand predictably.
- Bake with Steam: Carefully place your dough into the hot Dutch oven, put the lid on, and return it to the oven. Immediately reduce the temperature to 450°F (230°C). Bake for 20 minutes with the lid on. This traps steam, keeping the crust soft and allowing for maximum oven spring.
- Bake without Steam: After 20 minutes, remove the lid. The loaf will have expanded significantly. Now, bake for another 20-25 minutes, or until the crust is a deep, golden brown. This phase is all about developing the crust and color.
- Cool: This is the hardest step. Your loaf must cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours, preferably 4. Cutting into it too early will result in a gummy crumb, as the interior is still setting. This is your final quality assurance check.
Conclusion: Your Sourdough Repository
And there you have it. A beautiful, delicious loaf of sourdough, deployed successfully. By thinking of the process like Git, you transform it from a mystical art into a manageable project. Your starter is your main branch. Each bake is a new commit. If a loaf fails, don't despair—just check your notes (your commit history!), create a new `branch` to experiment with a different hydration or fermentation time, and try again.
This framework is your path to consistency. Now go initialize your repository and start baking. I can't wait to see what you create.