Sun-Dried Tomato Sourdough: Easy Homemade Artisan Bread Recipe

Last updated on July 28th, 2026

Sun-dried tomato sourdough takes everything you love about a classic loaf — the chewy crumb, the crackly crust, the complex tang — and adds a deep, savory richness. The sun-dried tomatoes infuse the fermented dough during the long, slow fermentation process, bringing their concentrated intensity right into the crumb. The result tastes as if it came straight from an artisan bakery. The sourdough’s natural tang pairs beautifully with the sweetness of the tomatoes — bright and fruity with oil-packed tomatoes, deep and smoky with dry-packed. It’s the kind of homemade loaf you bring to a dinner party, and suddenly everyone wants your starter.

Table of Contents

• Ingredients
• Equipment Needed
• Preparing the Dough
• Bulk Fermentation Process
• Shaping and Proofing
• Baking Instructions
• Common Problems and Fixes
• Serving and Storage
• Sun-Dried Tomato Sourdough: Time to Get Baking
• FAQs – Sun-Dried Tomato Sourdough

Ingredients

• 450g bread flour
• 340g water
• 90g active sourdough starter
• 9g sea salt
• 1.5 tbsp olive oil
• 100–120g sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

Equipment Needed

You don’t need a professional kitchen — just a few key tools. A Dutch oven (5-quart cast iron is ideal) traps steam for the perfect crust. A banneton basket holds your shaped dough during proofing. A digital scale keeps your measurements accurate. Rounding it out: a bench scraper, a bread lame or razor for scoring, and a large mixing bowl.

Preparing the Dough

1. Mix flour and water. Combine your bread flour and water in a large bowl and mix until no dry flour remains. Let the dough rest uncovered for 30–60 minutes. This is the autolyse stage — the flour fully hydrates, and gluten begins developing on its own, giving you a more extensible, workable dough before fermentation even begins.
2. Add the starter and salt. After autolyse, add your active sourdough starter and sea salt. Using the pinch-and-fold method, work them into the dough for about 5 minutes until fully incorporated with no streaks remaining. The dough will feel shaggy at first — keep going until it comes together into a cohesive mass.
3. Rest before adding tomatoes. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 20–30 minutes. This short rest allows the gluten network to strengthen before introducing the tomatoes and olive oil. Adding them too early can interfere with gluten development, so patience here really pays off.
4. Fold in the sun-dried tomatoes and olive oil. Add your chopped sun-dried tomatoes and olive oil to the dough. Using wet hands, perform a series of stretch and folds — grab one side, stretch it upward, and fold it over the center. Rotate the bowl and repeat until the tomatoes are evenly distributed throughout the dough with no large clumps.
5. Check your dough. At this point, the dough should be cohesive, slightly tacky, and show visible tomato pieces throughout. If you’re using oil-packed tomatoes, the dough may feel slightly more slack than usual — that’s normal given the extra fat content they contribute.

Related: What Size Dutch Oven for Sourdough Bread Should You Use

Bulk Fermentation Process

Bulk fermentation is the first rise, and it’s where the flavor of your sun-dried tomato sourdough truly develops. Don’t rush this stage — it makes or breaks your final loaf.

During the first 2 hours, perform 4 sets of stretch and folds, spaced 30 minutes apart. Each set involves grabbing one side of the dough, stretching it upward, and folding it over itself — then rotating the bowl 90 degrees and repeating all four sides. By the fourth set, your dough should feel noticeably tighter, more elastic, and less sticky. Wild yeast is actively building fermentation strength throughout this process.

After your stretch and folds are complete, cover the bowl and leave the dough alone to rise. The target is a 50–75% increase in volume, a jiggly, airy feel when you shake the bowl, and visible bubbles on the surface and sides of the dough.

Timing depends entirely on your kitchen temperature. At 75°F, expect 4–6 hours. In a cooler kitchen, it can stretch to 8–10 hours. Don’t rely solely on the clock — read the dough instead. Under-fermented dough produces a dense, gummy crumb. Properly fermented dough gives you the open, flavorful loaf you’re working toward. When in doubt, give it a little more time.

Shaping and Proofing

Once bulk fermentation is complete, it’s time to shape your dough and set it up for the final proof.

Turn the dough out onto an unfloured surface — a little natural stickiness actually helps here. Using your bench scraper and your other hand, drag the dough toward you in a circular motion to build surface tension across the top of the loaf. This tension is what drives upward oven spring during baking rather than spreading sideways. Work confidently and quickly; overhandling deflates the gas you’ve spent hours building.

Once you have a tight, smooth ball, let it rest on the bench uncovered for 20–30 minutes — this is called the bench rest, and it relaxes the gluten just enough to make final shaping easier. After the bench rest, do a final shape using the same dragging technique, then flip the dough seam-side up into a well-floured banneton basket.

Cover the banneton with a shower cap or plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for an overnight cold proof — typically 8–16 hours. The cold temperature slows fermentation significantly, which deepens the sour flavor, firms up the dough for easier scoring, and gives you flexibility with your baking schedule. Bake it the next morning when you’re ready — the cold proof is very forgiving within that time window.

Related: Proofing Sourdough Without a Proofing Box

Baking Instructions

1. Preheat thoroughly. Place your Dutch oven inside your oven and preheat to 500°F (260°C) for at least 45–60 minutes. The preheated cast iron is critical — it delivers the intense bottom heat that drives oven spring and crust development.
2. Prepare the dough for baking. Remove your dough straight from the refrigerator — don’t let it warm up first. Flip it out of the banneton onto a sheet of parchment paper. Cold dough holds its shape better and is much easier to score cleanly.
3. Score the loaf. Using a sharp bread lame or razor blade held at a 45-degree angle, make one confident slash across the top of the loaf. This controls how the bread expands in the oven and creates that signature open ear on the crust. Hesitant, shallow cuts drag the dough — commit to the score.
4. Bake covered. Carefully lower the dough (parchment included) into the screaming-hot Dutch oven, clamp the lid on, and bake at 500°F for 20 minutes. The trapped steam keeps the crust flexible during this phase, allowing maximum oven spring and artisan crust development.
5. Bake uncovered. Remove the lid, reduce the oven temperature to 450°F (230°C), and continue baking for another 20–25 minutes. You’re looking for a deep mahogany-brown crust with reddish-orange flecks from the sun-dried tomatoes throughout.
6. Cool completely. Tap the bottom of the loaf — a hollow sound means it’s done. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for a minimum of one hour before slicing. Cutting into a hot sourdough loaf collapses the crumb, undoing all your hard work.

Common Problems and Fixes

• Dense crumb: Almost always caused by a weak sourdough starter or under-fermentation. Your starter should double within 4–6 hours of feeding before use. If bulk fermentation didn’t reach 50–75% volume increase, give it more time on your next bake.
• Flat loaf: Usually points to overproofing or insufficient dough strength. Test with a floured finger poke — dough that springs back slowly is ready; dough that doesn’t spring back at all is overproofed. Ensure you’re completing all stretch and fold sets during bulk fermentation to build proper structure.
• Gummy interior: The most common culprit is slicing too soon. The crumb continues to set as the loaf cools and steam escapes. Always wait at least one hour — two is better. If gumminess persists after proper cooling, extend your bake time by 5–10 minutes.
• Crust goes soft: Storing sourdough in plastic traps moisture and softens the crust quickly. Switch to a kitchen towel or store cut-side down on a wooden board.
• Tomatoes burning on the surface: If visible tomato pieces are sitting right on the crust, they can scorch during the high-heat bake. Tuck any surface pieces slightly into the dough during shaping, or tent loosely with foil for the final 5 minutes of the uncovered bake.

Serving and Storage

Sun-dried tomato sourdough pairs beautifully with simple, quality ingredients. Drizzle slices with olive oil and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese for an easy snack that feels far more impressive than the effort. It’s equally great alongside burrata, a smear of ricotta, or a bowl of tomato soup. For a full meal, toast thick slices and pile them with avocado, fresh herbs, and a fried egg.

For storage, keep your loaf cut-side down on a wooden cutting board or wrapped loosely in a kitchen towel at room temperature. Avoid plastic bags — they soften the crust. The bread stays fresh for 3–5 days thanks to sourdough’s natural acidity. For longer storage, slice the entire loaf and freeze it. Pull individual slices straight from the freezer and toast them — they come back to life perfectly, giving you great bread ready in under two minutes anytime you need it.

Sun-Dried Tomato Sourdough: Time to Get Baking

This recipe delivers bold flavor, a crackling crust, and a chewy open crumb that rivals anything from an artisan bakery. The keys to nailing it are a strong active starter, proper bulk fermentation, and folding in your tomatoes at the right time to protect your gluten structure. Your Dutch oven and banneton handle the heavy lifting on bake day — trapped steam drives oven spring, and the overnight cold proof makes scoring a breeze. Dense crumb means more fermentation time, a flat loaf points to overproofing, and gummy bread just needs more patience before slicing. You’ve got everything you need right here — now get that starter out and bake.

FAQs – Sun-Dried Tomato Sourdough

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