A Plain-English Sourdough Glossary

Sourdough has its own vocabulary. Here are the terms, defined clearly.

A

Acetic acid — Sharp, vinegar-like acid produced by bacteria during fermentation. More common in cool, low-hydration fermentation.

Active starter — A starter that has been recently fed and is rising visibly. Used as the leavening for dough.

All-purpose flour — Lower protein flour (10–11%). Works for some sourdough, but bread flour produces better structure.

Aliquot — A small sample of bulk dough kept in a separate container. Used to measure rise percentage.

Autolyse — A rest period between mixing flour and water (no starter, no salt). Develops gluten passively. Usually 30 minutes to 2 hours.

B

Baker's percentage — A way of expressing recipe ratios. Flour is 100%; everything else is a percentage of flour weight.

Banneton — A proofing basket, usually rattan. Holds the dough's shape during the final proof.

Bench rest — A short rest period after pre-shaping, before final shaping. Lets gluten relax. Usually 20–30 minutes.

Bench scraper — A flat metal or plastic tool for handling dough on the counter. Useful for high-hydration dough.

Boule — A round loaf shape. French for "ball."

Bread flour — Higher protein flour (12–14%). Standard for sourdough.

Bulk fermentation — The first long rise of mixed dough, before shaping. Usually 4–8 hours.

C

Cold retard / cold proof — Refrigerating shaped dough overnight or longer. Slows fermentation, develops flavor, eases scoring.

Coil fold — A folding technique where you lift the center of the dough and let it coil over itself. Gentle, effective.

Couche — A heavy linen cloth used to support shaped baguettes during proofing.

Crumb — The interior structure of the bread. The pattern of holes.

Crust — The outer surface of the bread. Develops color and texture during baking.

D

DDT (Desired Dough Temperature) — A target temperature for mixed dough, usually 76–80°F. Calculated from room and water temperatures.

Discard — The portion of starter removed before feeding. Can be used in many recipes.

Dough strength — How well the gluten holds together. Strong dough holds shape; weak dough spreads.

Dutch oven — A heavy lidded pot used for baking. Traps steam, focuses heat.

E

Ear — The raised lip of crust where a score opens during baking. A sign of good oven spring.

Enriched dough — Dough with added fats (butter, oil), eggs, milk, or sugar. Brioche, sandwich loaves, etc.

Extensibility — The ability of dough to stretch without tearing. Opposite of elasticity.

F

Final proof — The last rise after shaping, before baking. Usually 1–3 hours room temperature, or 8–24 hours cold.

Float test — Drop a tablespoon of starter in water. If it floats, the starter is active enough to bake. (Imperfect test, but useful.)

Fold — The act of stretching a portion of dough up and over the rest. Develops gluten without aggressive kneading.

Fougasse — A flat, ladder-shaped French bread.

G

Gluten — Protein network formed by glutenin and gliadin when wheat flour is hydrated. Provides structure.

Gluten window / windowpane test — Stretching a small piece of dough thin enough to see light through. Tests gluten development.

H

Hooch — The dark liquid that separates on top of an under-fed starter. Normal. Stir in or pour off.

Hydration — The ratio of water to flour, by weight. 350g water + 500g flour = 70% hydration.

L

Lame — A scoring tool with a razor blade. Used to make cuts in the dough before baking.

Lamination — A folding technique where dough is stretched into a thin sheet and folded back on itself. Used to incorporate inclusions or develop dramatic crumb.

Leavening — The process of adding gas to dough to make it rise. In sourdough, the leaven is wild yeast.

Levain — A pre-ferment built from a small amount of starter. Sometimes used interchangeably with "active starter."

M

Maillard reaction — The chemical browning of crust during baking. Creates complex flavor and color.

O

Oven spring — The dramatic rise of dough during the first 10–15 minutes of baking. Driven by trapped gas expanding and water vaporizing.

P

Pre-ferment — Any portion of dough that's fermented before mixing the final dough. Includes levains, poolishes, bigas.

Pre-shape — A loose initial shape after bulk fermentation, before bench rest and final shape.

Proof / proofing — The final rise after shaping. (Sometimes used loosely to mean any fermentation.)

R

Refresh / refresh feeding — Feeding the starter, usually before using it.

Retard — To slow fermentation by cold (refrigeration). "Retard the dough" = "put it in the fridge."

S

Scoring — Cutting the dough surface before baking. Controls expansion.

Slap and fold — A vigorous kneading technique where you pick up the dough and slap it onto the counter. Used for high-hydration doughs.

Steam — Moisture in the oven during the first 10–20 minutes. Keeps the crust soft for spring.

Stiff starter — A starter with low hydration (50–75%). Italian tradition. More acetic.

Stretch and fold — A folding technique. Pull one side of the dough up and fold over, rotate, repeat.

T

Tension — Surface tightness in shaped dough. Helps maintain shape and supports rise.

W

Whole wheat / whole grain flour — Flour milled from the entire wheat berry, including bran and germ. Higher nutritional value, faster fermentation, more challenging to bake with.

Y

Yeast — Microorganism that produces CO₂ from sugar. In sourdough, wild yeast (multiple species) — not commercial baker's yeast.

Print this. Tape it inside your kitchen cabinet. Refer to it for the first six months. By month seven, you'll know all of it without thinking.