Recipes & Guides
Step-by-step sourdough recipes, starter guides, and the baking science behind every loaf.
Every Way to Steam Your Oven for Sourdough (Ranked by How Well They Work)
Steam is what separates a pale, thick-crusted disappointment from a crackling, mahogany-colored loaf with real oven spring. Here is every method I have tried, honestly ranked.
Team Sourdough Joe · September 29, 2026
Scoring Sourdough: Why Your Cuts Disappear and How to Get a Real Ear
You draw a beautiful score line across your loaf, and twenty minutes later the oven has erased it completely. Here is what is actually going wrong — and the small adjustments that produce dramatic ears every time.
Team Sourdough Joe · September 13, 2026
7 Tips for Better Oven Spring in Sourdough Bread
Oven spring is the dramatic rise your bread gets in the first minutes of baking. If yours is underwhelming, these seven adjustments can make a significant difference.
Team Sourdough Joe · April 10, 2026