Michael Kalanty

Sponge plus Main Dough Ingredient Mixing Sequence

Appears in
How to Bake Sourdough Bread: Fermentation, Starters & Recipes
How to Bake Sourdough Bread

By Michael Kalanty

Published 2025

  • About
This refers to a two-stage mixing process for combining ingredients. Its primary benefit is improved aroma and flavor.

In the first stage, some of the flour in the formula is mixed with water. Adding a small percent of commercial yeast initiates fermentation. At the conclusion of this (preliminary) fermentation, the mixture is called a pre-ferment. The pre-ferment is the starting point when incorporating the rest of the ingredients in the formula. This includes the rest of the water, yeast, and flour. And now the salt.