Step-by-Step Method: Phase Eight

Cooling & Ripening

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

By Michael Kalanty

Published 2025

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Wear oven mitts. Hold the bread in one hand and gently turn it over, use the other gloved hand to brush browned semolina or flour from the bottom. Place the bread upright on a screen or wooden board. Allow it to cool at least one hour.

Ripening involves little more than letting a bread rest on a rack after it has completely cooled. The protein structure sets and the starches become firm, losing their gummy texture. Residual CO2 and alcohol leave the bread. After a 4 to 8 hour ripening phase, wild yeast breads have improved flavor and texture (Appendix 1).