When you first step into the world of sourdough, it can feel like bakers are speaking a whole new language. Words like autolyse, hydration, levain, and scoring get tossed around daily, and it’s easy to feel lost.
That’s why I’ve put together this glossary of sourdough terms — a simple, approachable guide to help you understand what these words mean and how they connect to your baking. I also created this, so that I can point my students to this resource.
I hope this list makes the process feel a little less intimidating and a lot more doable. Here we go:
A
Acetic Acid – A byproduct of fermentation that gives sourdough its tangy, vinegar-like flavor. It develops more in cool, slow fermentations.
Active Starter – A sourdough starter that has been recently fed and is bubbly, rising, and ready for baking.
Aliquot Jar – A small jar used to monitor the rise of the dough during bulk fermentation. It helps bakers know when the dough has fermented enough and is ready for shaping.
Alveoli – The air pockets or holes inside a baked loaf, formed by gas released during fermentation. Desired in open-crumb breads.
At Peak – The point when a sourdough starter has fully risen after feeding and is at its most active, ready to use in baking.
Autolyse – A resting period where flour and water are mixed and left to hydrate before adding salt and starter. Improves dough texture and gluten development.
B
Baguette – A long, narrow French bread known for its crispy crust and airy crumb.
Bakers’ Percentage – A system of measuring ingredients where the weight of the flour is taken as 100%, and other ingredients are calculated as a percentage of that flour weight.
Banneton – A proofing basket, often lined with cloth, that helps dough maintain shape while rising.
Batard – A shorter, wider version of a baguette with a slightly rounded shape.
Belly – The rounded bottom part of a baked loaf, opposite the crust's scored top.
Biga – A stiff Italian pre-ferment that enhances flavor and texture.
Bench Rest – A short resting period between pre-shaping and final shaping, allowing the gluten to relax for easier handling.
Blisters – Small bubbles on a baked crust, often formed from long, cold fermentation and high hydration.
Boule – A round loaf of bread, French for "ball."
Bulk Fermentation – The first stage of dough fermentation after mixing, where the dough rises as the yeast and bacteria produce gases and develop flavor.
C
Cold Retard (Cold Proofing) – Slowing down fermentation by placing dough in the fridge, developing deeper flavor and structure.
Coil Folds – A gentle folding technique used to build strength in high-hydration doughs, replacing traditional kneading.
Counter Proofing – Allowing dough to rise at room temperature instead of cold-proofing in the fridge.
Couche – A linen cloth used to support shaped dough during proofing, preventing spreading.
Crumb – The interior texture of a baked loaf, ranging from open and airy to tight and soft.
D
Danish Whisk – A tool with looped wire used for mixing dough with minimal effort, reducing clumping.
Diastatic Malt Powder – A flour additive containing active enzymes that boost fermentation and enhance crust color.
Discard – The portion of starter removed before feeding, which can be used in recipes to avoid waste.
Dutch Oven – A heavy, lidded pot used to trap steam during baking, creating an ideal crust.
E
Ear – The raised, crispy flap of crust created by a good oven spring and scoring technique.
Elasticity – The dough’s ability to bounce back when stretched. A balance of elasticity and extensibility is key to good dough handling.
Enriched Dough – Dough made with added fats, sugar, or dairy, like brioche or challah.
Enzymes – Proteins in flour and starter that break down starches into sugars, feeding the yeast and bacteria.
Extensibility – The dough’s ability to stretch without tearing, influenced by gluten development and hydration.
F
Feeding – The process of adding fresh flour and water to a sourdough starter to maintain its activity.
Fermentation – The process where yeast and bacteria break down sugars, producing gas and acids that develop flavor and texture in dough.
Fermentolyse – A hybrid of autolyse and fermentation, where the starter is added at the beginning instead of after a rest.
Float Test – A test to check if a sourdough starter is ready for baking: a spoonful of starter should float in water.
G
Gluten – A network of proteins that gives dough strength and elasticity, allowing it to trap gas and rise.
H
Hooch – The liquid that sometimes forms on top of a neglected starter, indicating it needs feeding. Can be stirred in for a stronger sour flavor or poured off.
Hydration – The percentage of water in a dough recipe, directly impacting texture, handling, and final crumb.
I
Inclusions - The extra ingredients like nuts, fruits, cheese, or chocolate mixed into sourdough for added flavor and texture.
L
Lactic Acid Bacteria – Beneficial bacteria in sourdough starter that create lactic acid, adding mild tangy flavor and helping fermentation.
Lame – A razor blade tool used for scoring dough before baking.
Lamination – A method of stretching dough thin to incorporate air and strengthen the gluten network, often used in high-hydration doughs.
Levain – A portion of mature starter used to build strength and flavor in bread dough.
M
Maillard Reaction – The chemical reaction between amino acids and sugars during baking that creates a deep golden crust and complex flavor.
N
Naturally Leavened – Bread that rises using wild yeast and bacteria rather than commercial yeast.
O
Open Crumb Structure – A bread interior with large, irregular holes, often desired in artisan sourdough.
Oven Spring – The rapid expansion of dough in the oven as gases expand and yeast activity peaks before dying from heat.
Over proofed – When dough has risen too long, becoming weak and deflating instead of holding its shape.
P
Peel – A flat wooden or metal paddle used to transfer bread into and out of the oven.
Poke Test – A test to determine if dough is ready to bake; a gentle press with a finger should leave a slight indentation that slowly springs back.
Poolish – A wet pre-ferment, similar to a biga but with a higher hydration level, used to enhance flavor and structure.
Pre-Ferment – A portion of fermented dough or starter used to kickstart a recipe, like a levain or poolish.
Proofing – The final rise before baking, allowing dough to expand and develop flavor.
R
Resting – Allowing dough to sit at various stages to relax gluten and improve handling.
Retard – The process of slowing fermentation by refrigerating dough, which enhances flavor and texture.
Ripe – A term describing when dough or starter is fully developed and ready to use.
S
Scoring – The act of cutting dough before baking to control its expansion and create decorative crust patterns.
Second Rise (Cold or Counter Proofing) – The final rise before baking, either at room temperature or in the fridge for longer fermentation.
Shaping – Forming dough into its final shape before proofing and baking.
Stretch and Folds – A technique used during bulk fermentation to strengthen the dough instead of traditional kneading.
Starter – A mixture of flour and water that captures wild yeast and bacteria for natural fermentation.
Stretch and Folds – A technique used during bulk fermentation to strengthen the dough instead of traditional kneading.
T
Temperature – A key factor in fermentation that affects dough rise, flavor, and texture.
U
Underproofed – When dough hasn’t risen enough, leading to dense bread with little oven spring.
V
Vital Wheat Gluten – A protein-rich flour additive used to enhance dough strength and elasticity, particularly in whole wheat or low-gluten flour.
W
Windowpane Test – A test for gluten development where dough is stretched thin enough to let light pass through without tearing.
Y
Yeast – The wild microorganisms in sourdough starter that produce gas, making the dough rise.
Keep this glossary close as you bake, and don’t be afraid to revisit it whenever you stumble across a term that feels unfamiliar. The more you learn the language of sourdough, the more confident you’ll feel working with your dough and sharing it with others. And if you ever come across a word you’d like me to add, just reach out — I love building resources that truly support this community of bakers.
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