Sourdough Terminology Glossary

Sourdough baking comes with its own vocabulary. This glossary will help you understand recipes, tutorials, and discussions in the sourdough community.

A-Z Terms

Autolyse - A rest period after mixing flour and water, before adding starter and salt, that allows flour to hydrate and gluten to begin developing.

Banneton - A basket used for proofing bread dough, typically made from cane or plastic. Also called a brotform.

Batard - An oval-shaped loaf, longer than a boule but shorter than a baguette.

Bench rest - A short rest period between pre-shaping and final shaping.

Boule - A round loaf of bread.

Bulk fermentation - The first rise after mixing, when all the dough ferments together in one mass.

Crumb - The interior structure of the bread, described as open (large holes) or tight (small, even holes).

Ear - The raised flap of crust created by scoring, considered a sign of good oven spring.

Hydration - The ratio of water to flour in a recipe, expressed as a percentage.

Lame - A tool used for scoring bread, typically a razor blade on a handle.

Levain - A portion of sourdough starter built specifically for a recipe, often with different flour ratios.

Oven spring - The rapid rise that occurs in the first minutes of baking.

Poke test - A method of testing dough readiness by poking with a finger and observing how it springs back.

Pre-shape - An initial, gentle shaping before the bench rest and final shape.

Scoring - Cutting the surface of dough before baking to control where it expands.