Sourdough Recipes by Moondough Bakery
(Beginner to Professional)
Welcome to the Moondough’s Recipe Center.
Consider this your training ground station — the place where your sourdough journey with me begins and your skills are prepared for takeoff, Moondough style. Here, you’ll find recipes ranging from beginner to intermediate and professional levels. I’ll provide the guidance you’ll need to navigate the sourdough universe — and yes, it can be a tough world out there sometimes. Which will make success even more gratifying.
You’ll have access to precise, detailed recipes, along with the guidelines that fuel your sourdough rockets. These recipes are designed to do more than simply carry you through a single bake mission. Each one is supported by technique, formulas, baker’s logic, and an understanding I’ve developed over time to help you create naturally leavened, gut-friendly bread that nourishes you and the people you love. That’s protection and provision — baked in.
I’m deeply committed to this craft, which is why I chose to teach it this way. We’ll move through each stage of the process, always explaining why it matters. I will encourage you to progress slowly but intentionally, advancing into higher-difficulty recipes as your confidence grows.
Over time, your comfort zone will expand beyond orbit. With consistency, you’ll develop muscle memory and what I like to call dough discernment — the ability to recognize readiness, balance, and timing without needing to open the manual during every landing.
And one day — big bang — you’ll notice a shift from reading recipes to baking with confidence, intuition, and deeper intention.— autopilot engaged.
Whether you’re just beginning your sourdough journey or refining an established practice, this collection is here to support learning, growth, and exploration.
Inside you’ll find:
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Sourdough recipes built for consistent, repeatable, great results
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Step-by-step process of each stage with baker’s percentages clearly explained.
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Technique notes covering ingredients, fermentation, shaping, baking, equipment, and storage
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Recipes designed to be adaptable and honest — reliable foundations you can build on and make your own
Quick Jump Links
Every journey begins with learning how to navigate.
Our Approach to Sourdough Recipes
Now let’s talk about what we’ll be exploring and how vast this bread universe really is. To simplify our first steps, I will remain within the realm of classic sourdough bread. Later on, I can move toward more complex recipes that include added ingredients — and even desserts fueled with mother dough discard, making sweeter treats more digestible as well. But first, let’s begin with the fundamentals.
At Moondough, sourdough bread is our sun — the source of warmth and rhythm in our universe, and the foundation around which everything else is built. Sourdough is both an art and a craft, shaped by a living, time-driven process — not get-it-fast, easy bread shortcuts.
My approach to sourdough recipes lives in two places at once — one grounded on earth, rooted in respect for the process, and the other reaching toward the moon and stars, open to the limitless possibilities that naturally developed bread allows.
Sourdough is remarkable because there is no single correct way to shape it, season it, time it, or bake it. Each dough responds differently to its environment, its ingredients, the equipment available, and — most importantly — the level of experience and awareness of the hands guiding it. That’s what makes baking sourdough such a diverse and deeply intuitive culinary art.
The creative depth you can reach is nearly limitless — much like our infinite universe. But just as the universe follows laws of time, space, and matter, bread follows its own natural rules. Understanding these underlying principles — how time, temperature, ingredient choices, and how the baker’s technique interacts with a living culture — is what gives sourdough its nutritious structure and flavor.
Let’s make a fun analogy so we can navigate these principles with ease. Think of the formulas in the recipes and baker’s logic as your control tower — providing structure and guidance. Fermentation times are your coordinates. Baking equipment becomes your satellite bases and spacecraft. And your hand skills are the most important part of the mission itself — you are the pilot. The journey belongs to you.
Moondough’s framework simply helps you stay oriented as you move forward. I’m your Houston earth base station.
This collection is here to empower you — to turn curiosity into confidence, process into understanding, and bread baking into a practice that nourishes both your table and your sense of purpose. Your journey starts here.
Each recipe focuses on:
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Leavened fermentation — what it is, how it differs from fast-acting yeast, and why we work exclusively with the mother dough.
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Flour choice — how different flours react to fermentation and develop their unique structure and flavor.
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Baker’s formulas, made approachable — percentages and dough math explained clearly, without overwhelm
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Process transparency — each stage explained — right times for mixing, shaping, baking, and storage
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Tools and adaptability — what supports the best results, and how to adjust with what you already have
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Real-world testing — recipes baked and refined by our local community, then shared beyond it
Moondough’s Recipe Mission Standards
Exploration only works when preparation comes first. My recipes are designed around the conditions that allow sourdough to thrive. Just like preparing for a journey through space, sourdough requires readiness, patience, and respect for the science that keeps the mission stable,so you can enjoy a successful landing – in our world, that looks like good bread on your table.
1. The health of the starter — aka the mother dough and natural levain This is foundational. If the starter isn’t healthy, we postpone the baking mission. Everything pauses until balance is restored. Safety first. A thriving, well-fed starter is essential for good fermentation and reliable results. When the mother dough is strong, it produces bread that’s naturally digestible and deeply nourishing. Think of the starter as the queen of the system — when she’s cared for, everything else falls into place.
2. Flavor and texture —Flavor and structure aren’t achieved by force. I prioritize giving the dough the time it needs to ferment properly, paired with thoughtful ingredient choices. Flavor develops not only through time, but through balance — the right balance between salt and the acidity from the starter develops a unique flavour and expresses the gentle tang that only sourdough carries. In our Universe, balance in gravity binds stars into galaxies and planets into solar systems. We seek that same harmony in our ingredients — where salt, acidity, and time work together so flavor and structure naturally bind as one.
3. Longevity, and the Dough’s Peak — Longevity and shelf life begin with timing. We prioritize shaping and baking the dough at its ideal point along its fermentation lifeline Crumb structure matters. We aim for a crumb that reflects the dough at its true baking peak. Just as importantly, one that tastes good. Baking at this moment not only improves structure and presentation, but also helps extend shelf life naturally, without additives or manipulation.Like a rocket launch with a precise countdown, sourdough depends on hitting the right window.
This philosophy has guided the refinement of my own sourdough over time. I’ve had plenty of failed missions in the early stages, and that experience is exactly why I’m here — to help you reduce failed launches and turn them into successful landings. The goal is simple: more confident sourdough pilots, completing their missions safely and sharing good bread along the way.
I've experienced all this by respecting the dough’s rhythm — and staying attentive to what it’s communicating. Even as a professional, I’m still learning every day. Sourdough rewards those who remain teachable. Growth comes from curiosity, attentiveness, and a willingness to adjust course.
Beginner Sourdough Recipes
If you’re new to sourdough — or you’re one of our newest sourdough pilot trainees — start here. These recipes are designed to help you build understanding and confidence without rushing the process, and to make learning fun without feeling like you’ve been sent on a solo spacewalk.
Think of this section as your training module before launch. You won’t be asked to perform an EVA (extravehicular activity) on your own — that’s my job, to prepare you first. Earth base is here to guide you, monitor the mission, and make sure you return safely with good bread.
These beginner recipes focus on:
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Beginner hydration — A clear, thorough explanation of what hydration percentage means in sourdough, how it affects dough structure and final results, and why a specific hydration level is chosen to help you manage the dough with more ease as you learn.
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Fermentation stages and timing windows — Each stage of the mission is explained, along with flexible timing ranges and transitions. This gives you room to live your day-to-day life while still baking bread that tastes out of this world.
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Clear visual and tactile cues — You’ll learn how to read the dough through sight and feel, so you’re not relying on the clock alone. This is how dough discernment is built — long before you realize it, you’ll be ready to leave the spacecraft and operate independently on your own sourdough spacewalk missions.
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Tools & equipment that support the mission — In this collection, I’ll guide you through the essential tools and equipment needed for each stage of the process, explaining why they matter and how they impact your results. The goal is to ensure your setup is fully resourced and mission-ready.
Guides to Start With
Before any mission can begin, the systems that support it must be turned on. In sourdough, that starts with bringing your starter to life.
I know we’re excited to begin our baking missions — but before any baking happens, we first need to create a reliable mother dough and an active levain. This is what ignites everything that follows and allows the mission to move forward with confidence.
There are a few ways to begin. You can create a starter in your own kitchen with our: Star is born guide, receive one from a local bakery, or share a bit from a friend who already has one. No matter where your starter comes from, understanding how to keep it active and balanced is the foundation of every successful bake.
Soon, I’ll also have a starter available for purchase — so you’ll be able to bring my own starter directly into your baking missions if that’s the path you choose.
Once your starter is alive and active, the next step is preparing your station — your equipment for the mission ahead.
Just like any journey, sourdough requires the right equipment to support what you’re about to do. This second guide helps you understand which tools matter most, how they affect your results, and how to adapt if you’re working with limitations — so you don’t experience a mission failure midway through the bake. A well-prepared station keeps the mission stable and allows you to focus fully on the dough.
Start Here:
A Star Is Born.
How to Bring Your Sourdough Starter to Life and Prepare for Baking Missions.
A step-by-step guide to creating a starter, understanding feeding ratios, and maintaining a strong, active culture — with clear cues for readiness, health, and how to prepare your starter for a bake mission.
I’ll teach you how to raise a sourdough starter to life, how to feed it, and how to maintain it over time so it stays healthy without becoming overwhelming. The goal is to keep your starter low-maintenance, so you can still live your day-to-day life without feeling overtaken by sourdough. That deeper relationship will come naturally, through your own passion and curiosity.
Once your starter is alive and active, the next step is preparing your spacecraft — loading it with the proper tools and equipment for the mission ahead
Preparing your Sourdough Spacecraft. Essential Equipment Mission-Ready Tools for Sourdough Baking.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through the essential tools and equipment used at each stage of the sourdough process, explaining why they matter and how they influence your results. The goal is to help you build a setup that’s fully resourced and mission-ready before takeoff, so your focus stays on the dough — not on fighting your tools.
Equipment matters. For a long time, I struggled to achieve my best results simply because my setup wasn’t fully prepared. Yes — it’s always possible to make bread with limited tools, and adjustments can be made. But reaching consistently excellent results requires a properly equipped spacecraft.
If you’re working with limitations, you’ll find practical ways to adapt and mitigate the mission while still moving forward. At the same time, I’ll always be honest: investing in the right tools makes a real difference. No pilot is trained in an aircraft that can’t take off — and no baker reaches their full potential without equipment that supports the mission.
Tools & Equipment Guide
Essential Sourdough Tools (and Smart Substitutions)
A practical overview of the tools that make baking easier, plus alternatives when specialized equipment isn’t available.
First Baking Missions: Recipes To Start With:
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Moondough OG Sourdough Loaf
Our signature loaf and the foundation of our baking style. Designed to teach fermentation timing, shaping, and baking without unnecessary complexity.
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Whole Wheat Earth Loaf
A more grounded bake that introduces whole wheat flour and deeper flavor, while reinforcing how fermentation behaves in heartier doughs.
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Moondough Signature Blend Sourdough Loaf
Baked with our Moondough flour blend, this recipe focuses on a softer, fluffier crumb while maintaining structure. Ideal for sandwiches and bakers looking for a more tender crumb and crust.
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Same-Day Mission Sourdough Focaccia
A one-day bake that introduces folding, fermentation, and dough handling without the pressure of shaping or overnight proofing. An easy entry point that still delivers exceptional bread.
Once you’ve completed your early missions and successfully launched your own sourdough loaves, you’ll be ready to move into the next stage of the sourdough universe — where intermediate and advanced bakes await.
Intermediate & Advanced Sourdough Recipes
Dear baking pilots, we’re now approaching new levels in our sourdough missions. These recipes are designed for bakers who have completed the initial training grounds — or for those coming in with experience from the sourdough world — and are ready to reinforce their skills and step into more advanced missions.
At this stage, the focus shifts toward deeper control over the dough. You’ll begin integrating multiple variables at once, learning how different inclusions interact with the dough. Think of it like an alien landing on your dough — unfamiliar, disruptive, and full of unknowns — until you learn how to work with it. When handled, those foreign elements bind into the system, transforming the dough into something entirely new: a new star, a new dough world.
Savory or sweet, high-moisture toppings — exploring how added water from toppings like jalapenos or blueberries can affect hydration and how to adjust the base dough accordingly.
Lactose-based inclusions — such as cheddar cheese or cream cheese - examining how sugars and dairy affect fermentation activity, browning, and texture.
Seeded & Grain-Based Doughs
Formulas that incorporate seeds and grains with attention to balance, hydration adjustments, and proper preparation, so inclusions enhance flavor and texture without burning, weighing down the crumb, or disrupting fermentation.
Advanced Shaping & Scoring Techniques
Recipes and guides focused on more advanced shaping methods and intricate scoring designs, exploring how surface tension, dough strength, and scoring depth influence oven spring, expansion, and final form.
A Few Recipe Types:
Specialty Savory Sourdough Moondough Loaves
These recipes are designed to support savory inclusions and toppings, with intentional flour selection to provide the strength needed to carry you through this special baking mission to carry added moisture, fat, and salt through the mission without compromising structure or fermentation.
Examples include:
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Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough: For those seeking a fierier mission, this loaf delivers. A classic pairing of jalapeños and sharp cheddar is folded into the dough. It’s bold and deeply satisfying.
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Mediterranean Sourdough Loaf: If you’re looking for a more refined, aromatic bake, this loaf takes you straight to the Mediterranean. It's inspired by my time working in Europe through my chef yachting career — I call it the “Med season.” and it's one of my personal favorites.
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Herb and Seed-Infused Sourdough: A more classic approach with subtle complexity. This loaf focuses on gentle herbal and nutty notes through carefully chosen seeds and herbs. Ideal if you want flexibility in flavor, repeating the same method each time.
Specialty Sweet Sourdough Moondough Loaves
These recipes follow the same logic behind our savory specialty loaves; however, here we shift toward a sweeter base designed to support sweeter inclusions. They are developed to carry you through sweeter inclusions such as fruits, sugars, and dairy, where flour choice plays a key role in maintaining dough strength, balance, and proper fermentation.
Examples include:
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Chocolate Chip Sourdough: It comes in two variations: a classic white dough folded with chocolate chips, or a chocolate-enriched base layered with even more chocolate. Both versions are rich and deeply chocolatey while still preserving the subtle tang that only sourdough bread carries.
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Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough: This loaf lives at the intersection of classic sourdough and a cinnamon roll. Swirls of cinnamon sugar and generous pockets of raisins are layered throughout the dough, creating warmth, sweetness, and contrast in every slice
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Chai Tea and Poppy Seed Sourdough: This loaf combines traditional chai tea spices with naturally leavened dough and poppy seeds, creating a sourdough bread with the warm aroma of chai and a subtle nutty texture in every bite.
Baker’s guide for Advanced special forces. Shaping, Baking & Scoring Technique Guide
This guide is designed for advanced missions — where doughs carry inclusions, hydration varies, and standard shaping or scoring approaches no longer apply. The focus is on understanding how added ingredients — such as seeds, cheese, vegetables, or sweet inclusions — change dough behavior, and how to respond with intention rather than trial and error. In this universe, we don’t fight the aliens — we learn how to work with them in synergy.
Alongside the recipes, this guide helps you troubleshoot common challenges that arise with inclusions: tearing during shaping, uneven expansion, blowouts, dense crumb, or compromised structure. You’ll gain clarity — especially when the dough is under additional stress, navigating your mission landing more confidently.
Professional & Experimental Sourdough Recipes
If you’ve made it here, you’ve already put in the hours. You’ve learned to listen, to adjust, and to trust your judgment. You’ve completed the training grounds and flown enough missions to know that good sourdough isn’t about following instructions — it’s about understanding systems.
Reaching this level doesn’t mean there’s nothing left to learn. Quite the opposite. In a limitless universe, training never truly ends. Growth comes from staying curious, refining execution, and pushing beyond what feels comfortable.
What these recipes explore
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Fermentation variable adjustments
Learning how to intentionally shift time, temperature, hydration, and inoculation to achieve specific results — and understanding the consequences of each change.
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Production-scale considerations
Adapting formulas and processes for larger batches, consistency, and repeatability without losing integrity or quality.
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Seasonal and experimental bakes
Working with changing flours, temperatures, and creative inclusions — using experimentation as a tool for learning, not guesswork.
These recipes assume familiarity with pilot baker’s math and fermentation theory.
These recipes include:
Blueberry & Cheese Sourdough
A high-hydration dough with layered inclusions that challenge shaping and structure. This recipe teaches how to manage added moisture and fat while maintaining dough strength.
Apple Pie Cinnamon Sourdough
A super high-hydration dough with sweet inclusions and unique baking requirements. This bake explores how sugars, fruit moisture, and spice affect fermentation, structure, and crust development — pushing precision in both shaping and bake strategy.
Create Your Own Blend Sourdough
Rather than a single cold-ferment recipe, this template empowers you to design your own flour blends using heritage, specialty, or sprouted flours such as einkorn. You’ll learn how different flours behave, how to balance strength and extensibility, and how to build a loaf that’s truly your own.
Production-Ready Sourdough Missions
Formulas designed for multi-loaf production teach how to scale dough efficiently while maintaining consistency. This includes base formulas for savory and sweet doughs, allowing you to run multiple missions at once — for example, producing six loaves from two savory bases and one sweet base without losing control of fermentation or timing.
Technique-Focused Sourdough Guides
These guides support advanced baking missions. Not everything fits neatly into a recipe. Every baking mission is different. At this level, pilot mastery comes from understanding the process — and knowing how to respond when conditions change or things don’t go as planned.
These guides are designed to sharpen awareness, strengthen judgment, and help you troubleshoot with clarity rather than frustration.
Popular Guides
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Maintenance of Sourdough starter and how to heal it from high acidity.
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Common Sourdough Failures (and How to Fix Them) or how to avoid them for your next mission bake.
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Importance of shaping techniques and how they can impact your results if not done properly.
How to Use These Recipes Successfully
Now that you’ve explored the Recipe Collection Center and moved through the training grounds, it’s important to pause and acknowledge the commitment that comes with this work. Every pilot baker progresses at their own pace, but success depends on taking the time to read, understand, and apply each section before moving on to the next stage. As the recipes increase in difficulty, they assume a growing level of baker awareness and responsibility, including:
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An understanding of what an active, mature starter is
Knowing how it behaves across its lifecycle, and recognizing when it’s ready to support a bake.
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A willingness to observe dough behavior
Learning to read the dough through sight, feel, and response — rather than relying blindly and solely on written times and steps.
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Flexibility based on the environment
Adjusting for differences in kitchen temperature, flour type, hydration, and climate. If your kitchen, geographic location, or climate differs, timing may vary — and that’s normal. Each recipe explains how to adapt based on visual and tactile cues rather than rigid clocks.
Moondough Bakery & Sourdough Education
Moondough Bakery is a micro–sourdough bakery based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, founded by yours truly, superyacht chef Alessandra Monterrosa. These recipes reflect how I bake in real conditions, for a real community — not in test kitchens or controlled labs. What you’ll find here mirrors the way I work every day, guided by process, observation, and respect for time.
This collection is written for:
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Home bakers who are curious about the science behind sourdough
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Bakers who want to refine their technique and build real intuition
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Those ready to push beyond comfort zones and experiment at a more professional level
The goal is not to offer quick fixes, trends, or mindless tips. The goal is to impart understanding — so skill grows naturally and confidence follows.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Are these the best sourdough recipes for beginners?
These recipes are designed to be educational and repeatable, making them well-suited for beginners willing to learn fermentation fundamentals.
Do your sourdough recipes use commercial yeast?
No. All recipes are naturally leavened using a live sourdough starter.
Can professionals use these sourdough recipes?
Yes. Many recipes include baker’s percentages and fermentation variables useful for professional bakers.
Do I need special equipment to use these recipes?
Most recipes use standard sourdough tools. Any optional equipment is noted within the recipe.
Are these recipes tested by Moondough Bakery?
Yes. Every recipe is tested and refined through actual bakes before publication.
How often are new recipes added?
New sourdough recipes and guides are added periodically based on seasonal baking and experimentation.
Learn New Skills: Take a Class or Workshop
Before I became a chef, my life revolved around being underwater — and teaching others how to navigate it safely. I worked as a scuba instructor, led courses for beginner and advanced divers, and dedicated much of my free time to technical open-water and cave diving. Teaching was always central to what I loved most.
Teaching children, in particular, left a lasting impression. They were fearless, yet aware — attentive, curious, and willing to learn with respect for the risks involved. Looking back, I never imagined that just a few years later I would be teaching another discipline I’m equally passionate about, in a completely different field. But I’m grateful for where God has led me — from the water to the kitchen, and now into baking and education.
That calling is what drives my desire to teach sourdough. There’s something deeply grounding about baking — about creating something with intention and placing it on the table to share.
That’s why I’m creating spaces where pilot bakers in their training stages can step into a baking mission with me — from preparation to launch and return. I offer workshops and private lessons for corporate wellness events, small groups, couples, and community classes. These experiences go beyond technique. They’re about sharing the craft of sourdough and the deeper intention it brings to the family table.
Whether through recipes, guides, or hands-on learning, I created Moondough to teach, to guide, and to invite others into a practice that nourishes both body and purpose.
Let’s Begin!
If you care about learning sourdough the right way — through observation, fermentation, and experience — you’re in the right place.