Free · Open-source book · Updated September 17, 2026

The Sourdough Framework

Go beyond recipes. A complete, science-backed foundation for baking exceptional sourdough bread at home — from your first starter to your best loaf.

The Sourdough Framework is a free, open-source sourdough baking book by Hendrik Kleinwächter (The Bread Code), first published in 2022 under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license. It is available in 9 languages as HTML, PDF and EPUB, and as a 250-page hardcover (ISBN 978-3-00-077702-8) rated 5.0 out of 5 by 110 readers.

By Hendrik Kleinwächter, creator of The Bread Code · ▶︎ 340k+ on YouTube · ★ 3.5k+ on GitHub

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The Sourdough Framework book cover

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What’s inside

📜 01 The history of sourdough Where bread began — from ancient grains and wild fermentation to the loaves we bake today. 🔬 02 How sourdough works The science behind the rise: enzymes, wild yeast, and the bacteria that flavor your bread. 🫙 03 Making a sourdough starter Build a living starter from just flour and water — step by step, with no guesswork. 🌡️ 04 Sourdough starter types Stiff, liquid, and everything between — how to choose and manage the right starter. 🌾 05 Flour types Wheat, rye, spelt and more — how protein, ash, and milling shape your dough. 🍞 06 Bread types Freestanding loaves, pan breads, baguettes — the families of sourdough bread. 🥖 07 Wheat sourdough The complete method for a freestanding wheat loaf, from mix to bake. 🌽 08 Non-wheat sourdough Rye, gluten-free and alternative grains — baking beyond wheat. 🫒 09 Mix-ins Seeds, nuts, fruit and herbs — how to add flavor and texture without wrecking structure. 🔥 10 Baking Steam, scoring, and heat — turn proofed dough into a crackling, open-crumb loaf. 🥪 11 Storing bread Keep your bread fresh for longer — storage, freezing, and reviving stale loaves. 🛠️ 12 Troubleshooting Dense crumb? Flat loaf? Diagnose and fix the most common sourdough problems.

How it compares to other sourdough books

Most sourdough books teach one method. Tartine Bread teaches Chad Robertson's country loaf and the intuition behind it. Flour Water Salt Yeast by Ken Forkish gives repeatable schedules and baker's percentages. The Perfect Loaf by Maurizio Leo is the most complete modern collection of recipes and technique.

The Sourdough Framework does something different. It explains the variables, flour, hydration, temperature, starter activity, fermentation and dough strength, and how to read your dough, so you can adapt any recipe to your own kitchen. If you want a recipe collection, buy one of those books. If you want to understand why your bread turned out the way it did, start here.

A word from the author

Hendrik Kleinwächter is the baker and software engineer behind The Bread Code, where over 340,000 bakers follow his experiment-driven approach to bread. This book is his free, open-source distillation of years of testing what actually makes sourdough work.

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Get the free sourdough book (PDF, EPUB & print)

PDFThe full book, beautifully typeset PDF (sans-serif)Easier to read on screens EPUBBest for e-readers EPUB (black & white)For e-ink readers Short TL;DR versionThe whole method in a nutshell Short TL;DR (printable)A quick-start for your kitchen wall Source codeThe whole book in LaTeX — sauce included HardcoverThe print edition that keeps this book free

Popular topics

New to sourdough? Bake your first loaf How to make a sourdough starter Baker's math explained Stiff vs. liquid starter Sourdough hydration Bulk fermentation: how long? The window-pane test Shaping sourdough Scoring sourdough Baking with a Dutch oven Steam in the oven Fixing dense or gummy crumb Storing bread: fridge & freezer