Blueberry Sourdough Bread

Soft and chewy on the inside, perfectly sweet, with swirls of juicy blueberries all throughout. Can you think of anything better in the entire world than blueberry sourdough bread? I’m obsessed with all things blueberry, especially with summer berry season upon us, and this is one of my favorite all-time recipes! It’s perfect toasted, with a little butter, or you can dress it up with something special like whipped honey butter, cream cheese and jam, or even lemon curd! Of everything I make, this is hands-down one of the most requested recipes—and I have a feeling it’ll become a favorite in your home too.

Looking for more sourdough baking recipes? Check out my Blueberry Sourdough Bagels, Sourdough Croissants, or this rich and dreamy Chocolate Marbled Sourdough Bread.

Adapted from my Beginner Sourdough Bread, this recipe combines fresh blueberries and a hint of sugar to create a loaf that is soft and chewy on the inside, golden and crisp on the outside, and studded with REAL blueberries all throughout. This colorful loaf is naturally leavened with sourdough starter, so it’s packed with incredible flavor and is also gut-healthy.

Whether you’re an experienced sourdough baker or just getting started, this recipe is a fun and delicious way to switch things up. I’ll walk you through exactly how to make it, step-by-step, using just a few simple ingredients and basic tools. Get ready to enjoy the most delicious, bakery-quality blueberry sourdough bread right from your kitchen!

Why You’ll Love Blueberry Sourdough Bread

• Bursting with blueberries: Seriously, this bread is packed with juicy blueberries. I recommend fresh blueberries for the best results. You can also add blueberry skins for extra marbling and flavor.
• Easy to make: This recipe requires minimal hands-on time to prepare the dough. Plus, you only need a few simple ingredients like flour, water, salt, sourdough starter, and fresh blueberries!
• Naturally sweet: Blueberries lend a subtle sweetness to this sourdough bread recipe. I also recommend adding a sweetener to enhance the natural sweet flavor of the blueberries. Regular sugar, honey, maple syrup, or alternatives like coconut or date sugar all work great.
• Sourdough (gut healthy): This bread is naturally leavened with sourdough starter. Thanks to a long and slow fermentation process, it’s higher in vitamins and minerals, easy to digest, and packed with all the gut-healthy benefits of REAL, homemade sourdough. And, of course, it’s more delicious!

Watch My Blueberry Sourdough Bread Video

Ingredients for Blueberry Sourdough Bread

Here’s all of the ingredients you’ll need to make this blueberry sourdough bread recipe:

• Blueberries: I recommend using fresh blueberries for the best results. You can use frozen blueberries as well. Please refer to the recipe notes to see how to make this substitution.
• Flour: A strong bread flour with high protein content is ideal for sourdough. I use a blend of King Arthur Bread Flour and stone-ground whole wheat flour for the perfect texture and flavor.
• Sourdough Starter: This recipe calls for an active, bubbly starter. It should be roughly doubled in size, full of bubbles, and just beginning to fall after reaching its peak.
• Water: This dough has slightly lower hydration than my typical sourdough recipe since blueberries add extra water.
• Salt: Essential for flavor and fermentation. Salt helps regulate fermentation by slowing down yeast activity for a better rise and crumb structure.
• Blueberry Skins (Optional): Mash blueberries and press through a strainer to remove the juice and pulp. Reserve just the skins. These skins provide extra marbling and blueberry flavor without adding additional water.
• Sugar (Optional): If you’d like a touch of sweetness, add sugar, honey, or maple syrup to the dough. It’s completely optional, but it’s a great way to enhance the blueberry flavor.

How to Make Blueberry Sourdough Bread

This blueberry sourdough bread is easy to make, with just a few basic ingredients and minimal hands-on work!

Day 1: Prepare the dough and first rise

1. Mix the dough: In a large mixing bowl, add the water, sourdough starter, and (optional) sugar, and whisk together. Then add the flour and salt and mix everything together until a dough forms and no dry patches remain. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 30 minutes. 
2. First rise (bulk fermentation): Let the dough rise at room temperature for roughly 4 – 6 hours, and complete Step 3, Step 4, and Step 5 during that time. The dough is done rising when it has increased in volume by roughly 50%, has air bubbles on top, and is jiggly. Depending on the strength of your sourdough starter and the temperature of your home, this may take closer to 8 – 10 hours.
3. Stretch and fold: Once the dough has rested for 30 minutes after the initial mixing in Step 1, perform one set of stretch and folds. Let the dough rest for another 60 minutes before moving on to Step 4. To perform one set of stretch and folds, start by wetting your hands to prevent sticking. Gently grab one side of the dough, stretch it upward until you feel resistance, then fold it over toward the center. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat this motion on each of the remaining three sides. In total, you’ll stretch and fold the dough four times, once from each side. After completing the set, cover the bowl and let the dough rest until the next round. This process helps build gluten strength without kneading.
4. Add the blueberries: Now it’s time to incorporate the blueberries through a process called lamination. Mist your countertop lightly with water, then place your dough on the countertop. Using slightly damp hands, gently stretch the dough into a thin rectangular sheet, about ¼ inch thick, being careful not to tear it. Distribute the fresh blueberries evenly across the surface. If you’d like, sprinkle on some dried or freeze-dried blueberries—they’ll deepen the blueberry flavor and create beautiful purple streaks throughout the dough. Fold one side of the dough inward so it reaches the center, then fold the opposite side over that, forming a long, narrow rectangle. Starting from the bottom edge, roll the dough into a bundle and return it to the bowl. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for another hour. During the remainder of the bulk fermentation, complete two more sets of stretch and folds spaced out by 60 minutes. 
5. Shape: Once the dough is done rising, it’s time to shape. First, prepare your proofing basket by lining it and giving it a light dusting of flour. Lightly flour your work surface as well, then carefully transfer your dough onto it. To begin shaping, take the bottom edge of the dough and fold it up toward the center, creating a fold that covers about one-third of the dough. Then, fold the left edge inward toward the center, followed by the right edge, allowing it to slightly overlap the left. Now, take the top edge and fold it down just past the center line. Finally, fold the bottom edge over the top and flip the dough over so the seam is resting on the surface. With your hands lightly coated in flour, shape the dough into a round by gently pulling it toward you and rotating it to build tension and create a smooth, taut ball. Use a bench scraper to lift the dough and place it into your prepared proofing basket, seam side up. 
6. Proof (second rise): Cover the dough and transfer to the refrigerator to proof overnight or up to 48 hours. I like to let my doughs proof for at least 12 hours typically.

Day 2: Score and Bake

7. Preheat your oven and Dutch oven: When you’re ready to bake, place your Dutch oven with the lid on inside your oven. Preheat to 500°F (260°C) and let it heat for 30 to 60 minutes.
8. Score your dough: Once your Dutch oven is fully preheated, take your dough out of the refrigerator. Lay a piece of parchment paper over the top, then gently flip the dough onto the parchment, with the parchment lying on your work surface. Use a sharp blade or bread lame to make a cut at a 45-degree angle just beneath the surface of the dough’s skin. I usually go with one clean slash along the side, but feel free to have fun with the scoring technique! 
9. Bake the bread: Take the Dutch oven out of the oven and remove the lid. Grab the edges of the parchment paper to lift the dough and carefully lower it into the Dutch oven. Cover with the lid and bake at 500°F for 30 minutes. Then remove the lid and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes. The bread is ready when the crust is deep golden brown or when the internal temperature reaches 208–210°F (97–99°C). Once baked, take the bread out of the Dutch oven and let it cool completely for 1 to 2 hours before slicing.
10. Serve and enjoy: Slice up your blueberry sourdough and enjoy it with your favorite toppings. I served mine with a homemade whipped brown honeycomb butter—highly recommend!

Sample Baking Schedule

I love having bread ready for the weekend so here’s a typicaly baking schedule that I follow so my bread is ready to bake first thing on Saturday morning. The cold proof step can always be extended as needed, so you could also bake this bread at any point on Sunday in this scenario.

• Thursday Evening (8 PM): Feed your sourdough starter a 50/50 mix of flour and water. Your starter is active and ready when it’s vigorously bubbly, has reached its peak height, and has just started to drop back down. Don’t worry about timing it perfectly, just use those visual cues as a benchmark so you’re using your starter when it’s ripe.
• Friday Morning (7:30 AM): Mix the dough and let it rise. 
• Friday Afternoon/Evening (4:30 PM): Transfer the dough to the fridge for the cold proof/overnight rise. 
• Saturday Morning (8:00 AM) Score and bake the bread!

How to Store Blueberry Sourdough Bread

Blueberry sourdough bread doesn’t last quite as long as regular sourdough bread at room temperature due to the moisture content of the blueberries. Store your blueberry sourdough bread at room temperature in a breathable bag or container for 2-3 days. To freeze your bread, cut it into slices and place the slices in a ziplock bag in an alternating pattern so that it’s easy to separate the individual slices when you’re ready to toast them up. Place the ziplock bag in the freezer and store for up to 3 months.

Is Sourdough Bread Healthier?

Blueberry sourdough bread isn’t just delicious—it’s packed with nutritional benefits. Thanks to natural fermentation, sourdough is more nutritious and easier to digest than conventional bread. The wild yeast and bacteria break down gluten and phytic acid, making it gentler on the gut and better for those with mild gluten sensitivities (though it’s not gluten-free). Fermentation also lowers the bread’s glycemic index, helping to prevent blood sugar spikes, and unlocks essential minerals like iron, zinc, and magnesium for better absorption. And with antioxidant-rich blueberries folded in, you get an extra boost of vitamins, fiber, and anti-inflammatory compounds. It’s a nourishing loaf your body—and taste buds—will love.

Equipment For Sourdough Bread

All you really need to bake sourdough bread is some flour, water, salt, (blueberries in this case), and a bowl. That said, here are some of my favorite tools that I recommend and use regularly. 

• Kitchen Scale: A kitchen scale is essential for accuracy. I suggest using a reliable digital version like this one. 
• Proofing Basket: A proofing basket helps the dough keep its shape during the final rise. I personally like this brand. If you don’t have one, a similarly sized Tupperware container can work in a pinch—just line it with a clean, folded towel to support the dough. Be sure to cover the dough with another cloth to prevent it from drying out.
• Dutch Oven: A heavy-duty cast iron Dutch oven, like this one or this one from Lodge, makes a BIG difference in sourdough baking. The covered environment creates the steam needed to keep the outside of the bread moist so that it can rise sufficiently before forming a crispy crust. 
• Scoring Tool: A good lame or sharp blade allows you to create beautiful and effective scores in your dough. I often buy mine from Etsy shops like this one, and his option tfrom Amazon is also great. 
• Dough Scraper: A bench scraper is super handy for lifting, folding, and shaping your dough, especially when working with high-hydration doughs.

How to Top Your Blueberry Sourdough Bread

Blueberry sourdough bread is naturally sweet and bursting with blueberries, so it’s perfect with so many different toppings. Here are some amazing ways to top your blueberry sourdough bread:

1. Honey Butter – This combo is unreal. Whipped with a pinch of salt, and maybe even cinnamon for extra depth. If you want to take on a fun project, you can even whip up a delicious whipped honeycomb brown butter like I did here.
2. Lemon Curd – Bright and tangy, it plays off the blueberries beautifully.
3. Whipped Ricotta + Honey – Soft, creamy, and elegant. This is one of my faves and is great as a crowd pleaser.
4. Cream Cheese + Berry Jam – A classic combo that enhances the fruity notes of the blueberries. This one’s hard to beat.
5. Mascarpone + Maple Syrup – Silky and sweet with a little indulgence.

If You Love This Blueberry Sourdough Bread, Try These Recipes Next:

• Easy Sourdough Bagels
• Beginner Sourdough Bread Recipe
• Chocolate Chip Sourdough Bread
• Blackberry Sourdough Bagels
• Strawberry Sourdough Croissants