Sourdough is often synonymous with tough, crusty bread, big air holes that let butter and jam drip through, and burnt bottoms.

While the first two can certainly be true of sourdough bread, it does not have to be that way, and is usually done so by preference of the baker. However, I can’t say I’ve ever met a baker or sourdough consumer who raves about the dark, sometimes downright burnt, bottoms.

The dark bottom is a part of the beast of baking sourdough bread, as the bottom of the bread is in direct contact with the baking vessel in ovens at rather high temperatures for long periods of time. Fear not! There are several simple solutions to avoid this, and no need to have dark bottoms. You probably have all 3 main solutions right in your kitchen.

I’ve tried all 3 of the following bottom-crust savers, and all three are valid. Each has their pros and cons. You may find you prefer one method over the other, but that may not be the same as the next sourdough baker. I’d encourage you to go ahead and try them all to see which you like!

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Cookie Sheet

Perhaps the simplest method of the three, all you have to do is place a cookie sheet below your dutch oven or baking vessel in the oven. You can place the cookie sheet on the rack below your dutch oven; the dutch oven does not have to be directly on the cookie sheet.

The photo you see here features two of my “Italiano” loaves using the cookie sheet method. Despite the color difference, they were both baked at the same time for the same length of time. The darker one has parmesan cheese and herbs in it, while the lighter has only herbs. I can also tell you, something about the lighting of the photo made the darker loaf look extra dark, almost too dark. But looking at it in real life, it actually looked nicely golden, not dark at all. So, that’s important to note, as well as different kinds of loaves will still get a bit more color when using the cookie sheet method.

(I knew of the cookie sheet trick long before I tried it, because I erroneously thought the dutch ovens had to be ON the cookie sheet. That wouldn’t work for me since I usually work with two dutch ovens side by side and wouldn’t quite fit on a single cookie sheet, and two cookie sheets don’t fit side by side in my oven. Ha.)

Pros: The cookie sheet method is great because most everyone has a cookie sheet, cookie sheets are reusable, and it works with a consistent level of color on the bottom without being too dark.

Cons: The cookie sheet method is not as great because it can potentially make your cookie sheets dark and stained, and if it’s not centered under your dutch oven part of the bottom crust can still over bake . I’ve had loaves where half was dark and half wasn’t, just because I didn’t realize the cookie sheet wasn’t under the entirety of my dutch oven.

If you bake sourdough frequently and enjoy this method, you could consider delegating an old, already stained cookie sheet to be the sourdough cookie sheet, or just get another cheap one for such a purpose.

Tinfoil

This method simply involves crumpling up some tinfoil to cover the bottom of the dutch oven. There is a bit of a learning curve, as you learn how big a piece of tinfoil to use and how much to crumple up.

If too little a piece is used or not crumpled enough, the bottom will darken all the same. If the tinfoil is crumpled too much, the bottom of the loaf may not darken or even develop a crust at all!

Once, when I exaggerated how much I crumpled the tinfoil, the bottom came out practically still as pale as the dough. The rest of the loaf was golden and baked perfectly, but the bottom was pale and sad. So, the tinfoil method can be taken too far!

Pros: The tinfoil method is great because most everyone has tinfoil, the tinfoil can be reused many times, and its effect is adjustable.

Cons: The tinfoil is not infinitely reusable, and results can be inconsistent depending on how the tinfoil is crumpled.

Rice

Another household staple that can be easily used to avoid dark bottoms. Sprinkle the bottom of the dutch oven with a handful or two of rice before lowering your sourdough into the oven. You’ll want to be sure to use parchment paper under your sourdough for this method, rather than a reusable silicone bread sling. Otherwise rice may attach and bake itself onto any bit of bread that is hanging over the sling.

You only need a handful of rice to start seeing results, but if you still want lighter bottoms you can use a bit more rice, 2-3 handfuls or enough to almost cover the bottom of the dutch oven.

Pros: Rice is a household staple, and the bottom color of crust is slightly customizable depending on how much rice you use.

Cons: Rice can only be reused a few times before it eventually becomes too dark and burned and must be tossed out. Depending on the amount of rice used, and how often it needs to be changed out, it may be the most expensive method. Not as friendly to use with reusable silicone bread slings.

More Tips for Avoiding Dark Bottom Crusts:

• Consider lowering oven temperature. If you bake above 450°F / 232°C, this could be contributing to dark or extra dark bottoms. Play around with lower oven temperatures. The Sourdough Journey recently did an experiment with baking identical loaves at different temperatures, one at 450°F / 232°C, the other at 500°F / 260°C. I was pleasantly surprised to find his results showed improved oven spring with the loaf baked at 450°F / 232°C rather than at 500°F / 260°C, since I bake at 450°F / 232°C but had been wondering if I should be baking or rather preheating oven to 500°F / 260°C.

• Check the quality of your parchment paper. Cheaper, thinner, parchment may contribute to darker bottoms. Look for “Heavy Duty” or “Professional Grade” rather than always the cheapest option.

• Use a lighter pan. If baking in dark cast iron or similar baking vessels, try out something lighter in color, if possible. I use navy blue Tramontina brand dutch ovens, with light insides, and with any of the methods above, can still get very nice bottom crusts. I prefer to use a dark color for my breads, since they tend to get so spattered and stained up and are difficult to clean thoroughly. While the inside is light and gets stained, at least the outside hides any stains!