Rainbow Tie-Dye Sourdough (Kid-Friendly)
Add a splash of fun to your baking by colouring your dough with natural food colouring or food-safe gel colours. Kids love helping mix and shape these vibrant loaves, making this a fantastic weekend baking project for the whole family.
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​This playful rainbow sourdough loaf uses the same techniques as our standard recipe but divides the dough into colourful portions before combining them into one spectacular loaf. It's a fantastic project for baking with children or for adding a fun twist to your next homemade sourdough.
Ingredients
Dough (Makes 1 loaf)
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600g high grade flour
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400g filtered water
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50g active sourdough starter
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10g salt
Food Colouring
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Gel food colouring in four different colours (for example: red, yellow, blue and green)
Step-By-Step Guide:
1. Mix the coloured doughs
Step 4. Create the Rainbow
2. Stretch and fold
Step 3. Bulk Fermentation
Step 5. Final Proof
Step 6. Bake
Step 7. Cool
Instead of making one large dough, divide the ingredients evenly into five separate bowls:
For each bowl:
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120g high-grade flour
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80g filtered water
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10g active sourdough starter
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2g salt
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Food colouring until the desired shade is reached
Mix each bowl until no dry flour remains. Cover and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
Perform 4 sets of stretch and folds on each coloured dough, approximately 30 minutes apart.
Keep each colour in its own bowl during this process.
Cover the bowls and allow the dough to ferment until it has noticeably increased in size and feels light and airy. Depending on room temperature, this may take several hours.
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Lightly flour your bench.
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Gently stretch each coloured dough into a rough rectangle or circle. Stack the colours on top of one another in any order you like.
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Once stacked, carefully roll or fold the dough together and shape it into your preferred loaf shape. Avoid overworking the dough, as this will blend the colours together instead of creating distinct swirls.
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Place the shaped dough into a well-floured banneton or proofing basket.
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You can proof with or without a cloth liner. If using a liner, it may help prevent any food colouring from transferring to the basket.
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Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat your oven and Dutch oven according to your normal baking routine. Turn the loaf onto baking paper, dust lightly with flour if desired, and score the top.
Bake using the same temperatures and times as our standard sourdough recipe:
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Bake covered first to trap steam.
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Remove the lid for the final stage to develop a rich golden crust.
Allow the loaf to cool for at least 1 hour before slicing.
Cut into the loaf to reveal beautiful rainbow swirls running throughout the crumb.
Tips:
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Gel food colouring provides the brightest colours without adding too much extra liquid.
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Less handling after stacking the doughs creates more defined rainbow layers.
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Every loaf is unique—experiment with different colour orders and shaping methods to create different patterns.
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The colouring changes the appearance only; the flavour remains the same delicious sourdough you know and love.