Sourdough Bread

 

I have been making sourdough bread for the last 4 years, almost on a weekly basis.  It is amazing to me that combining four simple ingredients can create such a delicious loaf of bread.   It is definitely a labour of love and one of my favourite hobbies. I can say that not all my attempts have been successful but I learn from every failed loaf. Even a bad loaf tastes good or makes excellent bread crumbs or croutons. If you don't have sourdough starter you can make your own, buy online or get some from a friend who makes sourdough bread. Be careful because once you start making it you will find it hard to buy bread from the store. 

 Makes 2 large loaves

Ingredients:

750 grams water (80 degrees)

200 grams active sourdough starter

900 grams bread flour

100 grams whole wheat flour

20 grams Kosher salt

Mix the Dough

 In a large (huge, actually) bowl, mix 750 grams of water and 200 grams of the leaven. 

 Add 900 grams of bread flour and 100 grams of whole wheat flour.

 Sprinkle salt over the flour.

 Stir until evenly moistened. The dough will be shaggy. 

 Cover the dough and rest for 30-45 minutes. 

Bulk Fermentation (Approximately 4 hours)

Maintain dough temperature between 78-82 degrees F.

Over  the next 1 ½ hours do stretch and folds every 30 minutes.

Cover the dough with a damp tea towel or shower cap in-between folds.

Once the stretch and folds are complete, cover the dough and allow it to rest on the counter for 2 hours. 

Remember to maintain dough temperature between 78-82 degreesF during this time.

During these next two hours you should see the dough rise by about 20-30%.

You will notice air bubbles on the side of the bowl ( use a glass bowl or clear plastic bowl so you can see the formation of air bubbles). 

You will also see air bubbles on the top of the dough as well. 

Shape the Dough

 Turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured surface. 

 Divide it into two portions. 

Gently stretch one portion of the dough into a rectangle.

Fold one third of the dough over to the center.

Fold the other side over. 

Roll the dough up from the bottom.

With cupped hands, pull the dough towards you, rounding it against the work surface to tighten the tension. The surface of the round will be smooth and tight.

Transfer each round to a floured towel-lined bowl or basket with seam facing up. 

Or place a piece of parchment paper into a bowl and place round right side up. 

Pinch the bottom of the dough together.

Cover the bowl or basket with a shower cap or plastic wrap.

At this point you have two options:

Place in the fridge overnight for a slow rise and bake the next morning OR the dough can rise in a warm room (75-80 degrees F.) for 3-4 hours for the final rise before baking. 

Baking the Bread

Place a Dutch oven and its lid on the middle rack in the oven and heat the oven to 500 degrees. Turn the dough out of its bowl onto a piece of parchment paper so that the seam is down.

 Use a lame or very sharp serrated knife, score the bread approximately ½ deep on one side of the round.  

Carefully place the dough into the heated Dutch oven; cover the pot with its lid and transfer it to the oven.

 Immediately reduce the oven temperature to 450 degrees.

 Bake 30 minutes, then remove the lid and bake 8-10 minutes longer, until the bread is deep golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf reads about 190-200 degrees.

 Remove the bread from the pan and cool on wire rack for an hour before serving.

Print Recipe: Sourdough Bread

Using a scale weigh out the water and active sourdough starter. Notice how the starter floats? This shows how active it is.

Combine the water and the starter.

Weigh and add the flours and the salt.

Combine the ingredients until all the flour is well absorbed.

Cover and allow to rest for about 45 minutes. 

Now it is time to do stretch and folds for the next 1 1/2 hours. Stretch and folds every 30 minutes.

With a wet hand stretch the dough and fold over. Turn the bowl and continue until you feel resistance, about 4 folds. 

Cover and wait another 30 minutes.

Take the dough temperature and try to keep the dough between 78-82 degrees.

Notice during this time how the dough is growing and changing.

After completing all the stretch and folds cover the dough and allow to rest on the counter top for approximately 2 hours.

You will notice that after 2 hours bubbles will be forming around the sides of the bowl. The dough will of grown by 20-30 %. It is now time to form the dough into rounds.

Divide the dough in half.

Gently stretch the dough into a rectangle.

Fold one third of the dough to the center and then fold the other side over top.

Starting at the end closest to you, roll the dough up.

With lightly floured hands and counter top form dough into a round.

Using cupped hands roll the dough towards you, creating tension on the top of the dough.

You will notice the round of dough getting tight and smooth. It will hold its shape.

Flour the basket.

Place the round wrong side up in basket.

Pinch the dough with your fingers.

Cover with a shower cap.

Place in fridge to do its final rise. My preferred method. You can leave it out on the counter for several more hours to complete fermentation and then bake. 

Heat oven to 500 degrees F. Place the Dutch oven in the oven to heat up. 

Remove dough from the fridge.

Turn dough out onto a piece of parchment paper.

Score the dough. Decrease the oven temperature to 450 degrees. 

Place the round using parchment paper to hold it into the hot Dutch oven.
Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid after 30 minutes and bake for another 8-10 minutes.