Sourdough for the home baker
Since I wrote the Easy White Sourdough recipe my method has changed quite a bit. This recipe has been developed around a regular working week where I generally bake one loaf of sourdough per week. This pattern of baking is the main reason I only maintain a small amount of sourdough starter and keep it in the fridge. Keeping it in the fridge means I only have to feed it once a week when I bake.
As time has gone by I have ended up adding more and more equipment. I now use a dutch oven, slash patterns with a razor blade on a bakers lame and do a final prove in a dedicated proving basket. But you don’t need to have all this equipment, just check out my earlier recipe for alternative methods. If I were to pick out one item to get it would be the dutch oven. It creates a really good crust using the moisture in the dough rather than having to add water to the oven.
In terms of technique I have reduced the amount of kneading and added in some folding. You need to be more attentive to the dough when it is proving but I think it produces a better loaf and reduces the risk of the dough over proving.
Ingredients
Levain
150g Sourdough Starter
250g Strong White Bread Flour
275ml water
Dough
300g Strong Bread Flour (any one you fancy)
9g Salt
1 tbsp Olive Oil
Some Rice Flour for dusting
Equipment
Weighing scales
Mixer with a dough hook (optional)
Large bowl for proving the dough
Tea Towel
Cling film
Dutch Oven (I use the lodge combo cooker)
Proving basket
Sharp knife or a razor blade on a bakers lame.
Cooling rack
Method
1. Create your levain (Friday Evening)
Mix together 150g of your sourdough starter, 250g strong bread flour, and 275ml of luke warm water in a medium size bowl. Cover the bowl with clingfilm, wrap with a tea towel and leave overnight. When you return in the morning it should be nice and bubbly.
After a week in the fridge my starter has separated and it has a layer of liquid on top. Don’t worry about this it is still fine to use.
Just give the starter a good stir and you should be good to go. When my starter is nice and active it feels thick and gloopy and a little bit elastic.
Pour 150g grams of your starter into a bowl.
Add 250g of strong white bread flour to the bowl.
Add 275ml of luke warm water. I take cold water from the tap and give it 30 seconds in the microwave.
Mix everything together with a spoon.
Once combined you can cover with cling film and wrap the bowl with a tea towel to keep it warm. Leave at room temperature overnight.
2. Make the dough (Saturday morning)
Mix the levain together with 300g of strong bread flour and 9g of salt. I do this with a mixer and a dough hook but you can do this by hand if you have time. I sometimes add a splash of water at this point if the dough looks too dry. When the dough comes together, add 1 tbsp of olive oil and then knead with the mixer for about 5 - 7 minutes. When done transfer to a large bowl greased with 1 tbsp olive oil for the first rise.
The following morning your levain should look nice and frothy with plenty of bubbles. This is a sign that it is nice and active.
Add 300g of strong white bread flour to the bowl of your mixer if using or a large mixing bowl if you are going to knead by hand.
Add 9g of fine salt to the bowl with the flour.
Add your levain to the bowl.
Mixer fitted with a dough hook.
Bring the mixture together on the mixers lowest speed setting. Or bring it together with your hands in a large bowl. If the dough is struggling to come together or seems a little dry now is the time to add some water. Just and a little splash at a time. You will need to experiment with the amount of water needed here, especially as some flours absorb more than others.
When the dough comes together and the oil to the bowl and then leave to knead for 5 - 7 minutes. Keep kneading until it pulls most of the sticky bits off the side of the bowl. (If kneading by hand it will take a little longer, around 10 minutes and you will want to do it directly on a worktop.)
The dough is ready it will stay together in one elastic lump when you try to lift it and shouldn’t stick too much to your hands. If it’s ready transfer to a large lightly oiled bowl for folding and proving.
3. Fold and prove
Grab a piece of the dough the from the underside as it sits in the bowl, stretch it upwards and then fold it back down on top. I do this all the way round the dough which roughly takes about 4 or 5 folds. You dough should start to form a tightish ball. Don't worry if it doesn't on the first go as you will do this several more times.
I do this folding process several more times. Roughly every half hour. I don't count how many times I fold the dough (5 times should do it) but know that the dough is ready when I have tight puffy ball that bounces back into shape when gently pressed.
Do the final fold on a work surface dusted with rice flour (Try not to fold any of the flour into the dough). Dust a proving basket with a little of the rice flour. Then shape the dough to roughly match the size of the proving basket. To do this I flip the dough over after the final fold and then cup my hands around the ball and gently roll and rotate the dough across the work surface. When you are happy with the shape you can gently place the dough into the basket.
Cover the basket with a tea towel and leave for the final prove (around 30 mins).
4. Bake (you will bake the bread for 45mins in total)
While the dough is proving, heat your oven to 250c or as high as it will go with the dutch oven inside. When the dough has increased in size by about a third it is ready for baking. It should have increased in size by about a third.
Carefully (it will be very hot) take your dutch oven out from the oven and place on a heatproof surface (I place mine on the pan supports of a gas hob). Tip the dough from the proving basket directly into the hot dutch oven being careful to not knock too much air out. I tip the dough onto the shallow skillet of the combo cooker and use the deep skillet as a lid so it is easier to slash the dough. I then slash the top of the dough with a sharp knife or razor blade to help the loaf expand in the oven. Get creative with your slashing patterns if you like. Place the lid back on the dutch oven and return to your hot oven and bake for 15 minutes. I try to transfer the dough from basket to oven relatively quickly so as not to lose too much heat.
After 20 minutes of baking has passed turn down the oven to 200c remove the lid of the dutch oven and bake the bread for a further 20 minutes. At this point the bread may still look quite pale but will now begin to colour nicely.
5. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.