Adventures in Sourdough Bread Making

I haven't made sourdough since the pandemic, and even back then, I wasn't particularly good at it.   My friend Alex is a master and he wanted me to test out his sourdough starter method, but I killed my starter after about a month of trying.   So, I just started another one in the typical fashion, where you use water and flour and then throw half of it away everyday and feed it more.  I started it with whole wheat flour and then fed it AP flour. I kept it warm by using a smaller version of one of the cherry pit pads I sell in my etsy shop by heating it up for 2 minutes in the microwave and tucking it around a weck jar covered loosely in saran wrap that I set in a bowl in my pantry.  I also stirred it up at each feeding with a fork just to make sure it got a lot of air.  I think what killed my last starter was that it wasn't warm enough and didn't get enough air.   It took about 2 weeks to get a starter that was ready to bake.   

I think too much attention was made about precise weighing of ingredients when making starter.   After I weighed things, I just used measuring cups after that first time.   In my opinion, the flour and water weight isn't going to change that much day to day.  Besides, I feed my starter every morning when I wake up, pre coffee.   I don't need any added complications.    I have always wanted a bread lame and a dough whisk, so I decided to get myself this sourdough baking set for my birthday present to myself this year.  I needed the bannetons, so it was a good deal.   

I followed Alex's excellent bread recipe using my starter.   The beauty of this recipe is that it doesn't make too much bread.   Here is how I make it - note I use King Arthur flour and Redmond sea salt.    KAF is high in protein and makes an excellent loaf.   You can make it with AP flour as well. 

Sourdough Bread

60g starter

180g water

240g bread flour

30g whole wheat flour

6g sea salt

Make a note of the time when you start.   Mix all but the salt. Cover with saran wrap and allow to rest for 30 minutes. Just a shaggy mass of unprocessed dough.  After 30 minutes, add the salt and mix it in by folding the dough over itself repeatedly until the salt is well-incorporated. Cover again and let rest for 30 minutes. 

Now, for the next 2-3 hours or so, you've got to stretch and fold your dough.  It's how sourdough bread is kneaded.  I recommend this video to show you how to do it. Some days, my dough is stiffer than this.   “Stretch and fold” is the way we build up the gluten structure.  At this point, the dough has been in process for about 3-4 hours. You can really take your time with developing the dough’s structure. Just keep track of your starting time.  So keep in mind, you are stuck at the house during this time.   Plan your dough accordingly.  

Next, it's time for what they call bulk fermentation. Let it rise at room temp for about 5 hours. Your total time since mixing the dough should be 8-9 hours at this point. The dough should be puffy and airy. 

The dough is now ready to shape. I make both round and oval shapes.  Watch these videos to see how to do it - round  and oval, or boule and batard, if you want to get all fancy French like.   Place the shaped dough in a banneton and let it proof at room temp for an hour or two before baking.  I prefer to let the dough cold-proof in the fridge for 12-48 hours. Longer sour flavor. When you’re ready to bake, take the dough out of the fridge for an hour for maximum oven-spring.   That way, I can bake it whenever I want. 

I take the dough out and set it on the counter and then place your empty Dutch oven in a cold oven and heat to 450° for 1 hour.   I put my pizza stone on a rack under it to make sure the bottom doesn't burn.   

Upend the dough into a piece of parchment paper, carefully score the top with your lame, and place it in the Dutch oven, cover, then bake for 25 minutes. I have this 7 qt. Martha Stewart one that works for both the boule and batard shapes of this size 

Remove the lid of the Dutch oven and control bake until your crust is a deep golden brown.   For my oven,. it's usually another 10 minutes.   Allow to cool fully before slicing. 2 hours is best

This is enough bread for Andy and me for a couple days.    It's so much better than any bread I can buy up here.    There's one family that sells sourdough bread in the summer at Calumet Farmer's Market, and they sell out pretty much immediately.   I have this fantasy that maybe this summer, I will have a little farm stand in the driveway, selling bread and pie to the local tourists camping at McLain or looking for agates at Calumet Waterworks.