Tips
How do I clean my hands and my tools? After mixing the flour with water and levain in step 2, you may have quite a lot of dough on your hands. I usually wet my hands and wipe them with a paper kitchen towel to get rid of most of the dough, and then wash my hands thoroughly. If you don’t use a paper towel first before washing your hands in the sink, the dough may end up clogging your pipes (if you do this regularly). Same goes for all the bowls and other tools you will use when making sourdough—it is best to wipe as much of the dough as possible with a damp paper towel, and then wash the tools under the sink or in the dishwasher.
What if I don’t have a Dutch oven? A Dutch oven helps retain the steam created when baking bread, and steam is very important in bread baking. It will not only enable the bread to rise, but it is crucial in creating the beautiful crust and taste of your bread.
If you don’t have a Dutch oven, you can create the steam by placing a small loaf tin with some water inside the oven. WARNING: There will be very hot steam trapped inside the oven, so be very careful when opening the oven door.
What if I don’t have a proofing basket or banneton? I strongly suggest you get a proofing basket, but if you don’t have one, you can use a bowl lined with a tea towel. Make sure you dust the towel and the dough with some rice flour before placing the dough inside.
Too much bread? This recipe yields two loaves. I usually give any extra loaves to friends and family—but remember, you can also freeze some of the bread for another day!
Source: https://sourdoughfever.com/all-recipes/basic-sourd
STEP 1
To make the levain
The day before baking, in the morning, mix the active starter* with 100g warm water and stir to combine. Add 50g strong white flour and 50g wholemeal flour and mix until fully incorporated. Cover with a towel and leave at room temperature for about 5-6 hours. At this point, the levain should increase in size by about 50%-80% and it should smell quite sweet.
Before you move to the next step, your levain should be bubbly and increase in volume. Be patient, if you haven't achieved that in the specified time, wait a little longer.
*An active starter is a starter that is fully ripe and ready to use (it should be at its peak). If you follow our starter recipe, the starter should be ready to use at 8am (12 hours since the last feeding, following the 1:4:4 ratio).
STEP 2
Make the dough
In a large bowl, combine 140g levain with 450g water (27°C/80°F) and stir to combine.
Add 500g strong white flour and 200g wholemeal flour to the levain/water mix and, using your hands, combine until the flour is incorporated. The dough will be very sticky at this stage. Cover the bowl with a towel and let the dough rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
This resting stage is called autolyse.
STEP 3
Add 14g salt and 30g water and use your hands to thoroughly incorporate the ingredients into the dough. Knead for a few minutes until it’s smooth and supple.
Cover the bowl with a towel and leave it at room temperature for another 30 minutes.
STEP 4
From here on, wet your hands before you handle the dough (this should prevent the dough from sticking to your hands).
You will now perform four stretch & fold sets.
To perform the first stretch & fold, hold the dough on one side and stretch it up as far as you can, without ripping it off. Then fold that stretched piece over the rest of the dough. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees (a quarter turn) and repeat this action 3 more times (stretch one side as far as you can and fold it over the rest of the dough, then turn again 90 degrees). One stretch & fold set is completed after you stretch the dough four times, turning the bowl a quarter turn each time. Once you complete the first set, let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
You will need to perform 3 more stretch & fold sets, resting the dough for 30 minutes between sets.
After each 30 minute rest, you will start noticing how the dough is changing its texture. At first it will be quite tough and stiff, but with each additional 30 minute rest the dough will become softer, it will increase in volume and more bubbles will start forming. At the end of the cycle you should be able to stretch the dough quite far away from the bowl.
Once you have completed the four stretch & fold sets, leave the dough to rest for another 1-2 hours. The dough is ready when it has increased in volume by at least 50%-80%.
You can test this by using the poke test. Gently press with a finger into the dough (about 2cm deep). If the dent springs back quickly to fully fill the indent, it needs a little more time to proof. If it slowly springs back (leaving a small indent), it is ready to use.
The windowpane test is another method you can use to confirm if the dough is ready. For this test, gently lift up a piece of the dough with both hands and stretch it between your fingers. If you can stretch it thin enough without it ripping until it’s almost translucent, the dough past the test.
STEP 5
Once the dough is ready, transfer it onto a work surface and dust the top of the dough with a little bit of flour. Using a dough scraper, cut it in half and gently shape each part into a round. This step is called preshaping. Cover with a towel and let rest 30 minutes. This is the bench rest.
STEP 6
While the dough is resting, dust your proofing baskets or bannetons with rice flour.
For the dusting, I strongly recommend using rice flour rather than plain flour. Rice flour will prevent the dough from sticking to the basket/linen, helping the dough come out of the basket with ease after the overnight proof.
STEP 7
After the 30 minute bench rest, dust the top of the rounds with some flour (this will be the top of the bread—the crust). Flip the rounds over, so floured sides are facing down. We will now perform the final shaping.
Take one of the rounds and, starting at the side closest to you, pull the dough down toward you, then fold it up and over the middle of the dough. Repeat this action on the right, pulling the side out and folding it up and over the centre. Then do the same for the left side. Finally, lift the side farthest from you and fold it over the previous folds. Flip the dough over (the floured side up) and shape it into a smooth, tight ball. Repeat the process with the other round.
STEP 8
Flour the top of each round with a little bit of rice flour and transfer them to the prepared baskets (the floured side facing down). Cover with a towel (or place them in a plastic bag) and let the dough rest for about 12 hours in the fridge. This is called cold proof or cold retard.
STEP 9
The following morning, place the Dutch oven inside the oven. About 1 hour before baking, heat up the oven to 250°C/480°F.
To ensure that the Dutch oven is heated up evenly (inside and outside), place the pot and the lid of the Dutch oven on different levels inside the oven. Alternatively, place the lid on top of the pot, but making sure that they don’t overlap completely (leaving a gap between them), to let the hot air flow inside the Dutch oven.
STEP 10
Remove the first loaf from the fridge and place a sheet of parchment paper on top of the basket. Gently flip the basket upside down and place it on your work surface, leaving the loaf on the parchment paper. To help the bread fully expand in the oven, slash the dough with a lame (a baker’s blade).
NOTE: To help the bread expand, simply slash the loaf, or use your imagination to create unique and interesting patterns, making the sourdough bread even more special. For inspiration, check our bread art section.
Very carefully, remove the heated Dutch oven from the oven and place the loaf into the pan. Cover with the lid and transfer back to the oven. Reduce temperature to 230°C/450°F and bake for 25 minutes.
Reduce temperature to 210°C, remove the lid (take extra care as there will be very hot steam coming out of the Dutch oven!) and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the crust becomes golden brown.
STEP 11
Transfer the bread to a wire rack—the bottom of the loaf should sound hollow when tapped. Cool for at least 1 hour before slicing.
Place the Dutch oven back inside the oven. Increase oven temperature to 250°C/480°F and repeat the process with the second loaf.
TIMINGS (Guide only)
NOTE: Timings may vary depending on the temperature of your kitchen, flour(s) used, how strong is your starter and other factors, so use the below notes as a guide only and use your judgement when it comes to the various steps described. (Also note that in winter months, your kitchen may be considerably cooler, so proofing may take longer).
9.00am Prepare levain
3.00pm Mix levain with flour and water (autolyse)
3.30pm Add salt and 30g water
4.00pm #1 stretch & fold
4.30pm #2 stretch & fold
5.00pm #3 stretch & fold
5.30pm #4 stretch & fold
7.30pm Preshape and bench rest
8.00pm Shape and put in the fridge for overnight cold proof
8.00am (next morning) Turn on the oven
9.00am Score and bake
View line-by-line Nutrition Insights™: Discover which ingredients contribute the calories/sodium/etc.
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Serving Size: 1 Serving (770g) | ||
Recipe Makes: 2 Servings | ||
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Calories: 993 | ||
Calories from Fat: 41 (4%) | ||
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Amt Per Serving | % DV | |
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Total Fat 4.6g | 6 % | |
Saturated Fat 0.7g | 3 % | |
Monounsaturated Fat 0.4g | ||
Polyunsanturated Fat 2g | ||
Cholesterol 0mg | 0 % | |
Sodium 2718.6mg | 94 % | |
Potassium 275.6mg | 7 % | |
Total Carbohydrate 199.5g | 59 % | |
Dietary Fiber 6.6g | 26 % | |
Sugars, other 192.9g | ||
Protein 32.9g | 47 % | |
Powered by: USDA Nutrition Database Disclaimer: Nutrition facts are derived from linked ingredients (shown at left in colored bullets) and may or may not be complete. Always consult a licensed nutritionist or doctor if you have a nutrition-related medical condition. |
Calories per serving: 993
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