Sourdough Lockdown
I love making sourdough!! Just let me open with that. I have had my sourdough starter for 7 years. This recipe is a basic, you will need to make a sourdough starter first before beginning (refer to the recipe below)
You will need to have fed the starter for two days in advance.
Please I’m telling you know if you have never made sourdough before IT’S AN EFFORT!
So only do this if you have time (if you’re in Lockdown, you got time how lucky are you)
I’m going to be fairly honest now, you probably will fuck it up the first time and second time and probably the third time.
When I first started making sourdough it took me almost a month before I was happy with my bread so be persistent and don’t give up, each time you will get better at understanding your starter and dough.
The temperature of the room, flour and water all play a part in making your sourdough amazing. If it’s a cold day it may take longer to rise, if it’s a hot day it may rise too quickly.
You will need a banneton to help with that all so sexy shape you’re after. You will also need a razor blade I don’t have the fancy holder thingy I just cut the thing.
I’m definitely not a baker but I know this recipe works just be persistent and in time you I’ll be an expert like me (chuckling to myself)
Depending on the flour you use you may need to add 50gm here and there the two brands I’m using are Manildra Group Plain Bakers Flour and a local dark rye stone ground flour.
TIP: Whatever you do, no matter how wet the dough may seem DON’T ADD FLOUR all its going to do is absorb it and when you come to baking your bread you will end up with a really dense loaf. I sometimes bake in a dutch oven (pot with a lid) if you want to try this method here it is:
Dutch Oven Cooking Method - Preheat oven to 250 with pot and lid inside oven leave for 1hr
Remove your sourdough from the fridge, place on baking paper and score your dough however you see fit. being careful place the dough with the baking paper inside the dutch oven spray cold water around the outside of the sough but inside the pot creating steam, about 4 sprays, place back in the oven and bake for 25 mins. Remove the lid and bake for a further 25mins at a lower heat of 230. At this stage i like to play chicken with the loaf to see how dark i can get it!
Makes 1 large sourdough loaf
Ingredients
APPOX: 2 Days
200gm dark rye stone ground flour
400gm plain bakers’ flour
150gm active starter (fed for two days, twice a day, do the float test)
400gm luke warm water (22 degrees)
Salt
In a large bowl place, the water and gently add the starter I do all the weighing on the scale as I make the bread. Again, the starter should be floating if not STOP NOW!!
Add the flours and with your hands mix well at this stage it will look a mess a very shabby dough. Leave to autolyse for 1 hour covered with a tea towel, this process allows the enzymes to work its magic without the interruption of fermentation. Read a book or something.
Aint to Shabby
After 1 hour you should see the dough change a little you can sometimes even see a slight rise.
Season the top of the dough reasonably with salt turn the dough out onto a somewhat wet surface (run your hands under water then flick water onto the bench, this will prevent the dough from sticking) now season the underside of the dough.
You are now going to perform a folding and rolling technique this is where you trap air in the dough creating little air pockets and layers for the sourdough to grow.
Take your hands and grab the top of the dough (furthest away from you) either side as if shaking out a tea towel gently stretch the dough out pulling gently, fold the dough over itself, be quick as you want to trap the air inside the dough. Repeat the process left side to the right, the bottom to the top and right to left.
You will have almost a sausage shape (if the dough sticks to your hands wet them and shake hands a little to remove excess water)
Take the dough from the sides in both hands and lift off the bench allow the dough to fall, bob your hands up and down the dough will stretch allow the bottom of the dough to fall closest to you, you should see some seams in the dough as its now upside down gently roll the dough over itself tucking it in as you go, repeat the sausage roll one more time.
Clean your bowl.
Wash your hands and wet accordingly, pick the dough up with confidence and gently ball it in your hands using your finger to tuck the dough in underneath itself. Place in the bowl top side up for 30 minutes covered with a tea towel. Repeat both folding and sausage roll technique over the next 4 hours every 30 minutes. If you see bubbles try not to pop them, it’s a good sign.
NOTE: Be careful how much water you add, you need just enough on your hands and just enough on the bench but not too much so it slips and slides do not ever use flour not at this stage anyway. The temperature I like the room to be is 20-22 degrees that way I can rest my dough on the bench. If it’s cold place in an oven with a cup of boiling water next to it (not under it) or you could just place it in the microwave.
You are now ready for the final shaping this time use flour on the bench not too much just a sprinkling, sprinkle the top side of the dough and save some for your hands. Gently pull the dough away from the bowl.
Take the edges starting from the top and pull them into the middle stitching them over each other. (make sure there is no flour on the underside of the dough so it sticks to itself)
With a large pastry card or being very bloody gentle flip the dough back on the top side cup your hands over the top of the dough with your pinkie fingers touching the bench pull the dough toward you a few cm and turn the dough a little, this should help shape the dough into a ball.
Flour a Banneton and using your pastry card or hands lift the dough into the Banneton placing it upside down. Cover and leave in the fridge to prove slowly for 12 hours. (you can let it sit in the Banneton at room temperature for 4 hours then bake, but I find it easier to work with when cold)
Ready to Rest 12hrs in Fridge
Place a pizza stone in the oven on the middle shelf, on the bottom shelf place an empty tray. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees let it go for a further 30 minutes after pre heating, you want the oven and stone to be as hot as possible.
Once the oven is ready gently flip the dough out onto baking paper if it’s sticks a little give it time it will fall you can help it a little by taping the Banneton. Once the dough is on the baking paper score however you see fit.
Cute
Have a small cup of ice water at the ready. Working quickly open your oven place the dough into the oven on the baking stone still on the baking paper and then pour the water into the tray underneath (SHUT THE DOOR FAST) this will create steam allowing the dough to rise and help create the ever so important crust.
Bake for 25 minutes. Turn the heat down to 230 degrees and bake for a further 25 minutes, whatever you do DON’T OPEN THE DOOR TILL THE VERY END!!
Half Baked
The End!
Congratulation you have baked your first sourdough bread. Rest on a cake rack for 3 hours don’t cut into it until its completely cool (as tempting as it may be the dough inside will still need to cook through so let it rest)
You can dive in if you really, really want to, but I don’t recommend it.
Sourdough Starter
7 Day Process
Day 1. Mix 100gm stone ground rye flour with 150gm of luke warm water and cover with a loose-fitting lid leave 24 hours
Day 2. Remove all but 70gm of starter from the jar now add 50gm of plain flour and 50gm stone Rye flour then another 115gm of luke warm water. Mix and leave for 24 hours.
Day 3. It may or may not have risen repeat the process from day two.
Day 4. Repeat the process and this time only add 100gm of water.
Day 5. Repeat the process but leaving only 50gm of starter.
Day 6. Repeat the process but leaving only 25gm of starter.
Day 7. If you’re on day 7 and it’s not rising keep going with the removing and feeding for a few more days and it will eventually activate, trust me just be patient.
From day 7 you can now keep the discard and cook as a pancake instead of throwing it out. I love it with chili.
Your starter is now ready to use it doesn’t really matter the kind of flour you use as long as you begin the process with good ground rye flour every now and then I like to mix it up and add in other types of flour depending on what I’m baking.
Before baking I feed my starter for two days twice a day, especially if it’s been in the fridge. To test if your sourdough starter is ready to bake with I take 1 heaped teaspoon of the starter and drop it into a glass of luke warm water if it floats the starter is ready to use.
Bubbles Bubbles Bubbles If It Dont Float Dont Continue Making The Sourdough
I also do this when I make my bread I first add my water and starter to see if it all floats, don’t even bother baking if your starter doesn’t float!!! One thing to remember you have created a living culture so remember to FEED IT!!!
