So you have made a starter or have one you have been nurturing and it's time to make bread. For the novice bread maker, sourdough seems daunting. I didn't attempt a starter for a number of years after making bread thinking it was very much beyond my talents. I came to realize this is a simple method of making bread that is thousands of years old, impressively predating commercial yeast and refrigeration. Keeping the starter fed each day meant bread for days to come. This is our history. Ironically, in the 2020 pandemic, it has become a logical alternative to combat against impulse hording of staples like instant yeast. Your sourdough starter is your yeast. You will get great joy out of knowing you can do this in your own kitchen. Your investment is a little flour and some time. You could literally fail dozen times (if that's even possible) before it cost you $10.
We are going to make San Francisco Sourdough Bread, that famous tasting bread they serve in fancy restaurants before your appetizers. This is a three stage bread meaning it uses a starter (stage one) to a firm starter (stage two) to the final dough (stage three). For this recipe you will have had to take the appropriate amount (113 g) of your mother out of the fridge the night before to bring it to room temperature. Also, check to see if it's time to feed your mother. If so, refer to the directions on feeding in Sourdough Starter.
Let's look at our ingredients.
Second Starter - Day One
Starter 113 g
Strong wheat flour 128 g
Water up to 50 g
Final Dough - Day Two
Strong wheat flour 574 g
Sea salt 14 g
Firm starter all
Water (90 to 100 *F) 397 g
The Second Starter - Day One
Most recipes for other types of bread call for instant yeast in the starter. Think of the second starter as a poolish or sponge where your sourdough starter is the yeast ingredient. Instant yeast is about three times as active as cultured yeast (another option for many "purists" - if using this yeast multiply your weight three times that of the instant yeast weight) and up to twenty times more than sourdough starter, hence needing more of starter by weight than instant yeast for most bread recipes. With practice you can substitute sourdough starter for yeast in any recipe.
Put your over night measured starter in a medium sized stainless steel bowl. Add the flour and mix giving it only enough water to allow you to work it into a saturated ball with about the same texture as French Baguette dough. Spray oil the inside of a large zip lock bag and put the ball of dough inside. After 4 to 6 hours at room temperature it should have doubled in size. Put it in the refrigerator over night.
Final Dough - Day Two
Remove your firm starter from the fridge. Cut into 10 or more pieces, mist with spray oil, cover with cling wrap and let rest for one hour to take the chill off.
Whisk the flour and salt in the stand mixer bowl until blended. Connect the bowl to the mixer. Add the starter pieces and water. Set it to to medium low and knead in slowly the butter and mix until it comes together as a ball. Mix for a further 2 to 4 minutes on medium low. Let the dough rest for 5 to 10 minutes then mix until supple and tacky like French Baguette dough. Place the dough in a lidded container.
After each 20 minutes remove the dough, stretch it outward and tri-fold it like you would a letter. Put it back into your container. Do this two more times in twenty minute intervals. Then ferment at room temperature for 2 to 4 hours. The dough should be a little less than double in size.
Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Shape the loaves into two rounded loaves by pushing up from the bottom with your fingers as you stretch slightly downward with your thumbs to create a dome without releasing too much gas. For these loaves I prefer them to be proofed in round bannetons but you can use a baking tray lined with parchment if you wish. Either way, allow the loaves rise for for 2 to 4 hour hours (or retard overnight in the refrigerator). If retarding your loaves they must be left at room temperature the next day for about four hours before baking.
Place a pan on the lower rack of the oven and a large baking tray lined with parchment paper on the middle rack. Preheat your oven to 500 *F. Dust a peel (a paddle) with semolina (fine corn flour). When the oven has reached 500, gently remove the dough from the bannetons onto the peel and place them, well spaced on the baking tray. If you do not have a peel, remove the tray from the oven and turn the loaves out directly onto the hot tray carefully so as not to touch the tray.
Pour one cup of water into the bottom tray and close the door for 30 seconds. Then spray the oven walls with water twice more at 30 second intervals.
Bake for 12 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Cool on rack for 20 minutes before slicing and serving. This bread is suitable for freezing.
Comments