About a year ago, I (Emily) got a bit of starter from a friend. With January off from classes, I figured it was the ideal time to try my hand at it. I began with the idea that I would allow myself to quit if it ever became too frustrating/difficult/whatever. Thankfully, I had a few friends give some tips to start me off and it's been something I've carried forward. Below is my process (along with links to the recipes I use), assuming you already have a live starter.
For regular feedings:
- 25 grams of starter
- 100 grams lukewarm water (~0.5 cup)
- 100 grams unbleached all purpose flour (~0.5 cup)
I will typically pour out the excess starter (either to use to bake with or to discard) and mix in the water. Then, once the starter is thoroughly mixed with the water, I will add the flour and mix it in thoroughly.
If the starter is out on the counter and pretty lively (ie metabolizing the flour well and quickly, rising high in the jar consistently after feeding), then I will do this about once a day. If the starter seems sluggish (ie not expanding well/consistently after feeding), then I will feed it with more flour and water twice or more in the day. After a few days of this, it will usually grow lively again.
For a standard loaf of sourdough:
The recipe I use for making a standard loaf is from this blog which also has a variety of other helpful comments and recipes for sourdough.
- 100 grams starter (before feeding)
- 375 grams lukewarm water
- 500 grams flour (I use unbleached all purpose, but bread flour is especially good)
- 9-12 grams salt
Steps:
- Mix starter and water together
- Mix in flour and salt to form a rough dough and cover with a wet towel
- First proof:
- Every 30 minutes for the first two hours, perform stretch and folds (fold the dough in on itself or do coil folds). This helps develop the gluten.
- Then, let the dough rise until roughly 50% bigger than when it started. Some or all of this rise can happen in the fridge.
- Shaping
- After the first proof, dump the dough out onto a clean surface (can be floured but not much flour because slight sticking is helpful for the forming process).
- Stretch the dough out on the counter into a rectangle.
- Then, form a ball by folding the dough together (here's a helpful video talking about pre-shaping and bench rest)
- Let the ball rest for about thirty minutes and then shape the dough however you want your loaf to look (here's another helpful video about shaping a boule or round loaf).
- Once you have the loaf shaped, place it in a bowl or proofing basket for the final proof. (Initially, I used a bowl and towel liner, but the dough comes out of real bannetins much more consistently.)
- Final proof:
- Let the dough rise, this time in the fridge for at least an hour up to two days. During this time, it develops even more sour flavor.
- Baking:
- If you are baking in a cast iron pan (or dutch oven), place the pan in the cold oven and turn to 550 degrees F. Once the oven gets up to temperature, wait about 30 minutes to an hour to ensure the oven is fully heated with no cool pockets of air.
- Take the dough out of the fridge and flip onto parchment paper.
- Score the loaf as you desire. This allows the loaf to rise without breaking in unexpected places.
- Place the dough (on the parchment paper) into the pan for baking. If desired, spray with water or drop ice cubes into the pan. If your pan has a lid, cover it. (The moisture helps develop a thick crust on the bread.)
- Put the bread in the oven and lower the temperature to 450. Cook at this temperature for 30 minutes. Then, take the lid off the pan and lower the temperature to 400, cooking for another 10-20 minutes.
- Once the bread is done baking, let it rest for at least an hour. This lets the bread slowly cool down and finish the internal cooking process. If you cut it open before it is cool, it may become a bit tacky on the inside -- not the end of the world, but not ideal.
A note about mix-ins:
I've only experimented with a few mix-ins (garlic and rosemary as well as olives, herbs, and cheese). These both worked very well. I mixed in the first during the shaping process and, while it tasted good, I wished the flavors were more incorporated. The second set of mix-ins, I incorporated during the first stretch and folds and it was much more even. I'm currently pondering a cranberry-walnut bread but haven't executed it yet.
Mostly, I have found sourdough to be fantastic for how easy and forgiving it is as well as for the number of opportunities to be creative and try something new. Most of my loaves are a little derpy but occasionally, there's a lovely one. Sourdough inculcates patience and is worth it!
