Sourdough is not a Flavor: Naturally Leavened Bread, Simplified

Fermenting and baking mild French-style sourdough bread

Tips

  • Measure ingredients by weight. The Escali scale from King Arthur Flour is excellent.
  • Use spring water if possible. Avoid chlorinated water. Bottled water is fine.
  • Use organic, stone-ground, unbleached bread flour for best results.
  • The longer dough ferments, the more flavor it will have.

You will need:

  • A medium-sized mixing bowl
  • A 2-quart clear container, with a lid for fermenting the dough. I like the dough-rising buckets from King Arthur Flour, which come in several sizes. You can also ferment dough in the mixing bowl.

Mixing the dough

  • Refresh your sourdough starter 8-12 hours ahead of when you mix your bread dough.
  • Pour into mixing bowl: 300 grams tepid spring water
  • Stir in 350 grams unbleached stone-ground bread flour, 120 grams stone-ground whole wheat flour, and 30 grams rye flour. When all flour has been moistened, let dough sit for at least 15 minutes.
  • Stir in 10 grams (1-1/2 teaspoons) sea salt, and the starter.

Kneading the dough

  • Have a bowl of tepid spring water nearby to dip your hand in while kneading. Knead the dough in the mixing bowl by hand for a total of 15 minutes. I recommend kneading for 5 minutes, then letting dough rest for 5, knead 5, rest 5, then knead 5. Dip kneading hand in water whenever the dough starts to stick to your hand.

Fermenting the dough

  • Put the dough into a 2-quart dough-rising bucket, put the lid on, and ferment 8-12 hours at room temperature.
  • When dough has filled the bucket (doubled in size) it is ready to shape.

Shaping, proofing and baking the bread

  • When fermentation is done, preheat your oven and baking stone to 475ºF. Preheat for one hour so the stone is good and hot. If not using a baking stone, preheat for at least 1 minutes.
  • Shape the dough as desired. If using a banneton (proofing bowl or basket), be sure to put the dough into the bowl seam-side-up, as you will be turning it out onto the stone or baking sheet.
  • Let shaped dough proof at room temperature for one hour while oven preheats.
  • Turn dough quickly onto baking stone or baking sheet, score as desired, and bake for 45-55 minutes.
  • Cool bread on rack for an hour or more before slicing. Once it is cut, store in plastic bag.

Victoria Redhed Miller, author of the award-winning Craft Distilling: Making Liquor Legally at Home

Website: victoriaredhedmiller.com Facebook: Victoria Redhed Miller Twitter: @offgridwriter