Sourdough Bread

Ingredients - 1 loaf, 70% hydration

• sourdough starter (hard starter) | 200g
• white bread flour | 450g
• splet flout | 50g
• water | 315g
• salt | 10g

Ingredients - 1 loaf, 70% hydration

• sourdough starter | 100g
• flour | 500g
• water | 350g
• salt | 10g

Ingredients - 1 loaf, 60% hydration

• sourdough starter | 160g
• flour | 400g
• water | 230g
• salt | 5g

Ingredients - 2 loafes, 80% hydration

• flour | 700g
• sourdough starter | 150g
• water | 506g
• salt | 18g

baker’s percentage

flour weight * hydration percentage = water weight sourdough starter -> 10 to 20 % of flour weight salt -> 2% of flour weight

Steps

autolyse

Dissolve the sourdough starter in the water (warmish water).
Add the flour and mix everything together by hand until a rough dough is formed.

Wait for 30 minutes that the flour soak in the water.
Then add the salt and 25g of water.
Knead the dough until soft and elastic. 
After tthat let the dough rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.

build structure

Strech and fold the dough on itself.
Repeat that process up to 4 times, waiting 30 minutes between each.

bulk fermentation

Let the dough rest at room temp for around 4 hours, it should double in size.

preshape / shape

Shape the dough and let it sit for 30 minutes.
Shape it again and transfer to baneton.

proofing

If not cooking now, tranfer to fridge for the night.
If cooking now, let it proof at room temp for 2 to 4 hours.

baking

Transfer the dough on parchemin paper and score it.
Put in the dutch oven and cook 30 minutes covered (250C) and 10 minutes uncovered (230).

Notes

• do not use regular flour when sprinkling the bowl where the bread will rest. It would be absorbed by the dough and make it harder.
• sprinkle rice flour on top of the bread before cooking to get a nice dark/brown crust
• Higher temperatures promote more lactic (milk) acids in the starter which bring a sweeter, mildly sour flavor to bread and lower temperature promote more acetic (vinegar) acids in the starter.
• starter can be used up to 12h after peak rise (it seems). The longer the wait, the mour sour it gets.
• starter can be used straight out of the fridge if still active, just mix with some hot-ish water to balance the temperature.
• use the starter, feed it, wait 4 hours and put it back in the fridge to have it well active in the fridge.
• try to add the starter after the autolyse.
• can be cooked in a closed pirex dish as well.
• if no baking paper is available, cover the bottom of the dish/tray with flour.
• try to leave it for 20 minutes in the oven after cooking it (oven off, door cracked open)
• bulk ferment at room temp after stretch and fold seem to really help.
• roll the dough on sesame seed or puppy seed just before placing it in the banneton.