Sourdough Bread

Easy Sourdough Bread

A couple years ago I jumped on the pandemic sourdough bread train, absolutely a case of “all the kids are doing it”, so why not me. Anyone who has started this journey knows there is so much information out there, intimidating, complicated information. I’m here to tell you, it doesn’t have to be, not just starting out, and this recipe will prove it to you. I really recommend you give it a try, it really is easy, and so rewarding, you got this! This is a lengthier post, that gets into basic technique and necessary supplies.

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Starter

Every good loaf of sourdough bread begins with a robust starter, but where do I get one was the first question asked. Leave it to good old Amazon, I’ve purchased this one from Breadtopia twice, the second time only because I got lazy the first summer and let the poor thing die. I don’t know what they’re feeding their starter but let me tell you, it has to be good, cause this guy is bulletproof. You can leave it in the fridge for over two weeks, pull it out, feed him, get him warm and bam, you’ve got yourself a thriving, happy starter.

Starter is fermented water and flour, this is your leavener or yeast. If you’ve made bread before, you’re likely familiar with commercial yeast that comes in packets or jars, is granulated and requires “proofing”. There are other starters, sourdough starter is more acidic which helps create that sourdough flavor.

Naming your starter

Ok, so this one is not essential, but I know a lot of people name their starter. I think it’s partly because we feed it and keep it alive, it’s a thrill every time Cleatus wakes up and gives me yet again a beautiful loaf of bread. Why Cleatus? Beats me, just came to me and made me laugh, he had a short lived brother, Wheatus, made of 100% whole wheat flour from a local mill. I make zero apologies for this, and if you start, or have started I’d love to know the name of your starter, put it in the comments.

The Essentials

Buying and naming your starter are the building blocks for what will become an obsession. In no time you are going to be baking golden brown loaves of goodness, it’s that easy. Just think what your Instagram page will look like decorated with your amazing loaves. There are 4 ingredients in a basic sourdough bread, starter, flour, water, and salt. We’ve got our starter, let’s talk flour, not all flour is created equal. For this recipe, and most bread recipes you want to find a good high protein bread flour. Gluten is our friend when baking bread, not so great for pastry, cakes, and cookies.

For an in depth look at bread flour vs. all-purpose flour, Bon Appetit has a great post. I currently use King Arthur organic, unbleached, bread flour, generally found in the local grocery store and Walmart, in store or online, I think I’ve seen it at Bj’s too. I’m a big Amazon shopper but in this case the better price is definitely Walmart.

I dust the top of my dough and bannetons with rice flour, it has no gluten and helps prevents sticking. I tried using bread flour and it was ok, I did have a couple sticking issues, likely some of that was my fault. Since using the rice flour I’ve had no issues at all, plops right out without issue. Again, Amazon’s prices are high, you can find Bob’s Red Mill Organic white flour at Walmart for less.

Banneton

Banneton, or proofing basket, is simply a vessel that holds the dough during its final rise, helping to maintain its shape. You can use a bowl as long as it’s large enough to hold your dough, you should line it with a cloth or towel dusted with rice flour to avoid sticking. There are plenty of basic options on Amazon, the starter kit I purchased is no longer available. This one is basically the same as mine, it includes a jar for starter and a different brush type, the baskets are the same.

You should also invest in a digital scale and a jar for your starter, you can find all those things on Amazon. I owned a scale before I started on my sourdough journey, as for a jar, Cleatus finds his home in a Mason jar. I use a hair tie around the outside of the jar to monitor his growth after feeding, low budget, but works just fine.

Dutch oven

Do you need a dutch oven? I believe you do if you want to get that beautiful chewy outer crust and moist crumb that is synonymous with sourdough bread. There are plenty of options out there, mine came from Macy’s, I had a coupon for a Martha Stewart dutch oven, such a pretty blue. You can spend a lot of money on a dutch oven, but you don’t need to, mine was under $100 and we use it for bread, soup, and chili all the time. Whatever you choose be sure it can tolerate heat up to 500°F, sourdough is baked at higher heats than it’s commercial yeast cousins.

Dutch ovens trap steam so the crust doesn’t develop too soon, allowing the dough to spring up, and give that wonderful crisp, chewy, crust. I have seen others baking their bread on pizza stones, makes sense as historically, bread baking was often done on stone in wood fired ovens. I’ve never tried it, if you do it this way I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

Parchment paper

When I first started I used parchment paper from the grocery store, not realizing that all parchment paper is not created equal when it comes to high heat. After some frustrating episodes of “fish for the hot sourdough bread in a dutch oven as hot as Mordor”, I smartened up and bought these convenient parchment paper sheets. After I went through those I found this little friend, my silicone bread

sling, game changer! No more burned knuckles and no more waste, it’s inexpensive and worth it.

Tips and Tricks

I think the most important thing I’ve learned over the past couple of years is there is no perfect loaf of sourdough bread, not for me. The taste is more important than the look, some of these bakers who literally make their bread into art, respect. I don’t even try it anymore, just a nice deep slice and in you go. I’m going to add my recipe below. I begin by taking my starter out first thing in the morning, I feed him 1/4 cup of water and 1/3 cup bread flour – this is the only time I use measuring cups. My kitchen is cold, I have a huge slab of quartz countertop that stays really cold all year, so I put Cleatus in the oven with the light on for 3-4 hours during the cold months.

You know your starter is ready to do its thing when a small sample floats in water. After a while you won’t need this test, you’ll just know. However, when learning, this is a great way to ensure your starter is ready to go to work. I add 375 grams of warm water, I like the results of a higher hydration dough, which might be challenging to begin so you can add 350 grams when starting out. Then add 100 grams of happily fed starter, 12 grams sea salt and 500 grams of flour to a large bowl. Simply mix that together into a rough dough. I use cheap shower caps to cover my bowl, you can use a damp dish towel, put it back into that slightly warm oven – just the light, anything more will be too hot, even the proofing option.

Folding

Early days I used the stretching method to develop the gluten, this is the part that allows the bread to hold up its shape and prevents air bubbles from popping, which gives that beautiful open crumb. I’ve switched to folding and have found improvement in my end results, it just seems to develop the gluten better. I do four cycles of folds over two hours, every 30 minutes, with wet hands fold the dough 4 times, rotating bowl quarter turn after each fold. It’s actually quite neat to watch the gluten develop the dough from a squishy, sticky mass to a smooth ball of dough that recoils.

Bulk fermentation

Bulk fermentation is also known as the first rise, transfer dough into a tall sided plastic container, see through allows you to monitor the dough as it rises. You can use a whiteboard marker to draw a line at the starting height of the dough, wipes right off when you wash it. My dough will take anywhere from 6-8 hours to rise, don’t allow it to get double in size, about 1.5 times is perfect.

If you overproof your dough, and you will, don’t despair, make focaccia, yum! The first time I did it I threw the whole thing away, I didn’t realize you could still use it. So many sites give you warnings about overproofing, how there isn’t a thing you can do about it, not as many tell you focaccia is a wonderful option. I’d never made it before, goes great with my roasted garlic tomato soup.

Shaping

I am not a sourdough bread shaping expert, not even close, despite watching so many videos I still feel like a beginner everytime I do it. My basic technique is this, place the dough on a lightly dusted countertop, I use rice flour. Taking the corners of the dough gently stretch into a rectangle, pulling the short ends toward the center making a smaller rectangle. Working from one end roll it in a loose ball against the seam just created, pinch the seam closed and flip it over. Let it rest covered with a towel for 30 minutes.

Take a bench scraper and gently apply pressure to the edge of the dough farthest away from you. You will slowly and gently pull the dough toward you, creating a nice smooth surface. You can use your hands for this part, my preference is the bench scraper. Don’t fuss too long with it, just enough to shape it either into a round or oval shape, depending on which proofing basket you use.

Dust the proofing basket with rice flour and using the bench scraper flip your dough so the smooth side is down and the seem side is up. If you need to pinch the seam again to keep it closed now is the time. Cover with plastic shower cap and pop in refrigerator overnight, up to 48 hours. The cold will slow the rising process, allowing for that sourdough flavor to develop, my rule of thumb, this rise should be around 25%. I usually bake mine off at 12 hours, but have waited 48 hours before baking.

Lets bake

Place the dutch oven in your cold stove, preheat to 500°F. Once oven is at temp, place parchment paper or silicone sling on top of the dough while still in the proofing basket, flip it over so the smooth side is once again up. This is your time to be artsy, I’m amazed at the incredible designs scribed into loaves of bread. Not being gifted in this area, and also a little lazy, I simply slice a long line down the edge of the dough.

Take your hot dutch oven out and carefully lower your bread in, holding onto parchment paper or sling, add 3-4 ice cubes if you like, and put the lid on as quick as you can. Place back in the oven, lower the temp to 450°F for 20 minutes, then remove the lid and lower the temp to 400°F for 15-20 minutes. Mine is usually ready to come out at 17-18 minutes, golden brown!

Carefully remove your bread and place on cooling rack, you can actually hear the bread crackling for a minute or two after removing from the oven. Here’s the sad part of sourdough baking, you cannot cut that loaf until it is completely cooled. Doing so will compress those air pockets the starter created, ending up with a dense disappointment.

The best part

How easy was that? The hardest part is waiting while your kitchen is enveloped in a glorious sourdough scented cloud. I love this bread, simple and bulletproof. I enjoy it toasted with butter and honey in the morning with my tea. Cheese has found it’s perfect vessel, you will never have a tastier grilled cheese, use brie. Add some caramelized onions and a tiny bit of dijon mustard with that brie, you’ll thank me. Soup is sourdough’s bestie, so comforting and delicious on a cold New England night.

Enjoy the process

Let go of the need to create that perfect loaf of bread, the beauty of rustic bread is the imperfection. Don’t let overly complicated recipes or instructions deter you from giving it a go. You can perfect this one and go onto more complex recipes later, try out a variety of flour, add ins, the sky’s the limit. Happy baking!

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