Sourdough
Starter
I pulled out a big Ball jar (~4 cups). I weighed the weight of the jar beforehand just for grins. I put in 100g of water and 100g of flour and stirred it so it was evenly mixed. Every twelve hours for the next two weeks, I “fed” the starter 50g of water and 50g of flour, stirring so it’d be mixed.
A few notes:
- When the jar would get full I took out half and cooked in oil in a pan on the stove and ate it as a sour pancake. It’s a strong taste; Kayla hated it but I quite liked it.
- After 3 or so days the starter should get really foamy.
- Once it was well established, I put it in the fridge except for making a weekly loaf of bread. Speaking of which…
Bread
First, credit where credit is due. I started with this recipe from King Arthur Flour and modified as time went on.
Dough
Total time: 15 minutes
Most people tend to like ~600g white flour or bread flour and ~400g of whole wheat flour.
In a very large bowl I mix 1000 g of flour (usually 50% whole wheat and 50% white), and 20g of kosher salt.
I like to spoon the starter into the water and then stir it around so it mixes and cleans the spoon off all at once! If you want a stronger flavor and have the time, put in less starter and let it rise longer. If you want less flavor or have less time, put in more starter.
In a medium bowl I mix 650g of tap water with 100g of my starter, straight out of the fridge.
Then I pour the water mixture into the large bowl and stir it all together until I get a big sticky ball of dough and it’s not sticking to the sides much anymore.
Honestly, I let it rise until it feels right or is convenient. Lots of people will say if you press a thumb onto the top the dough shouldn’t spring back.
My big glass bowl came with a well-sealed lid, so I put that on and let it rise 20-24 hours.
Now add 50g of water and 50g of flour to your starter, stir it up, and stick it back in the fridge!
Baking
Total time: 1 — 2 hours
I use a dutch oven, the loaves turn out much better than when I used a baking sheet.
I like to let the oven sit hot for about ~1 hour so I can be sure the cast iron is up to temperature.
Put your dutch oven in the oven with the lid on and preheat the oven to 550°F.
When the time comes, use plenty of flour for your hands and the outside of the dough and transfer it into the dutch oven. This is easiest with the dutch oven on the stove top. It’s good to score a few cuts into the top of the dough, either when it’s in the bowl or the dutch oven.
Put the lid back on the dutch oven and return it to the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 450°F and bake for 25 minutes.
Remove the lid and bake for another 20-25 minutes. Or until the loaf is pretty dark.
You can cut in right away, and it’s totally delicious. But the bread is best if you let it sit for 30 – 45 minutes. I often can’t wait because fresh bread is amazing.
Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.