Recipe & Schedule – Sourdough Explained

Makes: one loaf

INGREDIENTS

• 500g stoneground strong white flour blend
• 420g water
• 100g starter
• 10g salt

STARTER FEEDING

8AM. Remove the starter from the fridge & feed it. Keep 15g starter in the jar, to which you add 60g water and 60g flour. Stir well, put the lid on, but loose, and leave on the counter for around 8h

DOUGH PREPARATION

4PM. To a bowl add 400g water and 100g starter. Stir well until it dissolves. At this point the rest of the starter can go in the fridge until next time you make bread.

Add the entire amount of flour and mix until there is no dry flour and no visible lumps. Around 5min by hand. This marks the beginning of the first fermentation of your dough, the BULK FERMENTATION. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest on the counter for 1h.

5PM. Sprinkle the 10g salt on the top of your dough and add the remainder of 20g water. With your wet fingers push the salt in the dough, and then mix it by squeezing it through your fingers. It will separate before coming back together. Give the dough a light knead of 4-5 min. When done, cover the bowl and allow the dough to rest for another hour

6PM. It’s time to fold the dough

You will perform 4 sets of stretch & folds, at 1h intervals each

This is a technique used during bulk fermentation to strengthen the dough, help with the development of the gluten network, equalising dough temperature and trapping little air into the dough. It also gives you the opportunity to check on the progress of the dough regularly

To do the fold, grab one side of the dough and pull it up by stretching it gently and then over itself. Repeat on the other three sides. This will be one set

Fold the dough 4 times in total = 4 sets at 1h intervals.

1h after the last set, the dough should now be ready, feel lighter and airy. It will have risen (some 60-80%, it won’t double) and feel like a pillow.

If after the 4th fold the dough hasn’t moved much, give it another fold and wait another 1h. This can happen when ambient temperature is lower. You may have to give a second extra fold or just leave it some more time to rest before shaping it. Especially in winter, the first fermentation of the dough, the BULK fermentation, should be longer to ensure the dough develops properly.

11PM.Time to shape

Flour your banneton generously. If you don’t have a banneton, you can use a bowl or a sieve, which you line with a tea towel. Flour that generously

With a scraper, release the dough from the side of the bowl in which the dough has been resting. Flour the dough generously, you can also lightly flour the counter at this point. Flip over the dough from the bowl, allowing it to slowly fall on the counter.

Shape the dough in the desired, round or oval, depending on the shape of your proofing basket. This video will help you visualise the technique for shaping an oval loaf. And this one for the round.

Once shaped, place it in the proofing basket. You can now transfer it to the fridge for the final proofing. Do not cover it in plastic, use a towel instead to avoid condensation and a dough that’s too wet, hard to score and which can also overproof.

BAKING TIME

When you’re ready to bake. Preheat the oven to 250°C for at least 30min. If you use a baking stone or a cast iron casserole (dutch oven), make sure these are place in the oven during the pre heat

Once the oven is hot, remove the dough from the fridge. Flip it over on a parchment paper (which will help you transfer the dough to the oven/dutch oven) and score it. This video will show you how to best score your dough. It’s time to bake now.

Using a dutch oven: 

Bake for 20 min at 250°C with the lid on. After 20 min remove the lid and bake for another 30 min at 200°C

Using a baking stone (or just a regular oven tray)

Bake for 20 min at 230°C with steam. Release steam, bake for another 30 min at 200°C top – bottom setting. Avoid fan mode, as this might burn your loaf more than you would like. If you feel the top of the loaf becomes too dark, switch to a bottom only setting

Unlike the iron cast pan or a dutch oven that holds in the steam released by the dough, when using a baking stone/steel (or even a tray) you need to create the steam using some tricks:

• pour boiling water in a hot tray at the bottom of the oven, the wider the tray the better. place it in the oven during 5-10min before putting it the dough, you want the environment to be ‘moist’ already
• finely spray the dough with water just after placing it in the oven
• add ice cubes on the baking stone /baking tray, next to the dough. Making sure the ice cubes are not getting into contact with the dough, you might want to place them under a parchment paper

Remove from the oven and place it on a rack to cool down. Wait for at least 30min before slicing it. Enjoy 🙂

Disclaimer. This recipe has been designed to be used with the flour sold in the Sourdough Loaf Kit available on Deliver Deli. Should you use a different flour, the amount of water in the recipe will have to be adjusted.