Sourdough bread, with its crusty exterior, chewy texture, and tangy flavor, has captivated bread enthusiasts for centuries. But for many beginners, the world of sourdough can seem intimidating. Fear not! This comprehensive guide will walk you through everything you need to know to start baking delicious sourdough bread right in your own kitchen.
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Table of Contents
1. What is Sourdough Bread?
Sourdough bread is a type of bread made from naturally fermented dough. Unlike commercial yeast, which is added to bread dough to make it rise quickly, sourdough relies on wild yeast and bacteria naturally present in the flour and the environment. This natural fermentation process gives sourdough its distinctive flavor and texture.
2. Baking Supplies
To bake sourdough bread, you’ll need just a few simple ingredients and tools:
- Flour: Use high-quality bread flour or a combination of bread flour and whole wheat flour.
- Water: Preferably filtered or chlorine-free water.
- Salt: Enhances flavor and helps regulate fermentation.
- Sourdough Starter: Your homemade starter, ready to leaven your bread.
- Mixing Bowls: For mixing and fermenting the dough.
- Dutch Oven or Baking Stone: For baking the bread and creating a crispy crust.
3. Sourdough Bread Recipe: Ingredients
For 2 loaves, you will need the following ingredients:
- Flours (1000 grams total, = 100%)
- 700 grams of all purpose flour
- 300 grams of whole wheat
- 750 grams of water (= 75% hydration), 80F/26C temperature.
- 200 grams of starter (= 20%)
- 20 grams of salt (= 2%)
This 75% hydration dough typically creates a more open crumb structure with a more moist bread, as well as a stickier dough to work with. You can lower the hydration percentage by simply reducing the water amount for a more closer structure bread and easier handling.
4. Sourdough Bread Recipe: Step-By-Step
Now that you have your starter and ingredients ready, it’s time to bake your sourdough bread. Here is the recipe step-by-step:
- Feeding your sourdough starter
- Autolyse: Combine flours and water to form a shaggy dough.
- Stretch & folds: Mix the salt and starter to your dough, and do 4 series of stretch & folds every 30 minutes to build the dough elasticity.
- Bulk fermentation: Let the dough ferment at room temperature, allowing the natural yeast and bacteria to work their magic.
- Pre-shaping: Shape the fermented dough into a loaf to build resistance on the surface.
- Cold fermentation & proofing: Let the dough rest in the fridge
- Final shaping & scoring:
- Baking: Preheat your oven and bake the loaf in a Dutch oven or on a baking stone to create a crispy crust.
- Cooling: Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing and enjoying.
- Taste!
- Storage
4.1. Feeding your sourdough starter
If you are a newbie to sourdough baking, you will need to first create your sourdough starter!
The heart of sourdough bread baking is the starter, a mixture of flour and water that captures wild yeast and bacteria from the environment. Creating your own starter is surprisingly simple:
- Mix equal parts of flour and water in a clean container.
- Cover loosely and let it sit at room temperature.
- Each day, discard half of the mixture and feed it with equal parts flour and water.
- Within a week or so, your starter should become bubbly and active, ready to use in bread baking.
4.2. Autolyse
Combine your water and flours together, either using your hands, a spatula or a standing mixer. The goal here is to make sure we incorporate all ingredients together and have no clumps. The dough will be a bit shaggy and not too smooth, which is completely normal at this stage.
Let the dough rest, covered with a damp cloth, for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. The digestive enzymes present in the flours will start breaking down the protein bonds, and the flours will slowly absorb the water. At the end of the autolyse, the dough will feel and look more homogeneous. The dough extensibility will be increased which means the dough will be able to stretch out without tearing.
Typically, we don’t add the salt and starter at the autolyse stage as it can slow down the process and lead to reduced dough extensibility during fermentation and baking.
4.3. Stretch & fold
Once the dough has gone through an autolyse stage, you will need to add your starter and salt, and mix the dough gently until the texture is homogeneous.
Cover the dough with the same damp cloth, and every 30 minutes, stretch and fold the dough by hand and turn the bowl by a quarter each time. You
4.4. Bulk fermentation
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4.5. Pre shaping
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4.6. Cold fermentation & proofing
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4.7. Final shaping & scoring
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4.8. Baking
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4.9. Cooling
Cool the baked loaf at least 30 minutes after taking it out of the oven before slicing it! If you slide your bread too early when it is still hot, it will be gummy as the steam evaporated too early.
4.10. Time to taste & enjoy!
Enjoy your delicious sourdough bread as a slide with your favourite cheese or veggie toast!
4.11. Storage
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5. Sourdough Bread Troubleshooting
Sourdough bread baking can be unpredictable, especially for beginners. Here are some common issues and how to troubleshoot them:
- Flat Loaf: Your dough may have over-fermented or lacked sufficient gluten development. Try reducing fermentation time or improving your stretch & fold technique.
- Dense Crumb: This could indicate under-fermentation or insufficient gluten development. Allow the dough to ferment longer or incorporate stretch and folds during bulk fermentation.
- Sour Flavour: If your bread is too sour, it may have over-fermented or the starter may be too acidic. Shorten fermentation time or refresh your starter before using it.
You are now ready to embark on your sourdough bread journey, I am so excited for you!
With a bit of practice and patience, anyone can master the art of sourdough bread baking. Start with a simple recipe, experiment with different flours and hydration levels, and don’t be afraid to embrace the natural variability of sourdough. Whether you’re a seasoned baker or a complete novice, there’s nothing quite like the satisfaction of baking your own loaf of sourdough bread from scratch.
Happy baking!
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