Weekly Sourdough Favorite

Rainy day outside, perfect day to replenish the home bread supply.  Today I will bake two loafs of sourdough bread.  The following is my favorite recipe for our weekly bread.

 1     pound starter
14    ounces of water
1      pound 5 ounces all purpose flour
3      ounces whole wheat flour
2.5   teaspoons salt

Step 1

Add starter and water  together and stir.
Add both flours and mix until flours are completely incorporated.

Cover and let rest for minimum of 30 minutes.

My starter taken from the refrigerator and brought up to room temperature prior to baking

1 pound of starter mixed with water

Flours added and mixed in and allowed to rest for 30 minutes

Step 2

Add salt and knead the dough smooth and slightly tacky.  If you knead in a mixer look for the time when the dough pulls away from the sides of your bowl cleanly. Cover and let dough rise for at least an hour.

I use high mineral bread salt.

I use a mixer for kneading.

Once the dough is smooth I usually get a temperature of 75-80 degrees.

Cover and let rise for at least an hour.

Step 3 

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured board and fold the dough into 3 thirds.  Be gentle and try not to degas the dough.  Turn the dough 90 degrees and fold into thirds again. return to bowl cover and let rise for an hour.

A little flour and a plastic scraper will help a lot.

Be gentle and try not to degas dough.

Fold top down.

Fold bottom up.

Fold right side.

Fold left side.

Gently place in bowl fold side down.

Step 4

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and divide into 2 rounds.  Flour your proofing baskets.  Shape your rounds and place in the baskets.  Cover and proof for 2 hours.  One hour into your proofing preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  I bake on a soap stone.  I leave the stone in the oven to preheat.  I also place a pan under the stone that I let heat up.  Later when baking the bread I pour water into the pan for steam.

Add dusting of flour to the inside of your proofing baskets

A little dusting of flour then turn out your dough.

Divide into two.

Fold corners into the middle then turn over.

Shape the second one.

That is it!

Place dough into proofing baskets nice side down.

Cover with plastic wrap.

Cover and allow to proof for at least 2 hours.

Soap stone and pan ready to preheat.

Step 5

When your dough has risen and is ready to bake, place a piece of parchment paper on top of the basket.  I use a pizza peel on top and flip the basket over and remove the basket.  Slash your dough with a razor or sharp knife, then place in the oven.  Add water to generate steam.  Bake for 25 minutes until crust is golden brown.  Internal temperature should be around 200 degrees.

2.5 hours proofing.  

 Cover with Parchment Paper.

 Use a peel or a sheet pan on top.

 Flip!

 Ready to score.

I use a razor blade.

 One I add the dough to the oven I add water to the pan to generate steam.

 25-30 minutes check temperature.

 At 25 minutes my second loaf was 207.7 degrees.

Crumb looks respectable. for a quick process.

This will keep everyone happy for the week.

Conclusion

This was a fast process as I had limited time.  I started at 09:00 AM and by 3:30 PM I had bread out of the oven.  If I had more time I would have added a second fold after step 3 and possibly increased my final proofing from 2.5 hours to 4 hours.  In the end my test proved successful as soon as my son got home after football practice he went straight to the kitchen and asked if he could cut into the bread!