Sourdough

Sourdough

75% hydration, 24 hr process, 50 min bake, 230°C, makes 1 loaf

You need an active sourdough starter before making this.

Ingredients

Makes 1 loaf

strong white flour   500g
filtered water       375g
starter              100g
salt                 10g

High enough for an open crumb, manageable enough to shape.
Use filtered or bottled water. Chlorine in tap water can slow fermentation.
The starter should be active and bubbly, fed 4/8 hours before you begin.

Mix

1. Combine the starter and water and mix until dissolved. Add the flour and mix until no dry flour remains. Add the salt and work it in. The dough will look rough and shaggy. Cover and leave for 1 hour.

This rest is called an autolyse. The flour absorbs the water and gluten starts to form without kneading. The dough will be noticeably smoother after this rest.

Bulk fermentation

The most important stage. The starter ferments the dough, gluten develops through folds, and the dough grows in volume. Takes 4/12 hours depending on kitchen temperature.

2. Do 4 sets of stretch and folds, 30 minutes apart. Each set: wet your hand, grab one side of the dough, stretch it up as far as it will go without tearing, fold it over to the opposite side. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat all the way round.

This builds gluten without kneading. The dough will feel tighter and more elastic after each set. Wet hands stop it sticking.

3. After the final fold, cover and leave undisturbed until bulk fermentation is complete. At 24/26°C this is around 4/5 hours. In a cooler kitchen (18/20°C) it can take 8/10 hours.

Bulk is done when the dough has grown by 50/75%, has a dome on top, looks jiggly when you shake the bowl, and has bubbles on the surface and sides. Go by the dough, not the clock.
Under-fermented dough tears during shaping and gives a dense crumb. Over-fermented dough is slack, sticky and collapses in the oven.

Shape

4. Lightly flour the work surface and tip the dough out. Pre-shape into a rough round using a bench scraper, pulling it towards you to build surface tension. Leave uncovered for 20 minutes.

5. Flour lightly again. Flip the dough, fold the edges in towards the centre, then flip seam side down. Cup your hands around it and drag towards you to tighten. Place seam side up into a well-floured banneton.

A tight shape holds structure and rises up in the oven rather than spreading out. Rice flour is best for dusting the banneton.

Cold proof

6. Cover the banneton and place in the fridge for a minimum of 8 hours, up to 24 hours.

The cold slows fermentation and lets flavour develop. It also firms up the dough, making it easier to score. Baking straight from the fridge gives better oven spring than baking warm dough.

Bake

7. Place the Dutch oven with its lid in the oven and preheat to 230°C for at least 30 minutes.

8. Set your sling on the work surface. Tip the banneton upside down onto it so the dough lands seam side down.

9. Score with a single slash at a slight angle using a sharp blade or lame. Go at least 1cm deep.

Scoring gives the dough a controlled place to expand. Without it the crust sets before the dough has fully opened and it bursts at the sides.

10. Lift by the sling, lower into the hot pot, tuck the paper inside, lid on. Bake for 30 minutes.

11. Remove the lid, drop to 210°C and bake for a further 20 minutes until deep brown. Lift out and cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before cutting.

The first 10/15 minutes is when oven spring happens. The yeast has one final burst of activity before the heat kills it, and the trapped CO2 expands rapidly. The lid traps steam which keeps the crust soft enough to open. Once the lid comes off the crust hardens and sets the shape.
Don’t cut the loaf while still warm. The crumb is still setting inside and cutting early gives a gummy texture.