So. My Process step-by-step.
For One Loaf Bread - 608g.
Preparation:
Feed your starter the night before planning to bake:
- 15g ripe starter
- 30g filtered tepid water (30-40C)
- 30g bread flour
I used 25% Wholemeal rye flour + 75% Strong White Bread Flour.
Feed and leave the sourdough starter at room temperature overnight.
My average RT 20C
I like to use my oven with light on (T 25C).
The next morning the starter should be active and full of bubbles and ready to bake with.
This can take anywhere from 2-12 hours or more depending on room temperature and the condition of your starter.
Do Float Test:
If you’re still unsure whether your starter is ready, drop a small amount (about 1 tsp) into a glass of water:
- Your starter floats to the top - it can be used.
- Your starter sinks - not ready to use OR it's past it's peak and should be fed again.
Note:
If you only bake a few times a month, keep your starter in the fridge and feed it once a week.
If you’re an avid baker, store your starter at room temperature and feed it at least once a day.
When you decide to bake, take starter out of fridge a day before you plan to use and give starter two feeds, 12 hours apart, at a 1:5:5; 1:3:3 or 1:2:2 ratio at room temperature.
This should remove the acid load that it accumulated in the fridge and bring it back to full strength.
Once your starter consistently doubles in volume within 8 hours (average) of refreshment (tripling would be even better) then you can consider:
- refrigerating it or
- use it
before it starts to collapse!
Starter health is key when it comes to successful sourdough!
The number one priority for any would-be sourdough baker is to learn to manage their starter.
Observation gives you knowledge the rhythm of activity your starter: knowledge of the length of time from feeding to its peak.
You can make a less sour bread by using a "young" starter and a more sour bread by using more "mature" starter - when it is ready to collapse.
The "active" or "mature" starter you use in your recipe becomes the "levain".
It is the starter that leavens the dough.
step 1
The next morning mix the dough!
- 300g bread flour
- 60g - 20% Levain
- 227g water - 78% hydro
- 6g salt - 2%
OR:
- 236g bread flour
- 34g wholemeal flour (10%)
- 34g rye flour (10%)
- 67g - 20% Levain
- 227g water - 78% hydro
- 6g salt - 2%
I first mix it with a spoon and finish with my wet hand.
Just mix all your water and flour.
Leave out the starter and salt.
Do not be tempted to knead.
Just mix until everything is evenly incorporated.
Then cover and let the dough rest or ‘autolyse’ for about 30 minutes to 1-4 hours - This gives me flexibility if my starter is not fully ripe yet.
In bread baking, the term (or, more commonly, its French cognate autolyse) is described as a period of rest following initial mixing of flour and water, before other ingredients (such as salt and yeast) are added to the dough.
The procedure as a means of reducing kneading time, thereby improving the flavor and color of bread.
An autolyse also makes the dough easier to shape and improves structure.
step 2
Add in the starter/levain.
I wet my hand with water, and hand mix for 5 minutes until it is completely combined.
I use Rubaud Method!
Rest with cover for 30 minutes.
Then add sea salt and hand mix for 4 minutes.
Once everything is combined, cover for 30 minutes and place aside in a warm, draft-free area, again I use my oven as a place to proof at 25C.
So: autolyse 30 min + add starter and rest 30 min + add salt and rest 30 min + 10 min mix ≈ one and half hour (100 min or 1 hour 36 minutes).
step 3
Bulk Fermentation:
Also called the first rise or primary fermentation.
First rise of bulk fermentation is a period after the dough has been mixed and before it has been shaped.
This can take anywhere from 3-12 hours depending on the temperature of your ingredients and surrounding environment, the potency of your starter.
The most relevant element to define how long bulk fermentation will need is temperature.
Average desirable temperature: from 25C to 27C.
Bulk fermentation is a crucial phase, take care of your dough.
My adapted technique of Bulk Fermentation involves 3 steps:
light fold + lamination + Stretch and Fold
Each step I perform with an interval from 30 to 45 minutes.
- Fold:
I am doing a few gentle folds - to create strength for dough after ≈ one and half hour (1 hour 36 minutes)as the dough has been mixed and rest.
Mist a clean countertop with water and place your dough onto the counter.
Shape the dough rectangle.
Starting at the top, fold the dough over toward the center.
Give it a slight turn, and then fold over the next section of dough.
Repeat until you have come full circle.
Then gently flip the dough over and place it seam side down.
Cover and let it sit for an additional 30 minutes.
- Lamination:
I find this help to give better crumb.
Mist clean countertop with water and gently flip the dough over and place it seam side up.
Using your scraper, gently pull and stretch the dough out into a large rectangle.
Stretch as far as you can without ripping the dough, to about 2 - 2.5 cm thick.
Gently pop any visible bubbles.
At this point, you can add in any extra flavor you'd like:
- seeds, dried fruits, chocolate etc.
Fold your dough lengthwise in thirds and then roll up tightly.
Roll dough having the smooth side up and place into clean oiled bowl.
Cover and place in warm area for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
As a rule, a warmer environment will proof your dough faster than in a colder environment.
Proofing will change as it gets warm and humid in the summer.
You don't want to rush bulk fermentation because that's what produces the good depth of flavor.
25C is a perfect temperature to aim for, obviously plus or minus degrees won't hurt, just keep an eye on it.
I put a regular small Wall Thermometer in my oven with the lights on.
Watch video and you will see the full Lamination process from min 3:49.
- Stretch and Fold:
During bulk fermentation, you have the option to perform a series of ‘stretch & folds’ the dough to build and strengthen the gluten.
So after the lamination and rest, you will do your first Stretch and Fold known as S&F.
I perform them directly in the bowl.
There are many ways of doing this but I like to do the coil fold technique.
Coil Fold - Get hands slightly damp, and take both hands and slide them under each side, gently pulling up and coil one side under itself.
Rotate the bowl 180º and coil fold the other side.
Rotate 90º and repeat the same process for the other 2 sides.
Simultaneously gently pop any visible bubbles.
Cover and place the dough in a warm area for 30-45 minutes.
You will determine how long depending of room temperature.
Repeat S&F (Stretch and Fold) 3-4 times at intervals 30-45 minutes.
The slacker dough need more Stretch and Fold to sufficiently strengthen it.
After last Stretch and Fold cover and set your dough in a warm area - let it continue to proof untouched for 45 minutes to 2 hours.
During this time the dough should increase in volume.
If you see that your dough is lacking it, you can give more time to the bulk fermentation.
Again, you will have to be the one to determine how long, if it's really hot in your kitchen you may only proof for an hour.
Be careful not to overproof, as this will degas your dough and bake a flat loaf, you will know it's over proofed if you gently push into with your finger and it stays indented.
So my Bulk Fermentation i.e. a period after the dough has been mixed and before it has been shaped was about 4 hours long - I considered the minimum.
- light fold 30 min + lamination 45 min + Stretch and Fold 90 min (30x3) = 2 hours 48 minutes.
step 4
Pre-shaping and Shaping:
Pre-shaping helps to give the dough better structure and also contributes to a better rise.
If the dough is especially weak, possibly from undermixing or overhydration, you can perform a second preshape step to bring more structure to the dough before shaping.
Turn your dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.
Gently shape your dough into round.
The bench knife pushes the dough toward my bare hand which is used to guide and tuck the dough under.
Then Bench Rest - 20 min that letting the dough rest on the work surface before proceeding with shaping.
A bench rest can range from 10 to 45 minutes.
If you find your dough quickly spreads, cut the bench rest short.
Then, either perform a second preshape step or proceed with final shaping straightaway.
The resting period in between the pre-shaping and final shaping also helps to relax the dough so the final shaping is ultimately easier.
After Bench Rest I shape a batard, the oval bread shape not ball/round/Cob/boule.
Feel free to shape however you like.
The best to watch a tutorial about Pre-shaping and Shaping on Instagram:
- Shaping Sourdough Batards
- Stitching country sourdough
Pre-shaping and Shaping from sourdough specialist Vanessa Kimbell:
- How to shape a sourdough bread on Vimeo
During this time you can prepare your proofing basket, banneton*, or bowl.
If you are using a tea towel to line your basket or bowl, lightly flour the towel and then place it in your bowl, use your scraper to lift the dough gently from the counter and in a quick action, flip it over into your floured towel seam-side up.
Cover it with the remaining towel and let it proof at room temp for 10-20 minutes, then place in your refrigerator for 12-18 hours overnight- this is called cold proofing, the flavor will enhance during this time but it will not proof because it's in the cold.
*Banneton baskets are also known as brotform or proofing baskets.
If you are using your banneton with no lining, you can prep it the day before with a mist of water and then liberally covering it with rice flour, dump out the remaining flour and that should help it not stick.
Before transferring your dough into the banneton, still dust it with your choice of flour, I use all-purpose.
Then cover it with plastic bag or you can use a clean shower cap as a reusable option, place in your refrigerator for 12-18 hours overnight - Final rise.
step 5
Scoring & Baking:
In the morning, preheat oven to 260C.
I bake my sourdough in a Dutch oven.
The pot traps in heat and moisture which is essential to baking good bread.
Right before you take out your proofed dough, place the dutch oven with the lid on in the oven to preheat, you do not want to place it in too early because it will burn the bottom of your bread.
Scoring:
Prepare your parchment paper, I like to create handles on the side so I don't burn my hand.
For the best oven spring, you want to score your dough directly out of the refrigerator and get it in the oven as soon as possible.
Dust the top of your dough with all-purpose flour, score your bread, place your parchment paper with dough into the Dutch oven, put the lid on.
NOTE:
Use the tip or the pad of your finger and make an indentation along the side of the bread dough.
Doing this, a few things can happen that will give you an indication…
- If the indentation remains and the dough doesn’t bounce back, it’s been over-proved.
- If it completely bounces without any indentation left, it’s under-proved.
- If the indentation bounces back but half way, that means it’s been proofed correctly and you can pop that into the oven to bake.
I used to preheat my Dutch oven before baking, but I have found that this is no longer necessary.
This saves on both time and energy.
Baking:
Everyone's oven is different, so here's times and temperatures to go by, but keep an eye on your bread.
Once you bake a couple of times you'll know what's best for you.
For my convection oven:
- 260C for 25 min with the lid on
- 230C for 10-15 min uncovered - lid off
You can also take the internal temperature of your bread to double check that it is done.
For sourdough, it should read about 96C.
Take the bread out and place on a cooling rack.
Cool for at least an hour before slicing.
Don’t cut too soon or else the inside will have a gummy texture!
Сonclusion:
I think the best way to learn will be to bake more often and learning in the process.
Playing with my oven, flour types/brand, starters, mixing techniques and times, shaping techniques, etc.
...only to discover that my bread isn't over-proved!
There never is a right way, when it comes to starters or anything else when it comes to bread, except for the first time when you follow the recipe as the author wrote it down.
After that - all bets are off.
That is how we get better breads than the one the author thought they invented.
This recipe and all process is not my invention, I studied for a long time and a lot from:
- from Chiew See autumn.kitchen
- from Full Proof Baking Kristen including Lamination
- The Perfect Loaf Maurizio Leo including Stretch and Fold:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/l0Zblxp3F9k
- from Trevor J. Wilson including “Rubaud Method”:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/zgz0oAhgwyg
- from Ken's Artisan - Ken Forkish
...to whom I am deeply grateful!
So my journey continues!
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