Sourdough Bread

I’ve been dragging my feet posting this blog simply because life has been insane, and I haven’t had a chance to sit and physically write it.

So without further ado, let’s cut to the chase:

Sourdough bread! Here’s how to make it.

First thing’s first: there are about 7 million different recipes and techniques to making sourdough bread. There are different types of flours you can use, different methods, varying period of time you want to let the ferment and proof, baking temperatures, ingredients, ratios, you name it. The recipes I am sharing are two of the simpler ones I’ve found, and the only two that I feel like I’ve mastered at this point. As I continue to explore other recipes and options, I’ll share them too. But for now, these are the recipes I used to learn.

A couple things ring true for all sourdough bread recipes though:

You will need a Dutch oven, a kitchen scale, parchment paper, a food thermometer, and an active and mature sourdough starter! (I posted regular and gluten free starter recipes HERE)

I suggest big glass bowls for mixing and proofing, and rubber or silicone spatulas for mixing and handling. Many recipes suggest a banneton basket for proofing. I personally don’t think it’s necessary, but you can try it if you’d like!

I will share with you the links to the recipes I used for the bread, and then all the modifications I had to make to them and why.

Gluten free sourdough bread:

https://www.whattheforkfoodblog.com/2020/05/17/gluten-free-sourdough-bread-recipe/

This recipe that I used is simple and straight forward. As far as the recipe itself, I follow it pretty closely except for salt, I add 14-15g. We all prefer the taste when the salt is in that range.

I also add about 1tsp of olive oil (helps with the texture, in my opinion) and about 5-7ish grams of honey. The honey is not needed, but I find that the gluten free loaf takes a lot longer to proof to where I want it, and the honey speeds up the process by giving the bacteria from the starter a little simple sugar to wake it up. Although this doesn’t add any sweetness to the bread, it does give the slightest flavor enhancement. Again, not in a sweet way at all, it’s just …. I don’t know, slightly more delicious.

I find it a lot harder to over proof the gluten free dough than the regular dough, so I let this one sit out for a LONG time. Usually about 10-11 hours on the counter, then right into the fridge for about another 12 hours. I don’t put it on parchment paper until it’s time to form it and score it right before baking.

After the bread does the first 40 minutes in the oven, I uncover and reduce the heat, but I don’t leave it in for another 40 minutes. When I did that, the loaf was horribly over cooked. So once the first 40 minutes are up, I open the Dutch oven, use my food thermometer to make sure that the internal temperature is where it should be, and if it is (it usually is), then I uncover and leave it in until it looks to be where I want it. Because the gluten free loaf tends to have an issue with getting hard, I don’t like to leave it in so long. Maybe 5-15 minutes additionally. But you’re preference + oven may differ, so see what works for you.

One other modification I make is that instead of just putting 2 ice cubes into the Dutch oven between the oven and the parchment paper, I add about 4-5. This helps the hydration and softness of the loaf.

You can try this recipe my way, or you can try it as listed. When I tried it as is, I kept ending up with ROCK SOLID loaves. The inside was doughy, but the outside was hardly edible, and it hurt my teeth to bite into. I have read that this can be caused by under proofing, so that could just be something you play around with.

This loaf is very dense, but it shouldn’t be super gummy in the middle. It has a tendency to get denser and harder with each passing day, so what I like to do is leave it out at room temp and enjoy it the first day when I’ve made it, and then the next day I slice the whole thing and freeze it. It freezes really nicely, and is good as new when thrown into the toaster oven.

Regular sourdough:

Here is the recipe I use:

https://littlespoonfarm.com/sourdough-bread-recipe-beginners-guide/

Again, I up the salt to about 14-15g. For the flour, what I’ve been using that has been working out nicely here is 400g bread flour, and 100g whole wheat. It doesn’t have to be exactly that, though. For example, today I made a loaf with 415g bread flour, and 85g whole wheat. I find that a little bit of wheat flour mixed with the white is just so nice. Too much wheat and we find it too dense, and when it’s all bread flour, it lacks personality. I’m looking forward to playing more with other flours, but for now, this has been great.

I do 3 stretch and folds instead of 2 (if I can, time wise). I do the first at 30 min after making the dough, the second at 60 min after, and the third at 90 min after.

Similarly with the GF loaf, I don’t leave it in the oven as long for the second time around when the lid is off. After the first 20 minutes, I check the internal temperature. And then if all is good, I just leave the loaf in until it has my ideal golden brown crispness.

Otherwise, this recipe is pretty straight forward. With both of them though, you have to go into it knowing that in the beginning, it’s a learning process. Even if you follow the recipe exactly, there’s so much room for error and even the slightest factor can ruin your loaf. And if you nail it first try, yay!

This is all definitely a lot of work, but once you start pumping out loaves and you get to watch the people you love enjoying them (while enjoying them yourself) it’s truly so rewarding!

Happy bread-making :)

Xo

Bianca