Sourdough Bread

Serves: 1 loaf

Ingredients

375 g lukewarm water, divided
125 g ripe sourdough starter
450 g all purpose flour or bread flour
50 g whole wheat flour or spelt flour
9 g sea salt
rice flour, for dusting the proofing basket (optional)

Instructions

Make the dough. In a large bowl, combine 350 g of water with the sourdough starter, stir to dissolve the starter. Add the all purpose/bread flour and whole wheat/spelt flour. Begin mixing the flour in with a spoon or fork, then continue mixing with your hand, until all the flour is incorporated and you have a shaggy dough. Cover the bowl with a plate and/or towel and leave to sit and hydrate (aka autolyse) for 30 minutes. Add the salt and the remaining 25 g of water. Use your hands to mix in the salt thoroughly.
Bulk fermentation. Leave the dough to sit, covered, for 30 more minutes. Begin doing stretch and folds. Stretch one side of the dough out, then fold it in on itself. Repeat with the other three sides of the dough, then flip the dough seam side down. Cover and let the dough sit for another 30 minutes. Keep doing the stretch and folds every 30 minutes for a total of 4-6 times. During this time, the dough should grow in size by about 30%, as well as become more structured, smooth, and aerated, with some bubbles on the surface. If the dough hasn’t risen enough after 6 folds, continue doing the stretch and folds until the dough is ready. Take care not to over-ferment; over-fermented dough will start feeling slack and sticky.
Shape the dough. Watch the video above for a visual. Prepare a banneton, proofing basket, or a bowl lined with a clean kitchen towel by flouring it with rice/regular flour. Prepare your working surface by flouring half of it with rice flour or regular flour. The other half of the surface should remain un-floured. Transfer the dough from the bowl to the floured half of the work surface. Gently stretch the dough out into a rectangular shape by pulling on the edges. Fold the bottom end of the dough about halfway up the dough. Fold the top end over the bottom end. You should now have a long, skinny shape. Roll up the dough, then put it seam side down on the un-floured half of the work surface. Push the dough away from yourself, then pull it towards yourself in circular motions, repeat a few times to build tension. Once you have a round, taut loaf, flour the top with more rice/regular flour. Carefully flip the loaf seam side up and transfer it to the proofing basket top down. Optionally, do a few ‘stitches’ to seal the bottom of the dough by crossing the edges of the dough over a few times. Wrap the proofing basket in a kitchen towel and refrigerate for 18 hours.
Bake the bread. Put a Dutch oven in the oven and preheat it to 500° F/260° C. Put a piece a parchment paper that’s about the width of your proofing basket over the basket, followed by a plate. Flip the proofing basket over so that the dough inverts onto the plate with the parchment paper. Remove the proofing basket and score the dough however you prefer, using a razor blade, a bread lame, or a sharp knife. Using the parchment paper as a sling, transfer the dough to the preheated Dutch oven. Optionally, add a splash of water to the Dutch oven for a crispier crust. Cover the Dutch oven with a lid and put it in the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 450° F/230° C and bake for 20 minutes (see note regarding the temperature). Remove the lid and bake for another 30 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown. Transfer the bread to a wire rack and let it cool for about 1 hour before slicing.

Notes

All ovens are different, especially home ovens. I’ve found that 450° F/230° C (as stated in most sourdough recipes) is too low of a temperature for my oven to make good bread. I bake my bread at 500° F/260° C for the first 15 minutes, then at 475° F/250° C for the remaining 35 minutes. If your bread looks pale or isn’t as crispy as you’d like, try experimenting with a higher baking temperature.

Recipe by Golubka Kitchen at https://golubkakitchen.com/sourdough-bread/