7) and make it two or three times per week for a whole month. Get the feel for it. Learn from this one loaf and perfect it. Then advance to other recipes.
Don’t give up. Keep practicing!
Realize that appearance is not as important as flavor and texture. If it tastes good, great! That’s what matters most.
When you have the sourdough process down, share a loaf and starter with a friend! Spread the love. Oh, and don’t forget to give them a copy of this book, too!
Step 1: Autolyzing
You’ll start by pulling out a large, glass mixing bowl. In this bowl, you’ll gently mix together your flour, water, and starter in the recipe you’re following. The dough will look like a shaggy mess. Don’t worry, it’ll get there! Allow the mixture to autolyze (hydrate the flour, allowing the enzymes to be activated). This process can take anywhere from ten minutes to an hour.
Step 2: Adding salt
Next, you’ll fold in the salt. Sprinkle the salt over the dough and lift the bottom edge of the dough and fold into the center. If your hands are feeling sticky, dip them in water and continue. Give the bowl a quarter turn, lift up the bottom edge and gently stretch the dough up and fold it over the center. Repeat this twice more. This process is called stretching and folding (see Figure 4-2), and it’s very different from kneading dough. Cover the bowl with a warm, damp towel and begin the bulk rise.
FIGURE 4-2: Stretching, folding, and shaping sourdough.
Step 3: Bulk fermenting
How long you bulk ferment depends greatly on the amount of starter used in the recipe and the temperature of your home. If you’re making a basic white sourdough, you can simply cover the dough and let it rest and ferment for eight to ten hours. If you’re making a whole-grain variety, you’ll want to help the gluten formation by folding the dough (as described in Step 2, with four quarter turns and folds) every 30 to 60 minutes twice more.
Production could look like this:
8 p.m.: Autolyze the dough and feed the starter.
8:30 p.m.: Add in the salt and fold.
9:30 p.m.: Perform four stretch and folds.
10:30 p.m.: Perform four stretch and folds and rest the dough for eight to ten hours.
Step 4: Shaping
By now your dough has probably doubled in size, and you’ll see bubbles just under the surface of the dough. Sprinkle flour onto a counter or workspace. Use a dough scraper and scrape out the dough onto a floured surface. Sprinkle the dough lightly with flour and flour your hands. Using the same stretch-and-fold technique described earlier, stretch and fold the dough to tighten the tension in the dough. Let the dough rest for ten minutes to relax the gluten.
After resting, stretch and fold the bottom piece of dough over to the center. Next, stretch and fold the top piece of dough over to the center. Using two hands, gently pull the dough toward you, tucking and tightening the shape of the dough. If you’re forming a round, you’ll tuck in the sides and form a tightened ball.
Step 5: Cold proofing or second rise
If you’re using a banneton (a woven or braided basket that helps a loaf hold its shape and creates a desired design on the surface of the dough during its final proofing), add rice flour to the banneton, filling in the crevices, and place the tightened dough shape into your preform banneton (see Figure 4-3). Cover with a damp tea towel.
If you’re using a Dutch oven, place the parchment paper into the Dutch oven and place the dough onto the parchment paper. Cover with the lid.
If you want a more sour-flavored dough, place the dough in the refrigerator for 4 to 24 hours (even longer in some recipes). If you prefer a less pronounced sour flavor, let the dough rest at room temperature for an hour.
FIGURE 4-3: Tightened and shaped sourdough being placed into a prepared banneton.
After cold proofing your dough, spread out a piece of parchment paper and gently turn the banneton over onto the parchment paper. Place the parchment paper into a Dutch oven.
Step 6: Scoring
This is when the artists among us get happy! Sourdough can be scored into beautiful designs. Artistry is not my forte, however, so I prefer to be simple with either a long slice into the dough, about ⅛ inch to ¼ inch deep or an X across the top (see Figure 4-4).
Step 7: Baking
Some like it hot, and sourdough bread likes it hotter! Make sure your oven rack is in the center of your oven and allows enough space for your Dutch oven to fit into the oven. Then crank your oven to 450 or 500 degrees. After you heat the oven, secure the lid on your Dutch oven and place the dough into the hot oven. Quickly close the oven door and set the timer for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, carefully remove the lid and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, or until the dough is golden in color and has reached an internal temperature of 200 to 210 degrees.
FIGURE 4-4: Scoring a sourdough boule.
Step 8: Cooling
This part may break your heart, but hear me out. You really must let the dough rest and cool for at least one to three hours prior to slicing. If you don’t wait, your dough can turn into a gummy mess. Some loaves, like rye breads, deserve a good 24 to 48 hours of cooling before slicing! But, a basic white loaf can be sliced after a few hours outside the oven.
