CLASSIC WHITE SOURDOUGH

CLASSIC WHITE SOURDOUGH

150g bubbly, active starter
300g water
10g salt
450g flour (I like half all-purpose and half bread flour)

Step 1: MEASURE and MIX the dough

I use a Kitchen-aid mixer. Starting with the starter, add the salt, water and flour all together in a bowl. Using the dough hook, mix the dough for about 5 minutes and then cover the bowl with a lid or a plate.

Step 2: PULL and TURN

Let the dough rest for a few minutes and then wet your hand (so that dough doesn't stick to it) and pull the dough up from the side and gently push it into the center. Give the bowl a one-quarter turn and repeat: stretch the dough upward and fold it over toward the center. This will help to improve the dough and enhances the oven rise. You’ll want to do this a few times within the first hour. Experts recommend 4 times within the first hour … I try to at least do it at least twice (about 5-10 minutes apart)

Step 3: BULK RISE …also known as the first rise..this will take 6-8 hours for your dough to roughly double in size. Keep in mind, you can do this “too long”, or over-proof, where the rough rises to its capacity and then starts to drop. You’ll want to make sure to shape your dough BEFORE this happens

Step 4: SHAPE the dough.

Gently pour your dough onto a floured surface and shape it into a ball. Your goal here is to create a nice tight “gluten skin” around your loaf. Keep in mind that the bread will take on the shape that you form …meaning if your dough is shaped a little lop-sided, your bread will bake a little lop-sided. So do your best to shape it in a uniform matter (I have a video in my highlight bubble on my Instagram to show this). Line the Dutch oven with parchment paper and let it rise in there (with the lid on)

Step 5: SECOND RISE will take roughly two hours …in warmer temperatures, it can be slower, or it can take longer in cooler temperatures.

Step 6: PREHEAT the oven. Many recipes recommend that you heat your Dutch Oven before adding the dough. I found that this was quite a cumbersome step. I use to get my oven as hot as it will go (500 degrees) and then lower it to 420. I have since eliminated even that step, and now I just turn my oven on to 420 degrees for baking. (You'll have to get a feel for your own oven.)

Step 7: SCORE your dough using either a very sharp knife, a razor blade, or a lame. To really enhance the design, I recommend putting just a little flour over the surface of the bread before scoring

Step 8: BAKE the bread in the Dutch oven at 420 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove the loaf from the Dutch Oven (I just use the parchment paper to pull the loaf out) and place it right on the rack in the oven. Brown the crust for 3-6 additional minutes. Note: if you want a softer crust, don’t brown it too much. If you want something crispier you can leave it in the oven for a few extra minutes.

NO-KNEAD SOURDOUGH BREAD

▢ 1/3 cup bubbly active sourdough starter, (75 g)
▢ 1 1/4 cups water, (300 g)
▢ 4 cups bread flour, (500 g)
▢ 2 teaspoons fine sea salt, (10 g)

1. Feed your starter 4-12 hours before you plan to use it.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the active starter with water, stirring well with a fork.
3. Add the flour and salt. Mix with a fork until the ingredients are combined. The dough will look rough and sticky, which is perfectly fine.
4. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes and then stir it one more time. There should be no dry spots and it should look like traditional bread dough.
5. After the initial rest, cover the bowl again and let the dough ferment for 8-18 hours at room temperature. This is the bulk rise, allowing the dough to develop flavor and structure. An overnight rise is generally the easiest.
6. Gently transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Shape the dough by tucking the edges into the center, forming a tight ball. Let the dough rest for 5-10 minutes.
7. Dust a proofing basket to prevent sticking. Place the dough ball, smooth side down, into the basket. Cover with a damp towel.
8. Let the dough rest for 1-4 hours at room temperature until it spreads slightly and looks puffy.
9. Preheat your oven to 450°F. Carefully turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper, score the top, and transfer to a preheated Dutch oven with the lid on.
10. Bake covered for 40 minutes, then remove the lid and bake for another 10-15 minutes until dark brown and hollow-sounding when tapped.
11. Remove the bread from the oven, transfer to a wire rack, and let cool for at least 1 hour before slicing. 

SOURDOUGH

160 grams bubbly, active start

230 grams warm water, preferably filtered

400 grams bread flour or unbleached all purpose flour 

7 grams fine sea salt or Kosher salt 

Fine ground cornmeal or rice flour for dusting

MAKE THE DOUGH

Whisk the active start and water together in a large bowl. Add the flour and salt.  Squish everything together with your hands or use a mixer until all of the flour is absorbed. Let rest for about 10 minutes (autolyse) and then continue to knead for 10 minutes. Now the dough needs to rise until it doubles in size (bulk rise). 

Cover the bowl with wrap or a very damp kitchen cloth. Let rest in a warm spot to rise. The dough is ready when it no longer looks dense and has doubled in size. This can take anywhere from 3-12 hours. 

CUT & SHAPE THE DOUGH

Divide your work surface in half; lightly flour one side (for cutting) and leave the other half clean (for shaping). Place dough on to the floured section. Cut the dough in half to make 2 loaves or leave it whole for a large single loaf. To shape, use a bench scraper to move your dough to the non-floured section. shape into a round.

SECOND RISE

Coat the bottom of the basket with flour. Place it into a proofing basket and cover for a shorter rise, about 30 minutes. 

BAKE THE DOUGH

Preheat oven to 450 degrees with dutch oven inside. Invert dough from proofing basket onto floured parchment. Transfer to dutch oven and cover with lid. Bake for 23 minutes with lid on. Remove lid and continue to bake uncovered for additional 5-8 minutes until deep, golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool. 

SOURDOUGH DISCARD BROWNIES

 SOURDOUGH BROWNIES

8 tablespoons (113 g) unsalted butter

12 oz. (340 g) semi sweet chocolate chips

½ cup (40 g) dutched cocoa powder or regular cocoa powder

2 teaspoons (10 g) vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 egg yolk

1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar

½ cup (110 g) dark brown sugar

½ cup (125 g) sourdough starter discard

1 cup (120 g) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon (5 g) salt

Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 9” x 9” baking dish with parchment paper.  Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the chocolate chips, vanilla extract and dutched cocoa powder. Stir the ingredients until the chocolate chips have melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove the saucepan from the burner and set it aside to cool down. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, brown sugar and granulated sugar with an electric mixer for 7-10 minutes. Add the sourdough discard and chocolate mixture to the bowl beat on low until combined. Add the flour and salt and stir with a spatula until just combined. (The batter will be very thick.)  Pour the batter into the baking dish and smooth the top. Bake for 35-40 minutes.