Four years ago, my sourdough baking journey involved tedious, daily starter feedings, messy and massive globs of dough streaked across my counter, multiple flat loaves, and more sourdough discard recipes than I wanted. I'm excited to say that today, though the experimentation continues, most of the waste and clean-up have been minimized.
Sourdough bread has been the icon of the pandemic, the pet project afforded by staying at home more. The process of making a single boule from an active levain takes at least 18-20 hours. It involves check-ins at half hour increments to fold the dough and build structure. While active, hands-on time is not terribly long, the baby-sitting required can be restrictive.
Over the past year, I've sought ways to streamline my sourdough process to fit my life, meaning my sourdough works with my schedule and not the other way around. I've looked for resources and tips to help me reduce the number of tools required, "read" my dough better, and produce a relatively consistent product each time. The simpler the method, the more likely I am to re-make a recipe over and over, and nothing helps me cook and bake better than repetition. That the transcendence of slicing into your own boule is irreplaceable makes the baking process ever more desirable.
In recipe form, here is a compilation of tips and tricks I've found helpful for me and Gustavo. Keep in mind that the goal of this method is to produce delicious loaves simply and regularly. This recipe is not for those looking to achieve jaw-dropping open crumbs and a back-of-the-throat sour tang. Those both take a little bit more attention, care, and effort.
If you're new to sourdough, I recommend learning the lingo and basics from the esteemed Maurizio of The Perfect Loaf, who is considered (and rightfully so) the authoritative voice on all things sourdough.
Recipe: Basic Country Loaf (A Weekday Sourdough Schedule that Works for Me)
100g whole wheat flour (or a mix of whole wheat and rye)
20g fine sea salt
OPTIONAL MIX-INS (adjust the quantities to your liking)
rosemary olive oil: 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh rosemary, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1-1.5 cups of pitted and chopped olives
autumn harvest: 1-1.5 cups of chopped nuts (hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans) and dried fruit (apricots, cherries)
Friday
7am: If my sourdough starter has been sitting in the refrigerator untouched for over a month, I'll take it out and leave it on the counter (if I remember... if not, things typically still work out).
Between 7-9pm: Mix the ingredients for the levain in a clear quart container. Place a rubber band around the quart to help you note the original level of the levain and when it has doubled in volume. Let it rise overnight. If my levain is very active or it's the spring/summer and the kitchen is warm, I might let it rise at room temperature for a few hours and then stick it in the fridge.
Saturday
Between 7-8am (or 4pm): Start making the sourdough. Mix the levain with the water. The levain should float, indicating it has developed enough gas and hasn't over-fermented. Use a spatula to stir in both flours. You should get a shaggy mass of dough. Let that sit (autolyse) for about 1 hour.
1 hour later, vigorously mix in the salt (and any optional mix-ins) with your fingers.
At this point, the dough will proceed to its bulk rising stage where it's intermittently interrupted by strength-building stretches and folds. Most recipes suggest 4 sets of 4-8 folds (per set) spaced 30 minutes apart. I am not as vigilant about stretching and folding according to a timed schedule or predetermined number of sets. I typically try to get 3-4 sets of folds in, but they may be spaced 30-90 minutes apart, depending on my memory and whether I'm around the house. As flexible as my approach is, I try not to leave it alone for more than 2 hours, especially during the warmer months.
I stretch and fold the dough until it passes the window pane test. Then, it's ready to rise unattended. The following steps work for me because I've gotten to know this sourdough recipe and can tell by touch and sight when the dough is under, adequately, or over-risen.
If there's an extra 2-3 hours in my day, I'll let it rise at room temperature until it's 1.5-2x in size. Then, I'll divide the dough, shape them into loaves, and place them in plastic containers lined with parchment paper. I'll seal the containers with their lids to prevent a skin from forming around the dough and let the loaves proof in the refrigerator overnight. When I'm ready to bake (the next day or the day after), I take the loaves out of the refrigerator and transfer the cold dough to the oven immediately when it's ready.
I have baked dough after 5 days of slow-proofing in the fridge; while the flavor development is superior, the dough loses some structure over time.
If it's later in the day and I'm about to go to bed, I'll cover the dough with a lid and stick the bowl in the fridge to rise overnight. That morning, I'll divide the dough, shape them into loaves, and place them in containers lined with parchment paper. I'll loosely cover the dough with tea towels and let them proof at room temperature for 2-3 hours, or until they've increased in size by 1.5-2x.
20-30 minutes before I'm ready to bake the dough, I'll place a dutch oven and a cast iron combo cooker into the oven. The cookware will preheat with the oven to 450 Fahrenheit (no need to waste energy with a 1 hour preheat). I just so happen to have both cooking vessels, which allows me to bake two loaves at once (saves time and energy).
When the oven is ready, I'll carefully load each cooking vessel with a dough ball. Before scoring the dough with kitchen shears, I might dust the top of the loaves with some flour. This helps the blades make cleaner cuts, and it adds visual contrast. I'll bake covered at 450 Fahrenheit for 25 minutes. Then, I'll take the lids off and bake uncovered at 425 Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes, or until the crust has browned to my liking. I take the loaves out and place them on wire racks to cool completely (at least 2 hours, if possible) before slicing.
Fresh bread doesn't last long at room temperature or in the fridge because it dries out. I like to slice the remainder of the loaves that won't get finished, place the slices in a ziplock bag, and freeze them. When I want bread, I take a few slices out of the freezer, place them in a single layer on a plate, and microwave for 30 seconds. Then I'll toast the bread - because we don't have a toaster oven, I use a dry, preheated pan to toast both sides to my liking.
Alternatively, I skip the microwave step and pop the slices into the oven and broil for 1-2 minutes per side with a watchful eye OR bake at whatever temperature the oven's already at (usually 350-425 Fahrenheit) until the bread is springy, toasty, and lightly golden brown on both sides (about 5 minutes per side).
If I have a few slices at room temperature that have dried out, I rehydrate them by quickly passing the slices under a faucet (very quickly, this takes seconds) and toast them on both sides in a dry, preheated pan on the stove top. The oven method works, too!
No comments:
Post a Comment