Basic Sourdough Bread Food

BASIC SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• Before measuring out your 2 cups of starter culture, it must be proofed: To proof, I usually start with 1 cup of starter and stir into it equal parts of flour and warm water (for this recipe, 1 1/2 cups of each would be more than enough).
• Let mixture sit, covered loosely, for 8 to 12 hours-- the longer it sits, the sourer the flavor will be.
• At this point, measure out the 2 cups required for recipe, and return leftover starter to refrigerator for next time.
• Pour starter into mixing bowl.
• Melt butter (microwave works well).
• Add milk to butter and warm briefly (85 degrees F).
• Add the salt and sugar, stir until dissolved.
• Add this mixture to the culture and mix well.
• Add the flour, 1 cup at a time, stirring until the dough is too stiff to mix by hand.
• Turn onto floured board and knead in the remaining flour until the dough is smooth and satiny.
• Pat dough into a 1-inch thick oval and form loaf by rolling oval up from the long side, pinching the seam together as you roll the dough, tucking ends to form the loaf.
• Place in lightly greased loaf pan (I spray with cooking spray), and let rise, covered, at 85 degrees F for 1 1/2 to 3 hours.
• When the dough rises 1 to 2 inches above the edges of pan, it is ready to bake.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees F and bake an additional 30 to 40 minutes (baking time varies according to your oven and your personal taste--some like a darker crustier bread than others).
• Remove loaf from oven and brush the top lightly with melted butter; turn loaf out of the pan and cool on wire rack.
• If you prefer, you can shape this into a round or oval loaf and bake on a baking sheet.

BEGINNERS ARTISAN SOURDOUGH BREAD RECIPE

Steps:

• Make the STARTER AHEAD (This can take up to a week or more) AND DO NOT USE UNTIL IT IS ACTIVE ENOUGH TO FLOAT A TEASPOON ON A CUP OF WATER.
• This process balances your starter for best rise. Feed 100 grams starter with 100 grams flour and 100 grams warm water.
• Let sit overnight.
• It should pass the float test in 8 to 12 hours.
• If it does not repeat feeding.
• Pour the water into a large bowl.
• Add the ripe balanced starter to the water and mix thoroughly with a whisk or by hand until the floating cloud of starter is mixed completely into the water.
• Add the flour to the leavened water and mix with the dough bowl scraper or other spatula. At the end use wet hands to form a shaggy dough ball.
• Let it rest (autolyse stage) about an hour. This stage can be extended without worry up to four hours.
• After autolyse, add the salt to the bread dough. Use your hands to pinch and stretch the dough gently until the salt is mixed into the dough.
• Using your wet hands pull the dough from under the dough ball up and stretch it gently as you pull it over the dough ball top. Release. Repeat this process as you give the bowl quarter turns until the dough is stretched and pulled from each quarter of the bowl.
• Over the next 2 1/2 hours repeat the stretch and fold every 30 minutes for a total of FOUR times. The dough will change from a slimy ropy mass to a billowy dough with many air pockets and definite body as you stretch and fold it. DO NOT PUNCH DOWN THE DOUGH AT ANY TIME. Those air bubbles create the excellent crumb and flavor.
• The dough should become an elastic resilient dough that passes the window pane test. IF your dough is still breaking before it goes transparent when pulled. Do ANOTHER stretch and fold.
• Allow the dough to bulk rise IN THE BOWL at room temperature an hour or SO until it rises by 30 percent or so.
• Cover the bowl of dough with a plastic bag and set it in the fridge for 12 to 15 hours (Or overnight). It should continue to rise slowly so give it room in the bowl.
• Remove the dough from the fridge and let it sit on the counter in the bowl for two hours or until the dough reaches room temperature (or pretty close). The dough will soften and gently rise (a tiny bit) as it warms.
• On a clean unfloured counter pour out the dough into a large mass. Flour the top of the dough lightly but evenly.
• BEING CAREFUL NOT TO OVERWORK THE DOUGH-Form each half into a dough ball. The most efficient way to do this is to use the counter as your pivot point. Scrape in a circle around the dough (leave it unturned, flour side up). The unfloured counter will hold the dough center and create tension as you circle the dough with the scraper forming a ball. Repeat to form two dough balls. The DOUGH edge should be round and the dough ball should have some form and resilience to it.
• Let the dough balls rest for 20 to 30 minutes. They will spread out but should not fall off at the edge of the pancake. If they do, reform the loaves and bench rest them again to build the structure of the dough better.
• Gently slide the dough scraper under one of your dough balls and flip it over so it rests on the floured side.
• Now gently stretch and pull the dough over from the bottom to 1/3 up the loaf. Stretch and pull the dough from the sides to the dough middle. For the final stretch take the dough from the top of the ball and pull it all the way down to the bottom. Form a seam. Pinching the seam as necessary. (view the video for help here)
• Place the dough seam side up in your rice floured, cloth lined banneton or bowl.
• Rise in the fridge 2 to four hours.
• Set a baking stone (if you have one) on your oven bottom rack. Set your dutch oven with it's lid on next rack up (lower third of oven). PREHEAT oven to 450 degrees F. for at least 30 minutes.
• Keep the formed loaf in your banneton in the fridge until you actually need to place it in your preheated dutch oven. Cold dough will aide the oven spring.
• Remove one banneton from the fridge. Place the dough in your preheated dutch oven. I do this by flipping it into the dutch oven as gently as possible seam side down.
• Alternate method: Place high heat safe parchment paper over the banneton. Turn the banneton upside down so the dough falls gently onto the parchment paper.
• Score the loaf with your lame knife or a razor blade or sharp scissors. Scoring helps the dough rise better.
• Now pick up the scored loaf with the edges of the parchment paper, if using, and gently and carefully place it into your VERY hot dutch oven.
• Put the lid on the dutch oven and return it covered to your preheated oven.
• Bake 30 minutes at 450 degrees.
• Now REMOVE the lid (and parchment paper if using). Steam should come out. Hopefully the bread is a light golden color with a nice rise and set crust. Bake an additional 10 minutes UNCOVERED or until the loaf thumps hollowly and the surface gets dark(Caramelized darker than you are used to maybe) and the scored areas look shiny. (To prevent over browning turn the parchment paper (or foil) upside down over the loaf as it finishes in the oven.)
• Remove the dutch oven. Place the finished loaf on a cooling rack. Do NOT cut it for at least an hour to set the crumb.
• Return the dutch oven (with lid on) to the oven at 450 degrees F and preheat for 15 minutes. Repeat the process with the remaining loaf.
• To tell if your bread is properly done. Use your digital thermometer and insert it into the center of the loaf. It should read about 205 degrees.
• Other TELLS: Look at the crust and LISTEN to it cool. The crust should be 'shattery' which means as it cools it will crack. You can see it and hear it. This is bread music :) also a dull sounding bread is probably not completely baked. When you cut the loaf is should have a creamy but springy crumb with lots of aration.

HOMEMADE SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• To make the sourdough starter, whisk 50g strong white flour and 50g strong wholemeal flour with 100ml slightly warm water until smooth. Transfer to a large jar or plastic container. Leave the lid ajar for 1 hr or so in a warm place, then seal and set aside for 24 hrs. For the next six days, you will need to 'feed' it. Each day, tip away half the original starter, add an extra 25g of each flour and 50ml slightly warm water, and stir well. After a few days, you should start to see bubbles on the surface, and it will smell yeasty. On day seven, the starter should be bubbly and smell much sweeter. It is now ready to be used, but make sure you keep half back and carry on feeding for your next loaf.
• Tip both the flours, 300ml warm water and the starter into a bowl, stir with a wooden spoon into a dough and leave somewhere for an hour.
• Tip in 25ml more water and the salt and bring everything together. Cover and leave somewhere warm for 3 hrs, folding the dough onto itself several times in the first hour. The dough should increase in size by about a third.
• Line a medium bowl with a clean tea towel and flour it really well, or flour a proving basket. Tip the dough back onto your work surface, shape into a tight, smooth ball and dust it with flour.
• Place the dough, seam-side up, in the bowl or proving basket, and leave at room temperature for 3 hrs - or better still in the fridge overnight - until risen by about a quarter.
• Heat oven to 230C/210C fan/gas 8 and put a casserole dish with a lid or a baking stone in the oven for at least 30 mins to heat up, and a large roasting tin filled with boiling water underneath. After 30 mins, carefully remove the casserole dish, invert the loaf into it and slash the top. Cover and bake for 20 mins, then take the lid off and bake for another 20 mins. Or invert onto the baking stone, slash and bake for 40 mins, or until the crust is as dark as you like it.

BASIC SOURDOUGH BREAD - 1, 2, 3 METHOD

Steps:

• Starter Sponge: Add starter to the water and wisk together. Add flour, mix well, cover and let sit at room temperature (70 to 75F) until doubled in volume (6 hours or overnight).
• Dough: Wisk starter sponge into the water and add enough flour to make a thin batter. Wisk to aerate dough, forming some bubbles. Add the rest of the flour and mix well to incorporate.
• Cover the bowl and let rest for 20 minutes to 30 minutes.
• Add salt and knead for 8 minutes. Cover and let rest 5 minutes.
• Stretch and fold the dough once by stretching dough into a rectangle and folding letter-style side to side and top to bottom.
• Place in oiled container (straight sided is best) and mark the point on the container when the dough is doubled.
• Let rise in 75 to 80 F area for 1 hour.
• Stretch and fold the dough for the second time.
• Let rise in 75 to 80 F area for 1 more hour or until doubled in volume (total time may be 3 hours).
• Remove dough and divide into 2 pieces weighing 1 lb each and one piece the size of a ping-pong ball.
• Form smooth balls as a pre-shape and rest covered for 10 minutes.
• Shape into batards or torpedo or boule shapes. If resistant to stretching, let rest for 5 to 10 min and repeat.
• Place loaves on a parchment covered cloth folded to support all sides of each loaf and cover with oiled plastic.
• Place the small piece of dough in a small, straight-sided glass and mark doubled volume point with tape or marker or rubber band.
• Preheat oven to 425 F and add a cast iron skillet near the bottom of the oven to preheat as well.
• Let rise until 1 1/2 times the original volume. Watch the small piece as a guide.
• Add 1 cup of hot water to the skillet carefully to avoid breaking the oven door glass.
• Score the loaves with a double edged razor blade.
• Place parchment paper and loaves in the oven and using a flat baking sheet or a peel.
• Bake for 12 minutes and rotate pan for even cooking.
• Bake for 15 to 20 more minutes until browned or 205 F internal temp Cool on rack.

BASIC SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• Allow starter to come to room temperature.
• Place all ingredients in the bread machine in the order suggested by the manufacturer.
• Select Basic or White Bread cycle, and Medium crust setting. Start.

SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• For the levain: Combine the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, water and starter in a medium bowl and mix to combine. Cover and let sit at room temperature until bubbly and increased in volume by about 20 percent, about 8 hours.
• For the dough: Add the all-purpose flour, water and whole-wheat flour to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Weigh out 7 ounces of the levain (about 1 cup) and add to the mixer (discard any remaining levain). Mix on low until a shaggy dough forms. Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Add the salt to the dough and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes; the dough should feel a bit sticky and wet but look smooth and very stretchy. Scrape the dough into a plastic or glass container about twice its size. Cover and let sit at room temperature until puffed, about 45 minutes.
• Put the dough on a floured work surface, flatten it gently, then fold in thirds like a business letter. Transfer it back to the container. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 45 minutes.
• Repeat the folding process one more time, transfer back to the container, cover and let sit at room temperature for another 45 minutes. After the third 45-minute rest, the dough should feel soft and pillowy; when pressed with a finger, it should leave an indentation that begins to spring back.
• Gently scrape the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide in half using a bench scraper. Shape each piece loosely into a round by gently tucking the edges under. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
• Drape 2 kitchen towels into 2 medium (8-inch) bowls and dust very generously with flour. Dust the top of the dough rounds very lightly with flour and flip over using a bench scraper. Flatten one piece of dough into a circle, then fold the left and right sides of the dough over the center. Keeping tension in the dough, begin folding down from the top edge in 3 segments, sealing the bottom edge with the last fold. Loosely cup the dough and, using your hands and the tension between the board and the dough, pull the bread very slowly towards yourself while creating a taut ball. Gently flip the dough ball over and into one of the prepared bowls. Cover loosely with another kitchen towel. Repeat the process with the second piece of dough. Place both in a warm place to rise until about 1 1/2 times their size, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
• About 20 minutes before baking, position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven, put a 4-quart Dutch oven and lid on the rack and preheat to 500 degrees F. When preheated, carefully transfer the hot Dutch oven to a heatsafe surface with oven mitts (leave the lid in the oven). Flip one round of dough over into the Dutch oven. Using a sharp knife, scissors or bread lame, score the top of the bread in a cross or desired pattern. Return to the oven, immediately cover with the lid and bake for 20 minutes. Lower the temperature to 425 degrees F, uncover and bake until dark brown, about 10 minutes more. Transfer the bread to a cooling rack to cool completely. Return the empty Dutch oven to the oven, raise the temperature to 500 degrees F and let heat for 10 minutes before repeating the baking process with the second dough round.

THE BEST BEGINNER SOURDOUGH BREAD RECIPE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the starter and water.
• Stir in the flour, and then add the salt.
• Use a fork to mix everything together until it becomes stiff- then switch to your hands to bring the dough together in a rough ball (Remember: don't overmix! This is supposed to be a no-knead-style wet dough.)
• Keep the rough dough in the bowl, cover it, and let sit for 30 minutes.
• After this resting time is complete, stretch and fold the dough a few times to form it into a ball. (See the video for a walk-through on how to do this.)
• Cover the dough with a clean dish towel and let it rise in a warm place overnight or until doubled in size (or about 8 hours). I like to make the dough before bed and leave it in my turned-off oven (I leave the oven light on) to rise overnight.
• The next morning (or after 8 hours), turn the dough out on your counter. Fold it over a couple of times to tighten it into a ball, then let sit for 15 minutes.
• After this resting period is complete, gently shape the dough into a ball once more place into a well-floured proofing basket or a bowl lined with a well-floured dish towel. Remember: don't add too much flour and do not knead the dough!
• Cover and rise for 2-3 hours, or until doubled.
• Preheat the oven to 450°F.
• Sprinkle a thin layer of cornmeal in the bottom of a Dutch oven (optional, but this helps the bottom not to scorch).
• Tip the loaf out of the proofing basket onto a sheet of parchment. Lower the parchment into the Dutch oven.
• Place the lid on the pot and bake for 20 minutes.
• Remove the lid and bake for an additional 30 minutes, or until the loaf is deeply browned and crispy on top. (For a less crusty finish, bake for the entire time with the lid on.)
• Move to a cooling rack and allow the loaf to cool completely before slicing it.

PLAIN AND SIMPLE SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• Add all ingredients in order suggested by your manufacturer.
• Select white bread setting and push start.

BASIC SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• The day before baking, first thing in the morning, feed (expand) the sourdough starter. (It will be ready to use or to rest refrigerated overnight after about 14 hours.) Allow the starter to sit at room temperature (70° to 80&Deg;F) for 1 hour before feeding it.
• The Storage Starter
• First, feed (refresh) and store some of the sourdough seed starter for future batches of bread (you will be increasing it by 2 1/2 times, from 50 grams to 125 grams):
• Begin by tearing off a scant 1/4 cup (1.75 ounces/50 grams) of the starter. It will be soft and stretchy. Place it in a small bowl.
• Add 1/3 cup (1.75 ounces/50 grams) of the flour and 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons (1 scant ounce/25 grams) of the water. With a wooden spoon and then your hand, mix and knead together until all the flour is absorbed. The starter should be the consistency of a stiff biscuit dough. If after about 2 minutes of kneading there are still loose particles of flour, add water by the droplet. (Don't worry, too much water won't hurt it-but during fermentation and resting, the dough becomes softer, and it is easier to work with the starter when it is firm and not sticky, so you don't lose any on your fingers or the bowl.)
• Place this starter in a lightly oiled 1-cup storage container with a lid. Lightly oil the surface of the starter. Allow the starter to start to ferment at warm room temperature (75°to 80°F) before storing it in the refrigerator. If you are planning to bake more bread soon, you want the starter to ferment longer at room temperature so it will be more active sooner. If you are not planning to bake more bread for several days, you want to slow down the fermentation by refrigerating it sooner so that the yeast doesn't consume all the added flour.
• If baking bread the next day or the day after feeding the starter, refrigerate the starter after 2 hours at room temperature.
• If baking bread 3 days after feeding the starter, refrigerate the starter after 1 hour at room temperature.
• If baking bread 1 week after feeding the starter, refrigerate the starter after 30 minutes at room temperature.
• The Starter for the Bread
• 1. Give the starter the first feeding and allow it to ferment and rise (you will be increasing the starter by 4 times, from 25 grams to 100 grams). Tear off a scant 2 tablespoons (1 scant ounce/25 grams) of the sourdough starter (discard any remaining starter) and place it in a small bowl.
• Add 1/3 cup (1.75 ounces/50 grams) of the flour and 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons (1 scant ounce/25 grams) of the water. With a wooden spoon and then your hand, mix and knead together until all the flour is absorbed. If after about 2 minutes of kneading there are still loose particles of flour, add water by the droplet. The starter should be a rough dough that is very stiff but holds together, with no loose flour particles. It will measure a rounded 1/3 cup and weigh 3.5 ounces/100 grams.
• Transfer the starter to an oiled 1-cup glass measure. Oil the top and press it down into the cup. It should measure about 1/3 cup in the glass measure. Cover the measuring cup tightly with greased plastic wrap and let rise (ideally at 75°to 80°F) until it has doubled, to 2/3 cup, 6 to 8 hours.
• 2. Give the starter the second feeding and allow the yeast to ferment and rise (you will be increasing it by 4 times, from 50 grams to 200 grams). Tear off a scant 1/4 cup (1.75 ounces/50 grams) of the starter and discard the remainder. Tear the starter into a few pieces and place in a medium bowl. Add the remaining 2/3 cup (3.5 ounces/100 grams) flour and 3 1/2 tablespoons (1.75 ounces/50 grams) water. With a wooden spoon and then your hand, mix and knead together until all the flour is absorbed. If after about 2 minutes of kneading there are still loose particles of flour, add water by the droplet. The starter should be a rough dough that is very stiff but holds together, with no loose flour particles. You will have a full 3/4 cup (7 ounces/200 grams).
• Transfer the starter to an oiled 2-cup glass measure. Oil the top and press it down into the cup. It should measure about 3/4 cup in the glass measure. Cover the measuring cup tightly with greased plastic wrap and let rise (ideally at 75°to 80°F) until it has doubled, to 1 1/2 cups, about 6 hours. Refrigerate the starter if you are not ready to mix the dough-up to 20 hours.
• 3. Mix the dough.
• Mixer Method If you have refrigerated the starter, remove it to room temperature 1 hour before mixing the dough.
• In the mixer bowl, place the flour. With the dough hook, on low speed (#2 if using a KitchenAid), gradually add the water until the flour is moistened enough to form a rough dough. Continue kneading on low speed for 3 minutes, enough to develop the gluten structure a little. Scrape down any bits of dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes.
• With oiled fingers, tear off 2/3 cup (5.25 ounces/150 grams) of the starter; discard the rest. Tear it into 4 pieces, roughly the same size. On low speed, knead it into the dough, about 2 minutes. Add the salt and continue kneading for 1 minute. Raise the speed to medium (#4 KitchenAid) and knead for 3 minutes. The dough will be barely tacky (sticky), smooth, and very elastic. If it is still very sticky, knead in a little flour. If it is not at all sticky, spray it with a little water and knead it. (The dough will measure about 2 cups and weigh about 17.7 ounces/502 grams.)
• Hand Method If it has been refrigerated, remove the starter to room temperature 1 hour before mixing the dough.
• With oiled fingers, tear off 2/3 cup (5.25 ounces/150 grams) of the starter; discard the rest. Tear it into 4 pieces, roughly the same size, and place it in a mixing bowl.
• With a wooden spoon, stir in the water, stirring for a few seconds to soften the starter, then add all but 2 tablespoons of the flour and the salt. Continuing with the wooden spoon or using your hand, mix until the flour is moistened. Knead the dough in the bowl until it comes together, then scrape it onto a lightly floured counter. Knead the dough for 5 minutes, enough to develop the gluten structure a little, adding as little of the reserved 2 tablespoons flour as possible to keep it from sticking. (To prevent sticking, it helps to use your fingertips, not the palms of your hands.) Use a bench scraper to scrape up the dough and gather it together as you knead it. At this point, it will be very sticky. Cover it with the inverted bowl and allow it to rest for 20 minutes. (This rest will make the dough less sticky and easier to work with.)
• Knead the dough for another 5 to 10 minutes or until it is very smooth and elastic. It should be barely tacky (sticky) to the touch. If the dough is still very sticky, add some or all of the remaining reserved flour or a little extra. (The dough will measure about 2 cups and weigh about 17.7 ounces/502 grams.)
• Both Methods 4. Let the dough rise. Using an oiled spatula or dough scraper, scrape the dough into a 4-cup glass measuring cup or 1-quart food storage container, lightly greased with cooking spray or oil. Press down the dough so you can get an accurate measure, and lightly spray or oil the top. It will come to 2 cups. Cover the measuring cup with plastic wrap; or cover the container with a lid and, with a piece of tape, mark the side of the container at approximately where double the height of the dough would be. Allow the dough to rise (ideally at 75°to 80°F) for 1 hour. It will only have risen a little.
• Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured counter. Gently push it down to deflate it, and stretch it into a rectangle (the exact size is not important). Give it 2 business letter turns. It will be soft and stretchy but a little firmer after each turn. Return the dough to the greased container and lightly spray or oil the top. Cover the container with a lid or plastic wrap and allow it to rise for another hour.
• Stretch the dough again, give it 2 business letter turns, and return it to the container. Grease the top, cover, and allow it to rise until doubled, to 4 cups (1 quart), 4 to 5 hours.
• 5. Shape the dough and let it rise. Without deflating it, turn the dough out onto a floured counter and round it into a ball (see page 65). Set it in a floured banneton or a colander lined with a floured towel, seam side up. Pinch together the seam if it starts to pull apart. In the banneton, the dough will be about 2 inches from the top.
• Spray the dough with oil or sprinkle lightly with flour and cover it with a large container or plastic wrap. Let the dough rise ideally at (75deg;to 80°F.) until almost doubled, 3 to 4 hours. When it is pressed gently with a fingertip, the depression will very slowly fill in. In the banneton, the center of the dough will be 3/4 to 1 inch from the top.
• 6. Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 475°F 1 hour before baking. Have an oven shelf at the lowest level and place an oven stone or baking sheet on it, and a cast-iron skillet or sheet pan on the floor of the oven, before preheating.
• 7. Slash and bake the dough. Very gently invert the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. (If you are using a colander and the risen bread is more than 1 inch below the top, you will need to support the bread when inverting it so that it doesn't fall and deflate. Cut a cardboard circle small enough to fit into the colander and touch the surface of the bread. Place a piece of parchment on top of the bread, place the cardboard on top, and invert it onto the cardboard. Then slide the bread, still on the parchment, onto the baking sheet.) For a more evenly rounded bread, it's fine to leave the dough unslashed. If you like the rustic appearance of a slashed top crust, with sharp scissors, sharp knife, or a single-edged razor blade, slash a 1/4-inch-deep cross in the dough. Because the skin of the dough is very dry, it will be difficult to slash; use a gentle hand so as not to deflate the dough.
• Quickly but gently set the baking sheet on the hot baking stone or hot baking sheet. Toss 1/2 cup of ice cubes into the pan beneath and immediately shut the door. Bake for 5 minutes. Lower the oven to 450°F and continue baking for 10 minutes. With a heavy pancake turner, lift the bread from the pan and set it directly on the stone, turning it around as you do so for even baking. Continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes or until the crust is deeply burnished and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean (an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center will read about 212°F). For a very crisp crust, prop the open door slightly ajar for the last 5 minutes of baking.
• 8. Cool the bread. Remove the bread from the oven, and transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.
• VARIATIONS
• Quicker Sourdough Bread (with added commercial yeast) If your schedule requires speeding up the process (by about 25 percent), or if you feel more secure with the added reliability of commercial yeast, you can add up to 0.06 percent of the total weight of the flour in this recipe (including the flour contained in the starter). The total weight is 300 grams; 0.06 percent of 300 grams is about 0.2 gram or about 1/16 teaspoon instant yeast. This should be added after the autolyse (the 20-minute rest before the final mixing). At this low a percentage, it will not affect the acidity or flavor of the sourdough, but if it were added at the beginning, the commercial yeast would likely be killed by the acidity of the sourdough starter.
• Basic Sourdough Bread with Extra Flavor and Keeping Quality If desired, you can replace 2 tablespoons (0.7 ounce/20 grams) of the bread flour with an equal measure or weight of whole wheat, kamut, or rye flour. (This is 6.5 percent of the total amount of flour in the recipe.)
• French Country Boule Reduce the bread flour in the dough to 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (4.5 ounces/130 grams) and add 1/3 cup (1.5 ounces/40 grams) medium rye flour and 3 tablespoons (1 ounce/30 grams) whole wheat flour. Also add 1 tablespoon of water.
• ALTERING THE PERCENTAGE OF STARTER
• In a very cold room, when yeast will take a long time to ferment, or a very warm one, when yeast will take a shorter time to ferment, you may want to adjust the amount of sourdough starter used in the dough.
• To reduce the amount of stiff sourdough starter from 30 percent to 20 percent: Reduce the starter to a rounded 1/3 cup (3.5 ounces/100 grams). To the rest of the dough, add 1 full tablespoon (about 1 ounce/16.6 grams) water and 3 1/2 tablespoons (1 full ounce/33.3 grams) flour.
• To increase the amount of stiff sourdough starter from 30 percent to 40 percent: Increase the starter to a full 3/4 cup (7 ounces/200 grams). From the rest of the dough, subtract 1 full tablespoon (about 1 ounce/16.6 grams) water and 3 1/2 tablespoons (1 full ounce/33.3 grams) flour.
• POINTERS FOR SUCCESS
• • If you need more starter-to make 2 loaves at once, for ­example-in Step 2, rather than discarding half, use the full 100 grams and increase it to 400 grams.
• THE DOUGH PERCENTAGE
• Flour: 100% Water: 68% Dough Starter: 30% Salt: 2%

SOURDOUGH BREAD: A BEGINNER'S GUIDE

Steps:

• Whisk the starter, water, and olive oil in a large bowl. Add the flour and salt. Squish everything together with your hands until all of the flour is absorbed. The dough will be dry and shaggy. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, reusable wrap or a clean, very damp kitchen towel. Let rest (autolyse) for 30 minutes or up to 1 hour, if preferred.
• After the dough has rested, work the dough in the bowl into a rough ball, about 15 seconds.
• Now the dough needs to 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 depending on the temperature of your ingredients, the potency of your starter and surrounding environment. For example, in the summer rise times can take anywhere between 2-4 hours @ 85º F/ 29º C whereas in the winter, the dough will take about 10-12 hours @ 68º F/ 20º C.
• During bulk rise, you have the option to perform a series of 'stretch & folds' to strengthen the dough. Start 30 minutes into the bulk rise. Gather a portion of the dough, stretch it upwards and then fold it over itself. Rotate the bowl ¼ turn and repeat this process until you have come full circle to complete 1 set. Do this once or twice spaced about an hour apart. Although this step is not mandatory, it will increase the total volume and height of your bread. Click here for a step-by-step video tutorial.
• Divide your work surface in half; lightly flour one side (for cutting) and leave the other half clean (for shaping).
• Remove the dough from the bowl, and place onto the floured section so that it does not stick. You do not need to 'punch down' the dough; it will gently deflate as you fold and shape it.
• Cut the dough in half to make 2 loaves, or leave it whole for a single loaf.
• To shape, use a bench scraper to move your dough to the non-floured section (if there is any flour present, it will be difficult to shape- brush away any excess). Starting at the top, fold the dough over toward the center. Give it a slight turn, and then fold over the next section of dough. Repeat until you have come full circle.
• Then flip the dough over and place it seam side down. Using your hands, gently cup the sides of the dough and rotate it, using quarter turns in a circular motion. You can also pull it towards you to even out the shape. Repeat this process until you are happy with its appearance. *See note below.
• Now the dough needs to rise again, but for a shorter period of time.
• Coat the bottom of your Dutch oven with cornmeal. Alternatively, use parchment paper to prevent sticking (this is what I do, now). Place the dough inside for a second shorter rise, about 30 minutes to 1 hour and cover with the lid of the pot or a very damp cloth. The dough ready when it is slightly puffy but not double in size.
• Preheat your oven to 450º F/ 232º C towards the tail end of the second rise.
• Right before your bread goes into the oven, make a shallow slash about 2-3 inches long (or more) in the center of the dough. Use a bread lame, sharp pairing or a small serrated steak knife. The cut should be about 1/4-inch deep.
• Place the bread into the oven on the center rack (lid on) and reduce the temperature to 400 F. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the lid, and continue to bake (uncovered) for an additional 40 minutes or until deep, golden brown. Keep in mind that all ovens are different; you might have to make minimal adjustments to these temperatures.
• You can also take the internal temperature of your bread to double check that it is done. For sourdough, it should read about 205-210º F/ 96-98º C.
• Remove the bread from the oven, and cool on a wire rack for at least an hour before slicing. Don't cut too soon or else the inside will have a gummy texture!

BASIC SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• Feed your starter 12-24 hours before beginning.

BASIC ARTISAN SOURDOUGH BREAD RECIPE

Steps:

• Two nights before bakingFeed mature sourdough starter using the levain formula above.
• The night before baking, around 6:00PMMix all of the ingredients in a large bowl, cover with a plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Thirty minutes to one hour later, around 7:00PMPerform a set of stretch and folds. Cover and let rest.
• Around 7:45PM and 8:30PMPerform two additional sets of stretch and folds. Cover and let rest.
• Around 10:00PMDepending on your ambient temperature, the dough should double in size by around 10:00PM. In my case, at around 66F - 67F ambient temperature the dough doubles in size in about 4 hours. If not, wait until it does, about an hour or so.Turn the dough over onto a flat, smooth surface. Divide into two equal pieces, pre-shape, flip and let rest for 20 minutes.
• Around 10:20PMFold the loaves one more time, pinch the seams (optional), dip into sesame seeds and place into 14" oval proofing baskets, seam side up. Cover with each with a piece of paper towel, then wrap with a piece of plastic wrap. Proof in a cool place (around 66F or lower) overnight.
• The morning of baking, around 7:00AMPlace the baking stone on the rack about 3 positions from the top. Place a kitchen towel in a bread pan, or a small cake pan, fill with hot tap water and place on a rack below the baking stone, to the side of the stone. Preheat the oven to 500F.
• Around 7:45AM - 8:00AMPrepare two pieces of parchment paper slightly bigger than the proofing baskets. Turn the dough pieces onto parchment paper. Score with a serrated knife. Using a pizza shovel, transfer the dough into the preheated oven. Using a water spray, spray some water on the sides of the oven to create some extra steam, and quickly close the oven door. Drop the temperature to 475F and set the time to 20 minutes.
• 20 minutes laterRemove the bread pan with water from the oven. Drop the temperature to 450F and continue baking the bread for an additional 25 minutes.
• 25 minutes laterRemove bread from the oven and set on a cooling rack to cool down for an hour. Then slice and enjoy.

SIMPLE SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• Add all ingredients together in the bowl of a stand mixer with dough hook.
• Turn the mixer on 1-2 (never higher than 2 or medium-low) and let the mixer knead the dough for about 5 minutes. The dough will be sticky and doesn't quite form a ball. (If making by hand, knead for about 10 minutes.)
• Turn off the mixer and scrape the dough into a medium bowl that has been lightly coated with oil. Cover with plastic and set aside for about 3 hours while the dough rises.
• After 3 hours, turn the dough and gently start folding up the sides. Grab the dough at the side of the bowl and lift up and towards the center of the bowl. Press down, turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat this several times.
• Cover again and let it rise for an additional 2-3 hours. (This will depend on the temperature of your home. A warmer kitchen will need less time.)
• After the 2 hours, lightly dust your countertop with flour. Press the dough down with your fingers then start pulling up the sides and pressing into the center. You may need to add more flour as this can be a loose dough. Keep pulling up the sides and pressing into the center then flip the dough over. The top should be smooth. Dust with more flour and set the dough onto a piece of parchment paper. Score the dough with a knife.
• Place a Dutch oven (make sure you have a lid) into a cold oven and heat to 450°F. Once heated, carefully remove the hot Dutch oven from the oven. Remove the lid and set it somewhere heat resistant. (I set the lid on my stove.) Pick up the parchment paper with both hands and place inside the Dutch oven. Carefully replace the lid.
• Place into 450°F oven and bake for 15 minutes.
• After 15 minutes, carefully remove the lid and bake an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the top is nicely golden brown (don't worry if it is darker brown, you just don't want it burnt) and when you tap on the top the bread sounds hollow.
• Set Dutch oven to the side and leave the bread alone for about 15-20 minutes.

BASIC BUT BEAUTIFUL SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• Pour the sponge in a bowl and add the sugar, salt and oil or margarine.
• Mix well and then knead in the flour a half-cup at a time.
• Knead in enough flour to make a good, flexible bread dough- you may use slightly more or less than the three cups indicated, depending on how runny your starter is.
• Just keep adding until it looks like any other bread dough.
• You can add the flour by hand, with an electric mixer, a bread machine on dough cycle or a food processor.
• Find a warm place and let the dough rise, covered loosely by a towel (I use my airing cupboard but a slightly warm oven works well too-- don't keep it on, just turn it on for a moment to warm it up before turning it off and putting the dough in).
• If you're using a bread machine's dough cycle, let it rise in the machine.
• Note that sourdough rises more slowly than yeast bread.
• Just let it keep going until it's doubled in bulk.
• Punch the dough down and knead it a little more.
• Make a loaf and place it on a lightly greased baking sheet.
• Slit the top if you like, and cover the loaf with a paper towel and place it in a warm place to rise again, until doubled in bulk.
• Place the pan with the loaf in your oven, and then turn your oven to 350 F or 190 C and bake the bread for 30-45 minutes.
• Do not preheat the oven.
• The loaf is done when the crust is brown and the bottom sounds hollow when thumped with a wooden spoon.
• Turn the loaf out onto a cooling rack or a towel and let it cool for an hour before slicing.

KETH'S BASIC SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• Sponge: Mix together the starter, the water, and 1 1/2 cups flour in a reasonably sized bowl. A slightly bigger bowl is always better. After all, this sponge is supposed to rise, and much as you want it to rise well, you don't want it to rise out of the bowl! (This is also something to watch out for when you feed your sourdough starter.)
• Cover the bowl with a damp cloth. If the cloth is dry, then the top of the sponge will dry out slightly as it ferments. Let it sit until foamy. The time of this is bound to vary considerably, depending on the starter. With my starter, it usually takes about 15 hours to get it really foamy. However long it takes, don't let it sit for too long. Too many cookbooks say to let it sit for a time that's too long, and by then the yeast's activity is way down, and the lactobacilli damage the gluten. If that happens, the bread almost certainly won't rise, at least not as much.
• Dough: Add the salt and the rest of the flour. Knead well. In the middle of kneading, wash out the bowl. This gives the gluten in the dough a chance to relax, and will make kneading it easier. Let rise in a greased bowl, covered by a damp dishtowel. When it's finished rising, punch it down. How long it takes for the dough to rise depends on your sourdough starter. Test the dough to see if it's done by prodding it with a finger. If your finger hardly dents it, it isn't done. If it leaves a depression that doesn't start filling in, the dough is ready for the next step.
• Lightly grease a baking sheet, or sprinkle it with cornmeal. (I prefer the texture of the bottom crust with the cornmeal. Also, the baking sheet is much easier to clean.) Shape, place on the baking sheet, and let rise again, still covered. Just before putting it in the oven, slash the top of the loaf with a sharp knife. This is more than just decorative; it allows the bread to rise better. If you don't slash it, the upper crust could lift off the bread (called a "flying crust"). (It does take some practice to slash the bread well.)
• Bake in a 425 degree F oven for 25 minutes. Let cool on a rack before cutting, or the bread won't be fully cooked inside.
• Variations:.
• Egg-Onion Sourdough: Before you add the salt to the sponge, mix in 2 eggs and 4 tbs. dried minced onion. This recipe produces a much larger loaf than the basic one, so you may want to divide it into two loaves.
• Oatmeal Sourdough: Replace the water you add to the sponge with 3/4 cups rolled oats cooked in 1 cup water. The oats don't make the loaf heavier than usual. This bread has an interesting taste, but it doesn't have a strong oatmeal flavor. The crust is wonderful, dark and crisp. The oats aren't very visible in the final product.
• Cheese-Pepper Sourdough: Add two oz. shredded gruyere and ½ teaspoons ground black pepper to the dough, just before you add the salt. (I've always used processed gruyere. Unprocessed would work too, but it might not blend into the bread's crumb as well. The crust is the best part, so this recipe would be very good as breadsticks.) I bet cheddar or parmesan would be good, too.

EASY SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• To make your starter, place all the ingredients in a bowl and add 250ml cold water. Mix together thoroughly with a spoon until you have a spongy mixture, then cover with cling film and leave at room temperature at least overnight, but up to 24 hrs if you have time.
• To make the bread dough, tip the ingredients into a clean bowl and add 1 tbsp fine salt, 200ml cold water and your starter. Bring all the ingredients together to a dough, adding a splash more water if too stiff, then tip out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for at least 10 mins until smooth, elastic and springy (this will take 5-7 mins in a mixer with a dough hook). Place the dough in a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover with cling film and leave until doubled in size - about 1 hr at room temperature, 3 hrs in the fridge (see tips, below).
• Tip the dough onto a floured surface and gently shape into a round - you don't want to knock too much air out of the dough. Dust a piece of baking parchment heavily with flour and sit the dough on top. Cover with a tea towel and leave to prove for 1 hr until doubled in size.
• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Place a sturdy flat baking tray on the middle shelf of the oven and a smaller tray with sides underneath. Dust the dough with flour and slash with a utility knife. Slide the bread onto the hot tray on top and throw a few ice cubes (or pour some cold water) onto the tray below - this creates a burst of steam, which helps the bread form a nice crust. Bake for 25-30 mins until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Leave the bread to cool completely.

HOW TO MAKE SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• First, make your starter. In a large bowl, mix together 100g of the flour with 125ml slightly warm water. Whisk together until smooth and lump-free.
• Transfer the starter to a large jar (a 1-litre Kilner jar is good) or a plastic container. Leave the jar or container lid ajar for 1 hr or so in a warm place (around 25C is ideal), then seal and set aside for 24 hrs.
• For the next 6 days, you will need to 'feed' the starter. Each day, tip away half of the original starter, add an extra 100g of flour and 125ml slightly warm water, and stir well. Try to do this at the same time every day.
• After 3-4 days you should start to see bubbles appearing on the surface, and it will smell yeasty and a little acidic. This is a good indicator that the starter is working.
• On day 7, the starter should be quite bubbly and smell much sweeter. It is now ready to be used in baking.
• Tip the flour, 225ml warm water, the salt, honey and the starter into a bowl, or a mixer fitted with a dough hook. Stir with a wooden spoon, or on a slow setting in the machine, until combined - add extra flour if it's too sticky or a little extra warm water if it's too dry.
• Tip onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 mins until soft and elastic - you should be able to stretch it without it tearing. If you're using a mixer, turn up the speed a little and mix for 5 mins.
• Place the dough in a large, well-oiled bowl and cover. Leave in a warm place to rise for 3 hrs. You may not see much movement, but don't be disheartened, as sourdough takes much longer to rise than a conventional yeasted bread.
• Line a medium-sized bowl with a clean tea towel and flour it really well or, if you have a proving basket, you can use this (see tips below). Tip the dough back onto your work surface and knead briefly to knock out any air bubbles. Shape the dough into a smooth ball and dust it with flour.
• Place the dough, seam-side up, in the bowl or proving basket, cover loosely and leave at room temperature until roughly doubled in size. The time it takes for your bread to rise will vary depending on the strength of your starter and the temperature in the room, anywhere from 4-8 hrs. The best indicators are your eyes, so don't worry too much about timings here. You can also prove your bread overnight in the fridge. Remove it in the morning and let it continue rising for another hour or 2 at room temperature. The slower the rise, the deeper the flavour you will achieve.
• Place a large baking tray in the oven, and heat to 230C/210C fan/gas 8. Fill a small roasting tin with a little water and place this in the bottom of the oven to create steam. Remove the baking tray from the oven, sprinkle with flour, then carefully tip the risen dough onto the tray.
• Slash the top a few times with a sharp knife, if you like, then bake for 35-40 mins until golden brown. It will sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Leave to cool on a wire rack for 20 mins before serving.

BASIC SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• Add all ingredients to bread machine pan in the order specified by your directions. Set to white bread cycle.
• Cooking time depends on your machine, my machine is 4 hours.

A BEGINNER'S BASIC SOURDOUGH STARTER USING YEAST

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In a medium bowl, add the warm water and yeast. Mix until the yeast is dissolved.
• Stir in the flour and mix until smooth.
• Transfer the starter into a container at least 4 times larger than the liquid starter (such as a 1/2-gallon ice cream container or Mason jar). This will allow room for the starter to expand.
• Cover the container with a cloth napkin or kitchen towel and hold it in place with a rubber band.
• Set the starter in a warm spot for five days, stirring once a day. Feed the starter daily or weekly according to the directions provided in the How To Feed Your Starter box below.
• Properly cared for, your starter should be ready to use in five days. Read more about How to Store Your Starter in the box below.