Sourdough Bread Recipe Jamie Oliver Food

BASIC BREAD RECIPE

Steps:

• Stage 1: making a well Pile the flour on to a clean surface and make a large well in the centre. Pour half your water into the well, then add your yeast, sugar and salt and stir with a fork.
• Stage 2: getting it together Slowly, but confidently, bring in the flour from the inside of the well. (You don't want to break the walls of the well, or the water will go everywhere.) Continue to bring the flour in to the centre until you get a stodgy, porridgey consistency - then add the remaining water. Continue to mix until it's stodgy again, then you can be more aggressive, bringing in all the flour, making the mix less sticky. Flour your hands and pat and push the dough together with all the remaining flour. (Certain flours need a little more or less water, so feel free to adjust.)
• Stage 3: kneading! This is where you get stuck in. With a bit of elbow grease, simply push, fold, slap and roll the dough around, over and over, for 4 or 5 minutes until you have a silky and elastic dough.
• Stage 4: first prove Flour the top of your dough. Put it in a bowl, cover with cling film, and allow it to prove for about half an hour until doubled in size - ideally in a warm, moist, draught-free place. This will improve the flavour and texture of your dough and it's always exciting to know that the old yeast has kicked into action.
• Stage 5: second prove, flavouring and shaping Once the dough has doubled in size, knock the air out for 30 seconds by bashing it and squashing it. You can now shape it or flavour it as required - folded, filled, tray-baked, whatever - and leave it to prove for a second time for 30 minutes to an hour until it has doubled in size once more. This is the most important part, as the second prove will give it the air that finally ends up being cooked into your bread, giving you the really light, soft texture that we all love in fresh bread. So remember - don't fiddle with it, just let it do its thing.
• Stage 6: cooking your bread Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Very gently place your bread dough on to a flour-dusted baking tray and into the preheated oven. Don't slam the door or you'll lose the air that you need. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cooked and golden brown. You can tell if it's cooked by tapping its bottom - if it sounds hollow it's done, if it doesn't then pop it back in for a little longer. Once cooked, place on a rack and allow it to cool for at least 30 minutes - fandabidozi. Feel free to freeze any leftover bread.

WHITE SOURDOUGH

Steps:

• Make the levain the night before, just before going to bed. Combine the levain ingredients in a bowl with 80g of water and beat until smooth. Cover with clingfilm and leave overnight, at room temperature, until the mixture is bubbly.
• The next morning, combine the strong white flour and rye or spelt flour in a large bowl, and make a well in the centre. Add the levain and 300ml of cool water.
• Mix with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon for a couple of minutes until thoroughly combined and no lumps remain. Cover and set aside for 20 to 30 minutes to let the flour absorb the water and become hydrated.
• Grind 15g sea salt in a pestle and mortar and add to the dough. Using wet hands, mix to combine, then turn out onto a clean work surface and knead for 10 minutes using the 'slap and fold' technique: pick up the dough in both hands, flip it and slap it onto the work surface, letting the full weight of it drop - the dough will stick to the surface. Working quickly, pull and stretch the dough from the far end towards you, then fold it in half away from you. Pick up the dough again, turn it anti-clockwise, and repeat. Continue this action for 10 to 15 minutes - the dough will be silky smooth, elastic and no longer sticky. Do not be tempted to add more flour during the kneading process.
• With the help of the bench scraper, scoop the dough up and return it to the bowl, rounded-side-up. Cover loosely with clingfilm or a shower cap and leave at room temperature, in a draught-free spot, for about 1 hour, or until the dough looks smooth and airy but has not risen significantly.
• Lightly dust your hands and work surface with flour. Turn out the dough, gently press and stretch it into a rectangle three times as long as it is wide, about 12cm x 40cm.
• With a shorter side closest to you, fold the lower third into the middle, then fold the upper third over the top, giving you a triple-layered square of dough. Rotate it 90 degrees, stretch it out into a rectangle again and repeat the folding steps once more.
• Flip the square of dough over, place it back in the bowl and cover loosely with clingfilm or a shower cap. Leave to prove at room temperature for 4 hours.
• Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Pull the top edge into the centre, turn the dough a quarter of a turn and repeat - do this 5 or 6 times until it becomes smooth. Flip it over, cover with an upturned bowl and set aside for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Place the rice flour in a bowl with an extra tablespoon of strong flour. Line a banneton or proving basket with a clean linen towel and dust with the flour mixture - this ensures that the dough won't stick to the sides of the basket.
• Use the palms of your hands to shape the dough into a tight round, seam-side down. Twist the dough anti-clockwise, without lifting it or knocking out any air - you want to keep the ball neat and tight. Dust with flour and use the bench scraper to lift and turn it over.
• Place in the basket, seam-side-up, cover with a shower cap and leave to prove at room temperature for 4 hours, by which time it will have risen by nearly half again.
• Place the basket of dough in the fridge overnight to prove. The next morning, the dough should be almost to the top of the basket and, when pressed with the tip of your finger, will slowly bounce back, leaving a small indent.
• Preheat the oven to 240ºC/475ºF/gas 9 and place a cloche baking dome, Dutch oven or large, lidded cast-iron casserole dish inside. Leave the oven to heat up for 30 minutes or so.
• Remove the dough from the fridge, dust with semolina or polenta and carefully turn out the loaf into the cloche or casserole. Working quickly, use a lame to slash a pattern into the top of the loaf. Cover with the lid and bake for 40 minutes, then remove the cover, reduce the oven to 220ºC/425ºF/gas 7 and bake for another 20 minutes. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

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.

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.

SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• For the sourdough starter: In a 2-quart/litre jar, combine 2 cups flour (whole wheat or all-purpose) and 2 cups water. Stir to mix thoroughly. Cover the mouth of the jar with breathable fabric and secure with a rubber band. Set in a warm place to ferment. Feed the starter once a day until it begins bubbling (usually about 7-10 days). Each day add 1/4 cup flour and 2 tbsp water and stir well. Once the starter begins bubbling, it is ready to be primed for use in baking. To prime, add 1/4 cup flour and 2 tbsp water once every 8 hours for 24 hours, mixing well after each addition. For the sourdough loaf: In a large mixing bowl combine water and sourdough starter. Add flour, mix until the water is fully absorbed and a shaggy dough forms. Cover with a towel and leave to rest for 20 minutes. Sprinkle salt evenly on surface and knead dough for 5 -10 minutes or until a completely consistent dough is achieved. Cover with a damp dishtowel and let sit for 1 1/2 hours. Every 30 minutes, fold the dough into itself from all four corners. Keep the dough covered between foldings. Cover dough with a damp towel and let sit undisturbed for 6 to 8 hours or until it has doubled in size. Fold and shape dough into a ball, cover and then let rest for 20 minutes. (At this point, if using seeds or spices, spread them on a clean surface and roll dough over them to coat.) Shape again, tightly this time, and transfer, upside down, to a bowl coated with olive oil. Cover and allow to rest for 1 1/2 to 2 hours at room temperature. Preheat oven to 245°C/ 475°F. Transfer dough directly onto hot baking surface, score the top with a bread knife and bake for 10 minutes. Lower the heat to 204°C/400°F and bake for another 25 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to a cutting board or cooling rack. Allow to rest for 15 to 30 minutes before slicing.