I've been learning over the past few months how to bake Sourdough bread. It's not particularly difficult but it's incredibly nuanced and it is much more about your dough technique than about the recipe.
My goal with this page is to present the information you need if you want to bake sourdough in a way that's not so difficult to absorb and doesn't give you massive TLDR. Videos to come. In the mean time here's a cartoon I just whipped up to demonstrate the basic procedure:
Recipe
150 g fed/active starter
250 g water
25 g olive oil
500 g bread flour
Wait 30 minutes
10 g sea salt (regular iodized salt is probably ok, but some people say that the iodized part interferes with rise)
Wait 30 minutes
10 g sea salt (regular iodized salt is probably ok, but some people say that the iodized part interferes with rise)
Method
Mix first four ingredients together into a "shaggy mass" basically combine all the wet and dry stuff - it's not a pretty ball of dough. It's crumbly and shaggy.
Mix first four ingredients together into a "shaggy mass" basically combine all the wet and dry stuff - it's not a pretty ball of dough. It's crumbly and shaggy.
Let rest covered for 30 minutes (this is known as autloyse)
Add sea salt. You can just mix in the salt, knead in or whatever. However I start stretching and folding at this point. Stretch and fold until salt is well incorporated.
Then every half hour to an hour you can stretch and fold again.
After bulk fermentation, carefully remove the bread from your bowl. I sprinkle a little flour on the top surface (the one that was on the bottom of the bowl) and place it down onto my work surface. Then stretch and fold a little more to really tighten up that floured surface. If you are making multiple loaves, this is the point at which you would divide the dough and then tighten up the top of each individually. Once I've stretched and folded, I flip the ball over and use the cupping, rounding motion to really get that ball shape. When I'm satisfied that the top if nice and tight and the ball shape looks good I put it back into the bowl top down. FLOUR the bowl thoroughly first! I have made this mistake and it sticks when you pull it out.
When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 515 and prep your pans. I like to use the dutch oven. You can also use any old baking sheet with either a glass or metal thing to flip over on top. Use a large bowl or those foil trays, whatever you have. You can bake without something on the top, but the results are better with it. Sprinkle cornmeal or flour on the baking surface to prevent sticking or grease the pan. Carefully invert your bowl, shape up the edges if you need to, trying not to disturb the trapped air bubbles. Place the dough ball on your baking surface and score the top (I have a cheap razor blade -the hardware store type - that's dedicated for this purpose). Have fun with the scoring. I keep trying different fun designs. The main idea is that the scoring gives the bread a place to expand in the UP direction. Without it you run the risk of a side blow out. Place your chosen lid/top thing over the bread without touching it and carefully slide the whole apparatus into the heated oven. Yes this sometimes feels like a juggling act.
Turn the temp immediately down to 440 and bake covered for 20 minutes. Uncover the bread and continue baking at 430 for another 20-40 minutes to desired crust color (from golden to char brown). Pull the bread out and let cool before slicing (if you can wait that long! good luck!).
Sourdough Basics
Sourdough in french = pain au levain
Sourdough starter = levain
Sourdough has very few and very simple ingredients. Water, flour, oil, salt and of course - yeast. The difference between sourdough and other yeast breads is the source of yeast. In sourdough you use wild yeast that have been caught from the air and cultured (sourdough starter). They form a symbiotic relationship with lactobacilli (bacteria similar to what is needed for yogurt) which gives it the sour flavor. This bread requires the maintenance of a yeast culture (sourdough starter) to provide the rising agent.
To make bread you mix some starter with additional flour and water and wait for the yeast to feed on the sugars in the flour and cause rising. Because you are using wild yeast, they take a bit longer than commercial yeast to rise.
The rising process is temperature sensitive. If you over rise the dough, you exhaust the yeast and there's nothing left when it goes into the oven. That yields pancake bread (unless you bake in a bread pan where the sides keep it moving up). I did that at first because everyone said "Be patient with sourdough. It takes longer". I was being too patient! I found a great chart online that tells you, based on what temp it is in your house, how long each step takes. Now I make great bread. :)
During the first half of rising (bulk fermentation) I find it helpful to stretch and fold my bread every half hour to hour. The rest periods in between allow rise and gluten formation to occur. The stretch and fold action is orienting the gluten strands and creating a taut top to the bread dough.
There's also technique in shaping. The ingredients are so simple, but learning how to handle and shape the bread is a knack! There are a LOT of great videos on youtube for this. :) You just need to know what shape of bread you want to make. Boule (round), Batard (football shaped), Baguette (cylindrical) are the most common. As you might expect from the french, there are standard scoring patterns for the top of each too! I like making Boules and Baguettes. I think learning to make Boules is the easiest to start with and requires the least extra equipment. No matter how many videos you watch, it just takes practice! My process is slightly different than this video but it gives some good idea of what it's like.
The rising process is temperature sensitive. If you over rise the dough, you exhaust the yeast and there's nothing left when it goes into the oven. That yields pancake bread (unless you bake in a bread pan where the sides keep it moving up). I did that at first because everyone said "Be patient with sourdough. It takes longer". I was being too patient! I found a great chart online that tells you, based on what temp it is in your house, how long each step takes. Now I make great bread. :)
During the first half of rising (bulk fermentation) I find it helpful to stretch and fold my bread every half hour to hour. The rest periods in between allow rise and gluten formation to occur. The stretch and fold action is orienting the gluten strands and creating a taut top to the bread dough.
There's also technique in shaping. The ingredients are so simple, but learning how to handle and shape the bread is a knack! There are a LOT of great videos on youtube for this. :) You just need to know what shape of bread you want to make. Boule (round), Batard (football shaped), Baguette (cylindrical) are the most common. As you might expect from the french, there are standard scoring patterns for the top of each too! I like making Boules and Baguettes. I think learning to make Boules is the easiest to start with and requires the least extra equipment. No matter how many videos you watch, it just takes practice! My process is slightly different than this video but it gives some good idea of what it's like.
There are so many ways to bake sourdough. The coworker that gave me starter likes his bread with a more closed crumb (think sandwich bread). He bakes it in bread pans to give it a more square shape and isn't so fussy with timing and stretch and fold and things like that. It's all personal preference. I bake the bread I like to eat which is a little more time consuming but it's worth it to me.
After shaping, proof the dough in either a well floured bowl, banneton, or dutch oven. In a bowl, I usually proof top down. In the banneton or dutch oven I liberally apply cornmeal and proof top up. Top up or down only really makes a difference in the crust. The two loaves pictured below have well floured tops because they were proofed top down in a heavily floured bowl/banneton. The loaf pictured in the upper right at the top of this page has a shinier/glossier crust because it was proofed top up in my banneton. I choose to make a lower hydration bread because I think it's easier to start with and I've only been sourdough baking for several months. I also have stuck with this recipe because I know I need to keep using the same recipe until I "get it".
Sourdough bakes long and hot. I prefer to bake the bread covered for the first 20 minutes because I think the texture of the bread is different (better!). I pre-heat my oven to 515. Place my bread in the dutch oven for boules or on the stone/pan with a lid for the baguettes. Score and bake 20 minutes at 440, then reduce temp to 430 and bake an additional 20-30. How long you bake depends on how you like your crust. A lighter crust is thinner and more tender. A darker crust is thicker and harder. It's all about personal preference.
Maintaining Starter
The easiest way to get started is to acquire some starter from someone else. You could make your own starter, but it takes at least a week and requires more feedings - ie a lot of work. I'd be happy to share some of my starter if you finish reading this and are still interested. ;)
Speaking of feedings - I find it helpful to think of my sourdough starter as a yeast culture (think science). When I think of it this way, I bear in mind that cultures are affected by the amount (and type!) of food in their environment and by temperature. These organisms metabolize food quicker at warmer temps and slower at lower temps. Also the type of nutrients available in the culture can affect the type of things and the ratio of bacilli and yeast. Most people say that wheat or rye flour give the starter a more sour flavor and also a more robust rise. Wheat flour has a lot of nutrients that white/bread flour just doesn't have. Timing of nutrients is also important. At warm temps when the yeast/bacilli are metabolizing food fast, you must feed more often than if you store it in the fridge.
Feeding: Remove lid, dump all but about 1/4 C of starter down the drain, add back in equal parts wheat flour and warm water. Mix well. Replace lid. (Helpful Hint: Rinse your spoon and sink down while everything is still liquid.)
Generally when I have my starter on the counter I feed twice per day, once in the morning and once in the evening. I also leave the lid touching but not completely sealed. I want the yeast to have access to air, but without holes big enough for bugs to get in.
When you pull the starter out of the fridge (if that's your thing) feed it and give it 8-12 hours before using it in a recipe. When you're ready to return it to the fridge, feed, wait a couple of hours and then refrigerate it. I have the lid down tight in the fridge.
If you forget a feeding... don't despair! I have done it. So has everyone else I'm sure!! Just feed as normal and wait for another 8-12 hours. When it's bubbly and active it's ready for use!
Feeding: Remove lid, dump all but about 1/4 C of starter down the drain, add back in equal parts wheat flour and warm water. Mix well. Replace lid. (Helpful Hint: Rinse your spoon and sink down while everything is still liquid.)
Generally when I have my starter on the counter I feed twice per day, once in the morning and once in the evening. I also leave the lid touching but not completely sealed. I want the yeast to have access to air, but without holes big enough for bugs to get in.
When you pull the starter out of the fridge (if that's your thing) feed it and give it 8-12 hours before using it in a recipe. When you're ready to return it to the fridge, feed, wait a couple of hours and then refrigerate it. I have the lid down tight in the fridge.
If you forget a feeding... don't despair! I have done it. So has everyone else I'm sure!! Just feed as normal and wait for another 8-12 hours. When it's bubbly and active it's ready for use!
Glossary/Overview
Starter Mix of flour and water with wild yeast and bacilli, since it is a live culture it must be maintained
Rising - Bulk Fermentation - Proofing As the yeast metabolize the nutrients in the flour, they give off CO2 which creates gas bubbles and the airy, lofty texture of bread. In Sourdough the rising that takes place prior to shaping the loaves is referred to as Bulk Fermentation and after shaping loaves is referred to as Proofing.
Autolyse The 30 minute period after you mix the starter, flour, and water together.
Shaggy Mass A descriptive term for what the dough looks like immediately after it's mixed up. It will smooth out I swear!
Stretch and Fold The process of stretching one side of the bread and pulling it to the other side. It is useful to orient the gluten fibers and to create a nice taut top for the bread.
Scoring Immediately before baking, you use a knife or razor blade to score the top of the bread. It allows the bread to expand in a known direction (ie. up) instead of a side blowout.
Feeding Adding flour (usually wheat or rye) and water in (usually) equal proportions to your starter.
Banneton Wicker basket used in traditional bread making. They come in a variety of shapes but I find them essential for oblong loaves (baguettes). I bought mine from Amazon.
Hydration The ratio of water to flour in the recipe. Wetter doughs are harder for beginners, IMO, and don't hold their shape as well, but are capable of more oven spring.
Oven Spring The amount the dough rises during baking. Good oven spring means that it has a lot of rise in the oven.
Dutch Oven A typically cast iron or enamel pot that is about 8 inches deep 14 inches across and has a lid. They also usually have a bucket type handle.
My Routine
The starter has been in the fridge all week.
Saturday morning - Remove from fridge and Feed
Saturday evening - Stir down the starter, use a food scale to weigh out the starter, water, oil, and flour and mix the ingredients together. I feed my starter again, wait a few hours and put it back in the fridge (assuming I won't use it again till next weekend.) I wait half an hour on the bread, add salt, stretch and fold every half hour to hour until bed time. I cover it, put it in the fridge and leave it overnight.
Sunday morning - I remove the dough from the fridge, shape the loaves, rise them and bake. We often eat one loaf that day and I save the other in a ziploc in the fridge and eat it during the week.
It's a fairly labor intensive process - this isn't the bread I can bake during the week. But on the weekend when I'm home it's fine. It's like laundry. A few minutes of work with waiting in between.
Starter Mix of flour and water with wild yeast and bacilli, since it is a live culture it must be maintained
Rising - Bulk Fermentation - Proofing As the yeast metabolize the nutrients in the flour, they give off CO2 which creates gas bubbles and the airy, lofty texture of bread. In Sourdough the rising that takes place prior to shaping the loaves is referred to as Bulk Fermentation and after shaping loaves is referred to as Proofing.
Autolyse The 30 minute period after you mix the starter, flour, and water together.
Shaggy Mass A descriptive term for what the dough looks like immediately after it's mixed up. It will smooth out I swear!
Stretch and Fold The process of stretching one side of the bread and pulling it to the other side. It is useful to orient the gluten fibers and to create a nice taut top for the bread.
Scoring Immediately before baking, you use a knife or razor blade to score the top of the bread. It allows the bread to expand in a known direction (ie. up) instead of a side blowout.
Feeding Adding flour (usually wheat or rye) and water in (usually) equal proportions to your starter.
Banneton Wicker basket used in traditional bread making. They come in a variety of shapes but I find them essential for oblong loaves (baguettes). I bought mine from Amazon.
Hydration The ratio of water to flour in the recipe. Wetter doughs are harder for beginners, IMO, and don't hold their shape as well, but are capable of more oven spring.
Oven Spring The amount the dough rises during baking. Good oven spring means that it has a lot of rise in the oven.
Dutch Oven A typically cast iron or enamel pot that is about 8 inches deep 14 inches across and has a lid. They also usually have a bucket type handle.
My Routine
The starter has been in the fridge all week.
Saturday morning - Remove from fridge and Feed
Saturday evening - Stir down the starter, use a food scale to weigh out the starter, water, oil, and flour and mix the ingredients together. I feed my starter again, wait a few hours and put it back in the fridge (assuming I won't use it again till next weekend.) I wait half an hour on the bread, add salt, stretch and fold every half hour to hour until bed time. I cover it, put it in the fridge and leave it overnight.
Sunday morning - I remove the dough from the fridge, shape the loaves, rise them and bake. We often eat one loaf that day and I save the other in a ziploc in the fridge and eat it during the week.
It's a fairly labor intensive process - this isn't the bread I can bake during the week. But on the weekend when I'm home it's fine. It's like laundry. A few minutes of work with waiting in between.
None of it is that difficult or time consuming. It requires patience and some awesome bread skills! And being home to do something with it every hour or so.
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