All things sourdough…

CURRENT FAVORITE RECIPE:

This recipe is a combo of the one my friend Lys shared with me from Schoolhouse Sourdough and the recipe from Homegrown that my friend Ellie shared. It may take some time to find the recipe that works best for you since there are so many contributing factors. Give yourself grace with each bake & know that it will start to make more sense as you go. Happy baking & let me know if you have any questions!

Day #1:

1. Activate starter (if you have been storing it in the fridge). I typically like to feed my starter twice before creating the levain.

2. Make your levain. Combine 27 grams of active bubbly starter with 135 grams of bread flour and 135 grams of warm (around 80°) filtered water.

3. Feed your starter & store in the fridge until you are ready to bake next.

4. Keep your levain on the countertop overnight to activate.

Read more about sourdough starter & levain here.

Day #2:

Time to make our dough!

1. Combine 560 grams of filtered warm water (around 80°), all of your levain (should float), & 900 grams bread flour. Mix until there are no dry flour bits. You don’t have to worry about over mixing your dough at this point. Mixing may take around 10 minutes. I prefer mixing with my hands so I can feel if there are any dry bits.

2. Once your dough is mixed, cover with a damp kitchen towel and let sit for around 45 minutes up to an hour.

3. While dough is resting, mix 27 grams of course sea salt with 20 grams of filtered water. We will mix this in our dough during the first stretch & fold.

4. After your dough has rested for around 45 minutes, it’s time to begin the first stretch & fold. We will do 4 in total with 35 minutes of resting time between each round. Click here for a stretch & fold tutorial.

5. After you complete all 4 stretch & folds, you will let your dough bulk ferment for 5-10 hours depending on how much it rises during that time. Ideally, we want our dough to have risen 50% at the end of your bulk ferment.

6. Once bulk fermentation is complete, it is time to shape the dough.

7. With your bench knife, divide your dough into how many loaves you would like. I typically divide it in half for two loaves.

8. Shape each loaf. Let bench rest for 15 minutes & then do one final shape. If you are adding flavor to your loaf, you will add it in during your the shaping.

9. Place your shaped loaves into bowl/banneton seam side up. Place in fridge to cold proof for 8-32 hours.

Day #3:

Time to bake & enjoy!

1. Preheat your oven to 500° with your empty dutch oven inside.

2. While your oven is preheating, place loaf on parchment paper & score your loaf. Click here for inspo on how to score your bread.

3. Once your oven is preheated, lower the oven temp to 450°and place your loaf in the dutch oven and bake for 20 minutes with the lid on.

4. Remove dutch oven lid and bake for an addition 10-20 minutes depending on loaf size & preferences.

5. Once baking is finished, let your loaves cool for 2-4 hours.

6. Finally, it is time to enjoy! It certainly is a long journey but SO worth it. Happy baking!

BAKING SUPPLIES:

• Small jar for sourdough starter

• Medium jar for creating levain

• Active sourdough starter 

• Food scale

• Large bowl or kitchen bucket

• Bench knife

• Dutch or bread oven

• Flour sifter

• Banneton or medium size bowl(s)

• Parchment paper

• Razor blade or sharp knife for scoring

• Bread flour

• Coarse sea salt

• Filtered water

FLAVORED LOAF IDEAS:

• Roasted garlic & rosemary

• Jalapeño cheddar

• Cinnamon rasin

• Sun-died tomatoes & parmesan

• Pesto