Feed the Sourdough Starter
Variant | starter | water | flour | Storage and Use Notes |
Feasting at Home | 125g | 100g | 100g | |
Barbara | 200g | 100g | 100g | As this starter has a higher proportion of water to flour than a standard dough, it is a bit easier to mix and manage. When using it either
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Artisan | 100g | 100g | 150g | |
Judy | 150g | 60g | 90g |
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The flour can be a 50:50 mix of white and wholemeal, or contain a portion of rye etc.
I find it easiest to mix the water into the starter, then mix in the flour. Store in the refridgerator until it is required.
Before the starter can be fed again, or be used to make bread, it needs to have increased with bubbles to about twice the volume, then when it is "hungry" it will become more watery and start to collapse. The starters with more flour than water tend not to collpase so much as form a bit of a crust on top.
The time it takes for the starter to mature ready for use or feeding depends on the temperature of storage. At 20 degrees Celsius a freshly fed starter takes 8 to 9 hours to be ready for use.
Mix the Dough
Ingredient | Feasting at Home | Artisan | Judy |
Bread flour | 520g | 500g | 490g 12% protein flour plus 10g gluten flour |
Salt | 12g | 10g | 9g |
Water | 385g | 325g | 320g |
Starter | 90g | 125g | 140g |
Honey | - | 5g | 5g |
Method, Feasting at Home:
- Weigh out the flour in a large bowl, mix in the salt, and any spices or seeds to be added.
- Mix the starter and water in a small bowl, then pour it into the flour.
- Mix to incorporate all the flour, using a fork or a wooden spoon, to a thick, shaggy, heavy, sticky dough.
- Cover with a damp towel, and let rest for 15 minutes.
- With one wet hand, stretch and fold the dough from outside to the centre, a quarter turn of the bowl between each stretch and fold.
- Do this for about a minute until the dough gets firm and resists. This is developing the Gluten.
- Cover, rest for 15 minutes, then repeat the stretch and folds with a quarter turn in between each.
- Optional: repeat the rest 15 minutes and stretch and fold a couple more times if it is desired to build the gluten.
- Mix all ingredients for 2 minutes by hand or using a dough hook in a mixer on medium.
- Cover with a damp towel and leave for 10 minutes.
- Knead for 5 minutes by hand or in mixer with a hook.
- Place in an oiled container, seal and let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
- Take out and fold bread.
Proof the Dough
The dough can be covered and placed in the fridge to slow it down if it is very warm weather, or if you won't be ready to bake it in the time it will take to prove.
Feasting at Home | Artisan |
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel and leave at 20 degrees room temp for 8 to 12 hours. |
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The dough should expand to something approaching double in size, with a slight springy dome at the top.
A floured finger poked into the dough should indent it easily, and the dough should spring back to its original shape. If it feels firm or very hard to indent, let it rise longer. Over-proofed dough will be loose, runny, or indents too easily or doesn't spring back. Bake it anyway!
Ready the Dough, pre-Heat the Oven
Feasting at Home | Artisan |
Pre Heat the Oven to 260 degrees C for up to an hour, with the Dutch oven placed inside. If you don't have a dutch oven, try a pizza stone with a suitable large saucepan upturned on top as the lid, or currently I am using a very heavy based stainless steel roasting pan. | Preheat oven to 240C for 30 minutes. Place an empty pan at the bottom of the oven. |
While the oven is preheating:
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When I am using a shallow rectangular roasting pan as my dutch oven, I tend to make an oblong loaf. To shape it it goes into a rectangular basket lined with a fitted calico liner, dusted with rice flour. I invert that onto parchment paper and support that on a flat biscuit tray. The calico liner peels off the top of the loaf very nicely except if the loaf is over proofed, too moist, and the rice flour usage has been inadequate. I can slide the loaf on its parchment paper into the hot roasting pan.
When I am using a large and relatively deep pot as the dutch oven, it needs to be a round cob loaf which has to be lowered into the hot pot via the oversize parchment it is on.
Bake the Bread
Feasting at Home | Artisan |
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Cool down
Feasting at Home | Artisan |
Cool on a wire rack for at least an hour | Turn off oven and leave door ajar with bread inside for 15 minutes, then cool on a wire rack. |