⚠⚠ Caution! - Its very highly additctive - once you start making it, you cannot stop. You have been warned 😀!!!
Recpie and Steps first :) Pictures and story below
Ingredients:
- King Arthur bread flour - 500 gms
- Water - 356 gms
- Sourdough Starter - 150 gm
- Olive oil - 25 gm
- Salt - 10 gm
Steps:
- To Autolyse or Not? : I prefer Autolyse as it helps develop gluten way better and is less messy to get it in shape.
- Mix the bread flour with water
- beat it well with an electrix mixer with dough loop for 5 mins or so; the water should be incorporated into the flour and form a rough dough, with no flour left out.
- Keep it aside for 1 hr or atleast 30 mins.
- Add in rest of the ingredients and beat it well again. Once done with electric beater and ingreadient are mixed in, I like to do slap and fold technique (see from 5:41 onwards). I do slaps and folds, about 20 depending on how the dough feels - it should feel smooth and tight.
- Now rest the dough, covered for 30 mins, and do slap and fold again; Repeat this cycle a total of 3 times every30 mins.
- For those when I am adding inclusions, I do laminate , in the last step instead of slap and fold. So 3 slap and folds, rest for 30 mins each, and then instead of the 4th slap and fold, do laminate.
- Leave it for bulk fermentation.
- Shape the dough.
- Leave it in the fridge for cold proofing overnight. Make sure its covered.
- Next day, when you are ready, turn the dough on to a parchment paper
- Score the dough.
- Put a stand in the dutch oven - the instapot stands work perfect and place the scored dough with parchement paper, cover the lid
- I do cold baking - so into the oven, covered dutch oven with dough goes and then turn on the oven to 500 degree F.
- Bake covered for 25 mins.
- uncover the dutch oven
- Reduce the oven temp to 450 and bake for another 20.
- When the temp on thermometer inserted into the middle of sourdough shows 205-209 degree F, its ready. If you have inclusions, wait till 210 - 212 degree F
- Once ready, remove the sourdough from the dutch oven and let it cool down on a wiring rack for atleast an hour before slicing.
- I like using glass bowl
- Use paper towel, wet and a lid to cover the bowl. Sourdough likes wet conditions.
- Line the baneton, and in my case a regular plastic bowl or small chinese wok with cloth, sprinkle with rice flour to make sure the dough doesnt stick to the bowl while cold proofing
- If you dont want to use dutch oven, use regular cake pan isntead- make sure to cover with another cake pan of same size to trap in the steam.
Story
I think almost a decade ago, I was thinking of getting into sourdough bread making, when our close friends, Anitha and Harish, gave a bread machine as a gift; only to realise that sourdough is a whole different game.
The thought process occured again and this time, when my good friend at Datavant, Anajana said it was her hobby and would send me her starter in dried form. I didnt wait for it, instead got on to the task of making the starter myself, I have the bug to do things from scratch. So, following a recipe patiently this time, got me a starter with a wonderful fruity smell.
Then after multiple level of experimentations, now I am at 80% hydration and looks like I got to a level where I like it. I love the holes formed in the bread.
Explored making multiple inclusions, like onion and jalapeno - Sawala Vada style for us Kerala folks, Strawberry and Chocolate - kiddos love this, Cranberry and Orange zest - tastes yummy, Jalapeno and Cheese, Raisins and cinnamon and Tiramisu. Will add in the recipes later.
