my go-to sourdough formula
- Flour: 50% hi gluten bread flour, 40% T70 or T85 wheat, 10% whole wheat
- Water: 72-78%
- Starter: 19% @ 85% hydration
- Salt: 2.1%
"But Asher, I just want to make one dang loaf of bread"
... Gotchya fam:
- 380g bread flour + 35g whole wheat flour
- 300g water
- 80g ripe sourdough starter
- 10g salt
That there should give ya like 800g of dough- party on
The long & short:
- I don't autolyse unless I'm working with weaker flours or in warmer conditions/higher humidity. Or if I feel like it sometimes I feel like it. But most of the time I mix all but salt and rest for 90-120 minutes, then add salt and move on.
- I usually bulk for between 6 and 10 hours, or even do an overnight cold bulk stage after 5-6 hours at room temperature (as shown in the video). When I do this is governed more by my schedule than anything else.
- I scale & round -> shape -> directly into fridge -> baked directly from fridge
- I bake at 505º-515º F on a stone in a standard electric home oven. I cover the loaves with a steam table pan for 20 minutes then finish for 10-15 minutes on the oven rack above the stone. A dutch oven works too. Or a big covered roaster pan thing. Do you.
*times & temps & how to bake might change in your kitchen
NO NO NO TELL ME HOW!!
okay here's one way you can try BOOM:
- Add all the flour and 280g of the water (save 10g for later) to a large bowl or stand mixer
- Hand mix or machine mix on the lowest speed for about 2 minutes, until combined
- Cover and rest 45 minutes
- Add sourdough starter to the bowl and mix. If hand mixing, scoop your hand under the dough repeatedly, gently lifting it up, while slowly rotating the bowl for 3-5 minutes. If machine mixing, mix on lowest speed for 1.5-2 minutes, until combined
- Cover and rest 30 minutes
- Add salt and remaining 10g of water to bowl
- Repeat chosen mixing process from step 4 until combined. *At this point (if you like) you can transfer dough to a lightly oiled bin or bowl
- Cover and rest 30 minutes
- Wet your hands. Gently stretch the sides of the dough up and fold them over the top; imagine a compass and fold the North side over towards the South edge, then E over to W, S up to N, and W to E.
- Cover and rest 45 minutes
- Perform the “stretch and fold” process from step 9 three (3) times, resting 45 minutes after each time *Get ready to shape your dough! You’ll need your bench scraper, proofing basket, and flour to dust the basket & your work surface.
- Scoop the dough out of its container onto a clean surface. Using a bench scraper or your hands, gently work the edges of the dough in a circular motion, pushing in towards the center of the dough to round it; the side that faces up is now the “top” of your dough
- Let it rest for 30 minutes
- Lightly flour your work surface and using your bench scraper flip the dough over onto the floured surface so the top is now down
- Gently fold the 4 “sides” of the dough into each other, meeting in the middle, and press so they stick together
- Repeat with the 4 “corners”
- If forming a round loaf (boule): flip the dough over and push it around in a circle as in step 12, to create tension.
- If forming a long loaf (batard): Roll the dough up from the bottom, cinching it in on itself to create tension on the outside of the roll.
- Lightly flour your proofing basket and place the dough top down/seam side up in the basket
- If the dough is loose, pinch the edges of the dough in towards the center, overlapping/stitching them together so they stick
- Cover with a kitchen towel and place in the refrigerator for 12-16 hours (if your fridge is much cooler than 38° F or warmer than 42° F, the final proof could be longer or shorter, respectively; the dough should look slightly “full” of gasses, with a lightly rounded seam side and the sides pulling away/in from the sides of the basket)
*You can let the dough proof in the fridge for more than 16 hours to promote slightly tangier flavors.
BAKING IT
*Before baking the dough should look “full” of gasses, with a lightly rounded seam side, and the sides pulling away/in from the sides of the basket
- Preheat oven with dutch oven inside to 500° F°
- Pull dough from fridge, and dump out (seam side down now) onto a piece of parchment paper (paper should be large enough to pick up by edges to lift loaf into Dutch oven)
- Using a razor, sharp knife, or scissors: (for a boule) make 2 slashes in an X across the top of the loaf, (for a batard) make a slash along the length of the loaf roughly 1" to either side of the middle, with the blade angled at about 45 degrees
- Carefully remove preheated dutch oven from oven, lift loaf using parchment paper, and drop into Dutch oven. Place lid on, and return to oven
- Drop temp to 475° F and bake with the lid on for 20 minutes
- Take lid off dutch oven to release steam
- Drop temp to 450° and bake 10 minutes with lid off
- If you like a slightly darker crust, remove loaf from Dutch oven and bake for another 5-10 minute directly on the oven rack
- Cool loaf for at least 2-3 hours before cutting; enjoy!
sourdough focaccia
- 420g strong white flour
- 5g diastatic malt (~1.2%)
- 387g cold water (~85% hydration)
- 160g active sourdough starter (~38%)
- 5g honey (~1.2%)
- 11g salt (~2.5%)
method:
- hand mix flour, starter, honey, & water (holding back 10g water). cover & rest 75-90 minutes
- add salt & remaining water, hand mixing until fully incorporated. rest 30 minutes
- perform a second short hand mix, gently bringing dough together. move dough to oiled container
- bulk for 1.5 hrs, gently coil folding 2x throughout
- divide dough into 2 ~475g halves, & place in oiled 8" or 9" pans
- proof at room temperature (ideally not above 75º F) for 10-14 hours
- heat oven to 450º F
- carefully dimple tops with wet hands
- add olive oil, salt, & anything else you want
- bake 20-24 minutes until desired color