Sourdough Loaf Two Ways

Every 17 seconds someone posts another masterclass on sourdough bread to the web. Here at the Net's 1,000,000th Baking Blog™, we'll get you to the place where you'll want to bake this every week...and that's it.

As a native of the Bay Area, I believe sourdough is a sacred art form. I know I will never achieve the taste of the early foggy mornings, driving with my uncle toward my grandparents home with two loaves in the bag and another being ripped apart between driver and passenger.

But I'll capture a little bit of that, and have a great loaf for toast, sandwiches, or <gasp> bread pudding. Yes, I like bread pudding. What's it to you?

UPDATES Feb 23: After a lot of tinkering, I'm getting much better results on crust and texture by adding 10-20g more water to the dough AND baking in a cast iron pot. 30 min with the lid on and 15 with it off. Not only that, but I'm adding 2-3tbsp of water to the pot for an initial steam boost when I put the shaped and cut loaf into the pre-heated pot. I'll rewrite the whole recipe at some point, but not today...

Time: 8 hours (14-16 including starter prep)
Makes One Loaf (can be doubled)

Ingredients:
400g FLOUR (AP, Baby! See comments on the Tips & Tricks Blog as to why this is right.)
230g WATER boiled & cooled or filtered or both
8g SALT (I use kosher, but 8 grams of whatever you have)
160g active STARTER
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1 - Feed your starter 6-8 hours before beginning, and leave to do its thing. If yours is logy, I suggest putting it in the oven with the light on to encourage it. It should be bubbly and spongey before you bake. (NOTE: I like it to be just past its max bubblage. I think it's a bit more sour.)

QUICKEST METHOD  (for slower but better texture, see below)

2 - Bring everything together in a bowl until no dry FLOUR remains.

3 - Dump out on countertop, and knead for 5-7 minutes. Try NOT to use any additional FLOUR during this step. The dough will come together, I promise.

4 - Cover and rest for 3 hours. I like the oven light method for this on cool days.

5 - On lightly floured surface (less than 1/4 cup), gently remove with bowl scraper. Walk your fingers over the dough into whatever shape blob it wants to form. (Don't punch it down! Sourdough yeast isn't as quick and hardy as the store stuff. Try to maintain some of the lightness you've achieved.) Fold the dough over itself, pinching together until you have a round, Cup your hands together and pull to tighten the skin of the loaf. Use all the extra flour on the counter to dust the top of your loaf.

6 - In a banneton or medium bowl or tupperware of the right size, generously flour the fabric surface (a banneton will have one - If using a bowl, use a clean, flat textured, kitchen towel) inside the bowl. Place the formed loaf upside down in the floured cloth in the bowl. Pinch together any open seams on the bottom of the loaf. Dust bottom with flour and cover with edges of cloth or plastic, and leave for 3 hours.

7 - Preheat oven to 450F with a cookie sheet on the lowest rack. Boil a couple cups of water.

8 - On another cookie sheet, place parchment paper. Gently turn out rested loaf onto parchment. Cut top of loaf with scissors, sharp knife, or lame. (Creativity!)

9 - Once cuts are made, get the loaf into the oven ASAP. Pour at least a cup of hot water onto the preheated sheet for steam, and close the oven.

10 - Bake 35-45 minutes. You really do want a darker crust. Golden brown isn't enough for sourdough. So if you think you could go a shade darker, do it.

11 - Remove and rest on wire rack for at an hour, but two is probably better.

12 - EAT!

SLIGHTLY LONGER, MAX FLAVOR METHOD

2 - In a large bowl bring together everything but the SALT. Stir with spoon or hand just until everything is combined. Cover and leave to hydrate for 30-60 minutes. (Up to a couple hours would be OK.)

4 - Add SALT. Stretch and fold the dough. I.e., reach into the bowl, grab an edge and pull like mozzarella on pizza. Wiggle it around a bit, and fold it over the remainder of the dough. Rotate 90 degrees, and do it again. Keep on going until you've done this maneuver 6-8 times. Cover.

5 - Stretch and fold again three more times with a 20-30 minute rest between each stretch and fold. It's amazing how this works. (I resisted for a long time, but it's consistently better than straightforward kneading.)

6 - Cover and rest for 3 hours. Dough should double. If it's cold, use the oven light method.

7 - On lightly floured surface (less than 1/4 cup), gently remove with bowl scraper. Walk your fingers over the dough into whatever shape blob it wants to form. (Don't punch it down! Sourdough yeast isn't as quick and hardy as the store stuff. Try to maintain some of the lightness you've achieved.) Fold the dough over itself, pinching together until you have a round, Cup your hands together and pull to tighten the skin of the loaf. Use all the extra flour on the counter to dust the top of your loaf. (NOTE: I often leave the shaped dough for ten minutes on the counter, turn it over on its back, and do the shaping a second time to make the skin extra tight. Results in a taller loaf.)

8 - In a banneton or medium bowl or tupperware of the right size, generously flour the fabric surface (a banneton will have one - If using a bowl, use a clean, flat textured, kitchen towel) inside the bowl. Place the formed loaf upside down in the floured cloth in the bowl. Pinch together any open seams on the bottom of the loaf. Dust bottom with flour and cover with edges of cloth or plastic, and leave for 3 hours. 

9 - Preheat oven to 450F with a cookie sheet on the lowest rack. Boil a couple cups of water.

10 - On second cookie sheet, place parchment paper. Gently turn out rested loaf onto parchment. Creatively cut top of loaf with scissors, sharp knife, or lame. Spritz top of loaf with cold water from spray bottle.

11 - Once cuts are made, get the loaf into the oven ASAP. Pour at least a cup of the hot water onto the preheated sheet for steam, and close the oven.

12 - Bake 25-35 minutes. You really do want a darker crust. Golden brown isn't enough for sourdough. So if you think you could go a shade darker, do it.

11 - Remove and rest on wire rack for at least 20 min, but an hour is probably better.

12 - EAT!

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