Sourdough Bread

In a small bowl, combine yeast with 1 tablespoon lukewarm water and whisk, let it stand for 2 minutes.

In another small bowl, combine salt with 2 tablespoons of water and stir to dissolve.

Measure 410g of sourdough starter, and set aside. (See recipe here) I

In a small bowl, combine yeast with 1 tablespoon lukewarm water and whisk, let it stand for 2 minutes.Use a bench scraper to carefully transfer the sourdough starter to a large bowl. Avoid deflating any air bubbles in the starter. Add the activated yeast mixture to one side of the bowl and cover with a little flour to prevent the yeast from touching the salt. Add the salt water mixture to the other side of the bowl. Add the remaining all-purpose and whole-wheat flours.

Carefully Measure 410g of sourdough starter in a large bowl, (see recipe here) work carefully to avoid deflating any air bubbles in the starter.

Add the activated yeast mixture to one side of the bowl and cover with a little flour to prevent the yeast from touching the salt. Add the salt water mixture to the other side of the bowl. Add the remaining all-purpose and whole-wheat flours. Pour 2 cups plus 5 tablespoons of water down the sides of the bowl. If it’s a very cold day, use warm water; if it’s a hot day, use cool water.

Lightly flour your hands. Keeping your nondominant hand on the side of the bowl and free of dough, form your dominant hand into a scoop shape and gently mix the ingredients by hand,  until the ingredients come together and the dough has a stringy consistency, like soft string cheese.

Use your clean hand to very lightly flour a work surface. Use your dough-covered hand to scrape the dough out of the bowl and onto the work surface. Use a bench scraper to scrape excess dough from your hand onto the dough mound.

Clean your hands, and dusty with flour,  flip the dough over. Use fast, energetic (but not too forceful) movements to knead the dough, bringing the side of your hand underneath the dough and folding it up over itself, then press it into the center of the dough with the heel of your hand. Repeat this motion until the dough comes together, about 5 to 10 minutes. The dough doesn’t need to be fully smooth, but there should not be any flour pockets.

Lightly flour a large, clean glass bowl. Use a bench scraper to transfer the dough from the work surface to the bowl. Cover the dough with a cloth and let it rise in a warm (20°C to 25°C), draft-free place until it has doubled in size and offers some resistance, about 45 minutes. Start checking the dough after 30 minutes, especially if your kitchen is very warm. If your dough has not doubled in volume after 30 minutes, consider moving the dough to a warmer (but not hot) place and give it an extra 10 to 15 minutes.

While the dough is rising, generously flour a cloth-lined wicker proofing basket or line a colander with cotton or linen. 
Once the dough has doubled in size, begin shaping. Lightly flour your hands and lightly re-flour your work surface if necessary. Use the bench scraper to turn the dough out from the bowl onto the floured work surface. With the dough scraper and a lightly floured hand, gently move the dough across the work surface, re-flouring the surface as needed.

Use both hands to scoop underneath the left and right sides of the dough, lifting the dough straight up and setting it back down. The dough will stretch out when you lift it. As you set it back down, tilt the dough so that the top and bottom edges fold underneath, creating a seam. Gently cradle the folded dough mound (seam side down) to the top left corner of your work surface.

Working diagonally, from the top left corner of your work surface down to the bottom right corner of your work surface, gently tuck the dough underneath itself with your dominant hand, using your nondominant hand as a guide to keep the dough’s shape. Repeat this motion until the surface of the dough is taut. You’ll know you’re using the correct motion if the seam at the bottom of the dough is very small and tight.

Carefully transfer the dough, seam side up, to the proofing basket. Let the dough rise, covered with a clean towel, in a warm (20°C to 25°C), draft-free place until it’s sitting about ½ an inch (1 finger wide) away from the rim of the basket, about 2 hours. If after 2 hours the dough is still an inch or more away from the rim of the basket, let it rise for no more than an additional 10 to 15 minutes.

While the dough proofs, position a rack in the bottom third of the oven and preheat the oven to 245°C. Midway through the second hour of proofing and after the oven is heated, place a lidded Dutch oven (cast iron pot or LeCreuset +/- 28cm) inside and allow it to warm up.

Once the dough is done proofing, quickly and carefully remove the Dutch oven and immediately close the oven door. Lightly flour the inside of the Dutch oven.

Quickly flip the dough from the proofing basket into the Dutch oven, seam side down.

Score the bread. Using a sharp lame or razor blade, score a simple ¼-inch-deep hash mark into the top of the bread, using the bottom of the proofing basket as a guide for the size of the hash mark. If the dough has risen a lot, score it very lightly to avoid collapsing. If the dough hasn’t risen very much, score it deeply (up to ½ inch deep) to give the bread room to rise during baking.

Put the lid on the Dutch oven and bake, covered, 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the lid and continue to bake until the bread is a deep brown color, about 35 minutes longer

Remove the Dutch oven and transfer the bread from the Dutch oven to a wire rack. To test for doneness, do the knock test: Balance the bread on its side and knock on the bottom of the loaf. If it sounds clear, the bread is ready. If it sounds muffled, return the loaf to the Dutch oven and continue to bake for an additional 5 to 15 minutes.

Once it’s done baking, allow the bread to cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour.
Wrap the bread in a towel and store it at room temperature for up to 1 week. If you live in a very dry climate, wrap the bread in cloth and store inside a plastic bag. If freezing, wait until the loaf has cooled entirely. Once cool, put large pieces of the loaf in freezer bags (as large as will fit in the bags). Remove as much air as you can from the bag and seal for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature when you’re ready to use.

This recipe uses 4g of active yeast, as it can be used with a 5 day old starter, as your starter matures this yeast quantity can be reduced or removed all together.