This is our house sourdough. It is the base for many other breads. It is a blend of four flours that work well together in the proportions given.
We use a starter culture that contains dehydrated potato flakes. You can use your existing sourdough starter or create one using potato flakes; just add 1-2 grams of flakes to your feedings for a few days before using it.
This dough lends itself to add-ons such as dried fruit (cranberries, tart cherries), chopped nuts, chocolate morsels, other things.
Yield: two (2) 450 gram loaves
Ingredients:
The Levain (Leaven)
76 grams King Arthur all-purpose flour
3 grams potato flakes
76 grams water
30 grams sourdough culture
The Dough
224 grams King Arthur bread flour
46 grams King Arthur Sir Lancelot high gluten flour
124 grams King Arthur all-purpose flour
46 grams spelt flour
256 grams warm water
26 grams raw or unrefined sugar
8 grams RealSalt, Kosher, or fine sea salt
24 grams melted lard (preferred) or a vegetable oil
This is a multi-day process. We create the levain in the evening, assemble the dough first thing in the morning, manage the dough, split & form the dough, place into bannetons, room temp proofing, then overnight in a refrigerator before baking.
Day 1 - Create the levain/leaven
Day 2 - Assemble the dough
Day 3 - Bake
The method below is what we do. Feel free to adjust it to your schedule and lifestyle.
Day 1 - Create the levain/leaven (8 hour fermentation)
Mix together the flour, water and starter culture.
Cover for the night, leave out at room temperature.
Day 2 - Assemble the dough
Mix together the flours, sugar and warm water. Cover and set aside for a 1-2 hour rest (autolyse). This lets the flour & water fully combine.
After the autolyse, pour the melted lard (or oil) on top of the dough.
By hand, mix in the levain. Cover then set aside for 20 minutes.
Again by hand, blend in the salt. As the salt blends in, expect to feel the dough relax and get silky. Cover then set aside for 20 minutes.
Hand mix again then cover and set aside for another 20 minutes.
From here, perform a series of stretches & folds to develop the dough over the next several hours. Grab the dough on one side, lift to stretch, pull it across the dough.
Cover and let rest for 45 minutes.
Repeat the stretch-and-fold, letting the dough rest for another 45 minutes, until you’ve done this 4-5-6 times. After a period of time, you may see some bubbles forming and may notice the dough is getting fluffy. This is good.
Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Using a dough knife, cut the dough in half.
Gently form the dough into a rectangle. Fold the left & right sides in as you would do for a letter. Repeat for the top & bottom. Roll the dough over and cover for 15-20 minutes.
After the rest, gently form the dough into a rectangle again. Fold the right and left sites in as before. Starting at the bottom, roll up the dough, pinch off the edges and form the dough ball to fit your pan.
If baking in a Dutch Oven or on a baking steel or stone, place the dough upside down (seam side up) in a lightly floured banneton or a colander with a lightly floured cloth.
If baking in loaf pans, spray the inside with PAM and place the bread in seam side down.
Let the dough sit covered at room temperature for several hours.
Day 3 - Bake
If Baking in a Dutch Oven
Set the oven rack in the middle.
Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit in the bottom of the Dutch Oven.
Place the dough ball seam side down onto the parchment paper.
Score the top of the loaf.
Place the parchment and dough into the Dutch Oven.
Put the cover on the Dutch Oven then put it into a cold oven then set to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cook covered for 50-55 minutes.
Carefully remove the (very hot) cover and set aside. Cook uncovered for an additional 10-12 minutes.
Place the bread onto a cooling rack. Cool 30-45 minutes before cutting into it.
If Baking in a Loaf Pan
Set the oven rack in the middle.
After the dough has had a chance to rise for several hours, preheat the oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit.
Slide the loaf pans into the oven then bake for 25-30 minutes.
Place the bread onto a cooling rack. Cool 30-45 minutes before cutting into it.
Check out this video:
Notes
You can start by creating your own starter from scratch or, somewhat easier as well as tried & true, getting a packet of dehydrated sourdough flakes chips from us.
Need some flakes? Visit The Store
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