This is a perfect basic country sourdough loaf that can pair with so many things. We love to eat this with this Sun Dried Tomato Pesto. With Christmastime fast approaching, this recipe is perfect to make a loaf for you and your neighbor.
Sidenote: No, I do not have man hands. Mason is our designated bread slicer around here. :)
Country Sourdough Loaf
YIELDS 2 LOAVES
Levain
25 grams Starter (peaked is best; can be slightly deflated but not discard. I have used starter straight from my fridge and it works fine)
50 grams Fresh Ground Whole Wheat Flour (I use red or white wheat berries from Winco bulk section)
50 grams Bread Flour (I use Gold Medal or King Arthur)
90 grams Unbleached Water
Mix together your levain in a medium sized fresh jar.
Add the water first, then mix in your starter until well combined.
Add the flours on top then mix it all together. I find this method minimizes lumps of starter of flour in the starter.
Place a rubber band to mark where the levain level starts, then let it rise in a warm area for 6-8 hours until peaked.
*** About 3 hours into your levain rise, use the directions below to begin your autolyze. ***
Sourdough Loaf
300 grams Fresh Ground Whole Wheat Flour (same flour used above in levain)
700 grams Bread Flour
700 grams water
Do not add in following ingredients until after autolyze:
20 grams salt
150 grams peaked levain
AUTOLYZE:
In a large bowl, add the whole wheat flour and bread flour.
Add all water.
Using a Danish Dough Hook or your hands, mix the ingredients together until a shaggy dough forms and no dry pieces remain.
Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and let sit for 3-4 hours until your levain is peaked. This builds your gluten strands and makes a stronger, more extensible dough.
MIX DOUGH:
When the levain has peaked, and the dough has autolyzed for 3 hours, add the levain into the shaggy dough mixture along with a dash of water.
Using your fingers, grab the dough in handfuls and pinch together until it begins to come together. It may separate for a little while you're doing this, but keep hand mixing until it comes together (about 3-5 minutes)
Sprinkle the salt and another dash of water in the bowl and repeat the same process until you no longer feel the salt granules in the dough.
Cover the dough a let rest for 30 minutes. At this point you could transfer the dough to a clear container and let rise, or leave it in your bowl.
BULK FERMENTATION:
After the dough has rested for 30 minutes, perform a set of stretch and folds or coil folds.
Repeat step 1 every 30 minutes until you've completed 4-6 sets of stretch and folds, or coil folds.
Once the dough begins holding it's shape, and you can feel a good tension when you complete a fold, the dough should be done with stretch and folds. Usually this happens somewhere between fold 4-6.
At this point, your dough may not be ready to shape. If needed, let it sit at room temperature for an additional 1-2 hours until slightly risen or bubbles are visible.
PRE-SHAPE:
Take the dough and turn it onto a lightly floured surface.
Using a bench scraper, divide the dough into 2 halves and shape the dough into a boule shape by cupping the bottom of the dough on either side and spinning it toward you.
Let the boules rest for 15-20 minutes.
Prepare your proofing banneton or bowl lined with a towel and sprinkled flour.
SHAPE & PROOF:
Shape the dough once more into either a boule or batard depending on what banneton you're using.
Place the dough upside down in your banneton, with the flat surface that was touching the counter facing up, and the rough part face-down into your banneton.
At this point, you can either bake up your loaf, or place it in the fridge for an overnight cold ferment.
BAKE:
After your overnight cold ferment, preheat your oven to 500 degrees F and place a dutch oven on the center rack to preheat for at least 30 minutes.
Using high quality parchment paper, invert your loaf onto the paper.
Using a scoring blade, score the loaf.
Holding the sides of the paper, take the preheated dutch oven out of the oven and lower the loaf into the pot.
Replace the lid and return to the oven.
Bake at 500F for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, remove the loaf from the dutch oven and place it directly on the center rack (this will keep your bottom crust from being burnt).
Reduce the heat to 415 degrees F and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes until the crust is golden browned to your liking.
Let cool completely before cutting into the loaf or it may be gummy in the middle!
Adapted from Maurizio Leo's Country Sourdough Loaf linked here:
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