Sourdough Bread

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https://www.homemadefoodjunkie.com/beginner-whole-wheat-artisan-sourdough-bread/

INGREDIENTS

  • 525 grams water-80 degree F. -NO chlorine , 2.22 Cups
  • 250 grams Very active starter - make sure it floats , 1 1/4 Cup
  • 20 grams Sea salt , 1 Tablespoon
  • 700 grams WHITE whole wheat Flour, about 5 1/2 Cups

MAKE THE DOUGH

  1. Pour the water into a large bowl.
  2. Add the ripe starter to the water and mix thoroughly with a whisk or by hand until the floating cloud of starter is mixed completely into the water
  3. Add the flour to the leavened water and mix with the dough bowl scraper or other spatula. At the end use wet hands to form a shaggy dough ball.

AUTOLYSE

  1. Let it rest (autolyse stage) about an hour. This stage can be extended without worry up to four hours at 75 degrees F.
  2. After autolyse, add the salt to the bread dough. Use your hands to pinch and stretch the dough gently until the salt is mixed into the dough. (see video for my technique)

STRETCH AND FOLD (OR SLAP AND FOLD)

  1. Using your wet hands pull the dough from under the dough ball up and stretch it gently as you pull it over the dough ball top. Release. Repeat this process as you give the bowl quarter turns until the dough is stretched and pulled from each quarter of the bowl. (SEE video for a demo of this technique)Over the next 2 1/2 hours repeat the stretch and fold every 30 minutes. Whole wheat flour can be VERY resistant to this technique. If you prefer use the SLAP and FOLD technique. 
  2. The dough should become an elastic resilient dough that passes the window pane test. BUT whole wheat flour may need more time in the stretch and fold(Or slap and fold) to build gluten sufficient to pass this test.

BULK RISE:

  1. Allow the dough to bulk rise IN THE BOWL at room temperature an hour or SO until it rises by 30 percent or so.
  2. Cover the bowl of dough with a plastic bag and set it in the fridge for 15 to 18 hours (Or overnight). It should continue to rise slowly so give it room in the bowl. Whole wheat flour will rise even more slowly than all purpose bread flours. 
  3. Remove the dough from the fridge and let it sit on the counter in the bowl I qfor two hours or until the dough reaches room temperature (or pretty close). The dough will soften and gently rise (a tiny bit) and relax as it warms.

  4. DIVIDE AND BENCH REST THE DOUGH:

    1. On a clean unfloured counter pour out the dough into a large mass. Flour the top of the dough lightly but evenly.
    2. Divide the dough mass in half with your metal dough scraper.
    3. BEING CAREFUL NOT TO OVERWORK THE DOUGH-Form each half into a dough ball. The most efficient way to do this is to use the counter as your pivot point. Scrape in a circle around the dough (leave it unturned, flour side up). The unfloured counter will hold the dough center and create tension as you circle the dough with the scraper forming a ball. Repeat to form two dough balls. The DOUGH edge should be round and the dough ball should have some form and resilience to it

    4. FINAL SHAPE AND RISE:

      1. Gently slide the dough scraper under one of your dough balls and flip it over so it rests on the floured side.
      2. Now gently stretch and pull the dough over from the bottom to 1/3 up the loaf. Stretch and pull the dough from the sides to the dough middle. For the final stretch take the dough from the top of the ball and pull it all the way down to the bottom. Form a seam. Pinching the seam if necessary.
      3. Place the dough seam side up in your rice floured, cloth lined banneton or bowl.
      4. Rise in the fridge 2 to four hours until completely chilled. The loaves will not rise much at this point.

      BAKING INSTRUCTIONS:

      1. Set a baking stone (if you have one) on your oven bottom rack. Set your dutch oven with it's lid on next rack up (lower third of oven). PREHEAT oven to 450 degrees F. for at least 30 minutes.
      2. Keep the formed loaf in your banneton in the fridge until you actually need to place it in your preheated dutch oven. Cold dough will aide the oven spring. (which means the loaves will rise better).
      3. Remove one banneton from the fridge. Place the dough in your preheated dutch oven. Do this by flipping the loaf into the dutch oven as gently as possible seam side down. OR:
      4. Alternate method: Place high heat safe parchment paper over the banneton. Turn the banneton upside down so the dough falls gently onto the parchment paper.

      SCORING THE LOAF:

      1. FOR OPTIMAL RISE: Score the loaf with your lame knife or a razor blade or sharp scissors. Scoring helps the dough rise better if you score the loaf at least an inch deep. And use cross cuts (The pound sign works well)
      2. Now pick up the scored loaf with the edges of the parchment paper, if using, and gently and carefully place it into your VERY hot dutch oven.
      3. Put the lid on the dutch oven and return it covered to your preheated oven.
      4. Bake 30 minutes at 450 degrees.
      5. Now REMOVE the lid (and parchment paper if using). Steam should come out. Hopefully the bread is a light golden color with a nice rise and set crust. Bake an additional 10 minutes UNCOVERED or until the loaf thumps hollowly and the surface gets dark(Caramelized darker than you are used to maybe) and the scored areas look shiny. (To prevent over browning turn the parchment paper (or foil) upside down over the loaf as it finishes in the oven.)
      6. Remove the dutch oven. Place the finished loaf on a cooling rack. Do NOT cut it for at least an hour to set the crumb.
      7. Return the dutch oven (with it's lid on) to the oven at 450 degrees F and preheat for 15 minutes. Repeat the process with the remaining loaf.
      8. To tell if your bread is properly done. It should sound hollow when thumped. The crust should look shiny and Caramelized at the scored sections. Whole wheat loafs are dense. The crumb may be open or closed depending on how you handled it. 









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