Can't Stop, Won't Stop: SOURDOUGH.
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Hey, friends! Today I am sharing my go-to sourdough bread recipe AND a round-up of favorite things to make using sourdough!
It is 2020, and COVID-19 quarantine has successfully turned many into home bakers and kitchen-explorers. For those of us who already enjoyed baking and cooking… it has thrown us into deep holes of new projects. My sister Colleen and I have both started fermenting and cooking anything we can think of. From homemade greek yogurt tied on my cabinet knobs to drain the whey, to sprouting my own beans, and now brewing kombucha. We have been nonstop. But the greatest of all these projects has been SOURDOUGH.
I know a lot of people went down the sourdough rabbit hole in the last 4 months, and I happily jumped on that bandwagon with glee. I patiently spent 8 days creating a starter from scratch, and have lovingly tended to it as my newly dubbed third child. The most fun is sharing it with others, and I love seeing bits of my bacterial creation spreading into others homes.
It started with making bread, and slowly evolved into all the magical ways to use the “discard” (sourdough slang) and other ways to incorporate it into recipes.
Here is a Roundup of some of my favorite Sourdough Recipes:
Pancakes (These are Patrick’s favorite pancakes I’ve ever made. She uses 2 Cups of All Purpose Flour. I alter it by using 1 Cup Oat Flour, 1/2 Cup AP. and 1/2 Cup Whole Wheat)
Waffles (the lightest and fluffiest waffles in the entire world)
Chocolate Cake (legitimately the best chocolate cake I’ve ever made!)
Pizza dough (hands down my favorite pizza crust. Mark Bittman’s No Knead is a close second)
Bagels (my third attempt at bagels I finally tried sourdough and I won’t go back- these were the best I’ve made!)
For my classic Sourdough loaf, I experimented a bit and settled on King Arthur Flour’s Naturally Leavened Bread Recipe, courtesy of my pal Paul sharing his wisdom from the other side of the world. I, of course, couldn’t help but make some alterations to the ingredients and methods and am sharing my tweaked version here! * I use more whole wheat flour and a longer cold ferment to develop more sourdough flavor I enjoy!
SIMPLE SOURDOUGH BREAD:
Ingredients:
+400g Ripe Sourdough Starter
+500g Bread Flour
+187g Whole Wheat Flour
+400g room-temperature water
+2 1/2 teaspoons salt
METHOD:
I would suggest taking a look at King Arthur’s method. Until Step 5.
6. After I shape the 2 loaves, I place them into a proofing basket/ flour-coated towel inside a large metal bowl. I cover with plastic and put into the fridge overnight (12-24 hours). This cold fermentation allows more flavor to slowly develop and give you a little more of that classic sourdough flavor!
7. About 1 hour before you’re ready to bake, I turn my oven on to 450 and then pull the loaves out of the fridge to allow to come to room temperature. I place my cast iron Dutch oven pot with a lid in the oven to preheat.
8. When the Dutch Oven is heated and you are ready to bake, I grab a piece of parchment paper (or even better- reusable parchment!) and lay it over the top of the bowl or basket where the loaf is. I then flip the bowl over gently, turning the loaf out on the parchment. Using a knife or lame, I slash the top of the loaf some.
9. Carefully remove the hot dutch oven pot out of the oven. Working quickly as to not lose too much heat, remove the lid of the pot and lower the parchment paper into the pot. Cover quickly and place into the hot oven.
10. Bake covered for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for about 15 more minutes, until golden brown and the internal temperature reads 200F.
I make 2 loaves a week, often sharing a loaf with a friend or neighbor. It has become a favorite practice of mine these days. Sure, it takes some time. But I think we have all learned we have more of that than we realized. There is something about using our hands to create, using basic elements to make something wonderful that nourishes ourselves and others that is both grounding and spiritual. I would suggest giving it a go. And let me know if you’d like some starter to get going- I am happy to share!
