18/07/2017 A Basic Sourdough Recipe

THE SOU RDOU GH SCHOOL

BASIC SOURDOUGH RECIPE

10 June 2016 by Vanes s a Kimbell

P HO T O G R A P H O F M Y S O U R D O U G H, FRO M M Y M O S T R E C E NT BO O K FO O D FO R
T HO U G HT, TA KE N BY L AU R A E DWA R D S R E P RO D U C E D W IT H KIND P E R M IS S IO N
FRO M KY L E BO O KS .

I am often asked for a basic sourdough recipe. I am in so many ways I am reluctant

to give a recipe because a recipe in itself does not guarantee a good loaf. There are
so many variables that affect a good sourdough bread, from the kind of lour, to the
amount it is handled, to the weather on the day. These are things that I cannot
account for in a recipe.

Baking a beautiful loaf is about more than just the practical external factors. To
make a really great sourdough you need the ability to judge the dough; to know it,
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understand it, feel it and instinctively correct or modify your technique on any
given day. This takes practice, time, understanding and patience. The ability to
judge these factors and allow for them is what I teach on my sourdough courses.
But more than that I teach people to understand sourdough. Once you understand
sourdough then you will always bake a great loaf.

That said, nothing gets you off to a better start at the weekend that a warm crusty
sourdough loaf fresh from the oven and there are many bakers who read this site
too far away to attend a course. So this is my basic sourdough recipe; it is based on
the French country Pain de Levain that I grew up baking in the village bakery in the
South of France, and is timed so as to be ready to take out of the oven on a
Saturday morning to bake.

Sourdough bread.
A traditionally French shaped sourdough boule. Allow yourself about3 4 hours for
the dough to be mixed, folded and shaped ready to place in the coldest part of the
fridge to prove overnight.(If you are new to bread making, you can, instead of shaping
the dough and putting it into a banneton, grease a 2lb bread tin liberally with butter, let
the dough rise in it overnight in the fridge and then bake as per the recipe instructions
below.)
Equipment:

A large mixing bowl

A round cane banneton
2 clean tea towels
A baking stone or a Dutch oven or La Cloche
A large heatproof pan, a sharp knife or lame to slash the dough with

Ingredients:
300g water
100g sourdough leaven (starter)*
100g of stoneground organic wholemeal lour
400g organic strong white lour
10g ine sea salt mixed with 15g of cold water
25g rice lour mixed with 25g of stone ground white lour (for dusting your
banneton)
Semolina to dust the bottom of the baking surface

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Makes 1 loaf

Directions:

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In a large bowl whisk your water and starter and mix well. Add & news
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Cover with a clean damp cloth and let the dough rest on the side in the kitchen for
between 30 minutes and 2 hours this what bakers call Autolyse

Fold

Add the salt mixed with the water and dimple your ingers into the dough to allow
the salty water and salt to distribute evenly throughout the dough. Leave for 10
mutes.

Next lift and fold your dough over, do a quarter turn of your bowl and repeat three
more times. Repeat 3 times at 30 minute intervals with a inal 15 minute rest at the
end.

Shape

Shape the dough lightly into a ball then place into a round banneton dusted with
lour (If you dont have a banneton then use a clean tea towel dusted with lour
inside a colander). Dust the top with lour, then cover with a damp tea-towel

Prove

Leave your dough to one side until it is 50% bigger then transfer to the fridge , and
leave to prove there for 8 12 hours.

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Bake the following morning

The next morning preheat your oven to 220C for at least 30 minutes before you
are ready to bake. Place your cloche or baking stone in the oven and a large pan of
boiling water underneath (or use a Dutch oven). The hydration helps form a
beautiful crust.

Once the oven is up to full heat, carefully remove the baking stone from the oven,
taking care not to burn yourself dust with a ine layer of semolina, which stops the
bread sticking, then put your dough onto the baking stone and slash the top with
your blade. This decides where the bread will tear as it rises. Bake for an hour.

Turn the heat down to 180C (and remove the lid if you are using a Dutch oven)
and bake for another 10 -15 minutes. You need to choose just how dark you like
your crust but I suggest that you bake until it is a dark brown it tastes much
better.

Storage

Sourdough is really best left to cool completely before slicing and is even better if
left for a day to let the full lavour develop.

Once your sourdough has cooled, store in a linen or cotton bread bag, or wrapped
in a clean tea towel.

Note: if you dont like a crunchy crust on your sourdough bread, simply wrap your
bread in a clean tea towel whilst it is still warm.

* To make 100g of leaven, use 2 tablespoons of sourdough starter, 50g of iltered

water and 50g of strong white lour, mix well and leave, covered on the side in the
kitchen in the morning. It will be lively and bubbly and ready to bake with in the
evening.
More advanced recipes and tips are available to members of the sourdough club,
and a very in depth explanation is covered on our sourdough courses (sourdough
courses) .

For all your baking equipment needs I recommend Bakerybits.

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