My Sourdough Method Made Simple
I really believe that sourdough is for everyone. Sourdough bread has been a part of people’s everyday life for CENTURIES. Therefore, there are many ways you can successfully care for and bake with your starter.
Here is a simple breakdown of what I do:
I start with a recently fed, active starter. I refer to this as levain. I will use my starter 3-6 hours after feeding it at a 1:1:1 ratio, or I will use it 12 hours after feeding it at 1:3:3 ratio (starter, flour, water). I’ve noticed that either will work, the main thing is that your starter is active and has NOT fallen. One way to test this is to see if it floats in water.
Next, I mix the active starter and WARM water together. I typically have a hydration that is between 75-80%. The more water, the harder it is to work with, but I’ve noticed that the crumb is always better.
Thirdly, I add all my flours. I use 90% bread flour or high quality all-purpose flour, 8% whole wheat flour, and 2% millet (if I’m craving texture). You can really use any four as long as the majority of the flour is all-purpose or bread flour. Again, use high quality flour that has a high protein content. This affects everything. Mix all the flours and grains with the water and starter. Do this by hand for 5 minutes or in a mixer for 2 minutes. Make sure there is not clumps. Wait 30 minutes before adding the salt (2%). Squeeze in with wet hands and make sure it is incorporated.
After everything is added and incorporated, do a series of stretch and folds or coil folds. I switch between the two depending on the day. Stretch and folds are easier to do in large bowl, coil folds are typically done in a square pyrex or bar pan. I’ve noticed that coil folds make the dough slightly better, but honestly as long as you are doing 5 sets, it doesn’t matter. I like to do 5 sets every 30 minutes (2.5 hours) and then let it continue to proof for 3-3.5 hours. Again the temperature MATTERS. I have a proofing mat so it speeds up the process (check out my bio for the link to my amazon storefront). I can control the temperature, I set it to 75-80 degrees. The warmer the dough’s environment, the quicker it will proof. If you aren’t around, you can let it proof for 8-10 hours in a cold kitchen, and do your stretch and folds at the beginning and end of the proofing time. Just look for signs that your dough is properly proofed.
Lastly, I shape my loaf and let it cold ferment for 8-12 hours OR let it rise for 3 hours on the counter. It really depends on your schedule and what you want. The longer the ferment, the better the flavor. However, you want to avoid letting it cold proof or ferment longer than 12 hours in the fridge or longer than 3 hours on the counter. I bake my sourdough at 490 F. I’ve tried various temperatures and I like the crust that develops at this temperature. You can either bake it in a pre-heated dutch oven or with an open bake method. I bake 20 minutes lid on, 15-25 minutes lid off.
Let me know if you have questions! Happy baking!
