I keep a container of sourdough starter in the fridge as I use it to bake and I bake a lot. It looks pretty gross but it smells magnificent. Very very sour. You have to feed it on a regular basis to keep it alive but if you forget you can bring it back by simply losing most of it and then add the half flour, and half water.I don't get all worked up about the origin of the starter. I usually use a piece of dough from a batch of lean bread and just keep feeding it.
The sourdough breakfast bread is very nice if you are looking for more fiber in your diet.
I work with ratios and for most of my bread and pizza recipes I use 60% water since it is very humid here and we are at sea level. Otherwise the dough becomes so wet it is hard to manage. The more water the more puff but you have to be able to manage it.
Basically that is 1000 grams of flour to 600 grams of water.
Ingredients
Flour 1000 grams
water 600 grams or ml.
24 grams salt
A nice blob of sourdough starter
Sugar 30 grams more or less to taste
yeast I add a sprinkle to help starter
This was a lean dough, no fat.
whole grain cereal
raisins
or dried cranberry
 |
| Sour dough starter |
I mixed this batch by hand but you can use a mixer.
Mix it up, cover it up and let it sit for 20 minutes.
Using a little pot of water, dip your mixing hand in the water and give the dough a turn over and gently pull on the dough, it will still feel soft and awkward.
Do that about 3 times waiting 20 or 30 minutes between each mix. You will begin to notice the dough forming up as you go.
You can put in the cereal during initial mix or at the end. With this batch I did it at the end to give it a try and you get areas of cereal, not mixed in evenly. Add the fruit too.
Finally you are done mixing so let it sit for a few hours or an hour or put it in fridge for the next day.Sprinkle some flour on the counter and let the dough fall out of the bowl on to it.
Sprinkle more flour at one edge and using a bench scraper lift the end with the flour and fold it over the mass. Your goal is to get the entire outside of the dough covered with flour but not too much. This is so it doesn't stick to your hands.
Next fold it again or split it in half or split it into bun size, I usually do 110 grams. Just cut the dough in half and in half again until you get 8, that is usually right.
Be real gentle with the dough, those bubble are the reason the dough gets puffy.
Fold the dough into the shape you want, I bake on a tray that has holes so it gets nicely done on all side but a bake tray will work. Place dough on tray, let it sit while the oven heats up.
You can use a loaf pan but for this kind of bread I like the whole outside to be crisp with plenty of crust. A loaf pan will keep the whole bottom soft, find for sandwich bread but not so much for this bread.
190C is what I use, 350F. If it is the entire dough the loaf will be pretty big and it will take 30 minutes to bake. I leave it in the dying oven to dry out more.
Once out of the oven let it sit for a while to cool, much easier to slice.
Sour dough bread has a not dried out look to the interior of the loaf. It is also chewy. Should have plenty of air pockets throughout the loaf.
Very good toasted.
