Sour Dough Bread
Items Needed:
Scale
Measuring cups- 1/2c, 1/3c
Glass measuring cups- 1 cup, 4 cup (2 cup will work just a little tight for mixing)
Boiled Water
Large mason jar
Flour
Salt
Large bowls- 2-3
Spatula (big and small for getting starter out of the mason jar)
Fork
Steps:
Boil water. Fill the mason jar with boiled water. Add 1/2 cup of boiled water into a glass measuring cup. This is for feeding your starter. Let the mason jar sit for a couple minutes then pour the water out and let the jar cool. This sanitizes the jar. Place the measuring cup in the fridge or freezer and allow the water to cool completely before mixing with your starter (step 8).
Open your starter and place a 1/2 cup of it off to the side. This is for feeding and making your starter for next week.
Place an empty bowl on the weigh scale, tare it, then add 520 grams of flour. (This may differ for more dense flours so you may need to research or trial and error).
Add 2 tsp. of fine sea salt to the bowl of flour and mix.
Use the 4 cup glass measuring cup and place it on the scale, tare it, then add 385 grams of cool or cold water (I just use tap water approx. 1 3/4 cup). Add 1/3 cup of starter to the water and mix with a fork.
Take the above mixture (water and starter) and add to the bowl of flour and salt. Using a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl, mix the flour together until it forms a soft ball. Set aside while you repeat steps 3-6 with the remainder of the starter.
Once you have mixed a couple loaves, wet your hands and fold the corners of the flour ball on top of itself. Do about 4-8 folds trying to make it a tighter ball. It’s sticky and sometimes doesn’t stay tight….don’t worry!
Make your starter. I like to use the 4 cup glass measuring cup for this step. Take the cooled 1/2 cup of water and pour it into the big measuring cup, add the 1/2 cup of starter you set aside earlier and mix. Then add 1 cup of flour to the mixture and combine it all together. Take this mixture and pour it into your clean large mason jar. Seal with a lid and place in the fridge…or on the counter if you want to make bread again in 2 days.
Repeat step 7 to all the loaves then put damp tea towels over top of the bowls and leave the bread to rest 10-12 hours. I have found this to be the best amount of time and have even stretched it to 14 hours.
Clean up your kitchen.
12-ish hours later……
Remove the tea towel from the bowls. Wet your hands. Reach into the sides of the bowl and pick up the dough then place it down. Rotate the bowl 45 degrees and repeat. Do this action 5-10 times. Then return the tea towels on top and wait 15-20 mins.
Get out new bowls (one for each loaf) and line with parchment paper.
Repeat step 12 but on your last pick up, place the dough into a parchment lined bowl. Do this for all loaves.
Cover the bowls with damp tea towels and place them in the fridge for 2-4 hrs. (I have left them in the fridge for up to 10 hours and they were fine….but that was in a pinch, I had no time to bake that day).
After about an 1 hour of the loaves in the fridge, place dutch oven(s) in the oven and preheat for at least 45mins at 475F. Very important to preheat.
Once preheated pick up the parchment paper and dough and place directly into the dutch oven. Score the top of the bread with a sharp knife in any pattern. You can dust with flour if you want to be fancy. Put the lid on and return to the oven for 26-28 mins at 475F.
Remove the lids, turn down the temperature to 425F and continue baking for another 10-12 mins or until the thermometer reads 202-208F.
Remove bread from dutch oven and parchment and let cool on a baking rack.
Try not to eat all the bread on the first day while it’s still warm.
