Country White Sourdough Bread
This recipe is straight from a cookbook, Breads from the La Brea Bakery. I've been making this bread for a few years now and though it is a long process, it is super yummy. I love my proofing baskets and learning to bake artisan bread like this. This is pure sourdough, no commercial yeast added. This bread makes super crunchy croutons too.
Recipe:
12 oz (about 1 1/3 C) 100% hydration sourdough starter
2 lb plus 2 oz (about 7 C) bread flour
1 lb plus 2 oz (about 2¼ C) cool water, 70-75°F
1/2 cup raw wheat germ
4 1/2 tsp salt
Measure the water, starter, 1 lb 13 oz flour and wheat germ into the mixing bowl of an electric mixer. With the dough hook attached, mix on low-med speed for 5 minutes, adding more flour if needed. The dough should be sticky and pliable. If it appears too dry, dribble a bit more water in slowly and keep mixing. After 5 minutes, turn off mixer, cover dough with proofing cloth, and let dough rest for 20 minutes. Add the salt and mix the dough on low-medium speed until the dough reaches a temperature of 78°F, looks satiny and feels smooth (about 5 more minutes.) Remove dough from mixing bowl and place in a clean bowl lightly coated with oil. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and allow the dough to ferment at room temperature, until it doubles in volume, about 3-7 hours.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and cut into two equal pieces. Slap each piece gently against the counter to deflate. Tuck edges under to pre-shape dough into a ball to suggest the shape to come. Cover the two pieces of dough with a piece of cloth. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes. Using a strainer, sift a thin, even layer of flour along the sides and bottom of a proofing basket. (If you don't have proofing baskets, you can proof the bread directly on a proofing cloth similarly dusted.) Wrap your hands around the side of one piece of dough and with a rolling motion, rock it into a ball. Do not over-shape; don't worry about getting a super-compact ball, just apply even pressure all around to get a taut ball with smooth skin stretching over the surface of the dough. Put the shaped boules smooth side down into a basket. Pinch the seam closed with your fingers. Repeat the process with the second piece of dough. Cover each basket with a piece of plastic wrap, and place them at room temperature to let the dough proof just until it starts rising up the sides of the baskets, and increases volume by one-fourth, 1-2 hours. Place the boules in your refrigerator for 8 to 12 hours, but no more than 24.
Remove the boules from the refrigerator, and take off the plastic wrap. Cover the boules with proofing cloth. (If your oven cannot accommodate both boules, you should bake them one at a time. That means you should remove the second boules 1 hour after the first so it is ready to bake just as the first loaf is removed from the oven.) Proof the boules at room temperature, away from drafts; the dough is ready to bake when it has doubled in size, no longer springs back when poked with your finger, and has come up to a temperature of 62 degrees, 3-6 hours. While the bread is proofing, preheat the oven to 400°F, placing a pizza or baking stone on the bottom or middle rack of the oven.
When the boules are properly proofed, lightly dust them with flour and turn them out onto a baker's peel, lined with parchment paper if desired. Slash the top of the dough at a 45° angle, starting about 1 inch from the top edge of the boules down to the bottom in a C shape. A minute before you place the bread in the oven, spritz water heavily onto the preheated baking stone, and all around the sides of the oven; quickly close the door. Open the oven door, slide the boules (including the parchment, if using) from the peel directly onto the baking stone and close the door. During the next five minutes, spritz the oven with water 2 more times. After those 5 minutes, don't open the oven door for 20 minutes. You want to maintain the steam you've created. After a total of 25 minutes, check the bread and rotate the boules as necessary. Continue baking for another 20 minutes, for a total of 45 minutes. Tap the bottom of the loaf to check for a hollow thud or the internal temperature should be 210°F, if not cook them a little longer. Place the boules on a cooling rack and allow to cool.
12 oz (about 1 1/3 C) 100% hydration sourdough starter
2 lb plus 2 oz (about 7 C) bread flour
1 lb plus 2 oz (about 2¼ C) cool water, 70-75°F
1/2 cup raw wheat germ
4 1/2 tsp salt
Measure the water, starter, 1 lb 13 oz flour and wheat germ into the mixing bowl of an electric mixer. With the dough hook attached, mix on low-med speed for 5 minutes, adding more flour if needed. The dough should be sticky and pliable. If it appears too dry, dribble a bit more water in slowly and keep mixing. After 5 minutes, turn off mixer, cover dough with proofing cloth, and let dough rest for 20 minutes. Add the salt and mix the dough on low-medium speed until the dough reaches a temperature of 78°F, looks satiny and feels smooth (about 5 more minutes.) Remove dough from mixing bowl and place in a clean bowl lightly coated with oil. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and allow the dough to ferment at room temperature, until it doubles in volume, about 3-7 hours.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and cut into two equal pieces. Slap each piece gently against the counter to deflate. Tuck edges under to pre-shape dough into a ball to suggest the shape to come. Cover the two pieces of dough with a piece of cloth. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes. Using a strainer, sift a thin, even layer of flour along the sides and bottom of a proofing basket. (If you don't have proofing baskets, you can proof the bread directly on a proofing cloth similarly dusted.) Wrap your hands around the side of one piece of dough and with a rolling motion, rock it into a ball. Do not over-shape; don't worry about getting a super-compact ball, just apply even pressure all around to get a taut ball with smooth skin stretching over the surface of the dough. Put the shaped boules smooth side down into a basket. Pinch the seam closed with your fingers. Repeat the process with the second piece of dough. Cover each basket with a piece of plastic wrap, and place them at room temperature to let the dough proof just until it starts rising up the sides of the baskets, and increases volume by one-fourth, 1-2 hours. Place the boules in your refrigerator for 8 to 12 hours, but no more than 24.
Remove the boules from the refrigerator, and take off the plastic wrap. Cover the boules with proofing cloth. (If your oven cannot accommodate both boules, you should bake them one at a time. That means you should remove the second boules 1 hour after the first so it is ready to bake just as the first loaf is removed from the oven.) Proof the boules at room temperature, away from drafts; the dough is ready to bake when it has doubled in size, no longer springs back when poked with your finger, and has come up to a temperature of 62 degrees, 3-6 hours. While the bread is proofing, preheat the oven to 400°F, placing a pizza or baking stone on the bottom or middle rack of the oven.
When the boules are properly proofed, lightly dust them with flour and turn them out onto a baker's peel, lined with parchment paper if desired. Slash the top of the dough at a 45° angle, starting about 1 inch from the top edge of the boules down to the bottom in a C shape. A minute before you place the bread in the oven, spritz water heavily onto the preheated baking stone, and all around the sides of the oven; quickly close the door. Open the oven door, slide the boules (including the parchment, if using) from the peel directly onto the baking stone and close the door. During the next five minutes, spritz the oven with water 2 more times. After those 5 minutes, don't open the oven door for 20 minutes. You want to maintain the steam you've created. After a total of 25 minutes, check the bread and rotate the boules as necessary. Continue baking for another 20 minutes, for a total of 45 minutes. Tap the bottom of the loaf to check for a hollow thud or the internal temperature should be 210°F, if not cook them a little longer. Place the boules on a cooling rack and allow to cool.
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