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Dig in (Phrasal verb): 1. To delve into 2. To begin to eat heartily 3. To begin work with great determination

Sourdough Bread

June 5, 2020

Sourdough Bread
VGVT
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With it’s crisp crust, chewy texture and just the right amount of sour, this sourdough bread is easy to assemble and worth the time and effort.

Sourdough Bread recipe and photos at diginwithdana.com
Feeding the sourdough starter at diginwithdana.com

To make this sourdough, you’ll need a sourdough starter. Check out my sourdough starter recipe here.

No sourdough starter? Try this instead:


For a sourdough starter substitute, use a combination of 1/2 cup chilled plain “active culture” yogurt and 2 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar.

The substitute will yield a less sour sourdough, but the bread will still be delicious.

From the earliest records of bread making in the Fertile Crescent to the days of the San Francisco Gold Rush, bread makers have used a fermented starter to make sourdough bread that’s reliable, easily renewed and longer lasting.

Check out Wild Culture: A History of Sourdough for a short but deep dive into sourdough world.

San Francisco Style

Adapted from a recipe in Kneadlessly Simple by Nancy Baggett, this sourdough bread is reminiscent of loaves made famous by the Boudin family bakery in San Francisco since 1849.

You can still buy their sourdough loaves at Ghirardelli Square or the San Francisco airport.

Or be bold

like the San Francisco “Sourdough” miners and dig in to your own tradition of baking sourdough bread at home.

Baking bread is a fun science experiment that yields incredible, unique results each time.

Think of it as a hands-on, therapeutic new project that you and your loved ones get to eat!

With minimal shaping and easy to follow, clear instructions, you’ll be a Sourdough pro after the first loaf!

Use a 3 -4 quart heavy pot with a lid for bread baking

Use a heavy 3- 4 quart pot with a lid. The heavy pot traps steam to give bread the moist environment it needs to get brown and crisp.

Ingredients-for-Sourdough-Bread-at-diginwithdana.com_

In addition to a sourdough starter, you will need

  • bread or all purpose flour, unbleached
  • some instant, fast rising or bread machine yeast
  • kosher salt
  • your favorite vegetable oil
  • ice water
Props for forming sourdough bread at diginwithdana.com

Other tools you’ll need:

  • extra flour to help shape the bread
  • a spatula and or fork for stirring
  • kitchen shears or sharp knife to make slits
  • extra vegetable oil and brush (or your hands) to coat top of loaf
  • parchment paper
  • an instant-read thermometer
Mixing wet into dry ingredients for Sourdough Bread at diginwithdana.com
  • Mix together wet and dry ingredients.
  • Use your hands or a spatula to form a stiff ball.
  • Take your time!
Oiling sourdough bread at diginwithdana.com
18-24 hour first rise for sourdough bread at diginwithdana.com
Stirring the sourdough after the first rise at diginwithdana.com
Getting the sourdough bread ready for second rise at diginwithdana.com

After the first rise, use an oiled spatula to fold dough in on all sides towards the center of the bowl.

Rolling sourdough into a ball at diginwithdana.com

Add a few tablespoons of flour to coat on all sides and gently roll into a ball.

Flouring the sourdough bread round at diginwithdana.com

Tuck ball under all the way around to form a roughly 6-inch round.

Dust with flour.

Place sourdough bread on parchment for second rise at diginwithdana.com

Make a few slits in the top, brush with oil, place on parchment.

Let dough rise in the pot, lid on, until doubled in size (for a few hours).

Bake at 425 F until an internal temperature of 207- 209 F.

See recipe for details.

Pin and Dig in to Sourdough Bread!

Sourdough Bread recipe, photos and more at diginwithdana.com

Who knows? It may jumpstart a new, rewarding baking tradition!

More breads to love:

  • Easy Italian Farm Bread
  • Almond Flour and Honey Sandwich Bread (gluten free)
  • Simple Irish Soda Bread
  • Zucchini Pecan Quick Bread
  • Best Banana Bread
  • Brown Sugar Pumpkin Bread
  • Jiffy Blueberry Cornbread
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Sourdough Bread

  • Author: diginwithdana.com
  • Yield: 12–14 slices 1x
Sourdough Bread recipe and ideas at diginwithdana.com

With it’s crisp crust, chewy texture and just the right amount of sour, this sourdough bread is easy to assemble and worth the time and effort.

Ingredients

  • 3 1/2 cups (17 1/2 oz) white bread flour or all purpose flour, unbleached, plus more as needed
  • 1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon instant yeast (fast rising or bread machine yeast ok)
  • 1 tablespoon flavorless vegetable oil (more for coating dough top)
  • 2/3 cup sourdough starter 
  • 1 1/2 cups ice water, plus more as needed
  • heavy 3–4 quart pot with a lid

*If you do not have sourdough starter, you can substitute 1/2 cup chilled plain “active culture” yogurt mixed with 2 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Instructions

1. First Rise: In a large bowl, stir to combine flour + salt + yeast. (Set aside a few extra tablespoons of flour to add to dough if needed.) In another bowl, blend together oil + sourdough starter + ice water.  Pour liquid mixture into flour mixture.  Using a sturdy spoon or rubber spatula, stir vigorously . Scrape down sides of bowl and mix just until ingredients are well blended. If the mixture seems dry, allow some of the ice to melt; then keep pushing bits of dry flour into the melted ice to bring the dough together. Avoid adding more water – dough should be very stiff. If necessary, add in a little extra flour to stiffen.  Brush or use your hands to spread the top of dough with oil.  Then cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 18-24 hours. If possible, stir down the dough vigorously with a fork midway through this first rise.

2. Second Rise: Set aside a small bowl of flour with a tablespoon to measure it, a tablespoon of oil, and a large sheet of parchment. Unwrap the dough. Stir vigorously, adding more flour if needed to make dough stiff and hard to stir. Coat a rubber spatula with oil and fold dough in towards the center until you have worked your way all around the bowl. (This helps shape the loaf.) Let dough rest for 10 minutes. Turn dough over so the underside is up. Sprinkle with (no more than) 3-4 tablespoons of flour. Inside the bowl, roll dough into a ball, coating all sides with flour. Use the palm of your hand to push the flour into the dough until it holds its shape.  To form a high domed 6-inch diameter round: gently pull the sides of the dough down and firmly tuck the edges under all the way around. Transfer the dough to a sheet of parchment big enough to fit inside your pot. Dust top with more flour. Use clean kitchen shears to make 3 or 4 parallel slashes  /  /  /  / across the loaf top. Use a pastry brush or your hands to spread oil across the top and sides of dough. Pick up parchment and bread loaf and center inside the pot. Trim parchment (with scissors or a sharp knife) so that the sides are no taller than the pot. Cover pot with lid. Let rise until dough doubles in size: either at warm room temperature for 1 1/2 – 2 1/2 hours or in a turned off microwave with 1 cup of boiling hot water for 1- 2 1/2 hours. (If bread has not doubled in size after 2 1/2 hours, you may need to give it more time to expand before baking.)

3. Before baking: 15 minutes before baking time, place a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 450 F.  Generously sprinkle the loaf with water.

4. Bake: Reduce oven temperature to 425 F. Bake, covered, on lower rack for 55-60 minutes, until loaf is lightly browned and crusty. Uncover and bake 10- 15 more minutes, until the center registers 207 – 209 F on an instant read thermometer. Bake 5 minutes more to ensure that the center is done. Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes, then carefully lift paper and bread out of pot, onto rack and cool completely.

5. Serving and storing: Cut loaf in half or wedges. It tastes good warm but is easier to cut when cool. Let cool completely before storing.  To keep crust crisp, cover with a clean kitchen towel or place in a heavy paper bag. To keep loaf from drying out, place in an airtight plastic bag or wrapped in foil. Although crust will soften, you can reheat, uncovered, in a 400 F oven for a few minutes to re-crisp. Store bread at room temperature for 3 days or in freezer, airtight for up to 2 months.

6. Variation: Make whole wheat sourdough bread by reducing white bread flour to 2 1/2 cups (12.5 oz.) and add 1 cup (5 oz) whole wheat flour.

Notes

Adapted from Kneadlessly Simple: Fabulous, Fuss- Free, No Knead Breads, San Francisco-Style Sourdough Bread by Nancy Baggett

Can be made...

Gluten FreeHealthyVeganVegetarian

2 Comments

Comments

  1. Sarah says

    June 5, 2020 at 9:12 PM

    Such a detailed journey through Sourdough!! Love the pictures of the process and I can’t wait to make this. Maybe even try alternative sour dough with yogurt and apple cider vinegar. DELICIOUS!!

    Reply
    • DANA GERARD says

      June 6, 2020 at 8:34 AM

      Thanks Sarah! Can’t wait to hear how your sourdough turns out!❤️

      Reply

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