We've been baking lots of bread lately. By the loaf, the roll, the baguette and boule. One of our secret bread baking weapons? Start with the best ingredients and tools at the ready. We have included a few of our faves to get you started along with Chef Phillips's Standard Sourdough recipe to get you baking~
INGREDIENTS
750 g Water
900 g AP Flour
100 g Whole Wheat or Rye Flour
225 g Sourdough Starter
23 g Kosher Salt
ASSEMBLY
Boule
Pour water into a large stainless steel bowl or plastic container. Add in sourdough starter and honey, stir together until well dissolved. Next add in oats and both types of flours. Start mixing with your hands until everything is combined. *This dough will seem wet* Cover with a towel or terry cloth and let it rest 30 minutes.
After the dough has rested add in salt and combine with hands. * The dough is going to change consistency as you are kneading in the salt and will then change back to the consistency it should be. Place into a clean container and cover once again with a towel or terry cloth.
This next step is considered “bulk fermentation” Every 30 minutes over the course of the next 3-4 hours you will “fold” this dough over itself and then cover it and let it rest and repeat.
*The reason for this is to allow fermentation to happen which brings in more flavor and airyness.*
Once the dough is done with its bulk fermentation, now gently dust a hard work surface like a large cutting board or counter top. And dust the surface lightly with all-purpose flour
Divide the dough in half and with each half gently fold over itself and shape into a ball of dough. Next cover with cloth for 30 minutes.
After the resting period, we will turn the balls of dough over. So what was the underside is now facing upward. Stretch into a rough rectangle. Fold the bottom about ¾ of the way up and press down. Then fold each of the left and right side in to the middle. Next will be alternating finishing the loaf and rolling up into its boule shape.
Place into a well floured bread basket (or strainer with a towel lined in it). Place in refrigerator for 8-18 hours.
Baking the Boule
Set oven to 500F and place a dutch oven or bread cloche in the oven to heat up and be hot when we place the bread in our dutch oven. Once the oven is fully preheated. Grab your loaf of bread out of the refrigerator and place carefully into dutch oven. Score with a bread lame and cover with dutch oven lid and place back in the oven for 20-25 minutes. *Note: As soon as you place the dutch oven with bread loaf back in the oven turn the oven down to 450F to bake the bread in.*
After the 20-25 minutes of baking take the lid off (the loaf of bread should be fully shaped and have slightly golden brown edges forming) and let it bake another 22-25 minutes uncovered to really help develop the crust and color on the outside of the bread loaf.
Once the loaf of bread is done, knock on the bottom and it should sound hollow. Let it rest 30 minutes ( I know hard to resist not eating it right away, be patient!) Then slice and enjoy with a little butter, olive, oil, sea salt, preserves, or by itself!
Store wrapped in a towel or cloth in your pantry for a few days. Otherwise once fully cooled, place in freezer for a couple of weeks.
Enjoy and Happy Baking!
PHILLIP'S TIPS
Sourdough Bread takes time and patience. The process from start to finish could take a full 24 hours so plan ahead. And that’s not including the nurture and attention that your Sourdough Starter craves like a new puppy!
The dough is going to be difficult to handle at first, but the payoff will be worth it. The more water we can use to hydrate the flour the more moist and tender of a crumb we will have as a finish product.
For me shaping can be the trickiest part as you are trying to shape the dough into a boule or batard shape without pressing out any (CO2) air bubbles that have slowly been developing.
Lastly and probably the most difficult is after baking the bread not cutting into it or break off a chunk right away and slathering it with EVOO or butter. Your house will smell incredible for the 45-50 minutes it takes to bake. But make sure to let it rest at least 30 minutes before cutting into it.
