One note about making sourdough, or any bread for that matter, and that’s Baker's Percentages. When making bread, all measurements are done by weight using a kitchen scale. A recipe is generally given in percentages based on the amount of flour. For example, if a recipe requires 70% water, you would use 700g of water for every 1000g of flour. You can scale this down to only 350g of water for 500g of flour. The same goes for the rest of the ingredients.
Percent hydration is a common phrase for bread making. It refers specifically to the amount of water to flour ratio. Higher hydration doughs (75%+) give larger holes but are more difficult to work with. It’s often easier to work with a lower hydration dough as it’s less sticky and the gluten can build up more easily and give strength. I normally go for about 67-70% hydration.
I will list both the baker’s percentage I use along with the actual weights I personally use when making bread.
Ingredients
Starter
Leftover Starter
140g Water
200g Flour
Dough
25g Kosher Salt (2.5%)
670g Water (67%) - Lukewarm
1000g Flour (100%)
340g Starter (34%)
Tools
Measuring scale
6 Quart Sealable container/bucket
Dough Whisk
Dough Scraper (optional)
Bench Scraper
Work surface (large cutting board or clean table)
2x Bannetons
White Rice Flour
Oven bags (optional)
Largish Dutch Oven
An actual oven
Parchment paper
Bread lame (razer blade on a stick)
Spray bottle with water
Day 0
The night before making bread dough, feed the starter. I add 140g of water to my starter jar and mix the leftover starter from the last time I made bread with the water. After it’s mixed, add 200g of flour and stir until combined. Leave on the counter in a sealed container over night.
Day 1
In the 6qt container on the measuring scale, add 25g of salt. Add in the water and stir to dissolve.
Add in the flour and stir with the dough whisk to combine. Leave for ~30 minutes covered.
Add in the starter and combine with your hands.
Wet your hands first to reduce sticking
Fold the dough several times over the starter to get the starter inside of the dough.
Using the space between your index finger and your thumb, pinch to cut the dough in several places. This helps mix the dough better.
After it’s been cut several times, mix the dough together with your hands until it forms a shaggy mess.
Approximately every 30 minutes perform Stretch and Folds. You’ll want to do this 2-4 times.
With wet hands, pull up the dough from one side of the container. The other side will stay sticking to the sides and bottom, use that tension to stretch out the dough, then fold it in on itself.
Rotate the bin and pull another part up and stretch it out, then fold it again in on itself.
Repeat 3-5 times (or more), until the dough seems to start getting stiff and maybe smooth.
Fold the dough under itself so that the top is a smooth dome.
Wait 7-10 hours for bulk ferment. This time will vary based on the temperature of your house. You’re looking for the dough to 1.5x in size. It can go as far as doubling, but beyond that and it’ll be overproofed.
Using a dough scraper, pour the dough out onto your lightly (very lightly) floured work surface.
Cut the dough into 2 equal sized pieces.
Shape the dough into a loaves.
Stretch one side of the dough out and fold it back over onto itself.
Do the same for the opposite side. You should have almost like a letter folded set of dough.
Rotate 90 degrees and repeat steps 1 and 2.
Flip the dough over so that the seams are all on the bottom.
Pull the dough towards you with a bench scraper, keeping the seam on the bottom. You can rotate and do this several times. You’re trying to add tension to the surface of the dough.
Dust the inside of your bannetons with white rice flour. Cover all of the sides. We use white rice flour because it doesn’t absorb into the dough like regular flour would and it prevents sticking to the bannetons.
Plop the dough into the bannetons with the seam facing up. This will end up being the bottom of your loaf, with the smooth side being the top.
(Optional) Pull the sides together in an alternating pattern to pinch the dough closed and retain tension.
Place loaves into oven bags and place in the fridge over night.
Day 2
Preheat the oven with the dutch oven inside of it at 475ºF. Leave it in for 15-20 minutes after the oven says it’s to temp.
Cut out a rectangle of parchment paper that’s just wide enough for the dough.
Turn out the dough onto the parchment paper, seam side down.
Cut the corners of the paper. You’ll end up with 2 flaps at the long edges of the paper that you can use to lift the dough.
Use a lame to score fairly deep lines into the bread. Traditionally it’s a half-circle on one side of the bread. I use 3 lines in an N pattern. You try whatever you want.
Take the hot dutch oven out of the oven (probably with oven mitts), and take off the lid.
Using the parchment paper flaps, lift the loaf into the dutch oven gently.
Using an oven mitt, hold the lid in your non-dominate hand and spray water onto the inside of the lid several times. We’re trying to create additional steam when we put the lid on. After that… put the lid on.
Place the dutch oven into the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
Take the lid off of the dutch oven. Reduce the temperature to 400ºF and place it back into the oven.
Bake for another 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and place the dough on a wire rack to cool. You’ll want to use oven mitts to remove the bread from the dutch oven as everything is super hot.
To know that the bread is done, you can optionally use a digital thermometer to measure the inside of the bread. It should be around 210ºF. If it’s under 200ºF, place it back in for 5 or 10 more minutes.
Cool completely before cutting. If you don’t let it cool, it’ll be gummy and less pleasant on the inside.
I store my bread on a cutting board with a piece of plastic wrap over the cut end. Should last a few days. After day 2, it’s best for toast.