Our Sourdough adventure began a few weeks ago with the actual Sourdough Starter. The Fabulous Baker Brothers had shown in one of their programs, how easy it is to make a starter from scratch: put flour and water in a pot, stir, feed, and wait for the yeasty magic to happen. I was amazed how easy it all looked, and, several websites and pages of notes later, had what I needed to get started.
The Brussels yeasts happily moved in with us within a couple of days, and after a week I was able to bake our first ever Sourdough bread. It was not perfect, as we did not like the crumbly consistency so much, and there was not enough salt and taste; the second bread I tried had too much molasses that was very overpowering. Apart from that, all breads rose very well, and we ate them to the last crumb. Now I came across this recipe, and to me it
tastes, smells and has a texture just like Austrian Bauernbrot (Farmer's bread). It's just amazing how you can go from nothing, to yeast in a pot, to beautiful sourdough bread so quickly. I can only encourage you to give it a try...
Recipe based on: The recipe below, and the best I've made so far, and most similar to the bread we eat at home in Austria, is from www.chefkoch.de, posted by ginni1866.
Day 1 / Morning
Step 1: Reanimate Starter
This step is for a 'dormant' Starter kept in the fridge.
(If your starter is at room temperature, make sure to feed it as usual and go to step 2)
You will need:
25g Starter
25g rye flour
25g bottled still water, at room temperature, or enough to make a thick paste
Take the Starter from the fridge in the morning. Put 25g of it into a different pot (put the rest back in the fridge, or feed before, if it needs feeding). Let the starter warm up a bit at room temperature. Then add 25g rye flour and just enough water to make a thick paste. Stir well, draw a level line on the outside of the pot to see how much the starter has risen. Cover with paper towel held in place with a rubber band and leave to stand at room temperature (app. 20 C) to rise. Our rye starter rises very fast, even just out of the fridge. It should really double in volume before being used for baking. If not, repeat feedings, removing all but 25g every time, and adding 25g flour and sufficient water, as above.
Day 1 / Evening
Step 2: Prepare Culture proof
To a large enough bowl add:
200g whole rye flour, type 1150
(our flour comes from a local Bio shop and does not state the type...)
200g lukewarm water (no warmer than 35C)
50g active Starter (from Step 1)
Stir well, cover with a paper towel held in place with a rubber band and leave to stand at room temperature (app. 20 C) for app. 12-16 hours (over night) to rise. The Culture proof at this point is like a thick paste, rather than thick pancake dough but it perfectly rises, so no need to add additional water.
Day 2 / Morning
Step 3: Remove 50g of the Culture proof for the next rye bread
By now the proof should have doubled in size with a lot of bubbles visible on the side, and with a spongey consistency when stirred. Remove 50g of the Culture proof, put it into a jam jar or any other suitable container and keep it in the fridge until next time. At this point, even if you used a wheat starter for your Culture proof, you will end up with an additional rye starter if so desired.
Day 2 / Morning
Step 4: Prepare Dough Proof
In a large mixing bowl, add:
400g whole rye flour
200g whole spelt flour
320 g water (the original recipe says you can also use buttermilk, but I have not tried it)
the culture proof (minus 50g Starter) prepared on the previous day
21g salt
2 tsp spice mix (see below)
additional seeds for the bread surface
*Spice mix: I make my own mix consisting of: 2 Tbsp fennel seeds, 3 tsp caraway seeds and 2 tsp coriander seeds. Grind the spices in a coffee grinder, leaving half of the seeds half ground for a coarser texture and more flavour in the bread. Add 2 tsp of this mixture to the bread mix.
Note on ingredients:
- I usually use stone ground whole rye and spelt flour from a Bio shop. It does not say the 'type' but works fine.
- Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature. If necessary prepare them the night before. I actually weigh and mix all dry ingredients on the day before as it makes things faster in the morning.
- Salt: we like our bread tasty in its own right. The one that works best for me is coarse sea salt. I weigh exactly 21g, then grind it with a pestle and mortar before adding it to the flour mix.
- The original recipe calls for 5g of yeast, but I have never added it and the bread turns out just fine. But we do like a dense texture. If you want an opener crumb maybe it would be best to add it.
Mix all ingredients with a kitchen machine. My KitchenAid with dough hook works perfectly, at lowest speed. Stop every so often and scrape the dough from the sides with a spatula. After a while the dough should not stick anymore to the sides of the bowl. Alternatively knead the dough by hand for app. 20 min. The dough might be sticky, but should still be manageable. The consistency improves, the longer it is kneaded. Normally bread dough needs to be kneaded until it's smooth, silky and stretchy. This specific dough does not seem to become so silky and stretchy. It still rises and bakes well dough.
Day 2 / Morning
Step 5: Rest the Dough
Put the dough onto the work surface, form it into a rough ball, then leave it to rest for 30 minutes. The dough should roughly keep it's shape. If it flattens to much, knead in additional flour.
Day 2 / Morning
Step 6: Form the Loaf
Flatten the rested dough out a bit with your fingers. Then pull one side gently away from the middle and fold it inwards. Turn the dough a little, then pull the next piece gently and fold it inwards. Carry on until you have pulled all sides outwards and folded them in and you have created a nice round shape. Pinch any open areas together on the top. This shaping will create a sort of stretched 'skin' around the dough which will help to keep the bread nicely in shape during baking.
You will now have the nice side of the bread lying on the work surface. If you wish, you can add additional seeds on top of the bread: to do this, turn the dough over so you have the nice side on top. Moisten it a little with cold water. Sprinkle a layer of seeds (I use whole Caraway and Fennel seeds) on the work surface then put the bread with the upper, nice, side into the seeds and roll it around until the seeds have attached. Press the seeds down gently to make sure they stick, then sprinkle the surface with a little flower.
Day 2 / Morning
Step 7: Leave to rise/proof
Place the dough, with the nice seeded side downwards inside a well floured proofing basket. Mine is 22cm in diameter and is suitable for 750-1500g bread. It leaves a beautiful pattern on the bread. Cover the basket loosely with plastic foil and attach with a rubber band. We have started to collect shower caps from hotels for this purpose, unused of course :-) they work very well instead. Leave to proof until the dough has doubled in size. This may take up to 4 hours depending on room temperature.
Day 2 / Early afternoon
Step 8: Bake the Bread
Towards the end of proofing time, pre-heat the oven, including the baking tray, or a baking stone, or baking steel, to 250°C. When the oven is hot, place a shallow container with boiling water onto the oven floor to provide steam during baking. Once the bread has doubled in size, reverse it from the proofing basket onto the hot baking tray, then slash the surface with a sharp knife, or even better a razor blade, and bake as follows:
15 mins at 250°C: during this time, spray inside the oven (not the bread) every 5 mins with cold water
20 mins at 200°C
20 mins at 180°C
The steam from the water container and water sprays help create a crunchy crust. To test if the bread is baked through, tap it on the underside, it should sound hollow.
Day 2 / Early afternoon
Step 9: Rest the Bread!
This is an important step! DO NOT cut into the bread while still hot. Instead leave to cool completely uncovered for several hours or overnight. To do so, remove the bread from the baking tray and leave it on a cooling rack until completely cooled.
Storing:
Sourdough bread stores very well without going stale. To keep a crunchy crust, simply store it wrapped in bread paper or in a clean kitchen towel, or in a bread bin. Do not store it in a plastic bag, as this will soften the crust.
Freezing:
When frozen very fresh, the bread retains its crunch. I tend to cut the fresh, well cooled bread into slices (an electric bread machine really does work best for this!) then layer it with little sheets of bread paper between to prevent the slices from sticking together and store it inside large freezer bags. Alternatively, wrap the bread whole, or cut in half or quarters into bread paper, then very tightly into aluminium foil. Defrost at room temperature, or place the pre-sliced bread into a toaster to warm up faster.
______________________________________________________
SOURDOUGH BREAD WITH RYE AND SPELT
Day 1 / Morning
Step 1: Reanimate Starter
This step is for a 'dormant' Starter kept in the fridge.
(If your starter is at room temperature, make sure to feed it as usual and go to step 2)
You will need:
25g Starter
25g rye flour
25g bottled still water, at room temperature, or enough to make a thick paste
Take the Starter from the fridge in the morning. Put 25g of it into a different pot (put the rest back in the fridge, or feed before, if it needs feeding). Let the starter warm up a bit at room temperature. Then add 25g rye flour and just enough water to make a thick paste. Stir well, draw a level line on the outside of the pot to see how much the starter has risen. Cover with paper towel held in place with a rubber band and leave to stand at room temperature (app. 20 C) to rise. Our rye starter rises very fast, even just out of the fridge. It should really double in volume before being used for baking. If not, repeat feedings, removing all but 25g every time, and adding 25g flour and sufficient water, as above.
Day 1 / Evening
Step 2: Prepare Culture proof
To a large enough bowl add:
200g whole rye flour, type 1150
(our flour comes from a local Bio shop and does not state the type...)
200g lukewarm water (no warmer than 35C)
50g active Starter (from Step 1)
Stir well, cover with a paper towel held in place with a rubber band and leave to stand at room temperature (app. 20 C) for app. 12-16 hours (over night) to rise. The Culture proof at this point is like a thick paste, rather than thick pancake dough but it perfectly rises, so no need to add additional water.
Day 2 / Morning
Step 3: Remove 50g of the Culture proof for the next rye bread
By now the proof should have doubled in size with a lot of bubbles visible on the side, and with a spongey consistency when stirred. Remove 50g of the Culture proof, put it into a jam jar or any other suitable container and keep it in the fridge until next time. At this point, even if you used a wheat starter for your Culture proof, you will end up with an additional rye starter if so desired.
Day 2 / Morning
Step 4: Prepare Dough Proof
In a large mixing bowl, add:
400g whole rye flour
200g whole spelt flour
320 g water (the original recipe says you can also use buttermilk, but I have not tried it)
the culture proof (minus 50g Starter) prepared on the previous day
21g salt
2 tsp spice mix (see below)
additional seeds for the bread surface
*Spice mix: I make my own mix consisting of: 2 Tbsp fennel seeds, 3 tsp caraway seeds and 2 tsp coriander seeds. Grind the spices in a coffee grinder, leaving half of the seeds half ground for a coarser texture and more flavour in the bread. Add 2 tsp of this mixture to the bread mix.
Note on ingredients:
- I usually use stone ground whole rye and spelt flour from a Bio shop. It does not say the 'type' but works fine.
- Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature. If necessary prepare them the night before. I actually weigh and mix all dry ingredients on the day before as it makes things faster in the morning.
- Salt: we like our bread tasty in its own right. The one that works best for me is coarse sea salt. I weigh exactly 21g, then grind it with a pestle and mortar before adding it to the flour mix.
- The original recipe calls for 5g of yeast, but I have never added it and the bread turns out just fine. But we do like a dense texture. If you want an opener crumb maybe it would be best to add it.
Mix all ingredients with a kitchen machine. My KitchenAid with dough hook works perfectly, at lowest speed. Stop every so often and scrape the dough from the sides with a spatula. After a while the dough should not stick anymore to the sides of the bowl. Alternatively knead the dough by hand for app. 20 min. The dough might be sticky, but should still be manageable. The consistency improves, the longer it is kneaded. Normally bread dough needs to be kneaded until it's smooth, silky and stretchy. This specific dough does not seem to become so silky and stretchy. It still rises and bakes well dough.
Day 2 / Morning
Step 5: Rest the Dough
Put the dough onto the work surface, form it into a rough ball, then leave it to rest for 30 minutes. The dough should roughly keep it's shape. If it flattens to much, knead in additional flour.
Day 2 / Morning
Step 6: Form the Loaf
Flatten the rested dough out a bit with your fingers. Then pull one side gently away from the middle and fold it inwards. Turn the dough a little, then pull the next piece gently and fold it inwards. Carry on until you have pulled all sides outwards and folded them in and you have created a nice round shape. Pinch any open areas together on the top. This shaping will create a sort of stretched 'skin' around the dough which will help to keep the bread nicely in shape during baking.
You will now have the nice side of the bread lying on the work surface. If you wish, you can add additional seeds on top of the bread: to do this, turn the dough over so you have the nice side on top. Moisten it a little with cold water. Sprinkle a layer of seeds (I use whole Caraway and Fennel seeds) on the work surface then put the bread with the upper, nice, side into the seeds and roll it around until the seeds have attached. Press the seeds down gently to make sure they stick, then sprinkle the surface with a little flower.
Day 2 / Morning
Step 7: Leave to rise/proof
Place the dough, with the nice seeded side downwards inside a well floured proofing basket. Mine is 22cm in diameter and is suitable for 750-1500g bread. It leaves a beautiful pattern on the bread. Cover the basket loosely with plastic foil and attach with a rubber band. We have started to collect shower caps from hotels for this purpose, unused of course :-) they work very well instead. Leave to proof until the dough has doubled in size. This may take up to 4 hours depending on room temperature.
Day 2 / Early afternoon
Step 8: Bake the Bread
Towards the end of proofing time, pre-heat the oven, including the baking tray, or a baking stone, or baking steel, to 250°C. When the oven is hot, place a shallow container with boiling water onto the oven floor to provide steam during baking. Once the bread has doubled in size, reverse it from the proofing basket onto the hot baking tray, then slash the surface with a sharp knife, or even better a razor blade, and bake as follows:
15 mins at 250°C: during this time, spray inside the oven (not the bread) every 5 mins with cold water
20 mins at 200°C
20 mins at 180°C
The steam from the water container and water sprays help create a crunchy crust. To test if the bread is baked through, tap it on the underside, it should sound hollow.
Day 2 / Early afternoon
Step 9: Rest the Bread!
This is an important step! DO NOT cut into the bread while still hot. Instead leave to cool completely uncovered for several hours or overnight. To do so, remove the bread from the baking tray and leave it on a cooling rack until completely cooled.
Storing:
Sourdough bread stores very well without going stale. To keep a crunchy crust, simply store it wrapped in bread paper or in a clean kitchen towel, or in a bread bin. Do not store it in a plastic bag, as this will soften the crust.
Freezing:
When frozen very fresh, the bread retains its crunch. I tend to cut the fresh, well cooled bread into slices (an electric bread machine really does work best for this!) then layer it with little sheets of bread paper between to prevent the slices from sticking together and store it inside large freezer bags. Alternatively, wrap the bread whole, or cut in half or quarters into bread paper, then very tightly into aluminium foil. Defrost at room temperature, or place the pre-sliced bread into a toaster to warm up faster.
_____________________________________________________________________________
SOURDOUGH BREAD WITH WHOLE WHEAT, RYE AND SPELT
I made the same recipe with a special 'Bouquet' flour mix from our Bio shop that contains mainly whole wheat, rye, spelt, but also a mixture of kernels and seeds. Unfortunately the exact quantities of each are not stated, but I followed the recipe using just this flour for all stages. The bread was lighter in texture and colour, but rose and baked just as well so I think it's really not so important to use exactly the flour as stated, as long as the quantities are followed according to the recipe and I will definitely experiment more.
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