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Key Takeaways

  • Healthy starter needs daily feeding and bubbly texture.
  • Autolyse improves dough texture with short rest period.
  • Proper mixing ensures cohesive dough for shaping.
  • Steam in baking creates glossy crusty sourdough loaf.
  • High heat boosts oven spring for airy crumb.

Master Sourdough Baking Techniques for Artisan Bread

Creating and Feeding a Sourdough Starter

Kicking off your sourdough journey starts with a lively starter and it's super easy to get going to unlock the benefits of sourdough. Mix equal parts flour and water like 50 grams each in a jar and let it sit for a day.The mixture will display some bubbles which indicate the wild yeast has started to activate. Feed it daily with the same mix 50 grams flour and water stirring it up and tossing half to keep it fresh.

Your starter will double in size within a few hours after feeding within about a week and will look bubbly and smell tangy. That's when it's ready to bake with.Keep feeding it once a day if it's on your counter or pop it in the fridge for weekly feeds if you're not baking daily.Watch for a strong rise and a slightly sour scent to know it's good to go.A few additional feeds with fresh flour should be given to it if it is sluggish to perk it up. A healthy starter is the heart of great sourdough so don't skip this step.

Mixing and Autolyse Techniques

Mixing your dough right sets the stage for a killer loaf with effective sourdough baking techniques. Start by combining your flour and water just enough to get everything wet no kneading yet.This is called autolyse and it's a game changer.Let that mix rest for 20 to 30 minutes to let the flour soak up the water and start forming gluten naturally.The process makes dough handling simpler and produces a superior texture in the final product.

After the rest add your starter and a pinch of salt mixing until it's a shaggy dough.If you're going for a wetter dough aim for about 75 percent hydration meaning 750 grams water for every kilo of flour.For a stiffer dough drop it to around 65 percent.Mix gently with your hands or a spoon to avoid overworking it. The objective is to develop dough that holds together well while remaining suitable for future shaping procedures. Adjust water slowly if it feels off and you'll get the hang of it with practice.

Baking with Steam and Heat

Baking sourdough is where the magic happens and steam is your secret weapon especially for sourdough for different diets. The best part of sourdough is baking it and adding steam, especially if you're adjusting sourdough for certain diets. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees with your covered Dutch oven in there for about one hour. You want it to be extremely hot and intense. A Dutch oven traps steam inside the pot and creates a nice shiny crust on the outside. If you don't have a Dutch oven, you can create steam by placing a metal pan filled with water on the bottom rack of the oven for the first part of baking.

Once your dough is done proofing, score it with a lame so it can expand and place it in the heated covered Dutch oven or onto a baking sheet dusted with cornmeal directly. When baking with steam, you keep the lid on for the first twenty minutes and then take it off to bake for another twenty to twenty-five minutes. The goal is a hard, brown crust. Burning the dough does not hurt with high-temperature baking. It helps the dough spring up quickly and gives you that soft airy crumb, although if you feel your oven runs hot, scale it back to 425 degrees so the bottoms don't burn. The tricky part is timing, which is based on feel and not smell, so tap the bottom and listen for a hollow sound when you think it's done. Make sure to cool before cutting to hold texture. The goal is chew!

FAQ

  1. How do you start a sourdough starter?

    2. Mix equal flour and water feed daily until bubbly.

  2. What is autolyse in sourdough baking?

    3. Resting flour and water mix to enhance gluten.

  3. How should dough be mixed for sourdough?

    4. Gently mix to form cohesive slightly sticky dough.

  4. Why use steam when baking sourdough?

    5. Steam creates glossy crust and better loaf rise.

  5. What oven temperature is best for sourdough?

    6. Bake at 450°F for optimal crust and crumb.