Instructions:
Notes: This was听baked in an 多乐电竞 Covered Loaf Baker. It gives the bread a golden crust. Because there is a lid, you don鈥檛 need to add steam to the oven. When using the covered baker, preheat the oven to 450掳F. Butter the mold and dust it lightly with flour before using.
Recipe by Priscilla of
]]>Anyone can make naturally fermented or sourdough bread. The process of making crunchy, tangy sourdough loaves is rewarding, but it requires time, patience, and practice. Many home bakers who love making sourdough bread have a routine; they make sourdough bread every week to keep their starter active and to improve their skills.
To create delicious and beautiful sourdough bread you need to pay attention to a few things.
An Active Starter
You need an active, bubbling sourdough starter. (See recipe and tips from KingArthurBaking.com on page 10-11) This process takes time. It may take anywhere from 7-14 days to build a strong enough starter to raise a loaf of bread.
When you make your dough, your starter must be visibly active with large bubbles. A healthy strong (or ripe) starter will double or triple 6-8 hours after feeding.
Elastic, Springy Dough
The elastic network of proteins in yeast dough traps gases to make dough rise. Because there are fewer yeast organisms in natural starter than in commercial yeast, you must capture all the gas that escapes. To do this, your dough needs to be properly kneaded or folded until it is springy and elastic.
Warm Temperatures
Yeast loves the same temperatures as people do, 70掳F - 80掳F and yeast will be in heaven. In cooler temperatures, the yeast becomes sluggish.
Bread dough will rise very slowly at cool temperatures. At warm temperatures, the yeast becomes very active. And bread dough will rise quickly. Because there are fewer yeast organisms in natural starter, being aware of your room temperature is very important. Unless directed otherwise, keep your dough covered in a warm draft-free place. This will help it rise.
Dough made with natural starter may take twice as long to rise as dough made with prepared yeast. Maintaining steady, warm room temperatures is important when working with sourdough bread dough.
A Gentle Touch
When handling sourdough bread, use a gentle touch. Resist the urge to aggressively punch down your dough or flatten it out before shaping. You need to preserve the gas bubbles in the dough to help it rise during baking.
Steam in the Oven
A burst of steam in the oven helps sourdough bread rise when baked. Your covered 多乐电竞 bread baker traps moisture from the dough and turns it to steam. Properly prepared sourdough will bake into a well risen loaf with a crisp crust in your covered baker.
Sourdough Bread Recipes
Use your favorite sourdough bread recipe in your 多乐电竞 bread baker. Select a recipe
with the amount of flour recommended for your bread baker. Just remember to account for the flour in your starter, which is usually half the amount of starter. In other words, 1/2 cup of starter contains approximately 1/4 cup of flour and 1/4 cup of water. Account for the 1/4 cup of flour in your calculation of how much flour your recipe uses.
Homemade Sourdough Starter
Recipe and tips provided by:
Ingredients:
To begin your starter:
To feed your starter:
Directions:
Day 1:听Combine the pumpernickel or whole wheat flour with the cool water in a non- reactive container. (If you have only all-purpose flour, you can use it. But it may take an additional day or two to get going.) Glass, crockery, stainless steel, or food-grade plastic all work fine for this. Make sure the container is large enough to hold your starter as听听 it grows; we recommend at least 1-quart capacity. Stir everything together thoroughly; make sure there鈥檚 no dry flour anywhere. Cover the container loosely and let the mixture sit at warm room temperature (about 70掳F) for 24 hours. See TIPS* for advice about growing starters in a cold house.
Day 2:听You may see no activity at all in the first 24 hours, or you may see a bit of growth or bubbling. Either way, discard half the starter (about 1/2 cup), and add to the remainder a scant 1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, and 1/2 cup cool water (if your house is warm); or lukewarm water (if it鈥檚 cold). Mix well, cover, and let the mixture rest at room temperature for 24 hours.
Day 3:听By the third day, you鈥檒l likely see some activity 鈥� bubbling, a fresh, fruity aroma, and some evidence of expansion. It鈥檚 now time to begin听two feedings daily, as evenly spaced as your schedule allows. For each feeding, stir down the starter and measure out a generous 1/2 cup. Discard any remaining starter. Add a scant 1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, and 1/2 cup water to the reserved starter. Mix the starter, flour, and water, cover, and let the mixture rest at room temperature for approximately 12 hours before repeating.
Day 4:听Measure out a generous 1/2 cup of starter and discard any remaining starter. Repeat steps from听Day 3.
Day 5:听Measure out a generous 1/2 cup of starter and discard any remaining starter. Repeat step from听Day 3. By the end of Day 5, the starter should have at least doubled in volume. You鈥檒l see lots of bubbles; there may be some little 鈥渞ivulets鈥� on the surface, full of finer bubbles. Also, the starter should have a tangy aroma 鈥� pleasingly acidic, but not overpowering. If your starter hasn鈥檛 risen much and isn鈥檛 showing lots of bubbles, repeat discarding and feeding every 12 hours on day 6, and day 7, if necessary 鈥� as long as it takes to create a vigorous (risen, bubbly) starter. See TIPS*.
Once the starter is ready, give it one last feeding. Measure out a generous 1/2 cup of starter and discard any remaining starter. Feed as usual. Let the starter rest at room temperature for 6-8 hours; it should be active, with bubbles breaking the surface.
Remove however much starter you need for your recipe 鈥� typically no more than about 1 cup. If your recipe calls for more than 1 cup of starter, give it a couple of feedings without discarding, until you鈥檝e made enough for your recipe plus 1/2 cup to keep and feed again.
Transfer the remaining 1/2 cup of starter to its permanent home: a crock, jar, or whatever you鈥檇 like to store it in long-term. Feed this reserved starter with 1 scant cup of flour and 1/2 cup water, and let it rest at room temperature for several hours, to get going, before covering it. If you鈥檙e storing starter in a screw-top jar, screw the top on loosely rather than airtight.
Store this starter in the refrigerator. Feed it regularly; we recommend feeding it with a scant 1 cup flour and 1/2 cup water once a week.
TIPS*
Why do you need to discard half the starter?听It seems so wasteful... But unless you discard starter at some point, eventually you鈥檒l end up with a very large container of starter. Also, keeping the volume down offers the yeast more food to eat each time you feed it; it鈥檚 not fighting with quite so many other little yeast cells to get enough to eat. You don鈥檛 have to actually discard it if you don鈥檛 want to, either; you can give it to a friend, or use it to bake. There are quite a few recipes on KingArthurBaking.com using 鈥渄iscard鈥� starter, including pizza crust, pretzels, and waffles, and even chocolate cake. If you鈥檙e still uncomfortable dealing with discard, though, try maintaining a smaller starter: the smaller the starter, the smaller the amount of discard.
Why does this starter begin with whole-grain flour? Because the wild yeast that gives sourdough starter its life is more likely to be found in the flora- and fauna-rich environment of a whole-grain flour than in all-purpose flour. What if all you have is all-purpose flour, no whole wheat? Go ahead and use all-purpose; you may find the starter simply takes a little longer to get going. Also, if you feed your starter on a long-term basis with anything other than the all-purpose flour called for here, it will probably look different (thicker or thinner, a different color) and act differently as well. Not to say you can鈥檛 feed your starter with alternate flours; just that the results may not be what you expect.
Should you use bottled water?听Unless your tap water is so heavily treated that you can smell the chemicals, there鈥檚 no need to use bottled water; tap water is fine.
A note about room temperature:听the colder the environment, the more slowly your starter will grow. If the normal temperature in your home is below 68掳F, we suggest finding a smaller, warmer spot to develop your starter. For instance, try setting the starter atop your water heater, refrigerator, or another appliance that might generate ambient heat. Your turned-off oven 鈥� with the light turned on 鈥� is also a good choice.
Regarding the duration of everyday feeding, here is some great advice: 鈥淐onditions vary so widely that 7 days can be far too little. I鈥檝e learned the key is to watch for a dramatic and consistent rise in the jar 鈥� at least doubling between 1 and 4 hours after feeding. This could be 7 days or less after you begin, or it could be three weeks (for me it was 12 to 14 days). Bakers may want to watch for this phenomenon, rather than watch the calendar.鈥�
听
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1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
5 陆 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 cup pecan pieces, lightly toasted
1 cup chopped almonds, lightly toasted
Instructions:
Dissolve the yeast in the water. Add 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour, mix, and let sit for 10 minutes.
Stir in the honey, oil, and salt.
Add the flour, a cup at a time, until you no longer can integrate any more flour.
Turn the dough out onto a counter with the remainder of the flour. Knead the dough until you form a smooth and satiny ball. If needed wet your hands if the dough needs a little bit more water to come together.
Put the dough into a bowl and drizzle with a tablespoon of oil; turn the dough to coat it with the oil.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place until it鈥檚 doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
Gently deflate the dough and knead in the nuts.
Lightly flour your counter top and shape the dough into an oblong oval loaf.
Cover the loaf with damp towels and let rise for 30-45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350掳F.
Using a serrated knife, make 3 slashes across the top of the loaf about 1" deep.
Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until it well browned and the internal temperature is 190F.
Cool on rack and let sit for at least 20 minutes before cutting.
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