Sourdough bread for beginners!

Our sourdough journey started when I attended a workshop in Goa conducted by the ever so awesome Sujit Sumitran. Spending a day in an old Portuguese house talking about the science of grains and the health benefits of fermentation while we stretched, folded and tried to cooperate with our dough, was far more than I expected. And for someone who has suffered with gluten intolerance for a long time it was just the push I needed to dive into the ocean of sourdough and I took Jini along with me!

For our first bread together we stuck exactly to the recipe that I worked on in the class since I wanted to first walk down a familiar road before going into unfamiliar territory. The process explained below has been taken directly from Sujit and is an easy bread to start with. The absolute only change I have made is to add 20 gms of finely chopped jalapeno and cheese.

What you need:

• Flour blend: 500 grams of which 100 grams is Whole wheat flour (or Emmer or Rye or Multi-grain flour, and 400 grams is unbleached APF / Maida
• Water: 375 grams @ room temperature
• Levain: (fresh & vigorous starter) 100 grams @ 100% hydration (equal proportions of water & flour)
• Salt: 10 grams
• Finely chopped jalapeno and cheese: 20 gms

 How we stir:

• Autolyse: Pour 375 gms of water in a large mixing bowl and 100 grams of the levainto the water. Stir till well mixed and add the flour blend to this mix. Mix well till all the flour is well hydrated and you can’t see or feel any dry patches. Let the dough rest for 30 – 45 minutes. This is a crucial step as it allows the flour to absorb the water and relax into a cohesive mass. More importantly, this step kickstarts the gluten formation process.

•  Mix: Now add the 10 grams of salt onto the surface of the dough. Pull the dough from under and drop it over the salt while turning the bowl. The salt should be now completely inside the dough. Moisten your fingers and palm and using your thumb and index finger like pincers cut through the dough and remix. Essentially, you wantto ensure that the salt is evenly distributed across the dough. The dough will be sticky, so it’s advisable to have a bowl of water close by to moisten your hands every time you find the dough sticking to your fingers and palm. While moistening your hand, please ensure that you don't transfer water into the dough.

• Turn: This is essentially a series of Stretch & Folds that you employ to develop the gluten. This formula calls for 4 turns every 30 minutes. Essentially you’ll be done with the turns in 2 hours. Leave the dough covered for 30 minutes or till the dough increases in volume by 20 to 30%. You’ll also see air bubbles along the sides of the mixing bowl – indicators that the fermentation is done and the dough is ready to be shaped and proofed. Please ensure that your dough temperature is between 76 and 80F.
• Pre- Shape: Using a flour dusted silicon spatula, gently nudge the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Quickly flour your fingers and stretch the dough (pulling outwards from under the dough) so that it’s flattened on the work surface. Now, stretch and fold the dough and shape into a ball. Dust the surface and cover with akitchen napkin.
• Shape: Take a 50-50 mix of rice flour and whole wheat flour and dust a kitchen napkin with the flour mix generously. Transfer the napkin carefully onto your proofing basket / colander / banneton. Use a dough scraper and push under the dough at a 45 degree angle till the dough turns into a tight ball. Ensure that the surface onwhich the dough is, is free of flour or there wont be enough friction for the dough surface to tighten.
• Proof: Transfer dough seam-side up on the proofing basket, cover with a plastic bag (the grocery types) and transfer into the fridge. In about 3 - 3 1/2 hours or so, you should be ready. Alternately, cold proof over-night. One way to check if the dough is ready is to do the finger dent test.
• Bake: Pre-heat oven to max temperature (250C) with a Dutch Oven (DO) in it for 40 minutes. This needs to be timed in a manner that when the dough is proofed and ready, the DO is also hot and ready.Transfer the dough carefully into the DO, seam side down and bake for 20 minutes with the lid on. Take off the lid, drop the temperature to 225°C and bake for another 20-25 minutes till the loaf is a gorgeous chestnut brown. When this is done, transfer to a cooling rack and it rest for at least a couple of hours before slicing.
• We have used an earthen ware cooking dish with a lid and inverted a heavy creamic container over a preheated baking tray with good results. So if you are just starting out and are not keen on the investment in a DO then try either of these.

We love making toasties out of the sourdough slices, so go ahead and slather them with butter, top with tomatoes, cheese, fresh and dried herbs or even a beautiful soft poached egg and Enjoy!