Bread Making
Bread making.
Have you ever experienced one of those times where it seems too difficult, too complicated, too time-consuming but you have always had this innermost desire to try it? This, for me, has always been making bread from scratch. With a little research, ie. like 10 minutes here and 10 minutes there, a little spare time, my mother’s amazing kitchen and her helping hands, my desires had to be released. I gave bread making a go.
It was comical at times. It was frustrating at times. It was bonding (at only a few moments in time). It was challenging all the time. But mostly it was quiet invigorating. Don’t do it if you need a quick snack, a late lunch sandwich or a last-minute accompaniment for a dinner party. Bread making takes minimum 1-1.5weeks (this includes making the sourdough starter). And, yes, this is the good sh**… sourdough.
With the small amount of research I had done, it became clear to me that there was no one way to make the starter. If you are unsure, the starter something that needs to be made before you begin even make the actual bread itself. It basically will grow to contain active yeast which creates the rise and form of bread. You can buy this of course and this will cut time off the whole process, but it’s one of the hardest challenges about bread making that I wanted to face.
Firstly, I had to know how to make it, what to use, how much etc. But I couldn’t find a simple recipe that was the same as any others. So what to do?
I found two recipes, that seemed most popular in terms of reviews and similar to others. I made both. I now not only am making bread, but I’m making a story, a comparison, a structured documentation of bread making. And of course, I should end with a conclusion… but things are never as simple as they seem.
Starter 2 formed a lot better than starter 1 but bread 1 ended up so so so much better than starter 2. So… my conclusion is still yet to be determined. I need to probably make bread 10 times more, documenting each cycle, to really give a real and honest answer.
For now, I left Australia and my mum with a whole lot of starter, bread and mess (enough for a good few weeks) but I can finally say I made bread from scratch. I struggled but it was a huge amount of enjoyment. They basically became my babies that were to be nature’s, fed, put to sleep, awakened… then baked?
Anyway, you get my point. I have written out both processes. Give it a try… if you have some time to spare. It does only take a few minutes each step with a whole lot of resting, rising and rejuvenating.
Sourdough Starter 1
Ingredients
20 grams, 40 grams, 80 grams whole wheat flour
20 grams, 40 grams, 80 grams bottled mineral or flat water
Method
For this, you will need one-litre glass jar or sealable tall container which you can draw on using a marker. This is a 5-day process and should not be rushed. Sometimes, starters will not work out as hoped due to the cleanliness of the jar, mixing spoons that are not completely clean as well as other unknown particles in the air. Do let this get to you… simply start again but to avoid this, make sure you use clean equipment at all times.
Day 1
Weigh out 20 grams of flour and 20 grams of water into the jar (best way to do this equalises the jar’s weight on the scale and add on top. Mix well so the flour is completely incorporated. If there is still clumps of dry flour, add a little more water. Scrap the sides down with a spatula.
Mark the side of the glass jar with a thick marker, where the flour/water mixture reaches - this helps to know how much it rises and fulls over the period of 5 days. Leave to cultivate for a 24 hour period in a dark, room temperature place with the lid on (do not seal tightly).
Day 3
You should be seeing a slight bit of activation - a few large bubbles forming on the surface. Do not worry if this is not the case as this method, the activity happens more in the latter part. You should smell a slightly sour aroma from the jar - this is great!
Equalise the jar again and add 40 grams of flour and 40 grams of water. Mix well until the flour is incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the jar again and mark this increase.
Place the lid loosely on and return back to the dark place for a 24 hour period.
Day 4
Now you should really be smelling the sourness. The smell is slightly tart and not completely appealing but in someway very comforting. Note the slight rise and more bubbles.
Now to add the final feed. Equalise the jar and add 80 grams of flour and 80 grams of water. Mix well, scrape and mark.
Place back into the dark place again for the final 24 hour period.
Day 5
The starter should have risen slightly more with a few more large bubbles. With the method, there is not as much rise and fall in the starter than other methods but this is ok. It is really important to keep your starter active once you have finished the formation process. You will never have to make a starter again if you keep it in the fridge and feed it once a month (20 grams/20 grams).
Sourdough Starter 2
Ingredients
¾ cup, ¾ cup, ¾ cup whole wheat flour
¾ cup, ½ cup, ½ cup bottled mineral or flat water
Method
For this, you will need one-litre glass jar or sealable tall container which you can draw on using a marker. This is a 5-day process and should not be rushed. Sometimes, starters will not work out as hoped due to the cleanliness of the jar, mixing spoons that are not completely clean as well as other unknown particles in the air. Do let this get to you… simply start again but to avoid this, make sure you use clean equipment at all times.
Day 1
Weigh out ¾ cup of flour and ¾ cup of water into the jar (best way to do this equalises the jar’s weight on the scale and add on top. Mix well so the flour is completely incorporated. If there is still clumps of dry flour, add a little more water. Scrap the sides down with a spatula.
Mark the side of the glass jar with a thick marker, where the flour/water mixture reaches - this helps to know how much it rises and falls over the period of 5 days. Leave to cultivate for a 24 hour period in a dark, room temperature place with the lid on (do not seal tightly).
Day 3
You should be a bit of activation in the first 24 hour period and even more in the second 24 hour period. This method, the starter really loves to rise and fall and you end up with more quantity of starter than the first method. The bubbles are small and in mass. The sourness should be very much prevalent at this time too. There is sometimes a small amount of liquid that forms on the top - this is ok.
Equalise the jar again and add ¾ cup of flour and ½ cup of water. Mix well until the flour is incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the jar again and mark this increase.
Place the lid loosely on and return back to the dark place for a 24 hour period.
Day 4
Now you should really be smelling the sourness. The smell is slightly tart and not completely appealing but in someway very comforting. Note the slight rise and fall and more bubbles.
Now to add the final feed. Equalise the jar and add ¾ cup of flour and ½ of water. Mix well, scrape and mark.
Place back into the dark place again for the final 24 hour period.
Day 5
The starter should have risen and dropped with lots of small bubbles on the surface. With the method, do not worry about the dramatic rise and fall in the starter. It is really important to keep your starter active once you have finished the formation process. You will never have to make a starter again if you keep it in the fridge and feed it once a month (¾ cup /½ cup).
Sourdough Bread
Ingredients
For the Leaven
2 tbsp activated sourdough starter
1/3 cup water
½ cup all-purpose flour
For the Bread
Leaven
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp table salt
2 ½ cups tap water
Equipment
2 Dutch oven or heavy-duty ovenproof dish
Pastry Scraper
Bread proofing basket or colander/ mixing bowl
2 Tea towels
Plastic wrap or tea towel for covering
Method
To make the Leaven
This process must be left overnight so should be made 24 hours to 48 hours before. In a medium-sized bowl, place the activated starter, water and flour. Mix well to ensure all flour is incorporated. Cover with a loose tea towel and leave in dark, dry place.
To test if the leaven is ready, fill a small glass with water. Drop a small amount of leaven into the water - if the leaven floats it’s ready but if it sinks, leave for a few more hours. Repeat until the leaven floats.
To make saltwater
Heat or boil ½ cup of water. Add the salt into the water, string well to ensure the salt dissolves. I find the heated or boiling water helps this process but you can also use room temperature water. Leave to cool.
To make the dough
Do not be afraid - there are a lot of small steps in this process but all are very important and can be broken up if you cannot complete this all in one day.
Mix the leaven and the remaining 2 cups of water in a large bowl. This will look a little watery but that is ok. Just ensure there are no clumps of leaven left. Add the flour, cup by cup, mixing well between. Make sure to use a spatula for this. You should begin to form a dough - it will feel rather sticky still. Cover and rest at this point for a minimum of 30 minutes a up to 4 hours.
Pour the saltwater over the dough and mix with your hands. The best way to do this is by pinching and pressing the water into the dough. It will feel very wet and loose.
Now the folding process - this takes 2 ½ hours. This folding is done by grabbing one side of the dough, picking it up, folding it over on top of itself and repeating four times in a clockwise direction but keeping it in the bowl.
Do this for a total of 6 times every half hour - adds up to 2 ½ hours. Over this time, the dough will tighten and become thicker. Cover at let it rest for 30 to 60 minutes. The dough may rise a little but this is not the rising stage so do not worry if nothing happens.
Sprinkle a generous amount of flour on the bench - when you think you have enough flour down, sprinkle with one more handful. The dough is not so wet now but it will stick more than you think. Bring the dough out on the surface and gently begin to work dough but avoid more than once or twice - divide in half using the pastry scraper.
Sprinkle a little more flour and begin to shape into rounds. Kneed it with the palm of your hand and by doing this you begin to form a slightly rounded shape. Rest each half for 30 minutes to relax the glutens.
Prepare two proofing baskets, colanders or mixing bowls. Layout two clean tea towels, sprinkle generously with flour and rub the flour into the towel surface. This may sound and seem weird but will prevent the dough from sticking during the next rest period. The four should cling to the tea bowl in a light layer. Carefully slide the proofing basket, colander or mixing bowl underneath the tea towel and gently press into the bowl to form its loose shape.
Dust with flour and begin the second round of shaping. Do this similar as earlier - grab the lip of one corner, gently pull it up and fold it over itself. Do this for all corners of the dough. Cup your hands around the dough and move spin the tighten this into a circular form. Repeat with the second ball.
Transfer to the proofing basket with the seam side down. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rise for 3 to 4 hours in dry room temperature place or for 12 to 15 hours in the fridge.
Heat the oven to 240 degrees. Don’t forget you need two cooking pots for each loaf. Place the dutch ovens or ovenproof pots, covered, into the oven. Heat for 5-6 minutes. If you cannot fit them on the same self then cook one after another - the temperature varies at different levels so you cannot place them on different shelves.
Remove from the oven. Oil the bottom of your dutch oven or ovenproof pot this makes sure the loaf does not stick and tip the loaf straight in. Score with a sharp knife - make sure to slice in both directions for the best crisp top.
Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Lower the temperature to 220 degrees and bake for a further 10 minutes.
Remove the lit and bake uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes. Have a look to see if there is a very crisp, almost burnt, looking top. You can test the interior by inserting a cake tester, if it comes out slightly wet, bake for longer.
Once the cake tester comes out dry but warm, the loaf is ready. Remove from the oven and turn out onto a cooling rack
