Classic Sourdoughs (7 page)

Preheating an oven before baking is a time-honored practice. But we have been surprised to find that starting the baking process in a cold oven results in a better “oven spring.” If you do this, increase the baking time by how long it takes your oven to reach whatever temperature you set for baking. For example, our oven takes approximately 10 minutes to reach 375°F (190°C). Place the baking container or sheet with its shaped loaf in a cool oven set for 375°F (190°C). Start the oven and bake for 70 minutes. At the start of baking—usually just after the oven comes up to full baking temperature—watch the loaf suddenly expand as the gases in the dough heat up. This expansion is called “oven spring.” If the consistency is just right, the sudden expansion will be double or triple the usual expansion: we call that “ballooning.” When you first see a dough balloon, it will actually startle you. It takes practice
and record keeping to consistently achieve this exceptional rise. Alternatively, you may bake the loaf on a baking stone preheated to 450°F (230°C) for 40 minutes.

Supply steam by placing boiling water in a pan below the loaf or spritzing the oven—not the loaves—with water every 5 minutes for the first 15 minutes of baking. This creates a chewy crust (see below).

When bread is taken from the oven after baking, it should be removed from the pan and allowed to cool on a wire rack. If left in the pan, it will become moist and soggy. Most breads should not be sliced until 15 to 20 minutes after being taken from the oven: this time is important to the final texture.

THESE BREAD RECIPES
contain many different healthful grains and tasty add-ins. We recommend that you start by baking the Basic Sourdough Bread recipe, which serves as an introduction to our unique culture proof step and the subsequent effects of timing and temperature variations on the final result. Once you’ve mastered this basic recipe, you will be ready to bake any sourdough recipe in this book.

We like to mix and knead the dough in a bread machine, as it is easier to judge the consistency, but we usually remove it for shaping and baking (see
chapter 5
for a description of this method). Any of the following recipes can be kneaded in the machine if they yield one loaf.

Try this basic recipe first, to familiarize yourself with the three proofs needed for each recipe and to discover which culture proof and loaf proof variations create your preferred flavor and leavening. Note that you must complete the first proof, the
Culture Proof
before you begin making the dough in the recipe. Master this recipe, and you can use what you learn to adjust any of the recipes that follow to your taste
.
MAKES ONE 1½-POUND (680 G) LOAF

DOUGH PROOF
Pour the culture into a mixing bowl. Stir the water and salt into the culture with a mixing spoon. Add the flour a cup (140 g) at a time until the dough is too stiff to mix by hand. Turn out onto a floured board and knead in the remaining flour until the dough is smooth and satiny.

Or mix and knead all of the ingredients for a maximum of 25 minutes in a bread machine or other mixer (see
this page
).

Proof the dough overnight (8 to 12 hours) at room temperature, about 70°F (21°C), in a large bowl covered with plastic wrap (or leave in the machine pan, removed from the machine, securing the plastic wrap with a rubber band). During this time, the dough should double in size in the covered bowl, or rise to the top of the machine pan. After the proof, use a spatula to gently ease the dough out onto a floured board.

Allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes. If marked flattening occurs during this time, knead in additional flour before shaping.

After the 30-minute rest, shape the dough. Flatten it slightly, then lift a portion from the periphery and pull it toward the center. Continue this around the dough mass to form a rough ball (see
this page
), then pat and pull into the loaf shape you desire.

LOAF PROOF
Place the shaped loaf in a bread pan or other baking container, in a willow basket, or, for French loaves, on a baking sheet. Cover and proof (either at room temperature or in the warmer atmosphere of a proofing box, depending on your preferred temperature) for 2 to 4 hours until it has doubled in bulk or reached nearly to the top of the bread pan. Remember that proofing at higher temperatures
(90°F/32°C) will produce a more sour loaf with good flavor but decreased leavening. Proofing at room temperature will yield good leavening and mild sourness. Proofing at room temperature for the first hour, and then at 90°F (32°C) until risen will yield a moderately sour loaf with only slightly decreased leavening.

BAKING
Just before putting the loaf in the oven, slash the surface of the dough several times with a razor blade. Place the pan with its shaped, proofed loaf in a cool oven, then turn the temperature to 375°F (190°C) and bake for 70 minutes. Or transfer the loaf to a preheated baking stone in a 450°F (230°C) oven and bake for 40 minutes. For a firm, chewy crust, place a pan of boiling water below the loaf or spritz the oven with water every 5 minutes for 15 minutes while the oven is at baking temperature. When the loaf is baked, remove it from the pan and let cool on a wire rack for at least 15 to 20 minutes before slicing.

It seems incredible that the ingredients in this well-known bread are so few: a wild culture, flour, water, and salt. We use our authentic Original San Francisco culture, which will produce the flavor and texture that we know as San Francisco sourdough. To customize its sourness and leavening, refer to
chapter 3
for variations in timing and temperature during proofing (
this page
) and baking (
this page
)
.
MAKES ONE 1½-POUND (680 G) LOAF

DOUGH PROOF
Pour the culture into a mixing bowl. Dissolve the salt in the water and stir it into the culture. Add the flour a cup (140 g) at a time and stir until it is too stiff to mix with a spoon. Turn out onto a floured board and knead in the remaining flour until the dough is smooth and satiny.

Or mix and knead all of the ingredients for a maximum of 25 minutes in a bread machine or other mixer (see
this page
).

Proof the dough overnight (8 to 12 hours) at room temperature, about 70°F (21°C), in a large bowl covered with plastic wrap (or leave in the machine pan, removed from the machine, securing the plastic wrap with a rubber band). During this time, the dough should double in size in the covered bowl, or rise to the top of the machine pan. After the proof, use a spatula to gently ease the dough out onto a floured board. Allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes. If marked flattening occurs during this time, knead in additional flour before shaping.

LOAF PROOF
After the 30-minute rest, shape the dough. Flatten it slightly, then lift a portion from the periphery and pull it toward the center. Continue this around the dough mass to form a rough ball (see
this page
), then shape as a French loaf by gently patting the dough into a rough rectangle, then folding over and pressing the edges together to make a seam.

Place the shaped loaf, seam side down, on a baking sheet and proof for 2 to 4 hours until it doubles in bulk. For a good combination of sourness and leavening, proof the loaf for the first hour at room temperature and then at 85° to 90°F (29° to 32°C) in a proofing box.

BAKING
Place the baking sheet with its shaped loaf in a cool oven, then turn the temperature to 375°F (190°C) and bake for 70 minutes. Or transfer the loaf to a preheated baking stone in a 450°F (230°C) oven and bake for 40 minutes. For a firm, chewy crust, place a pan of boiling water below the loaf or spritz the oven with water every 5 minutes for 15 minutes while the oven is at baking temperature. When the loaf is baked, remove it from the pan and let cool on a wire rack for at least 15 to 20 minutes before slicing.

This is a conventional white loaf bread—delicious but different from the well-known French loaf
.
MAKES ONE 1½-POUND (680 G) LOAF

DOUGH PROOF
Pour the culture into a mixing bowl. Add the beaten egg, salt, sugar, milk, and melted butter to the culture and mix. Add the flour a cup (140 g) at a time and stir until the dough is too stiff to mix by hand. Turn out onto a floured board and knead in the remaining flour until the dough is smooth and satiny.

Or mix and knead all of the ingredients for a maximum of 25 minutes in a bread machine or other mixer (see
this page
).

Proof the dough overnight (8 to 12 hours) at room temperature, about 70°F (21°C), in a large bowl covered with plastic wrap (or leave in the machine pan, removed from the machine, securing the plastic wrap with a rubber band). During this time, the dough should double in size in the covered bowl, or rise to the top of the machine pan. After the proof, use a spatula to gently ease the dough out onto a floured board.