Sourdough Bread
It's not as hard as it looks. I had a hard time making sourdough in the past, but once you get around how to make a starter, the process becomes amazingly simple.
Concerning the starter: you'll notice that I didn't include a starter recipe in this video. It wouldn't really be a recipe though, more of a procedure. It will take a good week to make a proper starter. All you need to do is add about 100 grams of flour to 100 grams of water. Let that sit for 24 hours. The next day, remove 100 grams of the mixture and replace it with 50 grams of flour and 50 grams of water. Keep doing that every day for a week, and by the end of the week you'll have a starter. I like to keep mine in a mason jar, and about once every month or so I like to move it to a new jar. You'll want to feed it every day for the first week, but I only feed mine every other day (sometimes only once every three days) and that seems to keep it alive just fine.
INGREDIENTS
- 100g Sourdough Starter
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 250g Water
- 425 - 450g Flour
RECIPE
Mix everything in a bowl until a very sticky dough forms. I like to stir everything with a spoon at first, then switch to my hands near the end. No need to knead this very much, just enough so a dough comes together. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit for about 20 hours. You can give the dough a fold around the 10-hour mark if you like.
After 20 hours remove the dough on to a well-floured work surface. Split the dough into 4-equal parts and shape them into balls. Cover with plastic wrap on a parchment-lined baking pan. Let them rise another hour, score the tops with a pair of kitchen shears, and pop them in a 400 degree oven for about 25-35 minutes, or until they're nice and brown.
There's not much better in the world than freshly baked bread.
