Dad’s Sourdough Bread

This recipe makes 2 loaves. If you want 4 loaves then use the numbers in parenthesis. If you want one loaf, half the first number.

Ingredients

• 514g (1028g) room temp. water
• 24g (48g) Celtic sea salt
• 776g (1552g) bread flour – I prefer to use about 1:3 ratio of fresh ground flour and the rest in all-purpose or bread flour.
• 200g (400g) sourdough starter

Step 1 – Making the dough (Day 1)

1. Weigh out water on a scale in a large bowl.
2. Add salt and sourdough starter and stir with Danish whisk to break up starter and help salt dissolve.
3. Add flour and stir till “shaggy” dough forms and the dough is scrapping off the flour from the side. It should be a rough dough, but all the flour absorbed. Let it sit for 15 minutes.

Step 2 – Making a round ball

1. Spray your hands with water. Using your hand pull a side of dough up and to the center of the ball. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat. Do this for 3-4 full circles of the bowl till the dough forms a smooth round ball. Let sit for 30 minutes.

Step 3 – Making a rectangle

1. Spray counter and hands with water. Using dough scraper, scrape dough onto counter. Weigh dough and separate it into even amounts based on how many loaves you are making.
2. Once portioned, take a dough ball and stretch it into an elongated rectangle. Stretch one end with fingers while letting other end hand. Slap the dangling end down on the counter. Pull the other end out and fold the dough in half. Continue to do this several times until the gluten starts to set up and the dough becomes sturdier and more elastic.
3. Using dough scrapper, scrape into a ball, put back in bowl, cover, and let rest for 1 hour.

Step 4 – Making a circle

1. Again, scape dough onto counter. Stretch into a large circle till the dough is almost transparent. Fold dough in thirds both ways. Grab each corner, stretch it and fold it to the center. Repeat for all corners. Roll into a log, turn and roll opposite way till almost a ball. Using dough scrapper or hands roll dough into a neat ball keeping the bottom always on the bottom. Place back in bowl and let sit approx. 5 hours.

Step 5 – Shaping into baskets

1. Wet counter and hands. Scrape dough onto the counter. Spread it out into a circle and stretch it back into a ball using the same stretch and pull technique used in step 4. Turn the ball over and using the scrapper, scrap into either a ball or a log.
2. Flour Banneton baskets. Turn the dough into the baskets seam side up and place in fridge overnight.

Step 6 – Baking the bread (Day 2)

1. In morning, preheat oven to 500 degrees.
2. Cut a square of parchment paper. Turn out 1 loaf onto the square. Using a bread lame, cut a design in top.
3. Place parchment paper in center of pizza stone in preheated oven. Cover with dutch oven and cook for 20 minutes.
4. Remove dutch oven and cook for 8-10 more minutes until loaf is golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.
5. Repeat with other loaves.
6. Let cool before eating or putting in bag for storage. These may be frozen for some time and rewarmed in oven.