In a previous Stella Bread Video, I demonstrated how to make a sourdough starter that could later be used to naturally levin any type of bread you desire. In this video, we take that starter and bake our first sourdough loaf, a 70% hydration boule that uses a large percentage of poolish starter for a quick rise, a small amount or whole wheat for a complex flavor, and a cast iron dutch oven to replicate a traditional hearth.
Many guests of The Cedar House and Stella ask how we make our sourdough bread that has become a signature part of our dinner service. This is the recipe and method that we use, the only difference being that our finished, formed loaves are baked in our wood fire oven instead of a cast iron dutch oven. The heat retaining capabilities of the dutch oven allow for a superior heat transfer and oven spring which is one of the major advantages to baking bread in a hearth oven. Enclosing the dutch oven with a lid during the early stages of baking introduces steam which is absolutely imperative for a strong oven spring and a crackly crust.
If I blindfolded my staff and had them do a blind tasting between this bread and the bread we serve at Stella, they would not be able to tell the difference. However, the straightforward simplicity of this method makes it a great introductory loaf of sourdough for the uninitiated, and a great base recipe to which you can add different flavored flours, herbs, spices, nuts, etc., to make your own unique sourdough loaf at home.
This video assumes that you have a strong sourdough starter and understand basic bread baking concepts as discussed in The Stella Culinary School Podcast.
The Recipe
- 275g Warm Water
- 500g Poolish Sourdough Starter
- 400g Bread Flour (Unbleached)
- 100g Whole Wheat Flour
- 20g Salt 15g Salt (2%)
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There are 80 Comments
@ Ron, When you retard the
@ Ron,
When you retard the starter, it's not necessary to feed it that much, because you'll just be throwing it out anyway. I would recommend feed the 100g of starter 200g each flour & water, place in an air tight container, and in the fridge. Next time you want to bake, take the starter out of the fridge, discard all but 100g, and feed in 50/50g day one, 100/100g day two, 200/200g day three, all at room temperature. After the starter passes the float test after the 3rd feeding (probably 12-16 hours), you'll be able to bake another loaf of sourdough.
Also, this is only necessary if doing a long term storage (one weak plus). You can easily feed your starter, retard in the fridge, and bake with it every 2-3 days. On day four it will be a little week, but you can pull it out, discard half, feed the same amount back in, leave at room temperature, and it should be ready to bake with on day 5.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Hi Ron, Besides cutting back
Hi Ron,
Besides cutting back on the salt content as Chef B. recommends, make sure you're not using regular table salt - because of the granule size, there's more table salt per gram than kosher salt, plus I believe that table salt has a stronger flavor of salt than kosher.
Hi Marco, What I think you
Hi Marco,
What I think you meant to say is that there is more table salt in a given measure (say a teaspoon) than Kosher salt because it is denser than Kosher salt. A gram is a gram is a gram and 100 grams of table salt is the same amount as 100 grams of Kosher salt.
Table salt, Kosher salt, sea salt, Malden salt, etc. are all salts. Some of them have trace elements in them depending on how and where they are harvested, but they are all salt. Even Kosher salts have different densities and textures between brands (Morton and Diamond for instance.)
Kosher salt has no additives, so you are getting nearly pure, unadulterated sodium chloride. It is coarser, so it is less likely to dissolve and disperse in recipes. You can grind it first if that is an issue.
Table salt, however, can contain trace amounts of iodine and anti-clumping agents, which I would prefer not to have my bread. Of all the research I have read, there does not appear that the amount of iodine in table salt affects taste or color, however, I just cant see adding it to my dough.
There are table salts that are not iodized and I suppose using the same amount by weight of table salt (non-iodized) as Kosher salt, will produce similar results.
All salts have advantages and disadvantages. Just would advise against using iodized salt unless you have thyroid problems.
I like my sourdough a little
I like my sourdough a little on the salty side, but that's just a personal preference. Next time, reduce the salt to 1% (10g) and see what you think.
Let me know how it turns out.
Let me know how it turns out.
@ Ron, One thing I just
@ Ron,
One thing I just realized is that my calculation was off on the salt for this recipe. With 750g of total flour, 2% would be 15g, not 20. 1% would be 7.5g.
@Elliot,
You are right on with your comment. To add to this, iodide will break down when exposed to high temperatures (like those found in baking, roasting, and searing), which can result in an acrid flavor and metallic tinge in the back of your throat.
Hi Hoodah, If you have a
Hi Hoodah,
If you have a bread flour with a lower gluten content, then it won't soak up as much water.
The poolish I use in this video is half whole wheat and half bread flour. Whole wheat will soak up more liquid than other forms of flour, which is why mine probably looks a little thicker than yours.
@ Tami, My guess is that the
@ Tami,
My guess is that the bread is over proofed. But here's a link to a video that discusses this issue in more detail: http://stellaculinary.com/podcasts/video/why-is-my-bread-dough-collapsing
@ Dave,
You dump the starter because it's full of alcohol and acid which the yeast and LAB produce as a by product. The alcohol and acid weaken gluten strands, which will give you dough poor structure. For more in depth information, I would recommend listening to episode 21 and 22 of the Stella Culinary School Podcast: http://www.stellaculinary.com/SCS
@ Wzl46,
I don't do anything to the dutch oven, only preheat it with the oven. Glad you're enjoying the videos, and let me know if you have any more questions.
Hi Abe, What you need to is
Hi Abe,
What you need to is delayed, cold fermentation using whole wheat in your sourdough starter. The longer the fermentation time, during the preferment, bulking, and proofing stage, the more acetic acid you have build up, which leads to a more sour flavor.
That's the Cliff Notes at least. For a more in-depth explanation of this process and how you can achive the SF style sourdough flavor, listen the the Episode 22 Podcast.
Yes, you understood
Yes, you understood correctly, with a few notes:
- It's not necessary to make your starter 100% whole wheat, this is just optional. Half whole wheat and a cold fermentation in the fridge will yield a fairly sour starter. But if your bread isn't coming out sour enough, you can try the 100% whole wheat starter route, but remember, when you go above 20-30% whole wheat flour in the total formulation of your bread, you could have issue with density.
- You can bulk ferment and proof in the fridge, but doing all three (cold starter, cold bulk, cold proof) could lead to a lot of acetic acid build up. This will give you the sour loaf that you're after, however, too much acid will also weaken your gluten structure which could result in a denser loaf.
- You don't need to let the boule come back to room temp completely before baking ... just take the chill off (about 30-60 minutes at room temp should be sufficient). Look for the 1.5 increase in volume, and then bake.
Basically, you have some experimenting to do. You understand the concepts behind making your bread more sour, but you'll have to play with how much time your dough and starter stays in the fridge. Just take notes and don't get discouraged.
Also, try keeping your starter in the fridge permanently, and feeding it every 48 hours with whole wheat. After a week, you'll notice the starter will smell much more sour.
Keep me posted on your progress, and let me know if you have any more questions.
Good luck!
@ Randy, Yep, forgetting the
@ Randy,
Yep, forgetting the salt will do that. How'd it come out?
@ Pete,
I got a very similar question recently, and decided to do an audio answer, which I've included below. Just hit the play button. If you have any more questions, please feel free to ask a follow up.