How to bake sourdough bread!
Is there anything better than a freshly baked sourdough bread with butter. Well, maybe dipping the bread in a virgine olive oil. And the smell of new baked sourdough bread how the scent spreads in the room. How your senses set in motion.
There are so many reasons to start baking your own bread. You know what’s in the bread, it tastes better and it’s cheap. Here I share my recipe on how you can successfully bake your own sourdough bread. I have used this recipe for 25 years and used it at my restaurant VILLA FRIDHEM in Stockholm in the early 90’s.
First, a few thoughts from me about baking at home.
Baking at home is a process that is affected by many factors such as temperature, flour types and have a potent sourdough starter your ability to dare to make mistakes. It takes time to find your own way of baking. So you have to try out what works for you, Try and error… One thing is realy good to do, make notes every time you bake or make any changes. This recipe is a “basic recipe” that you can play around with. And go with fantasy, why not add some walnuts, some cheeses and olives or sunflower seeds?
This recipe is a good start and I cant tell you this recipe works. My recommendation to you is with this recipe find your way how to bake sourdough bread and don’t give up in the first place.
If you have any questions, feel free to use the live chat here on the site so I can help you on your bakery adventure.
10 commandements for baking
1. Use organic flour.
2. Use some oatmeal mixture in the dough.
3. Make the dough sticky – add more water.
4. Experiment with sourdough. Less bought-in yeast.
5. Add 25-30 g of salt per litre of liquid.
6. Mix the dough for a long time – until it becomes shiny.
7. Let dough ferment in the cold – at least 12 hours.
8. Handle dough carefully as you shape it.
9. Preheat the oven to maximum heat – preferably with a oven stone.
10. Add a glass of water in the oven to create steam.
First, you need a sourdough starter
Before you can start baking, you need a starter. Get the recipe here – sourdough starter
And:
Strainer, Thermometer, Dough Scraper. a box for the dough and a scale.
520g flour
220g cold water
200g of the oatmeal mixture
200g of the “mother / starter”
20g salt
Let´s start baking sourdough bread !
1. First do the mixture of scald oatl – 1 dl oat and 5 dl water. Boil the water and pour over the oat and allow to cool before you begin.
2. When the oatmeal mixture is cooled, Measure up 220g water, 520g flour, 200g of the cooled scalded oats and 200g of sourdough starter.
Pour everything into the dough mixer. Start the dough mixer on slow speed and mix until it becomes a smooth dough (for about 2-3 minutes). Now you have mixed the basic dough. Don’t be afraid, the dough is “sticky”..
3. Cover and let the dough rest for 30-60 minutes to hydrate and gluten development improves. It is also called for autolyse.
5. In order to get a really lovely sourdough, where the gluten and gliadin bond together, the dough must be “kneaded” properly. So mix the dough for about 10-15 minuts at low speed. Add salt in the end of the mixing.
6. When the dough is ready, it should be glossy and “threaded”. Do the “window test” to see if gluten and gliadin have bonded properly. If you can pull the dough without breaking it is ready.
7. Grease the dough box it in the bottom with olive oil. This ensures that the dough does not stick to the bottom. Scrape the dough out of the bowl with a dough scraper. Now it should be allowed to rest for 1 hour. After that we start the folding.
Step 2 - Stretch and Fold the Dough
8. If you want to succeed with a good bread, here begins an important part of baking, namely “folding”. Here you should stretch and pull the dough and fold it 4 times over itself. Grab one side and pull the dough neatly and fold over 2/3. Repeat on the other side and do the same on both other sides. Turn the dough over and let it rest for another hour. Repeat this 3 more times. After the folding and for best taste, cover the box and put in a cold place (fridge) and let the dough proof for at least 12 hours. You can let the dough proof direct after the folding. Cover the box and wait until dough has rise the double of size. Then go to step 2 below.
Step 3 - It's time to shape the bread!
Time to shape the dough. There are many ways to shape, but make it easy if it’s the first time. For example if you want to have a bun – Starting at the top, fold the dough over toward the center. Give it a slight turn, and then fold over the next section of dough. Repeat until you have come full circle. After shaping the bread it’s time for the second rise for 30-60 minutes under a kitchen towel. It doesn’t have rise the double size. The dough is ready when it’s “puffy” and no longer dense. It bonce back a little when you push on it.
This allows the steam to escape and for the dough to expand during baking.
You can use a small serrated knife, paring knife or bread lame.
1. Handle the dough carefully so that the air does not escape.
2. Have as little flour on the table as possible.
3. Don’t be frightened by the fact that the dough is sticky.
4. Use your dough scraper to shape the dough.
5. Powder over little flour before placing in the oven.
6. If you cut the bread, use a razor blade.
Tips!
You can also bake the bread in a “Dutch oven”. After shaping the bread into a bun, allow it to ferment for 1 hour in a bowl with a floured kitchen towel, or leave it in the fridge overnight. When you are ready to bake, put the dough in a Dutch oven – I have a instruction here – How to bake in a “Dutch oven”
Or, here where I make baguettes, stretch the dough with the scraper into buns.
I “gently” fold the dough.
Then I roll out the dough without “pressing” it.
Then let them perform half an hour on a floured towel.
Or use the whole dough, just shape it gently and let it proof 1 hour and then insert into the oven.
Time to bake the sourdough bread!
Make sure you have heated the oven to the highest temperature, 275 or 250 degrees. Set a owen tray at the bottom of the oven. Right before the dough goes into the oven, make a score long down the center of the dough with a rezorblade. It helps the bread rise.
Put in the bread and pour a glass of water into the oven tray to create steam. Immediately close the door and leave it closed for 10 minuts. This makes the dough rise more easily before creating a crust. After 10 minutes, open the door and release the steam. Move the bread down at the bottom of the oven so the bread also gets a crust on the bottom. Maybe move the bread around if the heat in owen is uneven.
Lower the temperature to 245 degrees. After 20 minutes, insert the thermometer and measure the temperature in the center of the bread. You know the bread is ready when the temperature is 95-98 degrees. You can also check if the bread is ready by tapping the underside, which will then make a hazy and hollow sound.
Voila - you made it to end!
The bread is ready-baked and should now be allowed to cool before you cut it, I know it is difficult to wait … but it will be a better result if you put the bread on a rack so there is air underneath and at least let it cool for 30 minutes.
Watch the video and see how I did!
How to bake sourdough bread!
Succeeding with baking is a process that is affected by many factors such as temperature,
types of flour and your ability to dare to make mistakes. Yes, of course you will to succeed, but it also needs to fail to understand and learn by your mistakes. After a while you will find your way to bake. This recipe works for me and I have been using it since I had the restaurant 25 years ago.
It is a “basic recipe” that you can later experiment with when you are a little warm the clothes. First you need a “sourdough starter” you find the recipe here!
- Prep Time2 hr
- Cook Time16 hr
- Total Time18 hr
- Yield1 loaf of bread
- Total Costcheap
Ingredients
- 520 g of organic wheat floor
- 220 g of water
- 200 g of mix of scalded oatmeal
- 200 g of sourdough starter
- 20 g salt
Method
First, start making the mix of toasted oatmeal. Pour 10 dl boiling water over 2 dl oatmeal and stir. Then let it cool before mixing in. If not everything goes well, it is excellent to save in the fridge for 1 week until the next baking.
Measure out water and pour into the dough mixer. Measure out the mixture of toasted oatmeal and sourdough and pour into the mixer. Then measure out the flour and pour in. Then start the mixer and run until the dough has come together after a few minutes.
Now the dough should absorb “autolys” the flour water completely. The dough contracts and activates the enzymes in the flour. The time can vary between 30 minutes to several hours depending on the flour. But I leave a regular wheat flour for at least 1 hour.
To get a really delicious dough, the dough must be “kneaded” properly. It should take about 15 minutes. Just before the dough is ready, add the salt 2 minutes before the end
Now it’s time to do the “dough test” to see if gluten and gliadin have been properly bound. If you can pull the dough without breaking easily, it is ready.
Take out your dough box and grease it at the bottom with a little olive oil. This ensures that the dough does not stick to the bottom. Scrape the dough out of the bowl with a dough scraper. Put the lid on and let rest for 1 hour before the next step.
Now it’s time to stretch and pull in the sourdough and fold it four times over itself to build up the elasticity. Grasp one side and pull the dough firmly and fold over 2/3. Repeat on the other side and do the same on the long sides. Turn the dough and let it rest for another hour.
Repeat this three more times. After folding and for best taste, cover the box and place it in a cool place (refrigerator) and leave the dough to rise for at least 12 hours before baking.
Folding & Baking
It is important to handle the dough carefully without forcing the air out of the dough when it is time to form bread. “Tighten the surface of the dough” using the dough scraper by “rolling” around the dough towards the table surface. Be sure to use as little flour as possible on the back table.
Then the dough sticks more easily and a resistance is created when you “stretch” the dough. Once you have formed the dough, flour it on the surface and then leave it to rise for about 1 hour (second fermentation) under a baking sheet before baking.
Make sure you have heated the oven to the highest temperature, 275 or 250 degrees. Place an oven plate at the bottom of the oven.
Put the bread in the owen and pour a glass of water on the baking sheet to create steam, which makes the dough rise more easily and get a nice crust.
Immediately close the door and leave it closed for 10-15 minutes. Then open the door and release the steam. Move the bread down to the bottom of the oven so that the bread also has a crust on the bottom. Maybe move the bread around the bread if the heat in the oven is uneven.
Lower the temperature to 245 degrees. Insert the thermometer after 20 minutes and measure the temperature in the middle of the bread. You know that the bread is ready when the temperature is 95-98 degrees. You can also check if the bread is ready by tapping on the underside, which gives a fragrant and hollow sound.
Congratulations, you have succeeded to the end. Enjoy your homemade sourdough bread. Happy Baking – Good Baking!
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3 Responses
Tack för ett bra recept. Jag har provat och det blir ju hur bra som helst
Tack Nils, vad kul att du bakar. Om du vill kan du också använda livechatten här på sidan om du har frågor. Jag svara oftast inom några minuter.
Ha det gott, Med vänlig hälsning,
Martino
Perfekt, den skall jag prova!
/ Tack