Beginner Artisan Sourdough (73% Hydration)

How to Make Beginner Artisan Sourdough (73%)

“This loaf is a great beginner loaf. Due to it's low hydration, the dough is easy to handle, easy to shape and easy to score. Simple or beautiful 3 dimensional designs work well with this loaf.”

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This recipe can be used with just a simple score down the middle, or it can be used to make heart loaves, Easter bunnies, or Christmas tree loaves. The ease of handling this dough, makes it fun to let your creative juices start flowing. When you first start making sourdough, start with a simple sandwich bread or a low hydration artisan loaf like this one. The first time I made this loaf, I did the Christmas tree design below. I was amazed at how simple it was to score and super excited that I could make a yummy loaf of bread that also looked pretty!

Prep Time: 15 min plus stretch and folds (1 hour) and bulk ferment time (4-6 hours)

Cook Time: 30-40 min

Servings: 1 loaf

Ingredients

• 500g Bread Flour

• 350g Warm Filtered Water

• 100g Ripe Starter (active, preferably at its peak)

• 15g Salt

Preparation Steps

1. Whisk together the flour and salt.

2. Using a Dough whisk, mix your active starter with the water.

3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir with your dough whisk or mix with a dough hook on your stand mixer using the stir setting. If you are using your stand mixer, once the flour is incorporated, you may increase the speed to speed 2 and mix for two minutes. Do not go above speed two with a dough hook. Do not over-mix.

4. Let the dough rest 30 minutes. Perform one set of stretch and folds. The dough will be sticky. Wet your hands before touching the dough.

5. Let the dough rest another 30 minutes. Perform a second set of stretch and folds. (Or you can laminate the dough and add your inclusions at this step.) Repeat this two more times. (For a total of 4 sets of stretch & folds.

6. Let the dough bulk ferment at 68-70 degrees for an additional 3-4 hours until almost double in size. (May take 6-8 hours at cooler room temperature.) If your room temperature is cold, you may want to put your dough in the oven with the light on. If you plan to do this, put a sign on the oven so family members don't try to use the oven and end up baking your dough instead. Imagine if you were doing the bulk ferment in a plastic bowl. Yes, it has happened to bakers, fortunately not me. One thing we did discover however, was that the double ovens in our home were not well insulated between ovens. I was bulk fermenting in my lower oven while my son decided to bake some chicken in the upper oven. He ended up drying out the top of my dough. Fortunately, I was able to scrape off the semi-cooked upper crust and still make a loaf out of the remaining dough.

7. Shape as a boule or batard. (See additional blogs on shaping.)

8. Place your shaped dough in a Banneton that has been dusted with rice flour (Almond flour or any non-glutenous flour will work. White/wheat flour will be stickier and your loaf may not release well.) If you do not have a Banneton, line a bowl with a tea towel and dust it with rice flour. Cover the dough with a sheet of parchment paper, then wrap the loaf in a tea towel and put it in your refrigerator. Cold ferment for 6-12 hours. You can cold ferment up to 72 hours for a more sour taste. The longer the cold ferment, the more sour the dough.

9. When you are ready bake, preheat your oven to 450ºF with your Dutch Oven inside for at least 30 minutes. Take your dough from the refrigerator, and flip it onto the counter. The parchment paper that was on top is now underneath your loaf. Score your dough while it is still cold with a bread lame or knife. The knife/lame will pull on the dough if it is warm and it will be difficult to score. For more complex designs, I actually prefer a hobby knife. It's just easier to control the cut and make more detailed cuts. Your designs do not have to be fancy. In the end, you're making delicious bread and your family and friends will love to consume it.

10. Once your oven is hot, remove the lid of your Dutch Oven. Carefully transfer the dough to the Dutch Oven by grabbing the edges the parchment paper and lifting it into the Dutch Oven. The parchment paper will keep your bread from sticking to the bottom of the Dutch Oven. Most parchment papers say oven safe to 425º F. I have always used the Kirkland brand and I have had no issues with it at 450º F. I had been baking with it as high as 500º F for over a year before I even knew that was a thing. Bake at 450º F in a preheated Dutch oven for 30 minutes with the lid on. Remove the lid and bake another 5 minutes or until the internal temperature of your loaf is 200º F.

Alternate Baking Methods: This is called an open bake. (Do this if you don’t own a Dutch Oven:)

Option #1: Preheat your oven to 500º F. Put a cast iron pan with pie weights on the bottom shelf of your oven. Just before baking, fill the pan with cold water and turn the oven down to 475º F. 

Bake your bread on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Bake at 475º F for 20 min and 425º F for 10-15 minutes or until an internal temperature of 200º F is reached.

Option #2: Add a shallow roasting pan to the bottom of your oven while preheating, and as you put your bread in you can do either of these:

• Add water to it. This gives a burst of steam to your bread.

• Add ice cubes to it. This will release steam quickly.

• Place some wet, rolled up tea towels into the pan. This will give a steady stream of steam. (WARNING: make sure they are 100% cotton!)

***Leave your starter on the counter and feed it daily. (Or store in the refrigerator and feed it weekly.)

*The starter not used in the daily feeding is called the discard (unfed starter). Store this in an airtight container in the refrigerator and use in discard recipes and/or make pizza crust with it.

NOTE: The parchment paper will cause wrinkles in the bottom of your loaf. To prevent this you can cut your parchment in the shape of a bread sling, or purchase a bread sling if you like. I personally went to purchase a bread sling and read the reviews and changed my mind. Some reviews reported the colored design on the bread sling was transferring to their dough. I figured that couldn't be healthy, so I still use parchment paper.

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