Sourdough Starter and Small Boule

You have to commit (or be committed 🤪) to a serious schedule when starting your sourdough journey. This is my first one since covid when we all seemed to be sourdoughing! Find out how to make a sourdough starter, bake a small sourdough bread and keep your starter viable (in other words... see how Stella gets her groove back!)

Good

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Day 1 - mix 20g flour/20g warm water in a mason jar with paper towel screwed on with lid ring to allow some air circulation.

Step 2

Day 2 - mix well

Step 3

Day 3 - discard 20g starter. In a clean jar add 20g flour/20g water to the rest of the starter. Mix together and keep in a place free from drafts, like inside the microwave.

Step 4

Day 4 - remove 40g starter, add 20g flour/20g water to the rest. After 12 hours discard 40g starter, add 20g flour/20g water.

Step 5

Repeat as day 4 for the next 10 days.

Step 6

Day 15 (I got lazy weighing ingredients here) Remove 2 heaping tbsps starter, add 2 heaping tbsps flour/2-3 tbsps warm water (you want a peanut butter type consistency)

Step 7

Repeat day 15 to day 20 On Day 21 remove 2 heaping tbsps starter then add 2 heaping tbsps bread flour, 2-3 tbsps warm water AND 1/4 tsp quick yeast (Call it cheating if you like. I call it a helpful boost)

Step 8

Bread baking soon!

Step 9

After 8-12 hours place 50g starter in a clean jar, add 50g warm water and 50g bread flour. Set aside 6 hrs. You could sit it in the microwave with a glass of hot water beside it.

Step 10

Don't forget to keep your remaining starter going. Add a scant 2 tbsps flour and 2 tbsps warm water to the bit of starter that's left in the jar. Mine doubled in 6 hrs with nice air bubbles! Stella lives! (Yes, since I have to keep her alive through daily feedings I thought I'd name her... Stella the Starter. Naming your starter is a long standing sourdough baker's tradition apparently).

Step 11

Back to baking... after 6 hrs combine 60g starter with 220g water and 330g bread flour. Stir to a shaggy dough. Cover bowl with plastic wrap on counter 1 hr.

Step 12

Sprinkle 8g salt on top of dough and with damp hands fold and lightly knead 10 times. Cover again 30 minutes.

Step 13

Start stretch and fold process taking dough from underneath, pulling up and over itself. Stretch until it looks like it will tear, make a 1/4 turn with the bowl and repeat 4 times. Cover 30 minutes. Repeat stretch and fold 3 more times.

Step 14

After the last fold and stretch pull dough from underneath to form a nice boule, dust with flour, sit on a large piece of parchment and place in a bowl of similar size to the Dutch oven you will be baking in. Cover and let rise until double in size (microwave, hot water in a glass)

Step 15

Place Dutch oven and lid in oven and set temperature to 450°F letting the pot heat for about 20 minutes. Score the top of your dough with a sharp blade 1 or 2 times. Remove hot Dutch oven from oven. Lift the ball of dough using the parchment as handles and carefully sit parchment and boule in the hot pot. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove lid and return to the oven for another 15 minutes to brown up nicely. Lift out and put on a rack. Peel the parchment off when you can handle it.

Step 16

Cool completely before slicing. I am quite happy with Stella's first bread and the nice amount of open crumb! As she mature's (in about 3 months) the air pockets should be quite impressive!

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