Really Sourdough Bread

I decided to make an entirely white entirely sourdough bread. All of the ones I have featured so far have featured some combination of grains and have added commercial yeast. This bread features only wild yeast and a long room temperature fermentation time. This is sort of a classic sourdough method that I am experimenting with. I have to sit down and figure out the baker's percentages for this recipe. The long fermentation is supposed to add more sourness to the finished product. I made up a full batch of dough which will make 2 big loaves. I made one loaf just now and I put the dough for the other loaf inside a ziplock bag and put it in the fridge. We'll see which ends up tastier. All of my experience with breads leads me to believe that a little time in the fridge works magic somehow.

White Really Sourdough Bread

Step 1: Levain

8 ounces sourdough starter

2 ounces bread flour

Combine above ingredients in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let sit on the counter for 8 to 10 hours. It will be thicker and more doughlike than the starter itself.

Step 2: Make the Poolish

All of the Levain

8 ounces water

8 ounces flour

Combine the levain with the water and flour. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit at room temperature overnight up to 24 hours.

Step 3: Make the Dough

All of the Poolish

16 oz water

27 to 32 ounces flour

¾ ounce salt (1 T)

Combine the polish and water. Add 10 ounces of flour and mix together to form a ball. Using the kitchenaid mixer, gradually add flour while kneading using the dough hook until it forms a firm smooth dough. It should feel tacky but not necessarily sticky.

Step 4: Dough Rise

Let the dough rise in a covered bowl about 2 ½ hours until doubled in size.

Step 5: Rest #1

Punch the dough down and recover. Let rest ½ hour.

Step 6: Rest #2

Punch the dough down and let rise ½ more hour.

Step 7: Proof loaves

Either make 1 big round loaf or 2 smaller torpedo shaped loaves. Proof about 1 hour until increased by 1 ½ times the original size.

Step 8: Bake

The rack should be in the middle with the baking stone. A rack underneath the backing stone should hold a pan which will accept ice to generate steam. For the shape of loaf shown below I heated the oven to 450. Mist the loaf with a spray bottle just before sliding on the stone and then every 10 minutes while in the oven. The loaf shown below baked 25 minutes. I turned it halfway through baking. At the end I measured the internal temperature at 205 degrees. You can see the loaf is nice and brown all over.

Our little one was guarding Mr. Owl from the hot oven.