Sourdough Bread
Start with a scale, a mixer with a dough hook, a glass bowl (for proofing), an 1/8 tsp measuring spoon, a wooden board for kneading and a Dutch oven for baking.
Put the bowl from the mixer on the scale and tap it so that the weight is set to zero.
Add:
424g Flour
2 dashes of dry yeast (about a 1/8th of a tsp. or 6 g)
Mix well with a whisk.
Then set the scale to zero again and add:
404g well-fed starter (not freshly fed/at least 6 hours after a feed and up to 3 or 4 days if refrigerated)
Warm some water (use filtered if you have a lot of iron in your water) to a lukewarm temperature (think perfect baby-bottle temperature) and add:
181g of warmed water to the mix
Mix using a spatula or Dutch whisk until the dough starts to get a bit shaggy.
Then add:
2 tsp of salt
Using the mixer with the dough hook mix until dough is in a ball and smooth to the touch.
Leave to proof for anywhere between 6-10 hours.
Preheat oven to 485F with the Dutch oven in the oven while it is heating up.
Remove and place on a wooden board covered with a generous dusting of flour.
Knead for a couple of minutes to form into a ‘boule’ shape and place it into an oiled glass bowl to proof overnight. (Here is a good video to learn how to knead dough.)
Cover bowl with something like a lid, but do not completely seal it. – Lightly covered Saran Wrap works if not completely sealed).
Remove dough from bowl and place on flour-dusted board. Knead it lightly to shape into boule form.
Add some cornmeal into the glass proofing bowl. Once the boule is shaped place it on top of the cornmeal and dust the top with more cornmeal. (This will prevent sticking when it bakes, but you have to be careful to not handle it at this point until it is baked or the meal will get into the dough.)
Once the oven is ready, roll the dough carefully into the heated pot. Cut the boule with an ‘x’ or spiral to allow for the bread to expand into a nice shape when it bakes.
Bake with the lid on for 35 min – remove the lid and bake for 10 min more.
Remove bread from Dutch oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for a minimum of 20 min.
And don’t forget to FEED THE STARTER after.
