What began as a Tartine basic sourdough bread revived a lost baking obsession. After experimenting with techniques, flours, fermentation times, and a myriad of other things, I’ve found a bread that is not only a pleasure to eat, but one that I enjoy making.
Ever since I can remember I wanted to be a baker. I’ve always felt drawn to the stretch of dough and flour dusting my hands. My first job, in fact, was at the local bakery working on the night crew. Because I was still in high school and all the serious baking happened in the mornings most of my job was to clean up after the morning’s bake and finish the packaging. There were, however, several times during the summers I convinced the manager to let me try my hand at the bench with the bread crew. My excitement to work the mixers and dough outweighed the 3am alarm clock and brisk bike ride in the dark. I loved the mist-like flour in the air and heat when pulling the racks from the oven but all that was second to the smell of fresh bread and buttering it for breakfast.
Fast forward 10 years during which I’d decided to leave culinary school, get married, have a kid, and worked hard to get a degree and make career in design. Much like in the movie Hook when Robin Williams grows up and forgets that he is Peter Pan, I forgot my love of baking.
On an anniversary dinner with my wife a copy of Tartine Bread caught our attention while waiting for dinner. We had been to San Fransisco a couple years earlier and were introduced to the legendary bakery by her cousin and the book was a fun reminder of the trip. The following Christmas not only was Tartine Bread under the tree but my wife got me all four of their books. In less than a week I had read both Tartine Bread and Tartine No. 3 and was twice daily feeding and constantly smelling the newest member of our family, my sourdough starter. Much like Robin Williams surprise at flying again for the first time, making that first loaf of sourdough reminded me of the early mornings at the bakers bench and I felt like I found something I had lost.
Since that first loaf I’ve been experimenting with different techniques, flours, fermentation times, and myriad of other things. I’ve modified the original Tartine country loaf to achieve my own results. While learning to work with natural leaven has been different than the commercial yeast I grew up using, and I find that observing and respecting its process yields a much better bread.
Because I bake so often we frequently share loaves of bread with friends and family several times a week. When we tell people there are only three ingredients or that it is made with a sourdough starter I usually get a lot of questions. I wanted to create a place to share the things I learn with those who want to learn with me. That being said, I’ve tried to simplify this beginner’s sourdough recipe to be approachable to those new to baking with natural leaven.
Basic Sourdough Bread
1. Leaven
| Weight | Ingredient | Baker’s Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 150g | Flour | — |
| 150g | Water | — |
| 30-40g | Mature Sourdough Starter | — |
We get a leaven (or levian) when the collection of natural yeasts in your starter culture is added to a small measure of flour specific to your bake. The leaven will rise and fall, just like your starter, as it eats and exhausts the flour you feed it. The final flavor of the loaf will be affected by when you use the leaven during its fermenting process. If you use the leaven at the peak of its rise you will have a bread with very little to no perceptible sour flavor, however, if you use the leaven after it has fallen you will end up with quite the sour loaf as the yeasts have exhausted the fuel and the acidity of the leaven has increased.
For a basic sourdough bread, build the leaven the night before you plan to bake. Mix the ingredients just before retiring for the night and leave it on the counter at room temp (70°F) for about 8 hours. By that time, your leaven should have risen and just begun to fall.
2. Autolyse and Bulk Fermentation
| Weight | Ingredient | Baker’s Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 700g | White Flour | — |
| 300g | Whole Wheat Flour | — |
| 750g + 75g | Water (80°F) | — |
| 25g | Sea Salt | — |
First thing in the morning dissolve your leaven into 750g of water with your fingers and add the white and whole wheat flours until no dry bits remain. Let sit for at least 1 hour and do not knead. This resting time is called the Autolyse during which the flour is absorbing the water and begining gluten development. During the autolyse the extensibility of the dough is increased which will allow the dough to expand and fill with gasses resulting in a light airy loaf with a more open crumb.
After the autolyse, incorporate the reserved 75g water, and the 25g sea salt. At this point I like to slap and fold the dough for about 5 minutes (this works the gluten to build even more strength in the dough) before placing in a bowl and beginning bulk fermentation. During bulk fermentation, perform 4 sets of stretch and folds every 30 minutes during the first 2 hours and let rest for the remaining 2 hours.
Each set consists of folding the dough 4 times; top, right, left, and bottom. Begin by grabbing one side of the dough and pulling it up until the dough begins to strain but before it begins to tear and fold it to the opposite side, rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat 3 more times. This stretching and folding during the bulk fermentation builds strength in the dough and helps re-distribute the yeasts.
3. Divide and Bench Rest
Inverting the bowl, let the dough fall on an (un-floured) counter and using the bench knife divide the dough roughly in half. Working quickly with the bench knife shape each piece into a round and let rest for 30 minutes up to an hour. After the resting time the edges of your dough should look nice and rounded, if the edges of your dough look flat like a pancake it means that it needs more time before shaping. Simply re-shape each round and rest again.
4. Shape
Before shaping, lightly flour your counter or working surface and the tops of each round. Working quickly with floured hands, use the bench knife to scrape under and flip each round upside-down onto the floured surface. Grabbing the side of the dough closest to you gently pull it down and then fold it up about 2/3 the way to the top. Then, grabbing the left and right sides of the dough gently pull outwards and fold one side in about 2/3 the way and then the other. Then grabbing the top, stretch it upwards and fold it all the way to the bottom and roll the entire loaf so that the seam faces down. Let rest on the counter for 5 minutes before placing seam-side-up in bannetons or linen lined bowls dusted with tapioca flour or rice flour (both are more absorbent than regular wheat flour and will help to keep your dough from sticking). Shaping the dough creates tight surface tension and an inner structure which will help your bread rise well in the oven and make a good crust.
5. Proof
Wrap the bowls in plastic bags and put in the fridge for 12-18 hours. By cooling the dough and lengthening the final proof time, fermentation will slow down but the bacteria will continue its good work and your finished loaf will have a more complex flavor.
6. Bake
When you are ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 500°F and pre-heat your dutch oven or combo cooker for 20 minutes. Lightly flour the loaves and working quickly take your first loaf and invert, pouring the dough into the bottom of your pre-heated dutch oven. Score it with a razor blade or lame, put the lid on, and place back in the oven for 20 minutes turning the temperature down to 450°. After 20 minutes in the oven, remove the lid and bake for an additional 25 minutes until the bread has a nice caramel color.
When the bake is done remove the bread from the dutch oven and cool on a wire rack. Pre-head the dutch oven again to 500°F and repeat for the second loaf.
I love it!! So excited that you are following your dream! Thanks for simplifying the recipe 😉