Sourdough Bread Making Part I
The process of making sourdough bread is as old as civilization, popular and inspiring bakers and gourmet cheafs around the world. Making this artisanal bread is not easy and it takes time, effort and a whole lot of passion to get it right.
Sourdough bread is made using a process that involves creation of a starter as the first process. A starter is a combination of flour and water that include wild yeast and lactobacilli which have a role in the process of fermentation. Start with equal proportions of luke warm water and whole wheat flour. Stir well and allow the mixture to be covered. Allow it to sit at the temperature of your room for about 24 hours.
Building a Sourdough Starter
When feeding your starter daily, it changes its texture and smells after some few days or weeks. It should double in size within four to six hours after feeding within a week of activating your starter. That’s why it is crucial to keep the ratio of flour to water constant and always discarding half of the starter to feed it.
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Developing the Right Sourdough Dough
After the starter is active you will proceed to make the sourdough dough. First, combine equal weights of bread flour, and water with your active starter culture.
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Staging and Maturation of the Dough
Once again, having allowed the dough to rest finish shaping the dough into a ball. Put it in a floured basket, or another proofing bowl and let it rise again for 4-6 hours more.
Sourdough Bread Baking
Place your baking stone or Dutch oven in the oven and preheat oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit or 245 degrees Celsius. Painstakingly, turn this proofed dough into another piece of parchment paper. Trim the top of the dough with a sharp blade making some thin incisions. Transfer the dough to the baking stone or a Dutch oven and do not forget to cover it bake for half an hour.
Final Strokes and a Pause
After 30 minutes take out the lid and put the tray back in the oven to bake for additional 15-20 minutes or until the crust of the pizza turns golden brown. After this, take out the bread very gently from the oven and then let it cool on a wire rack. Let the bread cool for at least an hour before slicing and serve your homemade sourdough bread.
