Delicious homemade sourdough bread baked in a Dutch oven that will nourish both body and soul. Don't be intimidated by bread baking. Give it a try and see how easy it can be. Because even imperfect loaves are delicious and something to be proud of.
I added times for when I like to do all the steps. But you don’t have to do it exactly at these times. I just added them in the hopes that it might be easier to understand and give you a bit more of a guide.
Feeding your starter (8 am)
Feed your starter as usual with a 50/50 water to flour ratio, ensuring that you have at least 100gr of starter that you can take.Depending on how cold or warm your kitchen is, it might take longer for your starter to reach peak bubbliness. In the summer, 8 am, is the best time for me to feed my starter. But in the winter, my kitchen is so cold that I start my starter the evening before just after dinner.
Mixing the dough (12 pm)
Add the flour to a large to medium sized bowl and mix in the salt. Then add water and your active sourdough starter to the bowl and mix until well combined. Then cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rest for 30 minutes, this moment is called autolyse.Although normally speaking you don't add the salt and your starter during this moment. But I found that it made no difference in my final bread result. So for simplicities sake, I just mix everything together at the same time. Although if you prefer to add your salt and starter afterwards, you are more than welcome to do so.If in winter you've started your sourdough starter the evening before and it is already bubbly before 12 pm. You can always mix your dough a bit sooner. Since winter is a tad colder, the rising will take longer anyways.
Stretch and fold dough then let rise (12.30 pm)
The stretch and fold method is pretty self-explanatory it’s simply the act of grabbing a piece of your dough, stretching it upwards and folding it over your dough ball.You try and stretch it as far as you can go before you fold it over your dough. After doing each stretch and fold, you turn your bowl quarter, so that you end up going all the way around your dough. With the result of having stretched every side at least once. This will give some strength to your dough as well as give structure to your final crumb.You simply continue doing just that all around the bowl. I like to do the stretching and folding 3 times and wait 30 minutes in between each stretch. I find that that way I get just the right sized holes in my bread. While also having a dough that is strong enough to hold its shape.During winter, the initial rise can sometimes take a great deal longer. So if evening comes and your dough is not yet doubled in size, then depending on its size, you can either leave it on the counter overnight or place it in the fridge to slow down fermentation. Then in the morning, you can take it out again and leave it to rise further.Between stretching and folding, cover your dough with a damp tea towel.
Shaping the dough and second rise (7 pm)
When your dough has doubled in size, you can start to shape it and prepare it for its second rise.Flour your counter and gently scrape out your dough onto the floured surface. Then shape your dough into a ball so that it will fit into your Dutch oven. Gently flatten your dough. Then grab one side of your dough and fold it over the dough to the centre. Repeat this with all sides of your dough until you feel you have a reasonably firm dough ball or cob.To add extra strength to the dough, you can scrape it with seam side down along your counter. When you do this, you want to ensure that you keep the round shape you worked on creating.If you have a banneton basket you can use that for your second rise. Otherwise, you can use a similar-sized bowl with a clean tea towel. Make sure you flour everything well to prevent any sticky messes.You can add some extra flour to the outside of your dough before turning it into your banneton basket or teatowel lined bowl. Place your dough with the seam side up, then cover with a damp tea towel and leave in the fridge overnight.
Next day scoring and baking (8 am)
Preheat the oven with the Dutch oven in there, at 250 C for 15 minutes or until good and hot. If your Dutch oven takes longer to get to temperature. You might want to preheat it for more to 30 minutes to possibly even an hour. Since my Dutch oven is a traditional Dutch braadpan, I find that 15 minutes is sufficient.Take your Dutch oven out of your preheated oven and flour the bottom of your Dutch oven to prevent the dough from sticking onto the bottom. Then take the dough out of the fridge and place seam side down into the hot Dutch oven. By flipping the banneton basket upside down into your Dutch oven. If you don't dare to flip your bread into your Dutch oven, you can also first transfer your dough onto some baking parchment and then lower it down into your Dutch oven.Score the top of the bread with a lame or be very careful when you use a bare razor blade. You can create whatever pattern you prefer. You can go as simple as one long line across the length of the dough, score a plain cross, or even score a pattern as elaborate as a wheat sheaf. I like to score a cross with small cuts inbetween the larger cuts. This way it almost looks like a wheel.Bake your bread for 25 minutes at 250 C with the lid on the Dutch oven. This will keep the moisture trapped inside for maximum oven spring. After 25 minutes, you can take the lid off and lower the oven temperature to 220 C. Then, bake the bread without a lid for another 20 minutes.
Leave your bread to cool on a drying rack, ideally for 1 to 2 hours.