Transcription
Hello, everybody. Welcome, or welcome back to Sippin' Up. I've been making sourdough breads for over 15 years now, and after trying just about every method out there, and making every mistake along the way, I've learned something surprising. The best way >> [music] >> might actually be the easiest way.
At my house, bread has always been at the center of the table, and sourdough [music] is always a favorite. But, over time, I stopped chasing that perfect loaf, and started focusing more on the method that fits my busy schedule, wastes nothing, [music] and doesn't require a lot of special tools. And after years of trial and error, I'm excited to share my rule-breaking recipe today. So, let's get started with rule number one.
I'm using my starter straight from [music] the fridge. No feeding beforehand. My starter usually sits in the fridge [music] for a couple of weeks at a time, and by then, it often develops that gray liquid on top called hooch. I simply pour it off and use the starter as is. No refresh, no waiting. I usually use about half of the starter for this recipe, which makes two loaves, then [music] feed whatever remains in the jar at the same time. While the dough ferments, [music] that starter doubles on the counter, and once it peaks, it goes right back into the fridge until [music] next time. No discard, no wasted flour, no extra [music] planning.
Now, an important note here is that my starter is over 5 years old. It's mature, [music] strong, and very well established. If your starter is newer, weak, or hasn't [music] been fed in much longer than two or three weeks, I strongly recommend [music] feeding it first and making sure it's very active. But if it's healthy and mature like mine, this recipe should work beautifully. [music]
Now, let's gather the rest of the ingredients and dump everything into the stand mixer. And yes, I know what some of you might be thinking. True sourdough breads don't usually have sugar or oil. And I totally agree. But this [music] tiny bit of sugar and olive oil gives this loaf the exact texture I want. Still crusty, still crunchy, [music] still chewy, and unmistakably sourdough. But not so hard that it cuts the roof of your mouth when toasted or turned into sandwiches the next day. You'll just have to trust me and try this recipe and see it for yourself. [music]
And this leads me to rule breaker number two. No stretch and folds. Instead, I let my stand mixer do all the hard work up front. Just let it knead on medium high for about 20 minutes, sometimes a little longer, >> [music] >> and I call this a front-loading the gluten development. That way, by the time the dough is mixed, most of the work is already done. No folding, >> [music] >> no touching the dough, no checking every half hour, just bulk ferment and walk away. Go to work, go to bed, run errands, [music] live your life. That's what makes this method fit into a busy schedule. [music]
Once it's done mixing, cover the bowl and let it rise in a warm place until roughly doubled in size. For me, that usually takes 6 to 8 hours. Just for reference, at the time of filming, it's summertime and my kitchen was around 74°. As I mentioned before, at [music] this point, I feed the remaining starter and let it ferment right next to the dough. And [music] when it doubles and peaks, it goes right back into the fridge for a couple of more weeks. Again, no waste. >> [music] >>
Once the bulk fermentation is done, the dough should look jiggly, airy, and full of life. When you lift it, you should see all those beautiful gluten webs, and that's your sign that it's ready. Turn it out onto the counter and divide it into two. For the first [music] part of the shaping, gently stretch each piece out as thin as you can without using any bench flour. You [music] actually want it to stick to the surface a little. And it's okay if it tears a bit. As you can see here, I'm not exactly doing a perfect job. Then roughly fold it into thirds like a letter, vertically and horizontally, >> [music] >> and form it into a loose ball. Now, let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes. This helps relax the gluten. And for the final shaping, you basically [music] repeat the same process. And this time it won't spread as easily or as thinly as before. And here I do use just a little bit of bench flour so [music] I can shape it into a tighter ball more easily.
And here comes another rule breaker number three. I don't use a banneton and I've actually never owned one. Honestly, it's [music] one more thing to clutter my kitchen and one more thing to clean. For years, I used loaf [music] pans or glass bowls with a little oil and some rice flour. And I would [music] place a shaped dough upside down and that actually worked great. But over time, I found an even easier way. Now I just line a bowl or any container [music] with quality parchment paper and plop the dough in right side up. And that's it. No sticking, no awkward flipping, >> [music] >> no mess right before baking. And when it's time to bake, I just lift the parchment [music] and transfer the dough. Simple, clean, foolproof. As you can see, I'm using a metal bowl for one loaf and an oval-shaped plastic container for the other.
Next, I cover them with plastic bags and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up [music] to 2 days. I usually time it so that this cold ferment process happens overnight, meaning I start mixing the dough in the morning or early afternoon the day before baking. And that cold ferment builds flavor and makes [music] the scoring much easier. But if you're in a hurry, you can absolutely let it sit at room temperature for an hour or two and bake it right away. Whichever the case, when you're [music] ready to bake, preheat your oven to 485° Fahrenheit. If you're using a Dutch oven, make sure it's preheating, too. And then I [music] take the dough straight from the fridge, dust the top lightly with flour, as it makes scoring much easier. Then use a very sharp knife or a blade and make one deep slash across the top at an angle. Hopefully in one quick swipe. I'm not very good at fancy scoring designs, so I usually keep it very simple. But if you want to get creative, this is your moment.
And here comes the final rule breaker number four. You do not need a Dutch oven. Now, don't get me wrong. I absolutely love mine. I've had this oval cast iron Dutch oven for about 5 years, and yes, it gives me the best results every time. But before I bought it, I used to bake with whatever I had. deep casserole dishes, >> [music] >> CorningWare, Pyrex bowls, really anything oven safe [music] with a lid. I even baked on a pizza stone with an upside down metal bowl over the top. Because the goal isn't really to mimic that Dutch oven. For sourdough baking, the goal is steam. The idea is to trap that steam during that first half of baking so the surface stays soft long enough for that loaf to keep expanding. And that's how you get that oven spring, the beautiful crack on top as known as the ear. And today, just to prove my point, I'm baking two loaves. One in my Dutch oven and one in the simple stainless steel mixing bowl with a metal lid. And the funny [music] part, this metal bowl is the same bowl I used for the final proof. So, after I'm done scoring it, I'm putting it straight [music] into the oven. No transfer at all.
For the Dutch oven loaf, lift it in with the parchment, toss in a few ice cubes around it, and bake [music] covered for 20 minutes. Then uncover and bake [music] for another 10 to 12 minutes. Now, most people would just continue baking in the Dutch oven with the lid off, but I personally like to take it out, peel off the parchment, and finish baking directly on the oven rack. That way, the bottom doesn't get too dark or burnt. For the metal bowl loaf, it's the same process. Remove [music] it from the bowl, peel off the parchment, and finish directly on the oven rack for another 12 to 15 minutes. >> And that's it. Two loaves, two methods, same beautiful result.
Now, I don't know about you, but the hardest part for me is to wait for it to cool completely [music] before slicing. But this is one rule I still follow because cutting too early can ruin your crumb. And after all this lazy rule-breaking, let's not ruin it now. So, there you have it. My favorite sourdough recipe that I keep coming back to. I hope you enjoyed this video, and please let me know if you ever tried this recipe. Thanks for watching, and I'll see you next time. Happy baking.