How-To Video Guides for Making Sourdough Bread
Video 1: Activating Dehydrated Sourdough Bread Starter Culture
Your starter is a 73-year-old starter from Italy – we nicknamed him ‘Gianni’ after the homestead’s Grandpa because he is an old Italian too. The beauty of each starter, however, is that they are unique to you once you get hydrating and feeding it. The baker and the home environment all contribute, so don’t forget to give your new starter a name.
Let’s get started. Put the whole packet of the starter into your clean glass jar. Add 50 ml (50g) of warm water to the jar and stir until all of the starter is wet. Now add 50g flour and mix well, ensuring you get plenty of air into the mixture. Cover with a lid (that doesn’t seal) to keep debris from falling into your mixture but allow the pressure inside to be released. Leave for 12 hours. After 12 hours, feed the starter 50ml (50g) of warm water and 50g of flour. Mix well. Put the lid back on loosely and leave for 12 hours. After 12 hours remove all but 50g of starter. Then feed the starter 50ml (50g) warm water and 50g flour. Mix well. Put the lid back on and leave for another 12 hours. Repeat this last step every 12 hours for the next 3-7 days. Before making bread, you want your starter to be bubbly and consistently doubling in size after each feed. It should have the consistency of pancake batter. Not too thick and not too runny.
Video 2: Kitchen Equipment Needed For Making Sourdough Bread
List of equipment needed for making sourdough bread:
-16oz or larger glass jar
-1 pint glass measuring jug
-Small glass measuring jug
-Large ceramic bowl
-Danish dough whisk
-Flexible scraper
-Spatulas with silicone
-Digital scale
-Thermometer
-Measuring cups
-Measuring spoons
-Banneton Baskets
-Cloth liner
-Shower cap (optional)
-Cotton tea towels
-Scoring lame
-Extra razors
Video 3: How-To Guide For Making Sourdough Bread at Home
Let’s make bread together.
This is a simple recipe with very few steps and kneading.
Ingredients:
½ cup of starter (fed within 12 hours and having doubled)
310ml warm water
500g all-purpose unbleached white organic flour
2 tsp fine sea salt (we personally love using fine himalayan)
In a large mixing bowl add the starter and water. Mix together using a Danish whisk, fork or chopstick. When it is all together and a milky colour, add flour and salt and mix to a shaggy dough. Cover with a damp cotton tea towel and leave for an hour. After an hour stretch and fold 4 times and then let rest for 20 minutes. Use a bowl of warm water to wet your fingers so that all the flour is incorporated. Do this 2-4 times and then cover and leave on the kitchen counter for up to 12 hours to proof. Note that proofing times can vary depending on temp, environment and types of flour used. Proof or proofing is the time where your dough is resting and rising. You should see it grow in size and there should be bubbles near the surface and it should be jiggly. You can test the proof by tough. It’s best to put a little flour on the dough or your finger and gently touch the surface. Proofed dough should spring back slowly when touched. Over-proofed dough will not spring back at all and will be over full of air and will deflate. Under-proofed dough will spring back very quickly so let it sit longer and check back every 20-30 minutes with your poke test. Other ways to tell if your have proofed your dough too much, too little or not enough is when you release it from the banneton. Over-proofed will often stick to the banneton, be harder to score and deflate when released from the basket. Under-proofed will be released quickly, be easy to score and will open up quickly. Just right and it will release easily, hold its shape, be easy to score and when scored open up slowly. Now it’s time to flour your dough a little on top and release it from the bowl and work it on the counter. Fold the ends in and shape it. Put the smooth shape down into your banneton. Let rise for 30 mins on the counter cover with a towel and then 1 hour in the fridge while you heat up your dutch-oven for an hour. (Alternatively, you can put in the fridge until you are ready to cook with a shower cap, damp towel or clingfilm on top. Let it sit out for 30 mins before baking.) Heat over to 500F with Dutch oven inside heating up with it. Tip banneton onto parchment paper, and score the top of your bread. Carefully place into the hot dutch oven. Bake for 20 minutes with the lid on. Then bake for 20 minutes with the lid off. If you don’t have a dutch oven you can try a number of different things to get that moist quality still in your bread.