Classic Artisan Sourdough Loaf recipe from Posey Acres Kitchen!
Meet Ilea from Posey Acres Kitchen:
"Hi! My name is Ilea and I’m the owner of Posey Acres Kitchen, a licensed cottage bakery in Lake Stevens, WA. I am so honored to bring artisan sourdough to my local community and share my love of baking! I’m a wife, mama to 4 wild boys and have an assortment of animals on our property. I am always so inspired by how good food can offer small moments of joy, celebrate life’s milestones and can bring all kinds of people together. I share my life as a home baker on my Instagram page
and I do regular menu drops for locals - you can order bread here or catch me at the Lake Stevens Farmers Market this summer!"
Happy baking and eating!
Ingredients:
- 50g active starter
- 350g water
- 500g All purpose flour
- 10g sea salt
Required Items:
- Bowl
- Scale
- Wooden spoon or danish dough whisk
- Banneton basket or bowl with tea towel
- Rice flour
- Lame or razor blade to score
STARTER PREP
Prepare your starter by combining 30 grams of water, 30 grams of all-purpose flour and 30 of inactive starter into a clean jar the night before you plan to start. By morning, the starter should be nice and bubbly, generally will have doubled (sometimes even tripled!)
MIX DOUGH
Start with a clean bowl on the scale, pour in 350 grams of warm (70-80 degree) water and add 50 grams of active starter and mix until a milky color.
Next, add the 500 grams of all-purpose flour to the water mixture, and top with 10 grams of sea salt. Combine with the wooden spoon or with your hand until a shaggy dough comes together. It will be sticky! Cover with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap and leave for 30-60 minutes.
STRETCH AND FOLD
The next phase includes sets of stretch and folds about every 30-45 minutes. This is meant to help build the gluten which adds strength to the dough. You can start by dampening your hand, and pinch one side of the dough with your fingers, pull up to stretch, and tuck it, or fold, it into the ball on the other side of the bowl. Repeat this process until you’ve made it around the bowl at least once, and the dough comes together into a ball.
Each set of stretch and folds will help create a smoother and silkier dough. Once you have done the 4th set of stretch and folds, cover the dough and leave it to proof in a warm spot.
BULK FERMENTATION
At this point, you will be waiting for a few signs to know that your dough has proofed enough. There are a few factors that influence how fast or slow the final proof, or bulk fermentation, will occur, temperature being the most impactful.
For a 70 degree environment, you are aiming for about 12 hours and a rise of 75% or just under double in size. If you are curious about the specific times for bulk fermentation, see this resource: https://thesourdoughjourney.com/the-mystery-of-percentage-rise-in-bulk-fermentation/
At the end of the bulk fermentation period, your dough should be smooth on the exterior, maybe with some small bubbles on the surface and not be too sticky to the touch. Some people take a small pinch of dough and stretch it to see how thin the dough can get, or let light pass through, before tearing. This is called the windowpane test and shows if the gluten has strengthened enough.
FINAL PROOF or COLD PROOF
The next phase is the cold proof, which gives the dough more time to ferment, but at a slower pace, and makes it easier to work with during the final stage. Lightly flour a banneton basket or tea towel-lined bowl with rice flour. This prevents the dough from sticking!
Perform a final set of stretch and folds, and tip the dough into your hand. You will then place the dough into the banneton or bowl smooth side down. Add a little rice flour to the top and sides of the dough and cover with plastic wrap, a shower curtain or a damp tea towel.
The cold proof takes place in the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours, and upwards of 24 hours. This is the part of sourdough that allows people to find their preferred rhythm! The longer the dough ferments, the more gluten strands are broken down and it becomes easier to digest. It also gives it a more sour flavor the longer it proofs, so you can test a few different times to see what you like best!
SCORE & BAKE
Once you are ready to bake, you can decide to preheat your oven with a dutch oven inside or do a cold start. This is also a personal preference. Baking temperature should be 425-450 degrees depending on your oven.
Gently place a piece of parchment paper on the exposed dough, and flip so that the flat side is now on the parchment and you should have a nice dome of dough.
Scoring style is totally a baker’s preference, but it allows some of the expansion to be directed in one area, which can give a nice traditional loaf look. It allows for some creativity!
Carefully remove the heated dutch oven, and lower the dough into the pot, or place into the cold dutch oven. Put the lid on, and put into the oven for 35-40 minutes (depending on your oven). DO NOT PEEK - this will release all the steam!
After this time, leave the dutch oven in the oven but remove the lid to release the steam. You can continue baking for 5-10 minutes until you get a golden or dark golden brown color. Carefully remove the loaf from the pot and leave to cool AT LEAST one hour, but even longer is best! (It’s very difficult, I know!)
Once the loaf has cooled, slice and ENJOY!
Photography by: https://loveandlaughterphotos.com
