Not Quite San Francisco Sourdough

Remember the book my sister sent me at Christmastime?  Remember the sourdough starter I attempted to make at that time?  (The one my husband said couldn't be made because there weren't enough wild yeasts and bacteria floating around in the desert?)

Well, events being what they were, I had to leave it in the care of my teenagers for a few days . . . which wasn't a good idea.  When I returned, I found a mess which deserved only discarding.  After that, with school starting right away, I didn't think I could give a seed starter the care it needed, so I postponed trying again.

When Spring Break finally came along, I decided it was time.  I began again, following the schedule outlined in the book, and watched in delight as bubbly things started happening.  (Obviously there are enough yeasts and bacteria in the desert in springtime to make starter-type things happen!)  And then the bubbly things stopped happening.  My starter ceased to be active, and I realized I had missed a critical stage in its development when it had needed more ingredients added.  (Discard #2.)

With a sigh, I started yet again, even though school was coming back into session, as well.  I decided to take the book's author at his word when he said the mixture only needed to be aerated two or three times a day, hoping the long stretch of my absence each day wouldn't adversely affect the growth of the living beasties inside my bowl.  It seemed to work, and this time, I understood more what I was looking for in the starter's development.

Finally, I had a "mother starter" finished and waiting in my refrigerator, and with a little trepidation, decided it was time to try out a sourdough recipe.  (Still being the scientist, I had been recording everything I did in this experiment on my notebook . . .)

I chose the San Francisco Sourdough recipe to start out with, because I thought it would be kind of fun.  The reason I have entitled this entry "Not Quite San Francisco Sourdough" is because I knew my bread couldn't be San Francisco Sourdough without the same kinds of yeasts and bacteria found specifically in the San Francisco area.  But aside from that, the recipe is supposed to produce a loaf fairly similar to a San Francisco Sourdough loaf.

The resulting bread was chewy, dense, and delicious.  It did not rise as much as I thought it would when I shaped it in loaf pans, so I decided the next time around, I would try a different shape.  It had a distinct sour flavor characteristic of good artisan sourdough breads, and my husband and I called it a success, overall.  (At least it was a step in the right direction, even if it looked a little funny.)

After a couple more attempts at sourdough recipes, and a few more mistakes which helped me refine my technique, I finally tried making a whole wheat sourdough.  I was very careful with my scoring, which had given me trouble some other batches, and the bread came out rather pretty.(In the words of the Junior Taste-tester, "Minecraft bread!")  While I have never been a fan of normal whole wheat bread, I found I actually enjoyed the flavor of the sourdough whole wheat bread.

So with that success under my belt, I decided it was time to demonstrate the technique for the blog.  The recipe I am using is the whole wheat sourdough bread.

The funny jar in the front is the mother starter.

Ingredients:

For the starter:

1/4 cup (2 oz/56.5 g) mother starter, cold or at room temperature
1 1/3 cups (6 oz/170 g) whole wheat flour
1/2 cup plus 1 Tablespoon (4.5 oz/128 g) lukewarm water (about 95 degrees F or 35 degrees C)

For the dough:

All of the whole wheat sourdough starter (12.5 oz/354 g)
1 1/2 Tablespoons (1 oz/28.5g) honey or agave nectar, or 2 Tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cups (12 oz/340 g) lukewarm water
2 Tablespoons (1 oz/28.5 g) vegetable oil (optional)
3 1/2 cups (16 oz/454 g) whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons (0.5 oz/14 g) salt, or 1 Tablespoon coarse kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons (0.17 oz/5 g) instant yeast (optional)

This recipe takes at least two days to make, so be prepared to start early.

To make the starter, combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl.  If you are using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment and mix on the lowest speed for 1 minute, then increase to medium speed for about 30 seconds.  If you are mixing by hand, stir for about 2 minutes, until well blended.  If the starter does not feel doughlike and tacky or slightly sticky, stir in additional flour or water as needed.  (I find, for me, if I measure the starter and flour by weight, I need no alterations.)

Weighing the mother starter.

Weighing the whole wheat flour.

Transfer the starter to a lightly floured work surface and knead for about 30 seconds.  Place it in a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl loosely, and leave at room temperature for 6 to 8 hours, until the starter increases to about 1 1/2 times its original size.  Use the starter immediately to make the final dough or refrigerate overnight or for up to 4 days.  (It's a good idea to pick a non-metal bowl for this; less chance of having reactive issues.  I use Corelware or glass.)

This is the starter before time sitting on the counter.

This is the starter after sitting on the counter . . . It's aliiiiive!!

To make the dough, cut the starter into 10 or 12 pieces and put them in a mixing bowl.  Dissolve the honey in the warm water (if you're using sugar, just add it with the dry ingredients), then stir in the oil and pour the mixture into the mixing bowl.  Stir to soften the starter, then add the dry ingredients, along with the instant yeast (unless you're making the "purist" version, like I do).  If you are using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment and mix on the lowest speed for 1 minute, or stir with a large spoon for about 1 minute, to create a wet, coarse dough.  Let the dough sit for about 5 minutes to fully hydrate the flour.

In a stand mixer, switch to the dough hook and mix on medium-low speed, or continue mixing by hand, for 2 minutes.  The dough will firm up slightly and become smoother.  Adjust by adding a little more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, if it is too firm.  (I had to add a little more flour this time.)  The dough should be supple and a little sticky.  Continue to mix with the dough hook on medium speed (or by hand) for 4 minutes more, increasing the speed or kneading more vigorously the last 20 seconds.  The dough will be slightly sticky, but stronger and more elastic.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface.  With wet or oiled hands, reach under one end of the dough, stretch it out, then fold it back onto the top of the dough.

Stretching the dough.

Folding the dough.

Do this from the back end and then from each side.  (So you'll be doing this four times--top, bottom, left, right.)  Flip the dough over and tuck it into a ball.  Place the dough into a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.  Repeat this process three more times.  (So, yes, you'll be doing the entire process four times.)

After the final time, immediately cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate the dough overnight or for up to 4 days, or, for the "purist" version, leave the dough out for 2-3 hours before refrigerating.  The dough should rise to about double or triple its original size within 8-12 hours in the refrigerator.

On baking day, remove the dough from the refrigerator about 3 hours before you plan to bake (or 4 hours for the "purist" version).  Put the dough on a lightly floured surface and divide it into two pieces for loaves.

You can see by the air pockets that some yeast action has been happening overnight.

Shape the dough and place it on the back of a pan covered in parchment paper to rise.  (Well, I've tried that, and it's not terribly easy to work with, so I decided to try an alternate method I had seen ages ago, with something else:  covering a pizza paddle in corn meal and rising it on that.  It was much, much easier to transfer to the baking stone after it had risen.)

Mist the dough with spray oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap, then let the dough rise at room temperature for 2-3 hours or up to 4 hours with the "purist" version, until increased to 1 1/2 times its original size.

Preheat the oven and baking stone to 500 degrees F or 260 degrees C.  Place a pan on a lower rack to use for steam.  Uncover the dough 15 minutes before baking and score it with a sharp serrated knife or razor blade.

Transfer the dough to the oven, pour 1 cup of hot water into the steam pan, and lower the temperature to 425 degrees F or 218 degrees C.

Bake the loaves for 15 minutes, then rotate the pan.  The total baking time is 35-45 minutes for loaves.  The bread is done when the top and sides are a deep, rich brown and the loaf sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom.  (If you want to be really scientific, the internal temperature should be above 195 degrees F or 91 degrees C.)  For a crisper crust, leave the bread in the oven for 5-10 minutes after you turn off the oven.

Cool on a wire rack for at least 45 minutes before slicing or serving.

I got distracted and left mine in the oven a little longer than I had planned.

Extra crusty and chewy!

This bread is absolutely fabulous when spread with chevre, a soft goat cheese, or when eaten with soup.

On a side note, this batch of bread is proof that you can take a mother starter which has been sitting completely neglected in your refrigerator for two months (!), scrape off the top portion, and use only a few ounces of the bottom portion to resurrect your mother starter.  Still tastes good!