Let’s face it. There is nothing more satisfying than a toasted slice of homemade sourdough, slathered with real butter, eaten at the kitchen counter because there’s no way to make it to the table before taking that first crunchy bite. Store-bought sourdough bread pales in comparison, partly because it isn’t true sourdough. In order to achieve consistency as well as cut down on time, mass-produced sourdough uses additives such as baker’s yeast and processing aids such as preservatives and emulsifiers. Real sourdough, the kind you can only get from home bakers or artisan bakeries, uses only four ingredients: flour, salt, water, and a wild yeast starter (levain).
Because true sourdough takes longer to ferment, it is also easier on the digestive system and has a more complex flavor. Plus, the starter is different every time it’s used, making it impossible to achieve consistency in your bread from week to week. Which is part of the charm of baking it – each loaf is quixotic and unique.
Our favorite sourdough recipe is actually a hybrid. We use a small amount of baker’s yeast to keep the fermentation time under 24 hours, but we also refrigerate the dough to retard the rising and thus build complexity of flavor. We allow a six-hour bulk fermentation period, then finish the final proofing overnight in the refrigerator. The loaves are then ready to go into the oven straight from the refrigerator the next morning.
Pain de Campagne
Ingredients
800 grams (6 1/4 cups) bread flour
620 grams (2 3/4 cups) warm water, about 90 degrees
21 grams (1 heaping TB) fine salt
2 grams (1/2 tsp) instant dry yeast
360 grams (1 1/3 cups) mature, fully fed starter/levain
Directions
Make sure your starter/levain is fully fed and has been allowed to rest 5-6 hours after feeding before use.
Mix bread flour and water in 8+ quart plastic tub with lid. Snap the lid on and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
After resting period, sprinkle salt and yeast over top of the dough. Add starter, then work the starter, salt, and yeast in by hand, using a pinching and folding method to fully integrate the ingredients. It helps to keep your hand wet while doing this.
The dough will require 4 folds during the bulk fermentation period, and it's best to do this during the first two hours. After 30 minutes of fermentation, stretch each corner of the dough up then fold it over, being careful not to tear the dough in the process. Put the lid back on, then wait another 30 minutes and repeat three more times.
After all the folds are completed, let the dough rest in the lidded container for three additional hours in a warm place. If your house is chilly, turn the light on in the oven and let it rest there.
Three to four hours after the final fold (5-6 hours total fermentation time), ease the dough out of the container onto a floured cutting board. Lay a line of flour along the center, then slice the dough in half along the line.
Dust two proofing baskets with flour and shape each piece of dough into a ball, pulling each corner down under to create a ball with the seam on the bottom. Place each dough ball, seam side down, in the proofing baskets, and cover lightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough overnight.
Twelve hours after the dough went into the refrigerator, place two covered Dutch ovens in the oven and preheat to 425 degrees for 45 minutes.
Invert the proofed dough onto a floured cutting board. Remove the hot Dutch ovens and gently place each loaf, seam side up, into the Dutch oven. Replace the lid and place back in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Then remove the lids and allow to bake an additional 20 minutes or until very brown on top.
Remove the loaves from the oven and dump out onto a wire rack. Allow to cool at least 20 minutes before cutting.
Adapted from Flour Water Salt Yeast by Ken Forkish.
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