Sourdough Loaf

    If you are a first time sourdough maker, I want to tell you that you've got this! I'm sure my blog is not the first thing you have read about how to make sourdough and it probably will not be your last. If you get anything out of this article, I want to share something I heard when I first started making it: Sourdough is not a recipe but a technique. When I first heard this, it changed the whole way I thought about the sourdough process and encouraged me so much! There are so many different ways to make sourdough bread but as long as you stick to the bones of making sourdough it is hard to make a loaf that does not taste good! Sure, some are prettier than others, but even the pros have a sub-par loaf every once in a while! That's just the name of the game!

    What is a boule?

    Oftentimes when you are looking up sourdough recipes you will see the word "boule". It took me forever to figure out what it was, and I always assumed it was just another word for "loaf". I wasn't entirely wrong... a boule is a "round loaf of crusty bread" (Miriam-Webster Dictionary). So in the context of a traditional loaf of sourdough this makes way more sense. You can make sourdough in a loaf pan or you can make sandwich bread instead, but these are technically not sourdough boules. So, as you are researching recipes, it might be helpful to take note of which ones are labeled as boules and which ones are labeled as loaves. This being said, a lot of people on line never use the term boule and just call it a sourdough loaf although it is technically a boule. Long story short, neither is wrong but it is nice to know the difference. 

    Flour

    There are so many types of flour at the store nowadays it makes my head want to spin! Luckily, when it comes to sourdough, there isn't really a wrong type except for one, bleached all purpose. I have seen people make sourdough loaves with almond, rye, whole wheat, UNbleached all purpose, and more. The easiest and best one for beginners (in my opinion) is either unbleached all purpose flour or bread flour. The all purpose is nice because everyone has it! It is cheap and easy to get so if you are unsure of your sourdough experience, you don't have to throw more risk in by buying another type of flour you are unsure you will ever use again. However, if you do plan on using it again, definitely buy some bread flour!  The main difference between bread flour and all purpose is that bread flour contains more protein. AP has about 10-12% protein while bread flour has about 12-14%. This might not seem like a huge difference but that protein is what makes things chewier and gives your baked goods structure. You might not want your cookies to be chewy and structured and that is why you probably won't use bread flour to make cookies. But that extra protein comes in handy when you are trying to make a loaf of bread! 

    All this being said, there isn't really a "wrong" four as long as it is NOT bleached. When your flour is bleached, it no longer has as much protein or nutrition for the sourdough enzymes to feed off of so they will die. Never feed your starter with it or make bread with it, it probably won't work. However, there are so many opinions on every little part of sourdough so I'm sure you can find someone who disagrees with me. Whatever you decide is up to you!

    Bulk Fermenting

    Just about every sourdough recipe (even bagels, English muffins, biscuits, etc.) have two proofs. The first one is called a bulk ferment. You start your bulk ferment by "activating" the gluten in some way. I like to do this by either doing stretch and folds or coil folds. Both of these processes consist of taking your dough and stretching it, while making sure it doesn't tear, then folding it over itself and repeating until your dough doesn't want to stretch so much. I only need 3 rounds of 4 stretch and folds but you can adjust this as you become more familiar with your dough. 

    This first ferment is the one that really gets the sourdough enzymes going and feeding. As they feed, the "sour" part of the sourdough is really introduced. This proof is necessary for the structure of your loaf. It can last anywhere between 5-12 hours on your counter and 8-24 in your fridge! The shorter you do your bulk ferment the less your final loaf will rise and the longer you do it the more sour your final loaf will be. This part is when you really have to keep in mind that this is supposed to be a process, not a recipe. You really have to watch your dough and end your ferment when your dough looks ready, not when your timer is done. 

    Temperature also plays a huge part in how long it will take for your bulk ferment to be done. If you remember in high school science, heat is a catalyst in cellular respiration and that is essentially what is going on in your bread. Your sourdough yeast is "eating" your flour, and releasing CO2 (makes bread puff), and lactic acid (makes the bread sour). So when you introduce or take away heat, it makes the process go faster or slower. Luckily, there are a few ways to read your dough so that you can accurately tell if it is ready to move on to the next step. 

    Perfectly fermented dough will be about double in size from when you first mixed your dough, not from your last stretch and fold. It will wiggle a little when you shake the bowl due to all of the air bubbles in it. Speaking of air bubbles, they should be visible through your bowl (if you are using glass) and on top of your dough. Also, when you dump your dough out onto your work surface to shape, it should be tacky, not sticky, so it should easily dump out of the container you did your bulk ferment in. 

Dough resting before stretch and folds. It is a little shaggy but it will come together more when gluten is activated. 

    Shaping and Proofing

    When your bulk ferment is done, you will dump out your dough onto a work surface, pop any major bubbles so there are no giant holes in your finished loaf and shape it into a ball. There are so many ways to do this but my favorite is the one I see online the most. I like to spread my dough into a small square and start by folding in two opposite sides. I then go from the last side and roll the whole thing up tightly. If it needs further shaping, I use a cupped hand to slightly "roll" the dough and tuck the edges under. The most important thing when it comes to shaping is maintaining surface tension, so, as long as it's surface is smooth you should be good to go. You then put the smooth side down in a bowl lined with a flour dusted cloth or a banneton. This will leave all the edges you tucked under now on the top in your bowl. To really maintain that surface pressure, I like to pinch my edges together super tight before I let it proof. Make sure you cover you loaf with a damp towel, plastic wrap, or any other way that will help it maintain as much moisture as possible.

After shaping, pinched side up. 

 

    This second proof is shorter but will have a little more effect on the final look of your boule. It should last anywhere from two hours in a warm oven to 12 in the fridge. A lot of people like to do an overnight "cold proof" in the fridge but that usually doesn't work for my baking schedule. Instead, I put it in my oven on the lowest possible setting for the first hour, then on top of my oven while it preheats to bake for the second. You can tell if your bread is ready to bake by the look of it just like you can with your bulk proof. A perfectly proofed loaf should be about double the size it was when you shaped it. It should have a smooth surface but not totally rounded. The top should be slightly domed with the edges curving under... something between domed and flat. 

    My favorite way of telling if it is done proofing is the "poke test". It is as simple as it sounds, you poke it and see if it is ready? If your finger leaves little to no indent after gently poking then your dough is under proofed and you should leave it a little longer. If the indent left from your finger doesn't spring back at all then it is over proofed then you should bake it asap or toss it. I know there are ways to save over proofed bread other than just baking it but I haven't tested a ton of those methods yet. Perfectly proofed bread will retain a slight indent after you poke it but it will spring back about half of the way. 

Slightly over proofed loaf I baked anyway

    Scoring and Baking

    You're in the last stretch! I'm so proud of you!

    Once your bread is done proofing, you should turn it out onto a VERY LIGHTLY floured (or not floured at all) work surface or straight onto your bread sling or parchment paper. You want to handle your loaf as little as possible at this point in order to avoid deflating it. To score your bread you can use either a bread lame or a sharp knife. I like to use a serrated steak knife just because it works well and has a pointy tip but you can experement with whatever you have in your kitchen. 

    When you score you need at least one large score for your steam to thoroughly escape. From there you can make some kind pattern out of smaller scores. And that's it! If your bread is over proofed or doesn't have enough tension from when you shaped it, scoring can be quite difficult. One way to get a clean score on a difficult loaf is to do the "5-minute" score. You do this by pulling your bread out of the oven after 5 minutes and quickly scoring it then. This is pretty fun to do because the score will immediately open up and it is super fun to watch it move. However, if you have an oven like mine, pulling your bread out after five minutes can really mess up the temperature and release too much steam so I try to score it before baking it as much as I can.

Scored loaf with wheat design ready to bake!

    Once my bread is scored I use parchment paper or a bread sling to transfer my dough into my preheated dutch oven. you should leave your dutch oven in your oven during the entire preheat so that it is roughly the same temp on the inside as the inside of your oven. When my dough is in I add an ice cube or two for steam, cover it up, and bake! I bake my bread at 450 degrees F for about 27-30 minutes with the lid on and 8-10 minutes with the lid off.  

    If you don't have a dutch oven you can also bake your bread on a preheated baking stone or in a loaf pan with another upside down loaf pan on top with a lid. I do not reccomend baking it on a baking sheet or else the bottom will get too hot and your loaf can deflate. Whatever you are baking it in/on, make sure there is enough steam around your bread by either misting the tops, adding ice cubes into your container, or putting a casserole dish with water or ice underneath your bread in the oven. 

Molasses Sourdough loaf baked in a bread pan. It also had a gorgeous "ear".

    

    Enjoy!

    When your bread is done baking it should be shades of gorgeous golden brown to dark brown. The best loaves will even have an "ear". This is when your largest score folds up a bit and gets browner at the end. The "rule" with sourdough is that you should let it rest an hour before you cut into it. I have both let it rest and ate it as soon as I could cut it without burning myself and the main difference I noticed is that when you wait your bread is a little less gummy and it maintains structure a little better, it can deflate a but if you cut into it right away. So, when you cut into your loaf is up to you!

    Sourdough is such an amazing thing and even has several health benefits (read my post about it here), not to mention it is super tasty! There are so many ways to flavor a loaf and so many things you can make other than bread so you will never be bored! Good luck in your sourdough endeavors!

    Questions? Comments? Leave a comment below!

    Should I make a video tutorial? Leave your opinion below or email me at joslittlelife@gmail.com

Thank you for reading!